Right now I have a sony cdx-250 deck and the 4 stock 6.5" sony speakers probably like 50 watt max or something, I am not sure of the model #. I want to upgrade my stereo so it sounds good, I dont care if I can hear it whale riding I just want it to sound good in the boat even when we are driving down the lake. I would really like to keep the cost under 1000 and if possible closer to 500. I have a sony 1200 watt 12" Xplod sub, a sony XM-554ZR amp (4 x 55W RMS @ 4Ohm, 4 x 65W RMS @ 2Ohm), and a sony XM2002GTW amp (200W x 2 RMS into 4 ohms) which I picked up for like $50. Are these amps and sub even worth using or should I just re sale them and buy new stuff. What would you suggest buying to fulfill my wants. (louder, clearer, deeper)

one more q. Is it a bad idea to use stereo equipment that is not marine, just regular car audio amps subs or decks

Most people don't use marine stereo equipment. In general sony equipment is low quality stuff, but it is cheap and will do the job for you. How long it will last is anyone's guess.

is it a bad idea to try and save money buying used but in new condition stuff

Install the XM-554ZR to run the boat speakers, enable the highpass filter and set it to 125hz. <BR> <BR>The XM2002GTW should work for now powering the 12" Sony sub. Run it in bridged mode and set the lowpass filter at 80hz. Build a nice sealed 1 cu. ft. sub box. <BR> <BR>I would predict upgrades in your future... <BR> <BR>Spend your $500 on good power cables, distribution blocks, decent twisted RCA cables. Do this part right the first time.

what kind of tower speakers are a good value

Electrovoice Evid 6.2 <BR> <BR><a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/Electro-Voice-EVID-6-2-Speakers_W0QQitemZ190116851106QQihZ009QQcategoryZ3 2861QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem" target="_blank">http://cgi.ebay.com/Electro-Voice-EVID-6-2-Speakers_W0QQitemZ190116851106QQihZ009QQcategoryZ3 2861QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem</a> <BR> <BR>Add clamps: <BR><a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/Speaker-Lightbar-Clamps-2-1-4_W0QQitemZ300036932490QQihZ020QQcategoryZ23807QQt cZphotoQQcmdZViewItem" target="_blank">http://cgi.ebay.com/Speaker-Lightbar-Clamps-2-1-4_W0QQitemZ300036932490QQihZ020QQcategoryZ23807QQt cZphotoQQcmdZViewItem</a>

There are several speakers for sell on ebay that are closer to what I want to spend. They are just speakers in I guess aluminum cans. I was wondering if anyone had any experience with these or know how they sound. In particular the: <BR><a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/1400-Wat-BOSS-SILVER-Wakeboard-Tower-Boat-Speakers_W0QQitemZ200112859318QQihZ010QQcategoryZ2 3807QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem" target="_blank">http://cgi.ebay.com/1400-Wat-BOSS-SILVER-Wakeboard-Tower-Boat-Speakers_W0QQitemZ200112859318QQihZ010QQcategoryZ2 3807QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem</a> <BR><a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/Aluminum-Wakeboard-Boat-Tower-Speakers-Rockford-Fosgate_W0QQitemZ190118108196QQihZ009QQcategoryZ23 807QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem" target="_blank">http://cgi.ebay.com/Aluminum-Wakeboard-Boat-Tower-Speakers-Rockford-Fosgate_W0QQitemZ190118108196QQihZ009QQcategoryZ23 807QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem</a> <BR> <BR>Thank You

Good Luck, you are gonna need it if you are considering that kind of junk...

I have done a little research, but it is hard to find reliable sources on the net and the guys at best buy have no idea what they are talking about so I now turn to you all. Right now I have an amp powering a sub and an amp for the 4 boat speakers. I am going to add tower speakers with an amp for them by the end of the summer. Right now I am looking for a new deck. I want one with 2-3 pre-amp outputs, some form of an input, and if it was marine audio that would be even better! <BR> <BR>First question is in regards to the pre-amp outputs. I have herd that 4v outputs are better than 2v but how big of a difference does it make? <BR> <BR>Second, where can I find car audio cables, amps, cd decks for less money?

If you do some searching on the archives you will find all of your questions have already been answered, in depth. For 1000 you should be able to get a decent set of tower speakers and a good amp to power them. They will be so loud you wont even think you need boat speakers.