stereo rewire thoughts
 

Stereo on new boat has been replaced and from what I can see some "interesting" wiring choices have been made - it sounds quite good (not that I am too concerned if not perfect) though the subs don't appear to be getting what they need and I have been struggling to work out how to wire up my HSE volume controller:

New fusion head unit with a new fusion 4 channel amp (fm504) (500watts?)
- both the subs fusion 12" (2) are wired -> the sub output on the head unit -> into the front output (ch 1 & 2) then bridged and both wired to the same outputs
- the 2 tower speakers are wired to one of the line outs -> ch3 and the right rear.
- ch4 of the amp is not used
- the in boats (4) are all wired direct to the head unit.

It's all very neat in conduit but doesn't look right - the in boats have clearly been wired to the amp at some stage (loose wires coming out of the conduits) - possibly the subs were added afterwards or there was once a 5ch running it all?

A couple of of options I have come up with

Option a) grab a 5 ch and replace the fusion 4ch => Line out to HSE -> 5ch 2 tower of fronts and double up the 4 in boats off the rear?

Option b) grab another amp (mono or 2ch bridged) -> both Amps into HSE -> subs off the new amp & rest of old 4ch amp - 2 tower of fronts and double up the 4 in boats off the rear?

I can do either for about the same $'s but

option a) = more wiring and with two amps I might need to instal a second flattery?

Option b) means removing a perfectly good amp and I am not sure if a fifth channel will run 2 twelve inch amps anyway?

Thoughts please?

I dont see a 12 Fusion sub, can you link to the specific subs you have? Also, what tower speakers, do you have?

You REALLY need a 2nd amp, just not sure the best route to go without knowing the subs and tower speakers. As its stand know, with both tower speakers on a single chnl, they are splitting 95w rms, netting 47 each. if each was on its own chnls, they would get 65 each, presuming they are 4 ohm drivers.

Um not quite sure what you are asking - the subs are http://www.fusionentertainment.com/m...s%2Fsubwoofers

(I guessed they were 12's but probably 10's - haven't measured)

Do I need a second flattery to run a mono block amp and be safe?

I think that regardless what tower or in boat speakers you have, a 5 channel amp with 400w+ @ 2 ohms on the sub channel is the way to go in your scenario. Depending on how powerful of a 5 channel you get, then you can decide whether the other 4 channels power the towers (bridged) or your existing 4 channels power to towers in bridged, leaving the remaining channels for the in boat speakers.

Your subs are rated at 400w PEAK. "Peak" ratings are not usually a publicized quality I enjoy to see and offer nothing to the power handling capabilities of the driver. I would put their ratings at 200w each, at best, therefore you are looking for a 2 ohm sub channel at 400w.

A second battery should essentially be a must for any boat (IMO), but even more so when dealing with a boat that has amplifiers pulling additional juice. Make sure to get at least a group 27 or 29 battery to put your mind at ease.