Amp setup for tower speakers

[Sunscape Doug]

I have been working on installing tower speakers on my '02 Sunscape. The good news is that I have installed two Wetsounds Pro 80 tower speakers on my tower and wired the tower with no problems. I now have speaker wires to my observers compartment.

My current setup, installed by the previous owner of my boat, is a 4-channel amp powering the 4 cabin speakers and a 2-channel amp powering my sub. My plan was to purchase and install a Syn 2 amp to power the new tower speakers and also install a Exile ZLD so that I can control the tower speakers seperate from the cabin speakers.

The bad news is that I have just realized that the 4-channel amp may be blown. It appears that I only have one or maybe two speakers that are working from this amp. I have determined that the problem is not with the speakers or the speaker wiring - all work when connected to the working channel on the amp.

So my question is this: should I now buy a 6-channel amp to power both the tower and cabin speakers instead of the 3 amp setup that I was planning on installing? Is there an amp that can power all of my speakers including the sub? I am a newbie when it comes to all of this - I have been learning from all of the great info on this site, but I know I still have a long way to go. So this may be a stupid question, but if I have one amp for both the tower and cabin speakers, can I still control the volume of the tower speakers seperately from the cabin speakers with my ZLD?

[wakedncsu]

Personally, I am not a fan of large channel amplifiers. You marry too many components to one device. When you are ready to scale up you create a large cost at that time. I would buy two amps now. One to drive the tub speakers and one to drive the tower speakers. That way when you are ready to upgrade suffer a failure your footprint is smaller.

[Earmark Marine]

Doug,

A single multi-channel amplifier is no compromise until you either exceed its power capacity or load it down with a low impedance across the board trying to drive too many speakers. So as long as you strike a balance which allows some headroom in reserve you are fine and equal to independent amplifiers.

You won't have any trouble finding a 1000 watt 5-channel amplifier in a single chassis.

In a majority of systems that would be all you need to drive the sub and all in-boat coaxials.

But the tower, especially with HLCDs, makes a single chassis solution a poor one. Why? Because you need so much power to the tower....far more than you need to the in-boat coaxials. And you won't find asymmetrical power on the highpass channels unless you bridge.

If you have one pair of tower HLCDs then an 8-channel amplifier is an option. You can bridge four channels into two and have four channels available for the four in-boat coaxials. With half the amplifier running at a conservative 4-ohm load and half the amplifier pushed hard for the tower, the amplifier will do well at all times. Then you would use a separate amplifier (one that you have now) for the sub.

If you have two pair of tower speakers this scheme won't fly and you will need an extra chassis. Two total chassis will do it if you are starting from scratch.

David

[Sunscape Doug]

Thanks for the advice. Given that I do want to power the 2 Wetsound tower speakers enough to reach a skier or boarder at 60-65 feet, I am thinking of going with the Syn 2 amp for the tower speakers. I think it will be a good idea to get a seperate amp for the cabin speakers. I don't think I need a really powerful amp since I won't push these anywhere near as much. Any suggestions on a decent 4 channel amp for a budget? The Syn 2 amp is about $520 - expensive, but since it will probably match the specs for the Pro 80's and do it right, it is probably worth it although I am open to suggestions on this.. I would like to spend sigificantly less than this for the cabin amp. Looking for ideas on this. The 4-channel Wetsounds amps seem expensive for what I need to do.

[Murphy8166]

Arc Audio KS 300.2 for the towers. Same amp as the Syn 2.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ARC-AUDIO-KS300-2-NEW-IN-THE-BOX-/281123363830?pt=Car_Amplifiers&hash=item4174421bf6

Look and and see if you can find an Arc Audio KS 300.4 for the in boats.

The Arc Audio KS amps are some of the best amps out there for the price. Some of the biggest, baddest marine system coming out of California run Arc Audio KS amps.

[Nwextreme]

So I have similar setup and wondering similar questions. I have a pair of the rev 80s as well and I am running them with a Jl audio m600/6. Bridging its channels to put 200w to each of the rev80s. I can hear them ok while riding but not as expected. I am thinking of upgrading the Jl amp and using that to power the tub speakers and thinking about getting the syn 2 to push them instead. Using the syn 2 would this mean I would be pushing 350w to each one? Would this be a signifignt upgrade to the rev80s?

[DQ]

Doug, honestly you need the pair of Pro 80's will sound sooo much better if you put a Syn-4 to them versus the Syn-2. They Syn-2 is the bare minimum to get them to play decently. Syn-4 would be your best bet, and it would be right. I hate to see people through good money away at a bad idea, then having to spend more of their hard earned money again to make it correct. Spend the money the first time on the correct stuff you need versus spending double later on. I think if you could find a dealer close to you, that he could cut you a deal. Use Wet Sounds website to your advantage and do a dealer locator and see what they can find for you.

[DQ]

Using the syn 2 would this mean I would be pushing 350w to each one? Would this be a signifignt upgrade to the rev80s?

This is incorrect. It will only get you 350 watts if you are running (2)pair, which you would then divide that by 2 which will only get you 175 to each speaker which would be under powering them. There is no magic button on an amp that makes the amp play at a higher power. NWextreme, do you have a pair of Pro 80's or a pair of REV8's, there is a difference. If you guys are running a single pair of speakers ( REV8's or Pro80's) the Syn 4 is your winning choice. If you are running 2 pair of (REV8's or Pro80's) you would need 2 Syn4's or just save yourself 150.00 and foot print by getting one SD2, with 2 pair or REV8's with teh amp running 2 ohm stereo that would get you 310 watts to each speaker, which would sound amazing on either the REV8's or even the REV10's if you ever thought of upgrading. The SD amps are more efficient and are actually under rated on power. If it was me and can pay to play I would just get the SD2 to run the REV8's at Stereo 4 ohm and if I add another set I don't have to spend the money on another amp. If you guys have any questions just give Wet Sounds a call. These guys know their stuff. I can tell you that because I am always calling them, lucky for me they are local to me and I highly recommend them not just for their products but their customer service is bar none. Simon at Wet Sounds is a guru with this stuff.

[Nwextreme]

Thanks a lot for clarifying how that works. I've been into car stereo systems for awhile but boats im fairly new to the game and they seam to be a bit more involved. Yes I do have the rev8s. I think I will go for the syn 4 then after reading your responses. That seams like that should Make a Significant difference. No worse fealing like dropping a bunch of loot and not being happy with how it sounds..

[Sunscape Doug]

Thanks for all the help on this. I will probably get the Syn 4 for the Pro 80's as well. I wish that the Wetsounds website would spell out which amp goes best with specific speakers for the novice like me.

So for the cabin speakers, after looking at a number of the threads on this site, I am thinking that I should get either the Precision Power P900.4 or the Polk Audio PA D4000.4. Either one of these seem to be more than adequate for what I need. At $180-$250 this is a little easier to handle than the $600 for the Syn 4. Do you have any alternative suggestions for the Syn 4 that are more budget oriented? I am trying to spend less than $1000 on the amp/breaker/distribution block/cabeling part of this project. What do you think about the KS 300.4 similar to the KS 300.2 recommended by Murphy above? This saves about $100 - is it worth it?

[racer808]

Thanks for all the help on this. I will probably get the Syn 4 for the Pro 80's as well. I wish that the Wetsounds website would spell out which amp goes best with specific speakers for the novice like me.

So for the cabin speakers, after looking at a number of the threads on this site, I am thinking that I should get either the Precision Power P900.4 or the Polk Audio PA D4000.4. Either one of these seem to be more than adequate for what I need. At $180-$250 this is a little easier to handle than the $600 for the Syn 4. Do you have any alternative suggestions for the Syn 4 that are more budget oriented? I am trying to spend less than $1000 on the amp/breaker/distribution block/cabeling part of this project. What do you think about the KS 300.4 similar to the KS 300.2 recommended by Murphy above? This saves about $100 - is it worth it?

I run the PPI900.4 bridged to my pro 80s & it is loud! I also have the PPI600.2 running my MB8's. I'm out of money so my amp, sub & interior upgrades are next year

[DQ]

The Arc Audio KS300.2 is not the same as a Syn2. Both have external shrouds rather than external heatsinks. Both have internal heatsinks and are totally dependent on fan cooling. However, the Syn 2 is conformal coated where as the KS300.2 is continuously pouring moist air in a marine environment over a raw circuit board. Eventually corrosion accumulates, affects sound quality and affects cooling as well. The Arc is a great value for a vehicle, but not out in the harsher marine environment.