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Another Exile amp down


isellacuras

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I upgraded my stereo to a full exile system a little over 2 years ago. In that time I’ve had to replace/repair 3 javelins and now an XM30.2. When I first upgraded, I used an ARC 300.4 to power my towers and a javelin to power my 8 in boats and exile 12. The system rocked, no doubt. Last fall I bought an XM30.2 to replace my ARC amp so all the equipment matched and “looked” good. Now I’m back to replacing yet another amp.

The first javelin was replaced under warranty with just a little bit of down time and some shipping costs. The the second was sent in for a repair which was diagnosed as the 2/4/6 switch. It took about 6 weeks and a bunch of emails to get turned around and sent back. Again, shipping charges both ways and lots of down time along with some labor time for the repair. The repair wasn’t under warranty as it was literally weeks outside of the one year mark. Shortly after the “repair”, the javelin took a dump again with the same symptoms. They didn’t stand behind the “repair” and wanted me to send it back for Repair again. I wasn’t willing to go through another band aid so they did “take care” of me by offering a deep discount on a replacement. The new amp has been working well for the last couple months and I was optimistic that I’d be happy with the system for a long time to come. Nope, my new 30.2 now crapped out and now I’m without tower speakers in the middle of summer. 

Im not sure I want to go back to exile and I’m looking into alternatives. Considering JL and wetsounds. Just hard because I see a lot of value in the exile stuff but the reliability has me a bit weary. What would you do?  Replace my XM30.2 with another of the same? Should I be considering non marine specific amps?  My arc amp worked well for years and it wasn’t marine rated. 

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You mentioned that you are already considering JL Audio and Wetsounds amplifiers. I like both their marine audio amplifier offerings. A major point is that they are a sealed chassis with a sealed cover over all adjustments (pots & switches). This means less chance of these controls being affected by moisture which eventually leads to corrosion. Also, I'm not a 'fan' of fan-cooled amplifiers in marine audio amplifiers since they constantly expose internal circuitry to a high volume of moist air. Are these concerns a dealer breaker? Not absolutely since many people have successfully used non-marine car audio amplifiers long term in fresh water boats. But for usage in coastal waters, a sealed chassis has been proven to be an absolute necessity.     

Here's the flipside. With that many amplifier failures (four in two years), I'm a little suspicious that there could be other issues. Issues that could continue to cause problems with replacements. So here's my recommendation. Spend a little on diagnostics. Use a good local Pro to go thru your system and also have a discussion with you about your system usage habits, and part of that conversation should include voltage management.      

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Thanks David. I have had my boat at 3 different “pros”, one of my choosing and then two different shops referred by Exile. I had them set everything to safe levels so when I let it rip to max, I’m not overdriving my stuff. The only band I had them leave hot was my sub since I like a little more control over that based on what I am listening to. 

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37 minutes ago, isellacuras said:

Thanks David. I have had my boat at 3 different “pros”, one of my choosing and then two different shops referred by Exile. I had them set everything to safe levels so when I let it rip to max, I’m not overdriving my stuff. The only band I had them leave hot was my sub since I like a little more control over that based on what I am listening to. 

I don’t think @David is referring to amp tuning.

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1 hour ago, isellacuras said:

Thanks David. I have had my boat at 3 different “pros”, one of my choosing and then two different shops referred by Exile. I had them set everything to safe levels so when I let it rip to max, I’m not overdriving my stuff. The only band I had them leave hot was my sub since I like a little more control over that based on what I am listening to. 

Certainly setting the gains correctly would be an important item on that checklist. But it's only one of numerous potential issues. If you ever get around to taking the boat to a good Pro, I would be willing to speak with them.

   

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I installed my Exile system in 2015 and have zero problems with the amps. I had one surf speaker repaired after getting caught in a nasty thunderstorm and have also replaced the ZLD. 

Other than those two things, my system has been outstanding. 

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9 hours ago, isellacuras said:

Thanks David. I have had my boat at 3 different “pros”, one of my choosing and then two different shops referred by Exile. I had them set everything to safe levels so when I let it rip to max, I’m not overdriving my stuff. The only band I had them leave hot was my sub since I like a little more control over that based on what I am listening to. 

Just because they set it for drunk proof does not mean that will protect it. Different sound qualities will play at different levels. David always has great. input. 

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I installed a Wetsounds SD6 amp in my boat two years ago.  This spring when I was getting it ready for summer, noticed one of the outputs was dead. Emailed Odin at Car Mark Audio, where I bought it, and he said they would repair it.  But I didn’t want to do it before the end of summer so I hooked up my old Fosgate amp to one set of in cabin speakers. Will probably send the amp in to Wetsounds at the end of the season. The amp had very few hours on it, and I do not play it very loud. Before that, my tower speaker amp went out on my old Fosgate system that came with the boat.   So it seems the reliability of these amps is problematic in the boat environment. 

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