I am looking at putting tower speakers in my boat. I have a sony 50x4 watt head unit and was wondering that when i add the speakers if i will need a amp or not. I dont know alot about audio stuff so if i left out any info that help just ask and i will let you guys know, thanks for the help.

definitely, without a doubt at least one preferably three. I know that sounds like alot but one for the boat speakers if you realy want to hear them, one for the tower speakers(lots of power if you want ot hear them, and one for the (or pair) sub. Three make individual changes easier, IE: sub gain up or down without affecting the rest of the system.

I am kinda on a tight budget, but i dont want crappy stuff, is there any amp that you would recomend?

If i was to do it over again id look into a 4 channel 800 watt amp (ive got a 4 channel 600 watt one now), bridge two channels for your sub and use the other two channels for your tower speakers. For right now you can get away with just running the boat speakers off the head unit and it will do ok but start to turn the volume up and the tower speakers will stomp all over those puny watts comming out of your boat speakers. <BR>Ive got Rockford fosgate amps and for the money they do a great job, alot of people recommend PPI, JL, do a search on here for others. Some considerations before buying are heat, are you putting it in an enclosed are...if so does it have built in fan(s), if not youll want to add them or itll be shutting down alot shortening its life. Also how far from your battery are you mounting it...the farther the distance the higher the cable price (amps suck mega amps from your battery) for higher gauge wire.

JL audio is a very expensive amp, and the price is proably not justified for a boat, where sound quality isin't going to matter as much as a car. for a amp that is going to be in a boat, out on the lake where it's hot, the new memphis power reference amps work awesome because they have cooling fans. but rockford also makes really efficient amps that won't get that hot

Yes You need a AMP Ill find one that will work for you and Post it

This is what you Need It's 6000 watts and it only costs $6000 <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/65921/70236.gif" alt=""> <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/65921/70237.gif" alt="">

Thanks for all the info, i dont really know where i can install the amp at but i have a storage compartment right next to the battery, would that be best because then it is farther to the tower speakers and head unit and such. The boat is on order so in like 4 weeks i can post pictures.

I like the Memphis stuff too. I also have Rockford Fosgate in my 4Runner which is doing really well (I will NEVER buy another Fosgate speaker though). For the price, the Crunch amps really do a good job. <BR> <BR>Keep in mind that eventually you are going to fry one being around so much water. I would go with an inexpensive amp that still sounds good for this reason. <BR> <BR>I also agree that multiple amps will be needed to equal everything out.

i have 2 memphis amps in my boat. the 50WX4 class AB one (16-ST2004) and the 500W class D amp (16-ST500D) i have really liked them but am now unsure because I managed to fry the 500W one. I have new output FETs arriving tomorrow which should hopefully fix the problem.

memphis is an awesome amp for the money, i used to do competition SPL stuff and we always used memphis amps. JL amps are also very nice, but in a boat you're not going to have the acoustics you will have in a vechicle, so you won't notice the difference. <BR> <BR>As Long as you stay with one of the big names (Fosgate, Kicker, Memphis, Phoenix gold) you can't go wrong. just see how many total watts, and channels you're going to need then go to a few diffrent stereo shops, and price shop. also my biggest concern would be warranty, ask the shops if you're amp fries if they're just going to replace it or if they're going to sent it back for you, or make you send it back. if you have to send it back you're out of an amp for at least 6 weeks, which is a good portion of the riding season. <BR> <BR>just my .02

Awesome info guys, do you know any specifics on price???

tell me what you want and i can proably get you some good prices, since i've spent alot of money at my local shop <BR> <BR>they sell fosgate, and memphis

Well i am trying to keep the budget about 200 bucks, so i dont know if a super high quaility amp is reasonable, but i just want something that will get the job done.

i'll look tommorrow, and see what i can find, how many watts are you going to be needing? <BR>

Well i am not sure what speakers i am getting yet so i dont really know how many watts i need, but like 400 would be enuf right?? i really dont know much about audio stuff.

I got some crunch V series amps (V4300 &amp; V4200) amps for well below 200 from thezeb. I haven't used them yet so I don't know how well they will do.

I found some good stuff on etronics for alot less than i thought i could get them for.