Can I do a partial upgrade?

[malibudreamin]

My boat has 4 speakers total. Two in the walkway and two in the cabin. I've been reading some threads and it sounds like a pair of Rev10's with an amp and sub will get us where we need to go. Still not sure about the amp. I guess I need to configure the entire system first before I solve that. Ideally I would just support the two new speakers and sub.

My question is can we leave the Rockford speakers and amp alone and just add? If we can have a good sounding system and not mess with what's there I'd be much happier.

Thanks in advance.

[MLA]

My question is can we leave the Rockford speakers and amp alone and just add?

Yes, you absolutely can. I gotta ask though, is there are factory installed amp with just the basic 4 speaker system? Hasnt been this way in past years and also with other manufactures.

In regards to amp options. I would get an idea of what sub, in terms of size and ideal wattage. This makes the tower amp and sub amp choice easier to make.

[malibudreamin]

I was pretty sure I saw an amp in the battery area but I suppose I could be wrong. I won't see the boat again for a few weeks but I'll check.

For the sub I was thinking a 12" at the drivers feet but the whole concept of "free air" sub goes against my understanding of what makes a sub function. I see that wetsounds has several sub options. I'm looking for a solid system don't need to go crazy with it.

open for suggestions.

[MLA]

I dont think the facade under the helm is going to be ideal for an IB (free air) sub, as its likely open at the top. So I would stick with a woofer thats best suited for an enclosure. The wet Sounds XS-12 is a very solid marine woofer. Performs well in both sealed and ported enclosure types. It works well with as little 400W up to 800W. I would also consider any of the Kicker woofers as they use composite cones and rubber surrounds, so well suited for a marine application. A great single amp setup would be an SD-6 for the Rev-10 and XS-12 or Kicker CompVR. Just a couple ideas.

[David]

Yeah, you've got to run an enclosure in one form or another for any/all subwoofers, and that includes an IB sub. There are some good infinite baffle (also referred to as free air) subwoofers available but the IB scheme is conducive to other boats and not a BU.

"Free Air" denotes "open air" or 'no enclosure' to many and that is a misconception. An IB woofer still needs a full enclosure, but an expansive one, so it takes advantage of the existing enclosure on a boat such as a fully enclosed helm console or bench seat console or gunnel cavity.

[67King]

Does your "amp" look like this?

If so, that is just the black box, which is essentially the receiver for the system. It has a 12 way plug that goes into the boat's wiring harness that supports speaker level outputs. I think that is what my boat had, as I ordered it without a stereo, but had a special instruction for the black box. I'm installing a Wetsounds system, so I'm going to have to break into it and do a bit of rewiring. But if that is what you are looking at, you do not have an amp.

If you look in your black bag that came with your owne's manual, you'll find that there is a small manual from Rockford Fosgate for hte black box system. That will show you where all you need to go for your sub signal and tower signal, etc. I am trying to sort through that, it isn't quite as straightforward as a full stand alone (though I imagine once I have, I'll pull a big "duh!" and it will seem just as simple).