thinking about the deafcon iv's, + other upgrades

looking at finally getting around to rounding out my stereo setup this summer. hoping to do my car and boat around the same time. these are the components I already have:

sony 5 channel amp xm-1805gx
xtant x1001 amp
two kicker solobaric 10" L7 subs
infiniti 5.25" separates (really only usable in the car)

the boat already has sufficient kicker boat speakers and a 10" kicker sub, all currently powered by a weak kicker 4 channel amp.

so I was thinking I could use the sony to drive the existing 10" boat sub, and the rest of the boat speakers (replace the current 4 channel). then I need an amp(s) to handle the deafcon setup. I am planning to use the xtant to drive the two kicker subs in a box in my car, but the xtant amp is HUGE (my trunk is tiny) -- would it be a good candidate to drive the 8" subs on the deafcon? (i imagine it would probably be overkill). also, I'd like to keep the boat to two amps if possible (the sony plus one to handle all the deafcon components).

any suggestions? anyone actually have the deafcon iv's on their boat yet?

thanks,
Wes

Wes,

I would consider the Deafcon III's instead since the sub works best inside the boat. You could run a pair of Deafcon III's and your boat speakers with a single Kicker KX800.4 4 channel amp. That amp puts out 200 watts RMS X 4 into 2 ohms and is stable. Therefore you can drive the tower speakers from the rear pair of channels and the two pair of boat speakers from the front two channels.

Wakeside.com can help you to design your system utilizing the components that you already have.

The huge xtant amp may be overkill for the Deafcon.

The Deafcon IV's sound great but you need to make sure that you can handle 70 lbs up on the tower. Do you collapse the tower? Is your tower extremely rigid from side to side? That is why I recommend the Deafcon III's. These are our most popular Deafcons that we sell.

Mike Hellweg
http://www.wakeside.com

Just a note of the weight of the defcon iv. I had a speaker setup on my tower that was only 50#. The weight caused the tower to rock so much I had to take it down. It even cracked the gelcoat around one of the tower mounts. I would highly suggest you stay away from anything that weighs 70#. Mine was on a mastercraft with a zero flex tower.

i would say a massattitude box www.massattitude.com

i would go with a custom fiberglass enclosure, you can have one made to your taste in any color, and they are really light and sound great.

i was thinking originally about getting a box or enclosure across the top, but i'm 6'3" and i can barely walk under the tower without ducking as it is, so i'd prefer something that leaves clearance in the middle of the tower...

so if I were to use the 5 channel sony for the sub and boat speakers, what amp would you recommend for the deafcon iii's? phoenix gold 500.2?

thanks,
Wes

If I was you, I wouldn't go with a component speaker system like the deafcon iii's. Sure they look great, but I am assuming you are buying these mainly for the boarder to hear?

If that is the case component speakers are a waste of money. The separate tweeter in component systems are so they can be placed in a path directly to your ear. You see high's are very directional, that is why all component speaker systems come with a tweeter that you can angle. But when these are installed on a tower you are defeating the purpose of them, as they can not be pointed at your ear. Plus the component speakers run an average of $100 more a pair than a regular 6 1/2 so with the iii's you are wasting an extra $200 dollars for something you will not benefit from.

so you would recommend 6x9s instead? for sheer volume? maybe i could do four 6x9 cans and still be able to move around without crouching all the time...

You could still do a custom box, I have seen several installs on here that mounted the box on top of the tower instead of hanging below it. I personally think the 6X9s are the better way to go. Just my .02.

Jb

6 1/2's or 6x9's both will work, i was just stating that i wouldnt spend the extra cash on component speakers (the ones with a seperate tweeter) they want benefit you any on a tower install, just cost more. if you are set on the deafcon iii's there was a pair on ebay yesterday that was at around $300 so far on the bid.

next month i am going to be building some tubes for some friends, if you like i could make you some. I can give them to you with or without the speakers. I make my tubes out of fiberglass with a wood frame. extremly light and strong, want hurt your tower. i can gel coat them to mach any boats color or they can be painted with car paint and clear coat in any color, even metal flake finish if you want. anyone interested just let me know, and i will email you pictures next month when they are done. 6 1/2's, 5 1/4's, 8's are all no problem, i can do tubes for 6x9's as well.

Plus dont forget, if you are going to be running an amp or two, i would get a second battery just to be safe. getting stuck on the lake sucks

2waynew@bellsouth.net

(Message edited by byerly03 on June 18, 2003)