2011 wakesetter 23 LSV - disappointed with the stereo

[TXCobra]

Ok I really thought the sound pack 3 option with 8 of the rockford speakers, the 12" sub and a pair of wetsounds pro 60's would sound awesome, but on my first ride on the boat tonight I thought it sounded ok at best. The sub was pretty muddy and the speakers, especially the wetsounds sounded much lower in volume than I expected. I was thinking some gain adjustments might help, but there are stickers over the gain adjustments saying warranty is voided if removed.

So I am wondering if there is something I could do to really wake this system up? Would an audiocontrol eqx make a world of difference? What about an upgraded sub? I am hoping there are some easy things I can do...appreciate any advice.

Also, can anyone clear up the iPod via USB cable thing for me? Is it supposed to work that way? I get it to work fine with the round connector but then I have to keep going back into the glove box to adjust tracks. It would be great if I could control it from the helm. I searched but i am still unclear.

Appreciate any and all help!

[jrad12381]

Removing the stickers and adjusting the gains will help tremendously. Malibu is very conservative with there settings. Also upgrading the sub, or even adjusting the sub amp will help as well b

[BSUBU_Kris]

I have the same step except for Titan tower speakers (MB Quarts). I was not impressed at all with the system when I first got it. I thought the sub was broken it sounded so bad and there was a lot of noise from the tower speakers at low volume. I added the AudioControl 3.2 EQ and it was amazing. When I first turned it on after hooking everything up I couldn't believe the difference. It sounded like a completely different system after adding the EQ. The AudioControl has adjustable gains so my Amp gains are pretty much at the minimum which got rid of all noise at low volumes.

Adding the EQ will also likely void the stereo warranty unless the dealer installs it. I figured in my system there isn't a single component that can't be replaced for less than a couple hundred bucks so I didn't worry about the warranty side. the EQ should get your sub and cabin speakers sounding great. You could then think about the tower speaker amp if ou don't get the results you want from the EQ.

Kris

[wdr]

I pulled the stickers and found that my sub amp was set to HP and all the gains were set to OFF. As Kris was saying a $300.00 dollar amp wouldn't be a big loss so I used the manuals to set the system as per the directions. It was better sounding but is still marginal at best in comparison to the big 2.

[nyryan2001]

Ok I really thought the sound pack 3 option with 8 of the rockford speakers, the 12" sub and a pair of wetsounds pro 60's would sound awesome, but on my first ride on the boat tonight I thought it sounded ok at best. The sub was pretty muddy and the speakers, especially the wetsounds sounded much lower in volume than I expected. I was thinking some gain adjustments might help, but there are stickers over the gain adjustments saying warranty is voided if removed.

So I am wondering if there is something I could do to really wake this system up? Would an audiocontrol eqx make a world of difference? What about an upgraded sub? I am hoping there are some easy things I can do...appreciate any advice.

Also, can anyone clear up the iPod via USB cable thing for me? Is it supposed to work that way? I get it to work fine with the round connector but then I have to keep going back into the glove box to adjust tracks. It would be great if I could control it from the helm. I searched but i am still unclear.

Appreciate any and all help!

there are a bunch of fundamental problems with these stereo packages coming from the factory, you are not going to get premium sound from the factory.

1. They arent using the best stuff for the job. using a P400-4 to power 8 inboats is a joke. you might be getting 30-40 watts per speaker. You should be getting 80-110 for the 6.5's and 8's. you need more power on those inboats, bigger/better amp.

2. 300 watts or whatever it is on an unboxed infinite baffel sub is a hack job. you are not going to get good solid bass response out of that. most folks get happy with their bass when they get at or north of 750-1000watts in a well designed ported, vented or even sealed box.

3. a single pair of pro 60s on 150-200 watts ea might get some loud, but not balanced. Most folks get happy into 200-300watts ea on the 8-10" Wetsounds and Exiles, and even then a lot of folks are running 2 and even 3 pairs in some cases. Exile 9's and Wetsounds REV10s both have a great reputation of being very loud and balanced.

4. like others said, tuning on the amps from the factory is very very conservative. you can improve it some, but dont expect drastic changes. Same with the EQ, you might get subtle changes, dont expect anything drastic till you get after fixing 1-3 above.

[TXCobra]

Thanks for the feedback guys, I will try some of the tweaks suggested here. I might try the audiocontrol...I've seen those make marginal systems sound much better as you say.

I wonder if adding another 4 channel amp for the in boats would work, then I'd have a total of 4 amps and the sub and wetsounds would have there own amp each? I'm looking for cleaner and tighter sound more than louder.

Is there a sub that will perform dramatically better in that enclosure or am I better off with a bigger amp? I would like to avoid building a custom box if possible.

WDR when you say "in comparison to the big 2", what do you mean? Mastercraft and Nautique or do you mean something else?

Sorry for the dumb questions guys, but I do appreciate the help very much.

Edited April 26, 2012 by TXCobra

[nyryan2001]

I wouldnt wast money on that EQ without adressing the other issues first. Expect very minimal changes from just throwing in an EQ.

Easiest and fastest upgrade would be to replace that P400-4. Just a drop in replacement. Look to get a true 75-100w on each of your 8 inboats tuned well. 300$ and your inboats come alive.

Next easiet upgrade is tower speakers and amp. get either of the larger tower speakers and put 300w on them each... 1200 for the tower speakers and 300-400 for a sound quality amp.

sub would be the hardest and most expensive.

[Phoenix]

Also, can anyone clear up the iPod via USB cable thing for me? Is it supposed to work that way? I get it to work fine with the round connector but then I have to keep going back into the glove box to adjust tracks. It would be great if I could control it from the helm. I searched but i am still unclear.

Appreciate any and all help!

Hi There, The answer to the iPod can be found in this discussion : http://www.themalibucrew.com/forums/index.php?/topic/37084-ipod/. Posted a clip from the Rockford Fosgate manual there. Changing the tracks and playlists can be done from the stereo using the seek buttons and select.

As for the stereo... Haven't really pushed mine yet, but already starting to consider my options for the tower speakers as I haven't been too impressed with what I heard.

[BSUBU_Kris]

I wouldnt wast money on that EQ without adressing the other issues first. Expect very minimal changes from just throwing in an EQ.

Sound always comes down to personal preference. Based on my experience I was in the same "boat" as TXCobra as far a sound goes when I first got my boat. The sound was not good at all and I pretty much might as well not have had a sub because I couldn't get any where near the sound I wanted out of it. I really did think it was broke.

When I first fired up the system after adding the EQ I had couldn't help but have a huge smile on my face. It really was like a completely different system. I am not saying that the system is going to floor you while boarding 100 feet behind the boat. My tower speakers will limit that and it is also not what I was looking for. The sound inside the boat is really incredible. I get all the volume and bass I want out of the system at all speeds while sitting in the boat. I can also tweek the tone to get the separation I am looking for. Everyone that has been out with us has commented how great the sound is. The sound is also really good while surfing. While sitting at the beach or at anchor the sound is also really good. A great sounding system has always been important to me and I couldn't be happier with the system for what I wanted. If I wanted to listen to music while boarding all I would change is the tower amp and going to some sort of horn compression speaker.

If you do add this EQ you will want to disable the sub output in the black box and let the EQ do all the work with respect to frequency distribution and fading between amps. I also adjusted the gains on the EQ's outputs with the black box volume at 39-40 vs full volume. The last step was some small adjustments to the amp gains. I believe the gains ended up between zero and 25% on the amps.

There are some pretty incredible systems on some members boats and I do know they are going to sound better than what I have. I really enjoy seeing what others have done with respect to upgrading sound systems. At the end of the day it really gets down to what you are trying to accomplish and how much you want to spend. For me I didn't want to spend thousands of dollars but did want a great sounding system while sitting/riding in the boat or at the dock/beach sitting at rest. I would give my system a 10/10 for what I was looking for.

Edited April 26, 2012 by BSUBU_Kris

[JTech]

Ok I really thought the sound pack 3 option with 8 of the rockford speakers, the 12" sub and a pair of wetsounds pro 60's would sound awesome, but on my first ride on the boat tonight I thought it sounded ok at best. The sub was pretty muddy and the speakers, especially the wetsounds sounded much lower in volume than I expected. I was thinking some gain adjustments might help, but there are stickers over the gain adjustments saying warranty is voided if removed.

So I am wondering if there is something I could do to really wake this system up? Would an audiocontrol eqx make a world of difference? What about an upgraded sub? I am hoping there are some easy things I can do...appreciate any advice.

Also, can anyone clear up the iPod via USB cable thing for me? Is it supposed to work that way? I get it to work fine with the round connector but then I have to keep going back into the glove box to adjust tracks. It would be great if I could control it from the helm. I searched but i am still unclear.

Appreciate any and all help!

Every time I read one of these threads it just re-confirms that my next boat will not have a factory system installed. Why is Malibu allowed to under power and de-tune what most would consider better than average (Rockford) and top shelf (Wetsounds) gear? Makes no sense to me at all.

Edited April 26, 2012 by JTech

[Bobby Light]

Jtech its all about the warranty, that's why malibu started installing tamper proof tape on amp controls

[TXCobra]

Thanks guys. Ok I am thinking this is my plan for now:

Adjust gains, warranty be damned

Add a Wet sounds 420 or audio control 3.2 - I am betting the audiocontrol sounds slightly better but I like some of the features of the WS

Add another Fosgate 400-4 to get 100w/ ch to the in boats rather than the 50w

That should help. As for the sub, I will look into either a new amp, new sub or both if it is still bad. Do you think I could add some poly fill behind that panel (even though it is a free air sub) and would it make a difference?

Also, feeling kind of stupid on the iPod cable thing...I thought it used the USB that comes withi the iPod and was trying to use it it he USB slot of the boat. I thought the round connector meant the audio cable to the headphone jack....duh!!

Thanks for the opinions, please keep em coming! I am hoping for $500 (eq and new 4 channel amp) I can really wake this system up. Maybe another couple of hundred on a sub or bigger amp there....did not want to spend any more really, jeez.

Edited April 26, 2012 by TXCobra

[JTech]

Jtech its all about the warranty, that's why malibu started installing tamper proof tape on amp controls

Reminds me of the nag screens on factory nav systems. Someone that will never use it thought it would be a great idea.

[nyryan2001]

Sound always comes down to personal preference. Based on my experience I was in the same "boat" as TXCobra as far a sound goes when I first got my boat. The sound was not good at all and I pretty much might as well not have had a sub because I couldn't get any where near the sound I wanted out of it. I really did think it was broke.

When I first fired up the system after adding the EQ I had couldn't help but have a huge smile on my face. It really was like a completely different system. I am not saying that the system is going to floor you while boarding 100 feet behind the boat. My tower speakers will limit that and it is also not what I was looking for. The sound inside the boat is really incredible. I get all the volume and bass I want out of the system at all speeds while sitting in the boat. I can also tweek the tone to get the separation I am looking for. Everyone that has been out with us has commented how great the sound is. The sound is also really good while surfing. While sitting at the beach or at anchor the sound is also really good. A great sounding system has always been important to me and I couldn't be happier with the system for what I wanted. If I wanted to listen to music while boarding all I would change is the tower amp and going to some sort of horn compression speaker.

If you do add this EQ you will want to disable the sub output in the black box and let the EQ do all the work with respect to frequency distribution and fading between amps. I also adjusted the gains on the EQ's outputs with the black box volume at 39-40 vs full volume. The last step was some small adjustments to the amp gains. I believe the gains ended up between zero and 25% on the amps.

There are some pretty incredible systems on some members boats and I do know they are going to sound better than what I have. I really enjoy seeing what others have done with respect to upgrading sound systems. At the end of the day it really gets down to what you are trying to accomplish and how much you want to spend. For me I didn't want to spend thousands of dollars but did want a great sounding system while sitting/riding in the boat or at the dock/beach sitting at rest. I would give my system a 10/10 for what I was looking for.

And if I were to add an EQ if I were in his boat.... it"d definitly not be that audio control one, but the Exile ZLD.

[wdr]

TX, the big 2 IMO are Wetsounds and Exile. Been pricing both for an upgrade and for what I want, there is about $500-$700 dollar difference between them. I am really liking what I read about the ICON8s for how I listen to a stereo, surf range and party cove. They are too new for any feed back so I am waiting for now.

[nyryan2001]

Thanks guys. Ok I am thinking this is my plan for now:

Adjust gains, warranty be damned

Add a Wet sounds 420 or audio control 3.2 - I am betting the audiocontrol sounds slightly better but I like some of the features of the WS

Add another Fosgate 400-4 to get 100w/ ch to the in boats rather than the 50w

That should help. As for the sub, I will look into either a new amp, new sub or both if it is still bad. Do you think I could add some poly fill behind that panel (even though it is a free air sub) and would it make a difference?

I certainly wouldnt not add a 2nd amp to power your inboats. get rid of that P400-4 and replace it altogether, 4th amp complicates things. If you are trying to stick with Fosgate, look at their T600-4. That will have your 8 inboats doing the jungle dance.

[TXCobra]

Thanks WDR...got it.

nyryan...good call, I think I will go with the 600-4, looks like I can get it for $250 shipped. I could then just replace one of the 2 channel amps and then use the 400-4 4 channel and bridge it to run the Pro 60's to get a little more power to them in the process...do you agree? So again, should be a big improvement for ~$500. Any thoughts on using Polyfil as a cheap short term improvement for the sub? Do you think a new amp or new sub would make a bigger difference?

[Ronnie]

And if I were to add an EQ if I were in his boat.... it"d definitly not be that audio control one, but the Exile ZLD.

Have you ran an Audio Crontrol EQ before? IF so, exactly what did you not like on it that makes you say that over the ZLD? Didn't I read on here that the ZLD wasn't so much of an EQ but Zone control?

[nyryan2001]

Thanks WDR...got it.

nyryan...good call, I think I will go with the 600-4, looks like I can get it for $250 shipped. I could then just replace one of the 2 channel amps and then use the 400-4 4 channel and bridge it to run the Pro 60's to get a little more power to them in the process...do you agree? So again, should be a big improvement for ~$500. Any thoughts on using Polyfil as a cheap short term improvement for the sub? Do you think a new amp or new sub would make a bigger difference?

Where are you getting a T600-4 for $250?? share the link? if its new thats a hell of a deal.

Putting that P400-4 on the Pro60s will give you a 200 x 2 @ 4-Ohm Bridged while the engine runs @14.4V. Cut the engine, volts drop to 12.5ish and you likely have 130-160watts on each... not a complete failure, just FYI. ideally you want that full 300w on each, as you are already unhappy with the sound and fighting an uphill battle with the smaller Pro60s. Look for a quality amp that does a true 325-350w each at 14.4V if you have no intentions of adding additional speakers on the tower, or upgrading to the larger 9-10" HCLDs. what amp is on the 60s now?

I wouldnt spend another cent or second trying to improve the performance of an unboxed sub.

[TXCobra]

Oops, I was looking at an R600-4D, not the T600. R=$250 and T=$600. The 60s have a P400-2 on them...

Would it be worth it to upgrade to the R600 over the P400? How much difference do you think I'd see there? Again, I am just trying to work with what it came with and minimize what I spend additionally where I can.

Edited April 26, 2012 by TXCobra

[BSUBU_Kris]

I was also torn between the AudioControl and Wetsounds EQ, they are both a little different. The WS has independent tone adjustment for the in boat and tower speakers. The WS also has the microphone. The AC has adjustable gains for the preamp outputs which I believe the newer WS units do not. I had also read the AC had a little better internal components for the sound processing. I believe the size is about the same as is the pricing. Let us know your what you think after adding an EQ.

Also with respect to the amps I though they have a line level output that would let you daisy chain amps together using the same signal. I would start with the EQ and start working your way up after that. The EQ should benefit any system you end up with.

This thread is really making me want to get out on the water and crank up some tunes!

[jrad12381]

I would look into some arc audio amps. You can get a nice used 300.4 to run the inboat speakers.

[Bobby Light]

I'd get a nice Kraco amp, those are the real deal.

[TXCobra]

haha Kraco! Sweeeeet! I am going to install the WS420 and tune it up. Then, if I swap the P400-4 to a bigger 4 channel amp to power the 8 in boats, I can switch the pro 60's to that P400-4 from the P400-2 that is powering them now. The only question is which 4 channel amp to upgrade to? I'd like to stick with RF, but I need to figure out what kind of improvement I will see from an R600 (or if I have to spend the coin to get to a T600). I will look at Arc Audio and Wetsounds offerings too...but again, if the R600-4 will do the job, that would be my preference. Any thoughts?

[jrad12381]

haha Kraco! Sweeeeet! I am going to install the WS420 and tune it up. Then, if I swap the P400-4 to a bigger 4 channel amp to power the 8 in boats, I can switch the pro 60's to that P400-4 from the P400-2 that is powering them now. The only question is which 4 channel amp to upgrade to? I'd like to stick with RF, but I need to figure out what kind of improvement I will see from an R600 (or if I have to spend the coin to get to a T600). I will look at Arc Audio and Wetsounds offerings too...but again, if the R600-4 will do the job, that would be my preference. Any thoughts?

Arc audio amps are basically the same as wetsounds. They are similar boards, and both class H, which means they are going to be more efficient. You can find a nice used arc audio 300.4 for $200-250. In my opinion it is a better amp that rockford T600. It makes more power, and is more efficient, sounds as good, if not better, and is way cheaper. I have a arc audio 600.2 running my towers, and I love it. I am looking for a 300.4 for my inboat speakers to replace the p400-4.