Stereo advice needed

Ok, I know some of you are experts in this area. My problem is this....

I have changed out all of my stock Kenwood speakers out to the Polk db651s.
I have a total of 6 cabins, 4 tower, & 10" polk sub. I have a single battery setup with only a single Kenwood amp (stock setup from 2005). I really feel like I'm way underpowering these speakers to push them to their limits. I also think a dual batt setup is the way to go. So, the real problem is that I'm clueless about this stuff.

I'm thinking I'd like to amp it out (whatever that takes) to get the power I need. Then I can listen to it, knowing it is properly powered. If I don't like it (comparing it to a buddies fully decked out Exile system), then I'd like to switch the towers out to Wetsounds or Exile (I'm leaning more toward the WS though), and leave the cabins as Polks for now. So, I also want enough power for the WS potential if the change is made. Oh, and I don't want to sink a ton of cash in it right now. Thats why I want to give the Polks a good go first. The Polks are already way better than the stock Kenwoods and I know they aren't going to be as good as the Exiles or Wetsounds but I want more than I have now.

Any advice or opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

I would dump that Kenwood amp too. I have three Memphis Marine amps and am very happy that I got rid of the stock amp. I first started by just using regular car stereo amps, but they all failed. I know there are a lot of wetsounds users around here too.

Any way you look at it, the more power you have the better. You don't have to crank the amp to the max if its too much. But if you aren't feeding your system the power it needs, you will never get the sound you want. Look at it this way..... you get more from crappy speakers with a lot of clean power than you ever will with great speakers and not enough power. Everything just runs better. You will be surprised what you can do with the right amp.

For what its worth, I have been researching a lot of speakers lately and I'm pretty convinced that Wet Sounds are the way to go. My plan is to go with a 3some or double up. Should be pulling the trigger asap.

Check with JonyB for help with audio equipment. He has given me lots of advise and is a pretty cool guy. I'm sure he can get you set up with what you need. Or at least point you in the right direction.

you should add a switch and a dual sensing acr/vsr(automatic charging relay/voltage sensing regulator)
https://forum.supraboats.com/album.p...&pictureid=737
bep marine and blue sea are two

The first step is a WS-420 as a line-driver and to control the tower speakers independently from the cabin speakers.

cmtaylor said the more power you have, the better. That is the best statement to go by. Less distortion comes with more power.

Dump the Kenwood? Yes. Mine had 2 from the factory and when they were removed and replaced with something else it was a huge difference. I think at SC they just throw some stuff in the boat.

More than likely some of your speakers are powered from the radio. Putting an amp on them will make a huge difference.

What you need for amps is 1 channel for the sub, 4 channels for the 6 in-boats (assuming they're all 4 ohm), and another 2 channels (at least) for the towers (again, assuming they're 4 ohm). If you plan to upgrade the tower speakers, then I suggest you buy amps that will do the job then, and not just something "to get you by".

It's important to know your budget on all of this. That way whomever you choose to help you with your choices can find the right equipment for what you'd like to spend. Don't half-fast it though. If you try to cheap out on something and you're not happy, you'll end up spending more money in the long run.

Check with your local car audio shops. Preferably the little guys like the mom and pops shops. If you have a good one (and their aren't many left), then you'll be steered in the right direction. If you do that, then come back here and let us know what they recommend and what their rates are. Between David, Brian, and I, maybe we can help you to get through it.

For batteries, you really need a second one if you plan to upgrade the amps. The stereo battery needs a good reserve time so you can play all day, then a good on-board charger/maintainer to go with it. I always use Stinger batteries in my installs. Lots of people have different opinions on how to do this. I overkill on battery power.

Good luck!

So, would 2- Syn4 Amps, the ws420 and a dual batt setup cover it? Yes, the Polks are 4ohms. Thanks again.

also depending which engine you have you could upgrade your alternator, to maximize on water battery recharging, the 325 has a 70 amp where as the 340 has a 90 amp

ssmith, give the polks the correct amount of power and you'll be very happy with them. I have six of the Polk MoMo's in cabin and four JBL P963's up top, and while they are not HCLD's they do very well with the right amount of power as well. I'm running a Kicker ZX700.5 for the cabins and the Memphis 10" sub and a Kicker ZX650.4 for the tower setup. The Kickers have been reliable with no issues at all. I also run a Blu Sea Systems 7610 ACR dual battery setup (shows old amp in pic) and it also has had no issues. All of this was done for about $1000 total, but then i did all the work too so no labor was involved.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ssmith

So, would 2- Syn4 Amps, the ws420 and a dual batt setup cover it? Yes, the Polks are 4ohms. Thanks again.

---

For what you have now, I'd recommend a Syn6 for everything in the boat, and a Syn4 for the towers. You can upgrade to the Exile's or 4 WS cans in the future and still be good with the Syn4.

Another option would be a Syn1 and Syn4 instead of the 6. That would give you a lot more power for the sub, and you could change it out to something really beefy, like the 12" XXX.

Exile also has some amps and I've seen some good reviews on them, but I haven't seen or heard them for myself, nor have I seen pricing, so I can't say a whole lot about them just yet.

The Kicker amps like Razzman have are decent, but they have an un-regulated power supply, so they draw a lot of current. I had the ZX series amps in my Baja a few years ago. They were okay, but got really hot and were pretty hard on the battery.

A dual battery setup IMO is required if you have a bigger stereo. And not just a marine battery. I'd recommend a Kinetic or Stinger battery. Some people install the 6V golf cart batteries and I'm sure that works well, but I always use the dry-cell batteries because I've seen what can happen to batteries if you have an accident. 1 of my first Baja's took an unexpected jump and the nose went straight up. The Stinger SP1700 in the case next to the transom came out of the case, hit the bottom of the engine hatch, and crashed down onto the stringers. It survived. Dented the crap out of the fiberglass, but the battery made it through with only a few scratches.

JonyB seems pretty knowledgable concerning the stereo upgrades. I agree with adding an additional battery. I install a groupe 31 for our installed systems. I also insist on installing a Battery isolator system to charge both battery's while the engine is running. The stereo battery will not drain the cranking battery with this type of install. You can go one further with a dual battery selector switch also. This will allow you to turn off the battery's if needed. Al

Mr SS -

As my headline suggests, the easiest way not to get overwhelmed in your stereo world is break things down to three different areas: Tower / Cabin / Sub setups. Even though your current setup might be combined amplifier wise, the trick will be to look into the future and chart a path. That will dictate what the upgrades will require amplifier wise, power wise and performance wise.

To keep things straightforward, i'll give you some general advice. As Johnny mentioned, knowing budget would help guide with further details.

Here we go:

Cabin setup - a lot of people have good things to say about those polks. I would use your kenwood amplifier for this as they dont require much power to produce good results. No changes needed.

Sub Setup - not withstanding budget, dedicating an amplifier to the sub will produce the best result. I know many guys use a 5 ch amp and thats fine if you dont end up using a higher power sub. i'd say for a 10 / or entry level 12 5 channel amp would be fine and you could combine with your current cabin set up. Stepping up beyond that would require a dedicated bass amplifier.

Tower Setup - If I read your post right you've got polks up here as well. The main difference between your buddies decked out exile tower or say another friends decked out WS tower is going to be the amount of sound they can put out at the end of the rope. they will crush your polk setup hands down. This is because they are driving HLCD speakers with a lot more power amplifier. Word of warning, HLCD's are the most expensive tower option. So, I'd ask yourself if sound at distance is critical... If not your polks will probably sound great in the boat and compliment your existing cabin setup. having a dedicated amplifier to drive the polk set up, would be great. Having a dedicated amp to drive the HLCD configuration would require a more powerful amplifier. A great cheap solution for tower control would be a PAC-LC1, runs about 15 bucks so you can turn off or down the tower sound. Follow me on all this?

Battery Setup - before going down the road of any of these dedicated sound setups I'd spend the money and add the second battery and then begin upgrades. sinking a bunch of money into tower, bass or whatever would be short lived without the power to run it. Having a dealer install all this will add to the costs but having an expert in the loop has its advantages. If saving $ is critical, all this stuff can be done if you have any DIY experience.

If you'd like specific Exile recommendations, shoot me an email at [email protected] and I'd be happy to help.

Ssmith you should add if you are looking for a budget stereo or high end.

Mikey,

I'm just the typical person....I want my cake and eat it too. I want high end at a budget price lol. No, I'm really wanting to work my way to a high end setup in the long run. I've just gotta convince the banker (wife).

Does anyone know if there's a cheaper way to purchase Wetsounds equipment or do you pretty much have to pay the website price? I'm not talking about some gray market arena either.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ssmith

Does anyone know if there's a cheaper way to purchase Wetsounds equipment or do you pretty much have to pay the website price? I'm not talking about some gray market arena either.

---

You're about 3 hours away from me..... Sent you a PM.

You can get some modest discounts through a dealer. IMO I would choose certain pieces of equipment to save some money on. IMHO I would save lots on an EQ and an amp. Also in my boat we skipped the head unit and just used an ipod into the eq. No regrets!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by 87SunSportMikeyD

Also in my boat we skipped the head unit and just used an ipod into the eq. No regrets!

---

The only problem with that is the loss of sound quality from not using a head unit. You may not notice it, but being in the business I notice it all the time. Compressed music sounds awful. Then you don't have tone controls, only the equalizer. I'm sure he already has a decent head unit though, and if so, there's not much need to upgrade it if he plans to add a WS-420.

Another good reason to have a head unit is to have separate remotes. My boat has one on the transom and I use it all the time. When we're on the beach, swimming off the back of the boat, before I go out on a set, etc....

I've still got the stock Kencrapwood in mine, but as soon as I can find the carbon fiBBer piece at the helm that's blank (without the remote cutout) I'll be upgrading mine to an Alpine.

Well the ipod has level control as well as eq control and the EQ has a line driver, but you are by far the pro in this field.. :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by 87SunSportMikeyD

Well the ipod has level control as well as eq control and the EQ has a line driver, but you are by far the pro in this field.. :)

---

Yes it does, and yes it does.

I guess I'm just old fashioned and still prefer a head unit. The start of a good stereo is in the signal that starts at the radio.

John,

I have the same Kenwood .... that you do, but I still put the iPod directly into the ws-420, because I can't STAND the iPod controller from Kenwood. I would rather have loss of
fidelity, but ability to control the iPod (and iPhone) than total loss of control with the thing
from Kenwood - I had it - but sold it to someone in Alaska.

Todd

Let us know if you find that carbon fiber blank you're looking for, please!

How does the PAC-LC1 differ from the WS420? I mean obviously price and overall functionality. However, couldn't you buy 3 of the PAC's and then independently control the tower, sub and cabins for cheap, if you wanted to. Explain the main difference to me.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ssmith

How does the PAC-LC1 differ from the WS420? I mean obviously price and overall functionality. However, couldn't you buy 3 of the PAC's and then independently control the tower, sub and cabins for cheap, if you wanted to. Explain the main difference to me.

---

That piece is basically a potentiometer that allows you to control the level. The 420 is a line-driver (boosts the signal to the amps so the amps play more efficiently and much cleaner), a dual-zone eq (tower and cabin separately), has a mic that only mutes the tower speakers when you talk through it, and has boat/tower speaker volume control, and a sub control. It also has an aux input like Todd spoke about.

Todd, I understand. I don't like it much either, but my ipods are set up by playlists, so to change all I do is press the up or down key. It actually works pretty good, and it works from the helm or the transom. It was worth the $50 for me.

When I use my cheaper Clarion WS746 EQ that does not have the 'dual zone control', I am able to control volume to both tower and cabin speakers independantly using the fade knob.

I cannot adjust the EQ of both zones independantly, but I can use the high/low pass on the amp and adjust EQ for the zones together.

My EQ is not marine, but it was only $60. We will see how long it lasts. First season, no problem. If you wanted you can get a mic and plug it into any EQ as well.

Thanks everyone for all of the help. Its all just clear as mud now, lol! If I do end up changing things out... I'll have a few extra items for sale. Like a Roswell 4 speaker bar with 4 Polk db651's complete with Speaker Sox covers with embroidered Supra logos (brand spankin new..seriously less than 2 weeks old). How much would something like this go for, any idea?

So with a ws420 i can also tell my rider how awesome they are doing over the tower speakers

with the the pac lc1, i have to turn down the speakers and yell back at them:(

You guys can't compare a potentiometer to a WS-420. Im not saying the WS piece is gold, but it's VERY functional, and does more than anything else like it on the market. I even put one in my CTS-V!

yea, I'd second what john said re the pak LC1

two totally different things. the LC1 is a simple knob that can help a user fade / blend tower speaker levels. the WS420 is a stand alone full blown EQ. LC1's are handy, and lots of guys use them. thats all. If your looking for an eq, definitely steup to the 420

-Brian

Just a couple of zone control considerations.

The Clarion is a pretty good EQ. The lowpass crossover is fixed at either 60 or 90 Hz and non-defeatable. A fixed crossover no higher than 90 Hz doesn't give you the ability to optimize every sub/satellite system.

In a super clean EQ its hard to top the Audio Control. While it has built-in crossovers you have the ability to select any frequency.

Of course the WetSounds WS420 is unmatched in functionality.

In addition to the PAC LC-1 consider the JL Audio CL-RLC line driver. Its only $60 and it delivers 7.5 volts. The level control is strictly a voltage controller so that it is not in the audio path. So in a more recent Supra where both the source unit and amplifiers are on the port side you don't have to run long to-and-from audio cables in order to place zone controls at your fingertips. The controller is so tiny you can place them (includes flushmount) very close to your throttle.

Its unfortunate they don't generally build separate fader controls into the remote controls so you'll have convenient and independent zone operations. And even when the source unit is on the starboard side, the menu takes too long to access the internal controls.

David
Earmark Marine

Can you only get a ws 420 thru wetsounds?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by docdrs

Can you only get a ws 420 thru wetsounds?

---

No........

Quote:

---

Can you only get a ws 420 thru wetsounds?

---

jonyb sells them...