Unpopular opinion: the best stereo system I own is actually built into my motorbike

Date:
Tue, 12 Aug 2025 13:00:00 +0000

Description:
Harsh truth: even the best home hi-fi systems won't always put you in the sweet spot like a motorcycle does

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Heres an inconvenient truth: unless you listen with headphones or earbuds, most of the time youre not experiencing stereo sound as it was intended by
the artist.

Its not your fault (probably). As humans, we tend to move around a lot. Meanwhile, our speakers tend to stay put. And that means we are forever
moving in and out of the stereo sweet spot that place where you are
perfectly situated between left and right speakers, at the apex of an equilateral triangle.

This relatively tiny zone is the only place where we can hear true stereo imaging, that magical side effect of having two ears and one brain. Its a psychoacoustic sleight of hand that lets us perceive sounds not as individual elements coming from each speaker, but from various points in space within a 180-degree arc in front of us.

If youve ever experienced a voice or instrument that youd swear was located dead center, between your speakers, where no physical sound source exists, thats known as a phantom center, and its a sign youre sitting in the sweet spot. (Image credit: Future) And now, my ride

What does any of this have to do with motorcycles? Plenty.

Most touring-class motorcycles (those two-wheel monstrosities that can weigh as much as an average horse) have built-in sound systems with stereo
speakers. If youve been the unfortunate victim of a drive-by listening
session as one of these bikes thundered down your street, youd be well within your rights to write them off as unnecessarily loud, obnoxious, and not particularly hi-fi.

However, as the rider, your head is likely in the perfect spot to get great stereo sound.

I discovered this for myself shortly after taking delivery of my 2023 Honda Goldwing. The Goldwing isnt the first bike Ive owned with a sound system, but it is the first one with Apple CarPlay. Needless to say, I was eager to try streaming Apple Music , Qobuz , and Tidal .

At first, I messed around with the various controls while standing beside the bike in my garage. At that point, my only reaction was Wow, thats, um LOUD.

But then I swung a leg over, took a seat, grabbed the handlebars, and uttered an expletive. (Image credit: Future) A phantom center on the road

Lenny Kravitzs Black Velveteen suddenly went from two dimensions to three.
The songs rippling techno-rock rhythm expanded well beyond the edges of the windscreen, and Lennys voice beckoned from the dashs central display a textbook phantom center.

I hadnt experienced this degree of stereo immersion on my last bike even though its speakers were in roughly the same position. When I looked closer
at the Goldwings speakers, I realized why: toe-in.

Toe-in is the secret sauce that takes a perfect equilateral stereo triangle from good to great. By turning your speakers slightly inward so that if you drew an imaginary line straight through the middle of the speaker, it would intersect with your nose, you focus the sound waves so they converge on your head, instead of overlapping near your head.

If the Goldwing's speakers projected lasers instead of sound, I'd have a red dot on my forehead

The Goldwings speakers are toed-in and angled upward. If they projected
lasers instead of sound, Id have a red dot on my forehead.

Sadly, not everyone who climbs aboard a Honda Goldwing will hear what I hear. My particular combo of torso height and arm length seems to be tailor-made
for the bikes setup. Someone whos taller, shorter, or can lean back thanks to longer arms will still enjoy the sound, but it wont be stereo perfection.

Of course, if Im being honest, I dont really get stereo perfection either. I ride with earplugs and a full-face helmet. The Goldwings engine, while
whisper quiet compared to many other bikes, nonetheless creates a dull roar
at highway speeds. Then theres the ever-present wind.

All of these factors rob my tunes of detail and can hinder certain
frequencies -- especially bass. However, the actual stereo imaging remains unchanged because my heads relationship to the speakers remains (mostly) static. In theory, if I could tame those other forces, the sound would be as good at 110 km/h as it is when standing stock still. (Image credit: Future)
On your bike, pal

Am I encouraging you to run out and spend a small fortune on a touring bike? No. (Well, yes, its heaps of fun, but an otherwise completely irresponsible use of money). I am, however, encouraging you to think about how you listen
to music.

If you own a stereo system with independent speakers that you can move, try
to create that equilateral triangle of sound. Keep the speakers facing straight ahead, then toe them in and see if you can hear a difference.

Even if you use a soundbar or perish the thought the speakers already built into your TV, you may still be able to finagle better sound by moving your listening position. Its definitely worth a try and our guide on how to set up your speakers for the best possible sound can help. You may also like I've ridden the groundbreaking Verge TS Pro electric superbike and it almost
lives up to its Tron-like looks and hefty price tag OK I did it, I bought the $37 AirPods Max dupes and I'm absolutely fuming Sonos says it was wrong
again, but in the best way: Sonos speakers do sound better now



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/audio/unpopular-opinion-the-best-stereo-system-i-own -is-actually-built-into-my-motorbike


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