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A Stebel Nautilus by any other name...

There is only one way to settle this! On Friday after school everyone bring your bike attached to your loud horn and meet under the flag pole!
 
it's offical the stebel is louder. i took my Wolo off this afternoon and replaced it with a real Stebel. with my wife 5ft away she says the Stebel is louder. so there ya have it, proof positive on which horn is louder.
 
it's offical the stebel is louder. i took my Wolo off this afternoon and replaced it with a real Stebel. with my wife 5ft away she says the Stebel is louder. so there ya have it, proof positive on which horn is louder.

Post a pic of the calibration sticker on your wife. We need to know it hasn't expired.
 
It is universal. We had to bend the mount to make the horn face forward so it took a little creativity, but not too difficult. I don't remember whether we used the existing horn mount or the one included with the Stebel. It might could be done without it, but we had to remove a good bit of fairing and the fuel tank to do it. (We also inadvertently pulled the plug loose for the front ABS when putting the tank back on).

Someone with experience might be able to do it more easily, but even with all we did, it was well worth it. It is LOUD!
 
it's offical the stebel is louder. i took my Wolo off this afternoon and replaced it with a real Stebel. with my wife 5ft away she says the Stebel is louder. so there ya have it, proof positive on which horn is louder.

I think it means it's official that a new Stebel is louder than an old and used wolo. From some of the stories I've read a new Stebel is also louder than an old and no-longer-working Stebel, too.

I have neither, so both are likely louder than the stock horn on my GS.
 
HF 20% off coupons that have a long life can be found in the back pages of road and track- every month so far this year. I keep a few in my wallet if I pass through the area of the store and wander in. I vote stieble!
 
it's offical the stebel is louder. i took my Wolo off this afternoon and replaced it with a real Stebel. with my wife 5ft away she says the Stebel is louder. so there ya have it, proof positive on which horn is louder.

Post a pic of the calibration sticker on your wife. We need to know it hasn't expired.

What for? That's not necessary!!! Take two bikes... put one bike with the Wolo and a bike with the real Stebel next to each other and see which one is the loudest! I guarantee you will say the real Stebel is louder than the Wolo. You can't tell me a 118 decibel horn is going to be the same loudness as a 139 decibel horn! The Hz rating are the same. The Wolo is 118 decibel horn and the real Stebel is 139 decibel and you will say the 139 decibel horn is louder. I've done it! :nyah

I think it means it's official that a new Stebel is louder than an old and used wolo. From some of the stories I've read a new Stebel is also louder than an old and no-longer-working Stebel, too.

I have neither, so both are likely louder than the stock horn on my GS.


I do not think Stebel has changed their horn.
 
I do not think Stebel has changed their horn.


I don't think that he meant that Stebel changed their horn, at least that is not the way I took it. I can't speak for him but I believe when he said "old Stebel" he meant that one with some age on it from use and weather etc. may not be as loud as it once was when it was new.
 
Some people just don't get it. To properly compare the decible output of any 2 items that create a sound, you must measure them at exactly the same distance realitive to the source. i.e. 10 feet directly in front of the actual sound emitting horn. Not off to the side, not behind it, not 5 feet for one and 20 feet for the other. :banghead

But for those that want to believe only what they read, go with the manufacturers specifications, as they really want you to have accurate information and are not trying to sell you anything. :lol

Once you wrap your head around sound ratings and how they are done, figure out why a 30 watt tube amplifier will be MUCH louder than a 120 watt transistor amplifier.
 
George, the stebel definitely is louder, i could her it 20 miles up the river :) Mine has been mounted on the crashbars for over a week and almost wired up pending the removal of the said stripped fender bolts.
 
Once you wrap your head around sound ratings and how they are done, figure out why a 30 watt tube amplifier will be MUCH louder than a 120 watt transistor amplifier.

I'd love to discuss this. Watts are the same regardless of how you get them, and RMS is the only meaningful number.

Music power, peak power, and whatever else the manufacturers dreamed up is marketing.

Or were you being sarcastic?
 
I was not being sarcastic, yet.

Watts have extremely little to do with how loud an amplifier will be. Just like, the rated (by manufacturer) decibles output of any amplifier or horn is there to make you think it is the loudest. The only reliable way to find out what is the loudest is to have an independent standardized study done. That can be a quick and somewhat dirty procedure of setting up the sound emitting devices in equal situations. i.e. the 2 different horns mounted in the exact same fashion using the exact same amount of input power (measured at the connection to the horns). Then measure the decibles emitted at the exact same distances and directions from the horns with the exact same equipment.

I have done this with guitar amplifiers and PA systems for numerous local bands. We have always found that Tube type amplifiers and PA systems will output more clean and clear decibles (pure tones) than digital or transistorized equivelents. A simple recent test showed that a 30 watt tube amplifier was capable of pushing clean clear tones at higher decibles than a 400 watt digital amplifier. We had to go to a 600 watt digital amp to get equivelent decible ratings.

The whole point I am trying to make is, when a manufacturer rates something at a certain point, you have to take into account the standard variables. Did manufacturer "A" measure 1 inch from the horn, while manufacturer "B" measured at a distance of 10 feet? Without that information, a true comparison is impossible. Then comparing a 4 year old horn to a brand new one, also throws another variable into the equation.

It all comes down to the old addage of comparing apples to apples, instead of apples to oranges.
 
Dave:

You sound like a reasonable guy, I agree with most of what you say and I'd like to have a beer with you some day.

Consider the following:
All things identical except the amp, both amps have 8 ohm output impedance.

30W tube amp set to deliver 25WRMS at 1Khz into the test speaker.
120W solid state amp set to deliver 100WRMS into the same test speaker.

Are you telling me you think the tube amp scenario will make more noise?
 
Watts have extremely little to do with how loud an amplifier will be.

Agreed, but watts are not dB. Sound pressure level is a measure relative to a reference value, expressed in dB. I forget the reference value typically used.

When it comes to things like horns the sound pressure level (SPL) is not the final story. Some sounds are more obnoxious that others and, at the same SPL, will "sound louder". I saw this watching mechanical engineers measure the airflow and sound levels of two different electronic chassis systems. Everyone in the room swore that one was louder than the other by a LOT. The SPL meter told a different story, though. Both were exactly the same when measured in the same room using the same meter.

When selecting horns I think I'd want the one that gets the other persons attention best, even if it didn't necessarily have the best specs. But like I said earlier... I still have the stock horn on my bike. It isn't used often enough to warrant a replacement.
 
MotorradMike,
My findings in the testing was that the 30 watt tube amp created higher decibles and can be heard from a farther distance at all frequencies that humans can hear. This was tested in a large open acreage situation using both recorded music as well as spoken voice. Both amps cranked to their maxium output and set for a clean a sound as possible. Using the 30 watt tube amp, there was far less distortion (clipping) and human voice could be heard and understood clearly at a much farther distance. The digital amp dropped off in clarity when it got anywhere near it's maximum output, mainly due to clipping and distortion. The decibles were recorded using a high quality industrial decible meter. Not something you can buy at Radio Shack.

We did this testing for 2 reasons.
1. To satify our curiosity. I work part time for a local company that sets up stages for concerts and was curious about different types of amplifiers.
2. We were negotiating with our local municipality to run a series of out door night concerts to showcase our local youth rock bands. Basically trying to promote something for our youth and try to keep them off the streets causing mischief. We had to satisfy the Municipalities noise bylaws.

marchyman,
I agree with you 100%. The problem is, that many people buy their sterios, amplifiers for their cars, musical instruments, etc, strictly on the amount of watts it puts out, not taking into account the actual decibles it is capable of creating. Lots of people just have no idea.
 
OK Dave:

I can see I'm not getting anywhere. We'll have to meet in Winnipeg for a beer. I know it's a bit further for you but miles are shorter on red bikes.

Since we've already ruined this thread, what do you think of $100 line cords?

Magic
 
MotorradMike,
Both amps cranked to their maxium output and set for a clean a sound as possible. marchyman,

You mean, cranked to 11, Nigel??:rocker:rocker:rocker
 

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Both amps cranked to their highest measured output. We measured this at the output of the individual amps. Both did actually drop off a slight amount if you turned the knobs to their maximum. We also tested some different brands of amps, as we knew that different bands would be using their "favourite" amps to achieve their individual "sound". Some would not get anywhere near their actual "rated" wattage, while others went well beyond.

The whole point I was trying to get to is this. Just because somethnig is rated at a certain output, you have to be somewhat suspect. If all things look to be the same on the 2 brands of air horns, Wolo and Stiebel, and the only difference appears to be the packaging and the name on the unit, then in all likelyhood, they just might be the same. Just because they have different db ratings, does not mean they are not equal. You have to know how they were tested to findthose ratings. If they won't tell you, then again I would be more suspect.

A similar thing to think about. When looking at the Manufacture's gas milage rating, there is always that little caveat beneath it stating "Your individual milage may vary." Ratings posted by the manufacturer are always done to make the maker look good, never to make them look inferior.

Sorry about hijacking the thread. I just get tired of people that believe everything they read.
 
since mounting my new stebel i took the wolo apart, seperating the compressor from the actual horn. i am now going to try to fit some tubing in between the two pieces and if it works as planned i will then do the exact same thing to my new stebel. that way i can mount the compressor under the seat and mount the horn itself in a more protected place.

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