[mpillis]

I would like to know why we have to purchase Radio Shack speakers to replace the lousy speakers you install in your 5 pin headsets? I just finished soldering in the Radio Shacks and the difference is night and day, they sound soooooo much better. And they are not pressed up against my ears.

 

[Loganfilm]

Radio Shack Speakers

Can you post the model number for the Radio Shack speakers? I would love to have better speaksers installed that don't pack my ears into my brain.

 

[meese]

Autocom saves money by using smaller, cheaper speakers. If you prefer better fidelity (such as it is at 70 m.p.h.), you can choose to upgrade the speakers using info gathered from the LT gurus.

BTW, this upgrade also works with the cheaper IntaRide and Starcom intercoms as well.

From the old site:

http://www.bmwlt.net/ubbthreads/showthreaded.php?Cat=&Board=K1200LT&Number=297950

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Helmet Speaker Replacement Option

I followed a couple threads about replacing helmet speakers and I needed to do it because my right Autocom speaker went bad. I went to the local Radio Shack to pick up the one recommended (33-1182) becuase I saw it was on sale for $39.95.

http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog_name=CTLG&product_id=33-1182

While I was looking at it on the display I saw another set of "Titanium" headphones (33-1222). They are not full size headphones but a more compact set. They were on sale for $19.95 and had even better frequency response numbers 15Hz-25k Hz.

http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog_name=CTLG&product_id=33-1222

I then decided that I shouldn't get creative and I would probably end up buying two pairs instead of one if the cheaper pair didn't work. I asked a sales clerk to get me a set of the $39.95 headphones. Of course he started in with the extended warrenty dialog. I told him no because I was just going to rip the speakers out and put them in a helmet. He said OK and went back to get them.

When he came back he said he had a better deal for me. He showed me the compact headphones I had been looking at. He said both sets of headphones used the same speaker and the speakes on the compact set just pop right out, which he proceeded to demonstrate for me. He also told me he had a customer that installs helmet spekers and he comes in and buys a load of them whenever they go on sale. Another thing that I noticed was that the foam covers came right off with speakers so I wouldn't need to buy covers seperately.

I bought the compact set and replaced my Autocom speakers in about an hour. I popped out the headphone speakers and unsoldered the wires. After I got to the Autocom speakers I unsoldered them and resolderd the helmet wires to the new speakers. These speakers are round and the autocom assembly is actually more oval. I did a slight amount of fitting to the helmet liner and in they went. The Autocom speakers are actually a 1.125" diameter round speaker that fit in an oval housing. The new speakers are round and 1.75" in diameter.

I used to have to set the base control to zero and keep the volume fairly low to keep the low frequencies from distorting . What a difference, I can now crank up the base and the volume . They sound better across all of what is left of my ears audio range .

Jim in Renton, WA
'00 K-LTC Canyon Red (Canis Rufus or Rufus)
'02 HD FLSTC Custom (JDsHOG)
For bike shows, parades, Taco Thursdays and local rides on sunny days only.
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[messenger13]

I replaced my IntaRide's headset speakers with the drivers from RadioShack's PRO 35A Stereo Headphones (p/n 33-1222). Excellent sound quality for the money. And the titanium diaphragms should hold up to the environment of a motorcycle helmet for a long time.

As for why all of the intercom manufactures use "lousy speakers" for the stock headset. Well...I'm of the opinion that it's for sonic reasons, not financial ones as Ken suggests. Speakers that have a more narrow frequency response, are arguably better for reproducing the human voice...whch is what an intercom's main objective is. But then we start trying to play music through these, and they soon become perceived as "crappy". The truth is, we're just asking them to do a job they're not designed to do. Surely you don't need a 15-25KHz freq. response for the human voice. But they sure do sound good when playing your favorite tunes...rolling down the superslab at 75mph.

 

[car61]

According to Autocom Tech Support, thier 5 pin and 7 pin speakers are the same and are High quality speakers, Yea..right.