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Stereo Upgrade- What to buy


jfish1288

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I want to upgrade the sound system in my new-to-me 2000 Sunsetter. My goal is to have good clean sound that can be heard clearly in the boat over the motor and wind noise at 30mph. I understand that this will probably require a fairly significant investment ($$$) to achieve, but for now my budget is limited to about $600.

So I want to maximize that $600 and get the best set up possible for this summer. This winter I will likely re-evaluate things and make additional upgrades if needed (I don't need a kick-a** system, I just want to be able to enjoy music while out on the water).

Here is what I currently have:

Cabin Speakers- 4 X JVC CS-MX623

Tower Speakers- 2 X Samson S7HD

Head Unit- Panasonic CQ-C7301U

The tower speakers are wired through the tower already by the previous owner, but he never had an amp installed so they have never been connected to anything. I definitely want to get an amp hooked up to the tower speakers. From the research I have done, it seems that the Exile XM30.2 is the amp of choice for those speakers; however it pretty much blows the whole budget. I wonder if I would be better served by getting a less expensive amp for the tower and adding a sub, new cabin speakers, or an amp for the existing cabin speakers.

What do you guys think would be the best use of my budget?

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Oh, one other thing to add. I currently only have a 1 battery setup. At some point (this summer) I will be adding a 2nd battery and a perko switch (or similar). For now I only plan on playing music while running the boat, and definitely will only be running the tower speakers when the boat is running.

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@ $600 it's going to be very difficult to get good quality components without going used.

If you are willing to go used, JL Audio XD 400/4 amps are frequently available for around $200. 2 of those would be great for what you have. One for four cabin speakers, one for the tower speakers (bridged to two channels). You'd still need another amp in the future for a sub, when you get there. The XD 600/1 is a great choice when that time comes. These amps are pretty efficient and won't put a huge strain on your electrical system.

Keep your cabin speakers and headunit for now. Your cabin speakers are going to sound a lot better with some power pushing them.

In my experience you will "save" the most money by going slowly and buying good stuff first, rather than buying questionable components and then replacing them.

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Yeah I know $600 is cheap, but I have no problem with used equipment.


In my experience you will "save" the most money by going slowly and buying good stuff first, rather than buying questionable components and then replacing them.

This is definitely true with most things in life, which is why part of me is wondering if I should just get the XM30.2 and get the tower speakers going. Then worry about the rest when I have a little more cash.

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honestly I think the xm30.2 is overkill for a single pair of xm7s. Two of these for less, more power to more speakers.

http://creativeaudio.net/jl-audio-refurbished-xd400-4-4-ch-class-d-full-range-amplifier-400-w/?gclid=CKzp9pPavMUCFUOVfgodnxEAhA

I have spent quite a bit of time reading threads on here and you definitely seem to know your stuff. I will give others a little time to chime in, but two XD400/4 seems like a good set up to me.

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I think you need to decide if upgrading later is a reality, then go ahead and get the "better" equipment a little at a time. If you go with cheaper stuff now, then you'll just end up replacing it quickly. Maybe used would be the way to go.

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The only reason upgrading later would not be a reality is if I am satisfied with what I put in now. I just have put a lot of my disposable income into the purchase/repair of this boat, and the responsible thing to do is not blow another $2-3K on a sound system (but it is very tempting). After all with a 15 year old boat, you never know when you will need that cash for more critical repairs.

I have never been too into audio equipment, so I am not sure how "good" of equipment I will want. My thought is if I am not having to turn the volume up to 90% to hear over the motor/wind, and everything is clear sounding, I will be happy.

As far as used equipment goes, I am sure plenty of people always want the latest/best and upgrade frequently, is there a popular source to look at other than ebay/craiglist?

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Or one of these, nice to have control between your cabin speakers and towers. I had a head unit but it was a pain to get to. The fade controls where small and required multiple steps to access. With this you can mount the level controls under the helm to the left so they are easy to access by the captain or crew.

http://www.amazon.com/Kicker-ZXMRLC-Remote-Level-Control/dp/B004W0ISO4

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honestly I think the xm30.2 is overkill for a single pair of xm7s. Two of these for less, more power to more speakers.

http://creativeaudio.net/jl-audio-refurbished-xd400-4-4-ch-class-d-full-range-amplifier-400-w/?gclid=CKzp9pPavMUCFUOVfgodnxEAhA

I agree with shawns approach here. For the tower speakers, a solid 4 chnl amp bridged into 2 chnl mode deliver in the range of 200W rms, is going to get you pretty much all a 6.5" HLCD has to offer. Get a 2nd for the 4 in-boats. This is going to get you the furthest on your budget.

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As far as used equipment goes, I am sure plenty of people always want the latest/best and upgrade frequently, is there a popular source to look at other than ebay/craiglist?

Sometimes you stumble across another crew member who's willing to help our. For example, I have these two amps that I just pulled out of my 2015 LSV (brand new). I think these would be great for your project.

PM me if interested.

20150313_141756-1_zpso6cslg3j.jpg

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A friend has offered a Alpine MRV-1507 for free. My inclination is to tell him "thanks, but no thanks" and go with the JL XD400/4; but I know so very little about amps I figured I would ask you guys first.

A quick google search gives me:

FEATURES
* RMS Continuous Power (Watt) (at 12.0V 20-20kHz): 4 Ohm Stereo (0.08% THD) 150W x 2; 2 Ohm Stereo (0.3% THD) 300W x 2; Bridged 4 Ohm (0.3% THD) 600W x 1
* RMS Continuous Power (Watt) (at 14.4V 20-20kHz): 4 Ohm Stereo (0.08% THD) 225W x 2; 2 Ohm Stereo (0.3% THD) 450W x 2; Bridged 4 Ohm (0.3% THD) 900W x 1
* S/N Ratio 105dBA
* Frequency Response (+0, -1dB) 10-50kHz
* 24dB HP/LP Crossover (30-200Hz)
* 1-Band Parametric EQ (30-200Hz)
* Subsonic Filter

It seems to garner some nostalgia from the car audio geeks, but it is really big and I would think amp technology has come along way since this was built. What do you guys think?

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Sometimes you stumble across another crew member who's willing to help our. For example, I have these two amps that I just pulled out of my 2015 LSV (brand new). I think these would be great for your project.

PM me if interested.

20150313_141756-1_zpso6cslg3j.jpg

PM sent. TMC is awesome.

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I do have a question about the Rockford Fosgates. I would like to be able to wire it such that I can run the cabin speakers with the tower speakers switched off (too conserve battery power when tower speakers would be too loud anyway). Is this possible these amps?

My original thought was to run RCA from the head unit to the P400X4 and use the head unit remote wire to turn on the P400X4. Then connect the P500X2 to the P400X4 via RCA through pass thru connections on the P400X4 and use an accessory switch to turn on the P500X2. However, from looking at pictures it does not seem the P400X4 has pass through connections. Is this a problem?

I am completely new to all of this, so I apologize if this is a dumb question. I just want to make sure I have a plan before I start buying everything.

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It has 6 individual outputs: subwoofer out (L and R), preamp out rear (L and R), and preamp out front (L and R)

Edited by jfish1288
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Would I need use a splitter or Y cable or something to give inputs to both front and rear on the cabin amp? Or would running only 1 set of inputs into the amp result in full power to all 4 cabin speakers?

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I'm sure that the 400.4 has a two channel input mode. Check the manual to be sure.

Your are correct sir, it does. So I think those RFs would work fine for me

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It has 6 individual outputs: subwoofer out (L and R), preamp out rear (L and R), and preamp out front (L and R)

Then use the front to one amp, rear to the other amp and then you can fade down the in-boat amp. No need to interrupt the turn-on on either amp with a switch.

I would use the 4 chnl for the tower speakers and the 2 chnl for the 2 pair of in-boats. Gets the most thats there to offer.

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I have 4 possibly 6 (can't remember) of the first gen Exile 6.5 speakers I'd sell you. I have some other speakers laying around too, Selenium mids, Bravox coax (WS XS-65 equivalent), Image Dynamics CTX's, but I think the Exile's are the only ones I have at least 4 of. I'd have to check. Anyway, if you want them throw me a price...I let em go cheap.

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Never mind, just saw that you already have in boat speakers.

On another note, if a sub fits into your budget you should check out the Sundown yard sale on CACO. It's essentially Sundown's b-stock assets. For example, I bought a SA-8 years ago that didn't pass QC because on a 2500 watt test tone it had a slight tick...it's an 8" sub they rate at 400w?! I've bought many subs from their yard sales over the years and never had a problem with any of them.

http://www.caraudioclassifieds.org/forum/sundown-audio/179231-sundown-yard-sale-4-6-15-a.html

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I have my boat set up with one amp running the in boats and another running the towers, through and EQ that I can fade between tower and in boats. One problem is that the dash speakers are too loud compared to the rear in boats, so I would like to fade between those. That's why I'm using the kicker unit. One set of outputs from the kicker will go to the towers, the other will go to the EQ, which will then split the outputs to the amp. I'll then set up the EQ fader at a nice point to balance the front in boats with the rear, but be able to control the towers and in boats easily with the level controls easily accessible from the helm. Just something for you to think about is that the front in boats are usually quite a bit louder due to the location and reflectivity of the glass, so you might want to figure a way to fade the in boats front and rear.

Edited by Asmodeus2112
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