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Stereo upgrade


pawter1970

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Hi Gents, I want to upgrade my stereo in my 06 VLX and just want to add an amp and 1 set of tower speakers (for now). I'll be getting a pair of Titan speakers so I was wondering what kind of Amp i should get, keep in mind that I would like to keep my options for further stereo upgrade in the future (more tower speakers). I am thinking of adding a Sub but don't want to put it right under the wheel, thought that would be a bit annoying, any suggestions for another location for the Sub? Thx guys.

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A 2-chnl amp is a good way to go if one intends to add a 2nd pair of tower speakers later.

Are you going with the 6.5 or the 6x9 Titans? This will be a factor in how much amp you need now and for the future.

For a sub, under the helm is actually the ideal spot, and is not as annoying as one might think. Sound waves from a sub at you feet are nothing like having a 6.5" right in your ear :crazy: And they can be done with minimal leg room loss. Tons of options out there in a variety of price ranges, but knowing how many cabin speakers you currently have (and intend to upgrade) and how much power they are receiving needs to be considered. Not enough power, the sub will be drowned out by the in-boats and too much sub and power, then it tends to drown out the cabin speakers.

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Thank you MLA, i have the boat factory 4 speakers so I would like to add 2 tower speakers (6x9) and a Sub. I thought it would be best to get a 4 channel amp. I am just wondering how many amp watts would be the best. I did see a 6 channel, 2000 watts amp at a very good price and thought it was worth purchasing.

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Thank you MLA, i have the boat factory 4 speakers so I would like to add 2 tower speakers (6x9) and a Sub. I thought it would be best to get a 4 channel amp. I am just wondering how many amp watts would be the best. I did see a 6 channel, 2000 watts amp at a very good price and thought it was worth purchasing.

Gotta link to that amp? 2000 watts sounds like the "when lightning strikes" max power, so we would need to know what's 2 and 4 ohm watts RMS (continuous power) specs are. This way you can best match it to what you have and what you want to power.

Now, i'm a huge fan of 5/6 chnl hybrid (able to run speakers and subs) amp, but it will be hard pressed to find one that will power 4 in-boats, a sub and a pair of tower speakers to your satisfaction, but that will depend on what your goals are for the sub and tower speakers.

For your in boats, an amp that will deliver 45 - 60 watts rms @ 4 ohm to each speaker is respectable. if running 2 per chnl in parallel (+ to +/- to -) then look for an amp with a 2 ohm spec between 80 - 120.

For the sub, one with an RMS rating of 250-400 will give you a nice balance with your current 4 in-boats with moderate power. A lot of subs in this power range will be 4 ohm SVC (single voice coil), but some will come in a DVC (dual voice coil) and may come in both 2 ohm or 4 ohm configurations. This will need to play into your amp choice because most amps have a different power output depending on the load. the speakers internal impedance is the load.

There are quite a few good quality 5 and 6 chnl amps this will power the cabin and sub, right in the above ball-parked ranges.

For some 6x9 coax speakers on a tower, I would shoot for an amp that will deliver about 125 watts RMS @ 4 ohm. 100 would be the minimum and 150 max.

For the 6x9's on the tower, I would recommend a 2 chnl stereo amp. This will allow you the option of adding a 2nd pair later.

Sorry if I created more questions then I answered :whistle:

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Freddie,

If you do like MLA suggested and choose a powerful fullrange monoblock or 2-channel amplifier for the tower then you have options. Think in terms of a total of 600 real honest watts. With this power you can add a second pair of Titan 6X9s. Or, if you are not satisfied with the projection and ease at wakeboarding range then you will have the power to retro your pods with HLCDs (WetSounds for example). Any less power won't give you the choice when and if the time for an upgrade comes. Then you have something that is obsolete. Alot of this will be based on your priorities whether listening at close range and surfing or listening at wakeboard distance. Keep in mind that objectives have a way of changing as you use your system.

There are lots of multichannel amplifiers (4, 5 or 6-channel) that can easily run a sub and all the in-boat coaxials. And, there are a few 4-channel amplifiers that can run a sub and a pair of conventional tower speakers without driving the in-boat coaxials. But, the field dramatically narrows when you step up to two pair of tower speakers and/or tower HLCDs and a sub.

Also, because the demands placed on tower speakers and in-boat coaxials are so different this requires a huge power inequity not found in multichannel amplifiers.

If you don't currently have an outboard amplifier running the in-boat coaxials this will be mandatory when you add a subwoofer.

The best way to proceed is a) a large fullrange monoblock or 2-channel for the tower, and b) a 4, 5 or 6-channel amplifier to run the sub and all the in-boat coaxials. If you choose the right subwoofer (moderate mass and high responsiveness) to match a typical mutichannel amplifier and the available power to the subwoofer then there will be no compromise in the bass performance. ...Unless you are a 'basshead' and that is when you would need a dedicated subwoofer amplifier.

Most systems will do great with two total amplifiers, one that handles all in-boats and sub and a second that exclusively drives the tower speakers.

Under the driver's console is the best location for a sub by a good margin. The alternatives only create more challenges. If correctly designed and set-up you should not get much sense of directionality from your subwoofer.

David

Earmark Marine

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wow, thanks boys for all this insane information, but I am even more confused now; I thought I didn't need to amp up the in-boat speakers since i don't need them to be too loud. I'll be using the boat for just surfing so i thought I just need to amp the tower speakers (titans 6x9) and the 10" or 12" sub. Not looking to have a boom box boat, just want clear sound and don't want to under power the sub and tower speakers. PLease, if possible, just want to know how many amps I would need, what type (2, 4, 6 channel), or I am not seeing it right. Do I really need to amp the in-boat speakers? Please help me. Thx

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wow, thanks boys for all this insane information, but I am even more confused now; I thought I didn't need to amp up the in-boat speakers since i don't need them to be too loud. I'll be using the boat for just surfing so i thought I just need to amp the tower speakers (titans 6x9) and the 10" or 12" sub. Not looking to have a boom box boat, just want clear sound and don't want to under power the sub and tower speakers. PLease, if possible, just want to know how many amps I would need, what type (2, 4, 6 channel), or I am not seeing it right. Do I really need to amp the in-boat speakers? Please help me. Thx

yes you need to amp the in boat speakers. For sure. It's not necessarily that you want to listen to them LOUD, it's that you want them to sound good. Even at sane listening levels amp'ed speakers are going to sound better than ones running off of the HU. Additionally, if you don't get an amp the in-boats will fall behind the powerful sub and it'll sound booty in the boat.

So get three amps:

1. A four channel for the in-boats (60-100w per speaker)

2. A monoblock for the sub (350-500w would be good)

3. A powerful two channel or the rarer full range mono amp for the towers. (shoot to give each speaker 150ish watts each).

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yes you need to amp the in boat speakers. For sure. It's not necessarily that you want to listen to them LOUD, it's that you want them to sound good. Even at sane listening levels amp'ed speakers are going to sound better than ones running off of the HU. Additionally, if you don't get an amp the in-boats will fall behind the powerful sub and it'll sound booty in the boat.

So get three amps:

1. A four channel for the in-boats (60-100w per speaker)

2. A monoblock for the sub (350-500w would be good)

3. A powerful two channel or the rarer full range mono amp for the towers. (shoot to give each speaker 150ish watts each).

To add to this: Another reason to put the in-boats on an amp is this. With the in-boats on the head-unit, as you turn the volume up to send the music out to the surfer over the tower speakers, the in-boats will be playing at the same head-unit volume level. With the in-boats on an amp, you can have the tower on the rear fade and the in-boats amp on the front fade. This allows you to fade the in-boats down while keeping the tower speakers at a level that is enjoyable to the riders, or those swimming behind the boat at the party cove.

The sub output can be run along with either the tower or in-boat amp, but my personal preference is the in-boats.

The above can be taken t0 the next level later with addition of an Equalizer.

If it were me, I would look for a 5 or 6 chnl hybrid. One that has a full-range or Hi-Pass 4-cnh amp and 1 or 2 chnl full-range or Low-Pass amp all in one chassis. Less wiring, easier installation as they are sometimes smaller then 2 comparable amps, and in some cases, less expensive then 2 comparable amps.

So, you dont really need to put the in-boats on an amp, but just dont think you are going to be pleased with the overall setup once the sub is added.

Definitely a 2 chnl for the tower

If you decide to power the in-boats, then a 4-chnl or a hybrid 5/6 chnl to power the sub as well.

If you decide to leave the in-boats as is, then a mono chnl sub amp.

Edited by MLA
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Freddie,

If surfing is your thing and you aren't looking for high volume in the boat, as you have stated, then keep it simple.

A 2-channel amplifier for the tower. Here is one area that you need to invest in a little excess power.

A 4-channel for the sub and the four in-boat coaxials. A 5 or 6-channel is needed if you have a boat with dash mounted speakers so that you have the ability to offset the positional dis/advantages. Its not necessary if the in-boat coaxials are in symmetrical locations in respect to the listener(s). And, some 5 or 6-channel amplifier selections can give you a little more sub power if your subwoofer choice dictates that you need the extra power. But, the power of the bridged two channels of many 4-channel amplifiers will easily get the job done if you use an efficient subwoofer plus enclosure design and in consideration of your stated expectations.

Yes, you really need to power the in-boat coaxials with external amplification for all the reasons provided above and a few more. If you try and power them off source unit power then the seriously over-rated source power will clip way early. You can over-gain the sub and tower speakers to keep this from happening but this raises the noise floor and creates a low to fullrange imbalance. Using an amplifier, especially in the highpass mode, delivers much greater clarity even at moderate volumes. Don't overlook the value of in-boat speakers. They will be smoother and warmer than the identical speaker in a tower pod and these coaxials are responsible for more than 8 of 10 octaves of your music.

David

Earmark Marine

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Ok, so to sum it up; I will be amping up the in-boat speakers as recommended. The 3 amp set up may be a bit complicated for me so I am thinking of going with this:

-1X 2 Channel amp for the Tower speakers

-1X 6 Channel amp for the in-boat speakers and Sub

I really like the advice of the rear Vs front fade set up for the Tower speakers. I really want the tower speakers to generate the loudest sounds and be more quiet inside the boat, although I am only setting up 1 pair of speakers for now but I think it should be loud enough for surfing.

Please let me know if this would work ok. Thx

Fred

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Ok, so to sum it up; I will be amping up the in-boat speakers as recommended. The 3 amp set up may be a bit complicated for me so I am thinking of going with this:

-1X 2 Channel amp for the Tower speakers

-1X 6 Channel amp for the in-boat speakers and Sub

I really like the advice of the rear Vs front fade set up for the Tower speakers. I really want the tower speakers to generate the loudest sounds and be more quiet inside the boat, although I am only setting up 1 pair of speakers for now but I think it should be loud enough for surfing.

Please let me know if this would work ok. Thx

Fred

That will totally work. Consider adding a PAC-LC-1 (or some other form of external volume control) to just have knob that you can turn up and down to control the towers or boats (or get two to control volume independently). Much easier than cycling through your headunit's fader menu.

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I agree with the 5-channel amp to power the in-boat cabin speakers anD sub. We have this for our (4) polks and (1) 10" kicker. Its 970 watts, so it sounds great n the boat and outside the boat and then just get a 2-channel for ur tower speakers.

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Ok, so to sum it up; I will be amping up the in-boat speakers as recommended. The 3 amp set up may be a bit complicated for me so I am thinking of going with this:

-1X 2 Channel amp for the Tower speakers

-1X 6 Channel amp for the in-boat speakers and Sub

I really like the advice of the rear Vs front fade set up for the Tower speakers. I really want the tower speakers to generate the loudest sounds and be more quiet inside the boat, although I am only setting up 1 pair of speakers for now but I think it should be loud enough for surfing.

Please let me know if this would work ok. Thx

Fred

Like David posted above, you can do the 2 pair of in-boats and a 4 Ohm sub off a good 4-chnl amp. Just make sure you get a full-range amp so that it will do Hi-pass for the 4 in-boats and Low-pass for the sub. I would also recommend looking at a Class-D full range if you go this route. With all chnls running @ 2 ohm, a class-D will produce less heat and draw less current then a comparable Class-A/B 4 chnl.

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Awesome, thank you guys....think I got it sorted it out. Now what brand should I go for? nothing to expensive but mid range would be great. Looks like I'll be ordering through ebay. Now another question; I ahve ordered a XM sat tuner box, with adaptor, to connect on the Sony "Satelite ready" head unit. Hope there is an output to the stereo unit for the Sat. Thanks guys.

Edited by freddielam
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You'll hear exile, jl audio, wetsounds mentioned on the boating boards. These are all very high quality options. They are also options that are actively marketed on the boating boards.

Here's an amp that could power your system from a single chassis: 6 channels x 150 @ 4 ohms: http://www.soundsolutionsaudio.com/store/products/ZED-Audio-Leviathan.html

You'd run your in boat speakers in parallel on channels 1 and 2 (300w x 2 @ 2 ... definitely want to set gains low on these). Your tower speakers on channels 3 and 4 (150w x 2 @ 4). Then you can bridge channels 5 and 6 (600w @ 4) for a sub.

As MLA suggests, this is a Class D amp.

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Give us an idea what you are looking at before you pull the trigger. There is a vast amount of brand knowledge here, even in the mid-level price range. If we never sold it, we've probably had customers or friends who have tried it.

Also, please give your local retailer (search out a good independent, not a big-box store) a shot or even one of our resident online retailers before going fishing in the 'bay. I think you'll find the knowledge and system setup ability worth a couple of bucks, if any. You may be surprised at some deals you may find locally. Also, if there is ever any trouble with anything, who do you think will be more helpful with warranty or service? And what if you need more install parts, wouldn't it be nice to know you have a place to run right down the street rather than wait 5-7 days for it? ebay has it's uses, but "brand new" audio shouldn't be one of them.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi Guys, I've decided to go with a 5-6 channel Amp to power the 4 inboard speakers, 2 tower speakers and will be adding a Sub in the future. Do you guys think a 6 channel amp (750 W) would do the job? Trying to avoid adding another 2 channel Amp for now, will do once I add the sub. Thx

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