Boat audio question

[mabbore]

Last year I put in a new head unit and 4 new kicker 6" speakers, 50 watts RMS Each. They certinaly sound much better than my factory tape deck and speakers, lol. This year I want to put in an amplifier to help boost performance, and possibly a subwoofer. The question I have is; do I need a more powerful alternator at some point? should I get a 5 channel or a 4 and a seperate 1 for the sub woofer? I know a little about audio, but not a ton.

[Wylietunes]

The question I have is; do I need a more powerful alternator at some point

You are aways from needing to think about an alternator upgrade in regards to your current one's stated amperage. Now, if its not performing to its potential due to age/engine hours, then thats a different scenario. A couple of amps and a 2nd battery do not warrant a high amp alt upgrade.


should I get a 5 channel or a 4 and a separate 1 for the sub woofer?

There are quite a few proven Class-D 5 and 6 chnl amps out there that are ideal for 4-6 in-boats and a sub, that will deliver from 200W rms to 600W rms on the sub chnl. I would let your sub choice dictate whether you need a 4 chnl for the full-range speakers and a dedicated mono for the sub.

[mabbore]

Can you recommend a reasonably priced 4 and 5 channel amp? I am looking at a kicker 10" marine sub that handles 150 watts RMS / 300 peak.

[Cusefan78]

I did a 5 channel kicker in my supra last year. Kicker cx600.5. Kicker rates all their amps lower then they actually produce. Think the kind I installed bench tested at 750. Haven't had a problem and it sounds great. I'm running a pioneer deck with 4 6.5" and a 10" sub and a ton of LEDs. Never had a problem with killing batteries. I also am running two batteries off a perko switch.

[Wylietunes]

mabbore,

I can recommend an amp or two that are well built solid units for the price, but I will let you be the judge of whether or not the price is reasonable.

Kicker KXM800.5 marine 5 chnl amp is a perfect match for the 4 in-boats and sub, and allow for a 3rd pair of in-boats to be added later.

A single stereo RCA is all thats needed to drive all chnls and sub. Some amps do not pass through internally, so they will require splitting the RCA's and plugging into all the RCA inputs.

Class-D marine w/gasketed controls cover.

Includes sub level controller.

[mabbore]

Thanks for all your help. one more question. should I use marine speaker wire? is there a certain gauge or brand I should use?

[mabbore]

I ended up picking up a Clearance Sony 4 channel to drive my newer kicker 6.5"s speakers. I am getting ready for the summer and was wondering if I needed marine grade speaker wire and RCA cables?

Thanks in advance guys

[Wylietunes]

Not needed for a fresh water trailer boat.

[mabbore]

Not needed for a fresh water trailer boat.

Thanks Mike!

[Sdc77]

For a budget setup, I put this one in my boat last year :
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_79531_Soundstream-PN5.640D.html
It's more than enough to get good sound in and out of the boat. With the 4x Boss MR695 I have on the tower, 4x Boss MR650 Inside the boat (so it's 2 Ohms loaded speakers on the amp on the 4th channels) and a MTX RT12-04 subwoofer.
Believe me, it rocks ! We can hear sound far away from the boat. And doesn't draw tons of amps on the alternator. So much less than my previous setup with class A/B amps for the same power.

Chears

[trayson]

If you are interested in adding a subwoofer to your boat, I've got a setup that I'm selling that would do you well.

I have a 10" Polk Audio Dual Voice Coil subwoofer and I also happen to have a kicker 200.4 amp. You could take the amp and run it bridged to each of the 4 ohm voice coils on the subwoofer. The sub would end up getting 200 watts. from the little amp and that would sound pretty decent for the money.

I'd sell the amp and the sub together for $100 as a package deal. (plus shipping). They would be a littler on the heavier side, but I get really good shipping rates through work, so it shouldn't be that bad.

Let me know if you're interested. Let me know somewhere else that you could get a sub and an amp for $100. I think it's a great value. Then just buy a premade box with the bedliner on it and you're in business. (or build your own box of course)

http://cf2.souqcdn.com/item/41/03/95/item_L_410395_479797.jpg http://magnitola.ru/images/items/polkaudiodb1040-350.jpg

[mabbore]

Tryason, I saw your ad in the classifieds and was tempted definitley. But I was concerned that is was not marine grade?

[trayson]

Tryason, I saw your ad in the classifieds and was tempted definitley. But I was concerned that is was not marine grade?

Well, the Subwoofer is most certainly marine certified.

As far as the Amp, the Kicker ZX amps are what you see the boat manufactuers putting into the boats as the OEM audio. My 2008 Moomba XLV came with a Kicker ZX700.5 and a Kicker ZX350.4 amp from the factory...

In fact, if you look at the owner's manual for my 2008 XLV, it talks about optional equipment that came on the boat and one of the sections is "optional amplifiers" and it shows a picture of a pair of Kicker ZX amps. I figure if it's good enough for skier's choice to put into a new boat, It should be fine. I just sold my Kicker ZX350.4 and I am still running my Kicker ZX700.5 that came OEM in my boat.

I have someone on the Moomba forum that is interested. I'm going to calculate shipping for them. Let me know if you're likewise interested.

15581

[mabbore]

good enough for me, how much is shipping to zip 60031

[trayson]

good enough for me, how much is shipping to zip 60031

PM me a full address. my work shipping department has to enter in all the details to have it spit out a quote.