Right here’s an inconvenient reality: until you pay attention with headphones or earbuds, more often than not you’re not experiencing stereo sound because it was supposed by the artist.
It’s not your fault (in all probability). As people, we have a tendency to maneuver round loads. In the meantime, our audio system have a tendency to remain put. And which means we’re ceaselessly shifting out and in of the stereo candy spot – that place the place you might be completely located between left and proper audio system, on 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. It’s 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 you’ve ever experienced a voice or instrument that you’d swear was located dead center, between your speakers, where no physical sound source exists, that’s known as a phantom center, and it’s a sign you’re sitting in the sweet spot.
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 you’ve been the unfortunate victim of a drive-by listening session as one of these bikes thundered down your street, you’d 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 isn’t the first bike I’ve owned with a sound system, but it is the first one with Apple CarPlay. Evidently, I used to be desirous to strive streaming Apple Music, Qobuz, and Tidal.
At first, I messed round with the varied controls whereas standing beside the bike in my storage. At that time, my solely response was “Wow, that’s, um… LOUD.”
However then I swung a leg over, took a seat, grabbed the handlebars, and uttered an expletive.
A phantom center on the road
Lenny Kravitz’s Black Velveteen suddenly went from two dimensions to three. The song’s rippling techno-rock rhythm expanded well beyond the edges of the windscreen, and Lenny’s voice beckoned from the dash’s central display – a textbook phantom center.
I hadn’t 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 Goldwing’s 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 Goldwing’s speakers are toed-in and angled upward. If they projected lasers instead of sound, I’d 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 size appears to be tailored for the bike’s setup. Somebody who’s taller, shorter, or can lean again due to longer arms will nonetheless benefit from the sound, but it surely received’t be stereo perfection.
In fact, if I’m being trustworthy, I don’t actually get stereo perfection both. I trip with earplugs and a full-face helmet. The Goldwing’s engine, whereas whisper quiet in comparison with many different bikes, nonetheless creates a uninteresting roar at freeway speeds. Then there’s the ever-present wind.
All of those components rob my tunes of element and may hinder sure frequencies — particularly bass. Nevertheless, the precise stereo imaging stays unchanged as a result of my head’s relationship to the audio system stays (largely) static. In principle, if I might tame these different forces, the sound can be pretty much as good at 110 km/h as it’s when standing inventory nonetheless.
On your bike, pal
Am I encouraging you to run out and spend a small fortune on a touring bike? No. (Well, yes, it’s 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. It’s definitely worth a try – and our guide on how to set up your speakers for the best possible sound will help.
