Wetsounds install price

[Chrisjjbrown]

Was wondering does this quote for an install look reasonable 

 

 

Amp is SD - 2

Edited March 24, 2016 by Chrisjjbrown

[shawndoggy]

quotes like this are what send many people the DIY route.  I'm not saying it's out of line (pros gotta eat), but between paying full price for parts AND paying labor on top of it I'm pretty sure you could save $1500 going DIY, and ordering through more accommodating authorized dealers.

[malibuskier2003]

I just got a install quote on a very similar set up (2 amps, EQ, 2 tower speakers) for my boat.  I was quoted $90 an hour and approximately 8 hours of work.  Without speaking to the value of that expense, I think it's in line with what I was told.  

Dave

 

[Chrisjjbrown]

13 minutes ago, shawndoggy said:

quotes like this are what send many people the DIY route.  I'm not saying it's out of line (pros gotta eat), but between paying full price for parts AND paying labor on top of it I'm pretty sure you could save $1500 going DIY, and ordering through more accommodating authorized dealers.

I wish you lived in Ohio Shawn so I could beg you to help me...

[That Guy]

I'm local and hoping to install my Wetsounds tower speakers and amp soon that I picked up over winter.  I've never done it before but the tower is pre-wired and it's all right there so I'm hoping it's pretty straight forward.  I'd be willing to lend a hand or you're welcome to drop by and check out my setup anytime.  That certainly is quite a bit more than I have in my setup but sounds about what I've heard people talk about when just dropping their boat off and having a stereo system installed.

[David]

Chris,

I see nothing surprising within that quote. No one can really form an objective opinion about the value of that quote until they know all the finer details and the quality of execution in which the job is done. That quote could be an absolute bargain or over-priced depending on who does the work and their attention to detail.

I see that the SD2 amplifier is at about one/half price, so since the amplifier is below cost, that does constitute a discount on the entire system. I see they apply a shop expense fee as a percentage on every labor line item. And that is par for most automotive and marine service facilities. I see that they have grouped together in one line item, RCA cables, primary wire, power distribution, and a host of additional items. Perhaps you could get this broken down, but, those items do add up. It might be high with junky CCA cable or a good value with OFC cable.

One hour labor to hang the pair of speakers and mounts plus wiring certainly seems more than reasonable. Keep in mind that the amplifier installation might include mounting of the amplifier, all wiring & distribution, modifications to the existing system, full system tuning including the retuning of the factory components.

The fill-in details and substantiation that you need really should come from the dealer who gave you the quote. With a few of the comments here you may have a better idea of what to ask.   

 

 

[MLA]

$500 off on the $1050 retail SD-2 = roughly 15% off the entire job. 

[ConnollyCrew]

1 hour ago, David said:

Chris,

I see nothing surprising within that quote. No one can really form an objective opinion about the value of that quote until they know all the finer details and the quality of execution in which the job is done. That quote could be an absolute bargain or over-priced depending on who does the work and their attention to detail.

I see that the SD2 amplifier is at about one/half price, so since the amplifier is below cost, that does constitute a discount on the entire system. I see they apply a shop expense fee as a percentage on every labor line item. And that is par for most automotive and marine service facilities. I see that they have grouped together in one line item, RCA cables, primary wire, power distribution, and a host of additional items. Perhaps you could get this broken down, but, those items do add up. It might be high with junky CCA cable or a good value with OFC cable.

One hour labor to hang the pair of speakers and mounts plus wiring certainly seems more than reasonable. Keep in mind that the amplifier installation might include mounting of the amplifier, all wiring & distribution, modifications to the existing system, full system tuning including the retuning of the factory components.

The fill-in details and substantiation that you need really should come from the dealer who gave you the quote. With a few of the comments here you may have a better idea of what to ask.   

 

 

You are basically paying dealer cost on the SD2, that's a steal of a price for that. Well , maybe 10 dollars over cost... The labor prices seem to be Normal in the industry. Like David said, if the installer is an audio pro, then you will be happy with the $$ spent. Good luck, keep us posted on progress. 

Edited March 24, 2016 by ConnollyCrew

[Cmb396]

My .02, ya can't beat a man at his own job. If you can do as good as job, then diy. I, for one, am eletronically retarded, so any install fees are well worth it for me to have it done properly.

[shawndoggy]

2 hours ago, MLA said:

$500 off on the $1050 retail SD-2 = roughly 15% off the entire job. 

Good call.  

I would also note that I'm super slow.  That project would seriously take me a whole weekend.  Personally, I find doing this stuff to be kinda fun, so it's not a penalty, but I can understand that others would want to do other stuff, and $400 isn't really all that much in labor all things considered.

[David]

I really excel at giving advice on and supervising installations. But I pay to have it done.

[BlackBluMalibu]

I spent almost identical amount on my install back in 2013, and I am a diy person. However, depending on circumstances and how you value your time, it can be well worth paying a well qualified person to do it. David has some very good points about getting a little more detail on the quote and go meet the actual installer so you can ask him questions with respect to running all the rca and power cables and how the installer will isolate cabling and grounds so no emfs, etc, translate into subtle noises and sometimes not so subtle noises out of you speakers. All the best, have fun safe boating with your Bu!   BTW, I forgot to mention that I am very pleased with my install by others and have ove 990 hours of use on it and the boat. 

Edited March 25, 2016 by BlackBluMalibu

[Chrisjjbrown]

Thanks guys.   This quote is from most well know and established professional custom audio car/boat installer in town.  

I didn't see anything out of line but wanted to check w the experts on the crew   

The labor I thought was more than reasonable as the sales tax is almost as much as the labor.   

Shop supplies he wasn't sure w out seeing my boat so he was just guessing and said that would change based on what was needed.  I will have ask what type of components they r using  

And yes the amp was 50% off.  The have their in stock wetsounds amps on sale right now. 

No to decide if I really want to drop 3400 on a stero.   

 

[Slurpee]

Yes you do. You wouldn't ask us if you didn't want to

[Fman]

9 hours ago, Chrisjjbrown said:

I wish you lived in Ohio Shawn so I could beg you to help me...

Why are you so hesitant to do it yourself?  I did my Exile install on my 22 VLX last year, started with nothing.  It is really not a "difficult" task, more time consuming than anything.  If you have the time then I would say go for it, start a thread and Shawn along with other veterans here will help you along the way.  Not only do you save some money but you will know exactly what your stereo system consists of and  have a good base knowledge for troubleshooting, tuning, etc....I had a "reputable" shop install my two prior Wetsound systems, I was shocked when I pulled the kick panel on the second boat and discovered what they used for a sub box and how they set it right on the floor of the boat.  It was a cheapo particle board sub box, I was very disappointed in what they thought was acceptable.  Just because a shop sells a certain product does not necessarily mean you will get a quality install.  Just keep this in mind, chances are no installer will take the same pride and attention to detail as you will doing the install in your own boat.

[MLA]

8 hours ago, Fman said:

Why are you so hesitant to do it yourself?

$425 in labor + $-500 in parts discount = up $75 to just droop the boat off and pick it up. 

[shawndoggy]

^^^ a valid point ... if this were the only WS dealer willing to discount its product.    Are there actually dealers out there (other than ordering direct from WS website) that will actually refuse to come off of MSRP if asked?

[skyskier]

I would not hesitate to get a price on another brand if you don't want to spend that much. I would not ask for a discount on labor. That just says you don't value what their reputation brings to the table.

[wdr]

My observations are, that the price "for the parts shown" is pretty much on line with what I paid over a year ago from a very reputable company down in Texas and was the same price from the WS website at that time, and to the OP specifically IIWM I would rethink and get another look at the WS G3 single speaker mounts. It will have the speakers sitting pretty low on the G3. JM2C

[Chrisjjbrown]

5 hours ago, shawndoggy said:

^^^ a valid point ... if this were the only WS dealer willing to discount its product.    Are there actually dealers out there (other than ordering direct from WS website) that will actually refuse to come off of MSRP if asked?

 

This is what I was really getting at.  The labor does not bother me and seems very reasonable.   The Amp is a good price,   but all the other equipment is full price.    I just wonder if there is any room for negotiating on any the other items or is that what it is. 

[Chrisjjbrown]

14 hours ago, Fman said:

Why are you so hesitant to do it yourself?  I did my Exile install on my 22 VLX last year, started with nothing.  It is really not a "difficult" task, more time consuming than anything.  If you have the time then I would say go for it, start a thread and Shawn along with other veterans here will help you along the way.  Not only do you save some money but you will know exactly what your stereo system consists of and  have a good base knowledge for troubleshooting, tuning, etc....I had a "reputable" shop install my two prior Wetsound systems, I was shocked when I pulled the kick panel on the second boat and discovered what they used for a sub box and how they set it right on the floor of the boat.  It was a cheapo particle board sub box, I was very disappointed in what they thought was acceptable.  Just because a shop sells a certain product does not necessarily mean you will get a quality install.  Just keep this in mind, chances are no installer will take the same pride and attention to detail as you will doing the install in your own boat.

I don't know why I am hesitant to be honest, I do most things around my house myself,  I am sure if I took the time I could figure it out,  but there is just something about these stereo installs and all those wires,   .........time is also something I do not have alot of w 3 kids under 4, MBA classes, Coaching, and work.....      

[That Guy]

Just to be clear, this is a NEW install, as in you do not currently have tower speakers or amp, etc?

[Fman]

2 hours ago, Chrisjjbrown said:

I don't know why I am hesitant to be honest, I do most things around my house myself,  I am sure if I took the time I could figure it out,  but there is just something about these stereo installs and all those wires,   .........time is also something I do not have alot of w 3 kids under 4, MBA classes, Coaching, and work.....      

We are definitely world's apart in the time of our life.  My kids are exiting the house (2/3 in college) and I am always looking for projects to tackle.  Nothing wrong with paying someone, you definitely need to weigh out your personal time schedule and it sounds like you have a full plate.  If you do ever want a fun project and have some free time definitely look into doing one on your own.

[jonyb]

5 hours ago, Chrisjjbrown said:

 

This is what I was really getting at.  The labor does not bother me and seems very reasonable.   The Amp is a good price,   but all the other equipment is full price.    I just wonder if there is any room for negotiating on any the other items or is that what it is. 

Room for negotiating?  The amp is below cost already, and you want more?  Okay, drop the price of the towers by $200, then add $200 to the amp.

 

Parts are not cheap.  Distribution blocks from Stinger are at least $20 each, power cable that is OFC has gone through the roof, quality RCA's aren't cheap either.

 

Labor?  I've been crawling in a Sea-Ray 270 for 2 days.  Towers, 3 amps, 8 in-boats, pre-amp, battery, charger, tie-in to battery switch, then take into account moving it in and out of my shop with a forklift that I had to pay for.  I'm not charging half as much as I should.  Stop and think about what's involved with all of this.  Go to the shop and have them show you around first.  If it's disappointing like fman said his was, then go somewhere else!

 

Don't forget, just because the install is done and you drive off the lot, doesn't mean that it's over.  With a "good" dealer, you'll have a warranty on the install for at least as long as you own the boat.  That means if it breaks, YOU DON'T HAVE TO TOUCH IT.

[Chrisjjbrown]

4 hours ago, That Guy said:

Just to be clear, this is a NEW install, as in you do not currently have tower speakers or amp, etc?

No I currently have the stero option 2 I believe.   2 amps towers and sub.  And in boats.    If I do this I would just be replacing My towers and adding the 420 or something similar.  Possibly redoing the sub box.