2015 Dash - Bluetooth Sound Quality

[Shodan01]

I connected to Viper II on ours this past weekend with no trouble. I did notice that when I honked the horn to mess with the kids, it disconnected me from BT, and I had to completely cycle the boat (down to the battery switch). Then it finally connected.

Is there just two different BT options in the boat? and I wonder WHY?

[CJAY]

My Viper II source sounded great until I turned the motor on

I'm surprised its working with the transom remote? I assumed since the Sport Dash controls didn't work then the transom wouldn't either, but I can't remember if I tested.

I'm still rockin this bad boy:

http://www.themalibucrew.com/forums/index.php?/topic/54069-audioengine-b1-for-bluetooth-source/

I haven't had my engine running yet, so I'll update once I do. What sound issues do you get when it's running?

[pkh]

Is there just two different BT options in the boat? and I wonder WHY?

Maybe because neither works great? The 2015's originally shipped with only the RF option, the Viper II was added with a firmware update.

I said it before, but the list goes:

RF:

- Works with factory controls

- Does this weird fade in fade out thing and generally sounds bad in many boats, though some reported getting the dongle replaced and that fixed it

- Has really bad range

Viper II

- Sounds better

- Does not work with sport dash controls

- In my boat had engine noise issues (high pitch whine noise), its grounded differently than the rest of stereo and requires a cross boat RCA run (which will pickup noise)

I replaced with AudioEngine B1:

- Sounds fantastic, supports lossless profiles

- 2volt output

- 100'+ Range

- Does not work with factory controls

[pkh]

If I didn't already get the AudioEngine I think I'd definitely be pulling trigger on one of these:

http://exileaudio.com/store/index.php/amplifiers/signal-processing/exile-premium-bluetooth-music-receiver.html

[CJAY]

I won;'t get to test mine out until May 1st, but if I have the same issues that exile one looks like a great option. Wonder if it would work with a 420... I run all my RCA's cross boat, to my 420, and haven't had any noise problems before, but who knows.

[MLA]

Wonder if it would work with a 420.

It looks like its intended to be a universal with a left and right RCA output, so i dont see why. The Wet Sounds is revising their BT and it will be 4.0. It can connect to the AUX or the boat-link input of the 420, leaving the AUX open for those times when a hard wire connection is needed.

[pkh]

The Exile is generic so it could work with anything... I am considering one for my Truck, where my factory BT is pretty bad / unreliable (I see a trend here!)

I think the noise issue I had with Viper II had more to do with grounding issues than the cross boat RCAs, since I had just as much noise when I did a short run out the back into my EQ. Its also essentially a mini computer which could have some noisy elements to it, who knows. The AudioEngine / Exile / WS sources are all going to be upgrades IMO.

[dielawn]

I am pretty sure Ive used both BT signals in my 22vlx, and the sport dash worked for both...

[thtrog]

I was on the water close to 6 hours last weekend and had 4 sources (3 Apple, 1 Droid) stream BT, no issues whatsoever with the new RF dongle.

[Shodan01]

I had absolutely no problem with my Bluetooth until I tap the horn. Each time I do this my Bluetooth cuts off completely yet appears to stay connected. I end up having to cycle the battery off and completely reboot the system.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[2manyhobbies]

So I've run into the fade in/out with bluetooth when connecting to the viper2 system. I also encountered the high pitch wine/feedback/ground loop which made the system completely un-usable when the engine was running. I dropped it back at the dealer on Monday and they are actively working on this issue - thus far they claim that they are running new longer RCA's to fix the feedback problem ( I'll be more optimistic when I see it myself ) . As for the bluetooth, they are still researching options, I do have a the new ws420bt which I will probably pair to and use most of the time. Either way, I still want to resolve the Viper2 problems if possible - I'll post an update when I hear more..

Thanks for everyone's info in this thread, very helpful!

[pkh]

So I've run into the fade in/out with bluetooth when connecting to the viper2 system. I also encountered the high pitch wine/feedback/ground loop which made the system completely un-usable when the engine was running. I dropped it back at the dealer on Monday and they are actively working on this issue - thus far they claim that they are running new longer RCA's to fix the feedback problem ( I'll be more optimistic when I see it myself ) . As for the bluetooth, they are still researching options, I do have a the new ws420bt which I will probably pair to and use most of the time. Either way, I still want to resolve the Viper2 problems if possible - I'll post an update when I hear more..

Thanks for everyone's info in this thread, very helpful!

Good luck! My solution was to dump factory setup and go with aftermarket bluetooth into EQ straight to amps. There probably is a way to make it work factory but I was tired of messing with it.

http://www.themalibucrew.com/forums/index.php?/topic/54069-audioengine-b1-for-bluetooth-source/

I'm thinking this is going to be a common problem for 2015, as more people start getting their boats on the water we will hear about it more and more. Will be interesting to see if there is any response from Malibu.

[2manyhobbies]

Update on my stereo woe's.....

1 - Bluetooth: So it turns out that my boat was setup with 3 separate bluetooth options. The first being the Rockford dongle, the second was the viper2, and the 3rd is my WS420BT. We have disabled the rockford dongle which was fading in/out and enabled the Viper2. Viper2 works great with the gen1 dongle, there is however a range limitation to this dongle. They have updated this to a new dongle for builds post January it looks like and those who have complained enough. I'm not worried about it, as it's working fine at this point and I have the 420 as well. Besides, I'm now using 8mm audio jacks to get better quality.

2 - Feedback noise - So the dealer has really spent some time trying to figure this one out. They started by running a longer set of RCA's. No differance. They then discovered that the Wetsounds HT6 chipset was not playing well with the Viper2 system. They tried replacing the amp with the same amp, to no avail. Then they upgraded the amp to a SYN6 which appears to have cleaned up the majority of the feedback that we were suffering from when the engine is running. We put about 10 hours on the boat, only ever noticed a slight wine when no audio was present and engine was on, but definitely not a concern. Now, 15 hours later, the starboard side rev10 is now intermittently getting loud feedback.

I'm at the point where I suspect I have a bad ground somewhere, just not sure where the hell to start my search at this point. I've notified the dealer and am going to let them provide me with what they think should be next steps. I'm trying to stay positive but man, this is the most frustration I've had with a stereo install thus far.

[shawndoggy]

Lots of guys on the MB forum have had noise issues with the HT6 too (it was factory spec'd last year).

Interesting choice going with a syn6 given your aversion to arc audio stuff (syn 6 is a kissing cousin to arc audio 900.6).

Is your dealer good at audio installs? Sounds like it might be time for a "pro" (mobile audio install specialist) to do some troubleshooting.

[MLA]

In what manor was the amp interfaced with the Viper? Would be fairly straight forward to isolate the suspect amp from any boat influence in order to determine if the amp is generating the noise or if the noise if coming up or down stream of the amp.

[2manyhobbies]

Lots of guys on the MB forum have had noise issues with the HT6 too (it was factory spec'd last year).

Interesting choice going with a syn6 given your aversion to arc audio stuff (syn 6 is a kissing cousin to arc audio 900.6).

Is your dealer good at audio installs? Sounds like it might be time for a "pro" (mobile audio install specialist) to do some troubleshooting.

HAHA, nice call out on the Syn6- but at this point the dealership did the upgrade to solve the feedback noise problem, not perhaps the exact setup I want but there was no up charge and they're going to support/warranty it so I'll deal for now.

I have seen their install's on other friends boats and they've done a fantastic job, there's always room for griping about small things but generally they've done good work. Custom sub enclosures, lots of work with wetsounds equipment and so on. That said, I'm starting to question this myself.

Thankfully, I've enlisted help from some friends who are professionals and we're going to see what we can find in our spare time next week.

In what manor was the amp interfaced with the Viper? Would be fairly straight forward to isolate the suspect amp from any boat influence in order to determine if the amp is generating the noise or if the noise if coming up or down stream of the amp.

I have not had a chance to chase down the wiring in their setup yet, thus far I was playing dumb customer with the intent on not having to solve this problem myself. That said, I'll be digging in to see how it's all wired in the next week or two.

I am learning on the fly about stereo's and would be lying if I said otherwise, as mentioned though I have some friends who I can rely on to help me learn/troubleshoot this so more to come. I will be damned if I have this brand new boat and can't enjoy tunes on it this summer...

[IXFE]

I did a test on my boat last night... The source for each of the below was Pandora streaming from my Samsung Galaxy Note 4. Here's my setup:

• Cabin: Factory RF speakers powered by Exile xm15.4
• Tower: Factory WS Rev8's powered by TWO Exile xm30.2's
• Sub: Exile Big 12 powered by Exile xi2500.1 (not installed yet)
• Head Unit: Factory RF RFX6000 black box
• Sport Knob: Oh yeah!
• EQ: Exile ZLD

I turned my phone up to about 80% volume (I've been told never to max out the source). Then I turned the ZLD master volume knob up to MAX. Then I controlled the volume with the Sport Knob on the dash (I left it at 25 out of 40 for each of the below). What I found:

• Viper 2 (gen 2) - Connects easily, decent range inside the boat. Sound quality is actually okay, until the song ends and you hear all sorts of noise and random chirping. Artist and title displays on the smaller dash screen. Sport knob can "mute" the music, but will not "skip" tracks. However, I will use it because when the music is playing it sounds fine.
• RF Bluetooth - Connects easily, decent range inside the boat. Sound quality is noticeably better than Viper 2... fuller, richer, more low end, and ever so slightly louder. Maybe a little less noise than Viper 2, but it's still there. No artist and title display anywhere (other than on the phone); however, the Sport knob can both "mute" and "skip" in this mode. Weird. Despite the noise, I'd use this mode too.
• SiriusXM - I don't have this activated yet, but listening to channel 1 (demo) it sounds alot like satelitte in the car... a little "hollow" and "tinny." There's some background noise when things quiet down, but less digital "chirping" than either the BT modes.
• Glovebox AUX - This the AUX running through the RF black box. Not super impressed with this mode. Still has background noise, but the volume level was so much softer for some reason. Maybe it was the crappy cord I was using (really thin). I'll try again with a better cord, but unless it improves dramatically I don't see myself using this mode.
• ZLD AUX - This is the AUX running directly into the ZLD, effectively cutting the entire Black Box out of the equation. Now I'm just running the music straight into the amps and out to the speakers. The good news here... absolutely zero background noise, chirping, etc. That means, the noise is ABSOLUTELY coming from the factory setup. The bad news, the volume coming from the speakers was noticeably lower than the BT modes running through the BB. This confuses me. Maybe I need to turn up the ZLD gains?? Going to have to ask Brian. I'm sure it's a setting I can adjust somwhere cuz I know it's capable of more.

I still have not tested the Exile BT unit. And I also want to test the 30 pin iPod connection to the BB as well as SD card and USB drive. I figure I'm going to just have as many sources as possible. Why not? I'm sick of just one playlist over and over. Time to mix it up.

One odd thing I noticed... when using the modes connected to the Black Box (the two BT modes in particular), I noticed that when I "mute" it through the Sport Knob, you can still hear a tiny bit of volume through the speakers... so quiet that if you're talking you won't here it... but alone in my garage I could pick it up. It's like it muted it 99% of the way, but not quite all the way. Is this a function of having a ZLD in the mix too?? So weird.

It's still too soon to tell, but on the whole I think I can live with all this. I wish there wasn't noise, but there is and I'm not holding my breath on Malibu coming up with a fix. It's clear to me that nobody at the factory really "validated" this setup by putting it through it's paces. Any one of us would have caught this in just a few minutes. I think that's pretty crummy of Malibu, especially when you consider what they charge for the audio stuff. What's worse, all these boat dealers (who are not audio dealers) are struggling to troubleshoot this stuff, and they are in over their heads. It's like Malibu hung them out to dry with this. I kind of feel bad complaining to my dealer because this really isn't their fault and they are not equipped to chase audio noise. I just need one hour with Rachel Green in my boat, and I think I could convince her of the issue. But I don't get the sense Malibu is doing anything about this.

Edited May 12, 2015 by IXFE

[shawndoggy]

Maybe I need to turn up the ZLD gains?? Going to have to ask Brian. I'm sure it's a setting I can adjust somwhere cuz I know it's capable of more.

Yes. Even the anemic black box has more output voltage than your phone.

[pkh]

I still have not tested the Exile BT unit. And I also want to test the 30 pin iPod connection to the BB as well as SD card and USB drive. I figure I'm going to just have as many sources as possible. Why not? I'm sick of just one playlist over and over. Time to mix it up.

Plug that Exile BT in the back of the ZLD and call it a day.

Besides... I figured out that big sport knob was just another thing that the kids want to play with, which is nice when its not hooked up to anything. $2500 baby toy.

[Wakesetter67]

Plug that Exile BT in the back of the ZLD and call it a day.

Besides... I figured out that big sport knob was just another thing that the kids want to play with, which is nice when its not hooked up to anything. $2500 baby toy.

The more I read the better I feel about Stereo delete Option, My system should be complete this week, La Brandon is doing an amazing job! Way above and beyond what I expected and deserve!!! Pic's to follow! He also installed the Exile BT and said it works incredible!! Best Fiddy bucks I have spent...

[IXFE]

The more I read the better I feel about Stereo delete Option, My system should be complete this week, La Brandon is doing an amazing job! Way above and beyond what I expected and deserve!!! Pic's to follow! He also installed the Exile BT and said it works incredible!! Best Fiddy bucks I have spent...

Yep, that was definitely the way to go. I did stereo delete in my last two boats and it was great. For some reason I got "cute" with this one and thought I'd give the factory integration a chance. In the end it will sound good, but it cost me a bit more than it should have.

Oh well, it's only money...

[2manyhobbies]

The more I read the better I feel about Stereo delete Option, My system should be complete this week, La Brandon is doing an amazing job! Way above and beyond what I expected and deserve!!! Pic's to follow! He also installed the Exile BT and said it works incredible!! Best Fiddy bucks I have spent...

If I ever get to a point where i'm custom ordering, stereo delete will be the first button i hit. I'm finding sometimes it's better to source certain aspects of a job out to specialists, so instead of the dealership playing general contractor, I will next time

[Cory]

I did a test on my boat last night... The source for each of the below was Pandora streaming from my Samsung Galaxy Note 4. Here's my setup:

• Cabin: Factory RF speakers powered by Exile xm15.4
• Tower: Factory WS Rev8's powered by TWO Exile xm30.2's
• Sub: Exile Big 12 powered by Exile xi2500.1 (not installed yet)
• Head Unit: Factory RF RFX6000 black box
• Sport Knob: Oh yeah!
• EQ: Exile ZLD

I turned my phone up to about 80% volume (I've been told never to max out the source). Then I turned the ZLD master volume knob up to MAX. Then I controlled the volume with the Sport Knob on the dash (I left it at 25 out of 40 for each of the below). What I found:

• Viper 2 (gen 2) - Connects easily, decent range inside the boat. Sound quality is actually okay, until the song ends and you hear all sorts of noise and random chirping. Artist and title displays on the smaller dash screen. Sport knob can "mute" the music, but will not "skip" tracks. However, I will use it because when the music is playing it sounds fine.
• RF Bluetooth - Connects easily, decent range inside the boat. Sound quality is noticeably better than Viper 2... fuller, richer, more low end, and ever so slightly louder. Maybe a little less noise than Viper 2, but it's still there. No artist and title display anywhere (other than on the phone); however, the Sport knob can both "mute" and "skip" in this mode. Weird. Despite the noise, I'd use this mode too.
• SiriusXM - I don't have this activated yet, but listening to channel 1 (demo) it sounds alot like satelitte in the car... a little "hollow" and "tinny." There's some background noise when things quiet down, but less digital "chirping" than either the BT modes.
• Glovebox AUX - This the AUX running through the RF black box. Not super impressed with this mode. Still has background noise, but the volume level was so much softer for some reason. Maybe it was the crappy cord I was using (really thin). I'll try again with a better cord, but unless it improves dramatically I don't see myself using this mode.
• ZLD AUX - This is the AUX running directly into the ZLD, effectively cutting the entire Black Box out of the equation. Now I'm just running the music straight into the amps and out to the speakers. The good news here... absolutely zero background noise, chirping, etc. That means, the noise is ABSOLUTELY coming from the factory setup. The bad news, the volume coming from the speakers was noticeably lower than the BT modes running through the BB. This confuses me. Maybe I need to turn up the ZLD gains?? Going to have to ask Brian. I'm sure it's a setting I can adjust somwhere cuz I know it's capable of more.

I still have not tested the Exile BT unit. And I also want to test the 30 pin iPod connection to the BB as well as SD card and USB drive. I figure I'm going to just have as many sources as possible. Why not? I'm sick of just one playlist over and over. Time to mix it up.

One odd thing I noticed... when using the modes connected to the Black Box (the two BT modes in particular), I noticed that when I "mute" it through the Sport Knob, you can still hear a tiny bit of volume through the speakers... so quiet that if you're talking you won't here it... but alone in my garage I could pick it up. It's like it muted it 99% of the way, but not quite all the way. Is this a function of having a ZLD in the mix too?? So weird.

It's still too soon to tell, but on the whole I think I can live with all this. I wish there wasn't noise, but there is and I'm not holding my breath on Malibu coming up with a fix. It's clear to me that nobody at the factory really "validated" this setup by putting it through it's paces. Any one of us would have caught this in just a few minutes. I think that's pretty crummy of Malibu, especially when you consider what they charge for the audio stuff. What's worse, all these boat dealers (who are not audio dealers) are struggling to troubleshoot this stuff, and they are in over their heads. It's like Malibu hung them out to dry with this. I kind of feel bad complaining to my dealer because this really isn't their fault and they are not equipped to chase audio noise. I just need one hour with Rachel Green in my boat, and I think I could convince her of the issue. But I don't get the sense Malibu is doing anything about this.

I'm sure lots of guys feel the same way (you opened the door wide on this one)...

Edited May 13, 2015 by Cory

[dpbremer]

On 4/16/2015 at 6:55 PM, Shodan01 said:

I had absolutely no problem with my Bluetooth until I tap the horn. Each time I do this my Bluetooth cuts off completely yet appears to stay connected. I end up having to cycle the battery off and completely reboot the system.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I am having the same issue Shodan01 describes plus a couple other bluetooth related issues, LINK to post.

What was the resolution?