Audio Guru's

So now that I got the new boat I need to start thinking Stereo. Basically I am not looking for top of the line but something thats sounds good. Ill probably buy all the components and have someone install. Here are my questions-----

End Result will be 6 interior speakers, 1 Sub, and 2-4 tower speakers

I have a stock kenwood deck and 6 speakers in the boat do I need a 6 channel amp or can I use a 4 channel by running 4 in parralell on two channels at a 2 ohm load and then the other two channels (bow) at the normal 4ohm level?

If doing the 2/4 ohm thing Can I get a 5 channel and do the sub on the same amp or should I get a seperate sub amp?

Thought would be a seperate amp for the tower speakers.....

Now the fun question--Amp recomendations???????Again im not looking to go professional just decent


Thanks

(Message edited by jay_g on February 13, 2008)

Jay- What type of amp you choose should be based on many different factors or questions that must be answered…..Things like, are you going to play it parked? Do you want the rider to hear it? How much room are you willing to give up? What do you want the install to look like? How loud do you want it to go? And so on…..If you don’t feel comfortable answering these questions then you should find a good shop to help you out.

But for now let's look at your last question about a 5 channel amp. There are many 5 channel amps on the market but very FEW will run the low impedance loads that you are talking about. And by "Run" I mean play music at a reasonable volume in your boat for a reasonable period of time. The cheaper the amp, generally the less power and less performance you will get. So if you are going to try to run the whole boat off of one amp, buy a good one. I like the Boston Acoustics’ GT50. It's a 5 channel amp that will run two and even lower ohms on the 4 full range channels and two ohms on the sub channel as well. In fact, this versatility is the reason that Calabria’s Boats uses the GT50 on all it's team boats. They routinely run 6 speakers in the boat, 4 speakers on the tower and a 10" G2 sub. In fact if you search a bit for GT50, you will find several posts from people who love this amp.

As for a multi amp system, your options are almost endless and you will find no shortage of product recommendations on this forum. But I would suggest this......
Find a shop that you trust and that will give you a good deal on some gear and work with them. The worst thing you can do is bring a shop gear that they may not be completely comfortable with and can not warranty for you if it breaks. Ben from ACME Tops and Tunes is on here under "sound box" and his shop is located in Sacramento and feel free to pm me and I will suggest others in your area. I am a 12 volt rep and know pretty much EVERY shop from Visalia to Redding.

Good Luck
Scott

You really should try and get a sense of what direction you want to go and what you like. But since you asked for opinions... here's mine.

And I'll try it again since it worked well earlier today... If you were me and were starting from scratch (as you are), you would buy Wetsounds XS650 boat speakers, Wetsounds Pro 60's or Pro 80's (if you decide on Pro Audio, that is), and "guinea-pig" the new Wetsounds XS12 sub (they are brand new and there are no reviews online, hence the guinea-pig verb). Would cost you about $1600-$1800 for good quality stuff.

And now for the... If I were you, I'd find a reputable stereo shop, show them what you just bought, and ask for their recommendations. Or if you decide to install yourself, wait for Grant to chime in here!

Thanks Guys Im gonna do a little more Soul Searching Ill be back

The Kicker MX700.5, w/bass control, is a very good 5 chnl amp for a sub and cabin speakers. It will put about 50w x 4 @4ohm, and the sub chnl is a class D, 420w @ 2ohm. The Kicker Comp VR10 sub and KS650's are a good match for this amp.

No need to parallel or series any speakers, I have my 6 cabins configured as fallows: 2 bow speakers wired to the 2 "front" chnls of the H/U. The 4 main cabin wired to the 4 amp chnls, amp getting signal from "front" RCA's.

Tower Amp gets signal from "rear" RCA's and this allows me to fade the cabin down when I crank the volume for the rider and not kill the passengers.

Like suggested, decide on a budget, how you want the system to work, how much volume you want to reach the riders or beach. Choose your tower speakers and match them up with the right amp.

Perfect timing for this question, maybe i can get some direction also. I've got a 2 amp system with one running 4 kickers and the other running 2 10" subs. The sound is sick, but now I want to add tower speakers; I'll need another amp because i'm out of channels. Now for the question: Can I upgrade one amp and continue to run two vs. having 3 amps? AND, what brand tower speakers should I be looking for that are decent? I just want to the rider to hear the music (with some level of quality) so i'm not looking to break the bank. Thanks!

Jay - Troy

There are so many different options available for complete systems and even just an update to the your existing system. To keep things on a budget but still get a great "bang for your buck" you can go with the A-Series from JL audio or even Total Mobile (sister company to JL). For multi ch amps you are limited to only a few out there that are going to do what you are asking them to do while maintaining a decent volume level and not going into thermal. I have had boat guys leave the shop spending 600 bucks and were smiling full of joy and other boats get $15k of equipment and want more. I deal with every preference and every budget. The shop is 15000ft^2 video surveillanced so keeping your boat to work on it isn't a problem. PM me, call me or E-Mail me at BL@acmetopsandtunes.com . I would be happy to take a look at both of your boats and give you an opinion or some ideas.

Troy - What part of Elk Grove are you in? I live near the Automall.

Ben,
Thanks man, I will hit you up. I get that there are many options out there. I guess I need to back into what I want given my budget. I will email you so we can hook up and get some estimates/ideas.

BTW my fellow Elk Grover, I'm in Foulks Ranch, right near the elementary school. :-)

Jay - Troy

I had an X-Star dropped off today that we are upgrading the existing system and adding some Bullet Hollow Point tower speakers. Stop by later this week if you want to check it out.

Ben I went to your site but didnt see any boat pics. Do you have any to share?

He did ours.....




They are one of Sacramento's BEST dealers and have been doing great work for MANY many years. They Rock...Thanks Ben...I need to get with you to get the Hollow Points installed sooner rather then later.


Cheers
Scott

Jay - I really kick myself for not taking as many pictures as we should. We just finished a Sanger last week for a fellow WWer from San Ramon that turned out nice. It now has 2 Boston SPG555s under the dash with a JL 1000/1v2 and a Kinetic that we added on to his existing set up. We have a X Star in the shop now that I will take some pictures of and see if we can get on the site. I just tried looking on my home computer and most of the pictures I have are upholstery related. Here are the ones that I have.



^^^2 downfire front ported Boston SPG555s under back seat of Velocity race boat^^^













While looking I also found some pictures of a tower box I built for a buddy years ago in exchange for a summer of free pulls.











How times and technology has changed

Sorry for the thread jack.

Sorry. I forgot the pic of the amps in the Velocity (before trim covers).