It’s hard to ignore the sheer size of the aftermarket motorcycle audio industry. Diamond Audio, a brand that’s been around for more than three decades, offers speaker, amplifier, and source unit options to enhance audio system performance on all types of motorcycles. Diamond Audio also provides application-specific solutions for Harley-Davidson touring bikes from 1998 through 2023. In this spotlight, we are going to take a close look at the MSHD14 digital media receiver that works with most 2014 through 2023 Road Glide, Street Glide, and Ultra models.
Key Features of the Diamond Audio MSHD14
The MSHD14 is a custom-sized receiver that is designed as a drop-in replacement for the factory radio on most late-model Harley-Davidson tourers. Mounting locations and wire harness connections are all designed to make the installation simple for the technician working on your bike. Diamond Audio has even integrated an iDatalink Maestro RR2 CAN interface into the radio to handle steering wheel control and engine management system communication. You can pull up a dashboard on the radio and monitor items like oil pressure, bike speed, and electrical system voltage.
The Maestro interface also offers six programmable trigger outputs that are controlled by the touchscreen. These can be used for lighting, air-ride suspension adjustment, a motorized kickstand and much more.
The radio features a seven-inch color touchscreen display with a brightness rating of 1,000 nits. The design makes the screen visible even when the sun is shining over your shoulder. Additionally, the display uses a resistive touch panel to ensure it functions when riders are wearing gloves. Capacitive-touch displays only work with bare hands or when wearing special gloves. The MSHD14 has an IPX6 water intrusion rating, so you don’t have to worry about getting caught in the rain or a dust storm.
Radio Source Options
No modern radio upgrade would be worthwhile without the inclusion of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Your smartphone will connect wirelessly to provide hands-free calling, navigation, and seemingly endless entertainment options thanks to the integrated Wi-Fi connection.
There’s a USB port that allows you to play MP3, WMA, AAC, FLAC, APE and WAV audio files along with MPEG-4, H.263, H.264, H.265, AVI, VP8 and VP9 video files. The USB port can provide up to 2.1 amps of current to charge your smartphone.
The radio is equipped with a Bluetooth 5.2 receiver, so you can stream music from your smartphone while you ride. Whether it’s Pandora or Spotify, or songs stored on your phone, the handlebar controls work seamlessly so you can adjust the volume, change tracks, or pick a different source. Diamond Audio has included what is effectively a line driver on the output of the Bluetooth chip. As phone manufacturers continue to reduce the maximum output of their devices, this driver ensures you can still get every ounce of power out of your audio system, no matter which make or model of smartphone you are using.
Of course, there’s an AM/FM tuner built into the radio. There are also provisions to add a SiriusXM satellite radio receiver so you can enjoy genre-specific entertainment from coast to coast without interruption.
System Expansion and Configuration Options
The radio includes a high-power amplifier that’s rated to deliver 25 watts of power into four 4-ohm speakers and an impressive 50 watts of power into 2-ohm drivers. The preamp output is rated at 5 volts, so your installer can keep the gains down on your favorite amplifier. Diamond Audio refers to the outputs as being Clip-Free, so you don’t have to worry about limits on the volume when you want to crank your tunes.
A 10-channel digital signal processor is also integrated into the radio to provide your installer with signal delay, equalization and filtering. The crossovers are adjustable for both knee frequency and roll-off to maximize system flexibility. The built-in front and rear amplification channels, along with three pairs of RCA outputs each, can be configured independently to perform accurate equalization during system tuning. The equalizer offers 16 bands of adjustment. On top of the individual by-channel processing, there’s an additional 16-band global equalizer that lets the user fine-tune the system for their listening preferences. There are four user-assignable presets, so you can set one up for cruising and another for hanging out with friends in a parking lot. This is pretty potent processing for a source unit. You’ll want to ensure your installer has a properly calibrated microphone to perform accurate equalization during the system calibration process.
Speaking of expansion, the radio includes a backup camera input. If you’ve got big bags or a large trunk on your bike, a camera can make parking and maneuvering your ride simple and safer.
Finally, the MSHD14 is designed to work with a factory-installed BOOM! amplified audio system thanks to support for different (.bin) files.
Upgrade Your Harley-Davidson with the Diamond Audio MSHD14 Today!
If you’re frustrated with the limited features and unfriendly audio performance of your Harley-Davidson’s factory radio, visit an authorized Diamond Audio retailer today and discover the excellent MSHD14 digital media receiver. The built-in signal processing and full-featured entertainment options put this radio in a class of its own!
You can find a retailer near you using the Dealer Locator tool on the Diamond Audio website. Be sure to follow Diamond Audio on Facebook, Instagram and, of course, YouTube to stay up-to-speed on all their latest car, marine and motorcycle audio upgrade solutions.
