Ideal Stereo From Scratch in a New 230 or 210

[tke104]

I'm hoping to place an order for a 2012 230 or 210 in the next couple of weeks. I am wondering what you guys would recommend selecting for stereo options, specifically, what I should option in, and what I should buy separately. I am looking for good quality sound that I can hear well at speed IN the boat. I am less concerned with hearing it perfectly when I am wakeboarding, and I am definitely not looking to blast the lake. Having a decent bass is important to me, especially at 25 mph. Can anyone recommend a setup for me, for both the 230 and 210? I don't have any experience installing stereos, but I am capable, and I'm not scared about doing most of the work myself (as long as it's reasonable). Thanks in advance.

[Cam003]

Your boat I belive comes with a two am p option I would not bother with it. I would order three amps of your own selection. Alpine PDX, and wetsounds are very popular choices on this board, ARC and Zapco are also great options just be prepared to spend. The in boat speakers for your boat are Polk Audio I believe, and they will sound great when powered up and wired correctly. CC boat builders are just that Boat Builders they are not high end audio installers, they normally do not wire the stock system correctly. You will find the front speakers run from the deck and the cabin on one amp the tower and sub o another. This will not sound good and will distort horribly. Do not go with the optional tower speakers they are not worth the cost you can get a much better sounding and higher end speaker for the same price or less i.e. wetsounds or ENVS. So just to give you a quick thought I would say
Alpine PDX F6 4X150-tower amp
Alpine PDX F6 4X150-Cabin and Bow AMP
Alpine PDX M6 1X600 SUB amp
In boat speakers keep and rewire
Sub-JL Audio 10" or 12" W6
Tower Wetsounds REV 8, or NVS Modus coax
Just my 2cents, hope it helps.

[EarmarkMarine]

tke,
In either case you definitely want to order the boat from the factory with the source electronics and all of the in-boat coaxials. From there you can do MUCH better aftermarket. And, you will have plenty of time to do your homework and installation before Spring for the tower speakers, subwoofer and amplification.

Always start with what you want in speakers. Speakers will determine the amplification. There is nothing that will impact the value and performance of your audio system more than the integrity of a balanced system design.

With today's technology you should avoid any amplifier product that is less than high efficiency. Efficient topologies include fullrange Class D or Class G/H.

And with any good audio system upgrade you cannot separate it from a plan for your charging system.

That's a start. We can visit more.


David
Earmark Marine

[BroncoSki]

Dont spend a dime on the stereo equipment CC sells w/ their boats if you can do it yourself. CC is way behind in this department. Polk speakers sound good. I would only use Kicker if you want bass. For the money there is no better equipment on the market. If you buy the clarion deck you are wasting your money and thats the bottom line

I love CC but there stereo is below average. My last three new boats have had the same junk Clarion in them. its almost 2012 so hey CC!!! lets get some G.D. bluetooth in our boats!

And Kicker is based in Stillwater, OK and they are an awesome American company that provides the highest level of customer service.

[EarmarkMarine]

There are many great brands out there and Kicker is certainly one of them. But for the best in performance begin your design with the application rather than brand and then find the equipment that best fits those needs.

David
Earmark Marine

[Careless]

Here is my two cents.

Test drive a 2012 boat with the full factory stereo in it that may be good enough for your needs, Maybe minus the swivel tower speakers as they are a waste of space. The HLCD tower speakers aren't too bad for the money and like you said you don't care about blasting the lake.

In the current boats the full stereo consists of 2 digital amps one five channel and one four channel. The cabin speakers and the sub run off the 5 channel and the tower speakers run off the 4 channel. In my current boat I only have the HLCD (no swivel speakers) and I have bridged them to two channels per speaker on the 4 channel amp. David may be able to tell us if this is best or if I should run them in series parallel or something like that. From here I think some proper bass is all that is required. I'll just leave the stock sub connected and turn the gain down then add some higher grade subs in a better enclosure. It's not going to be the best you can get but it will sound pretty good for little fuss.

[Mikeski]

I am very surprised to see David recommend the factory in-boats?

If it were my boat I would order it without any stereo gear, my next boat will come bare if I buy new.

For in-boats I would recommend a nice marine speaker with a grill mounted tweeter like the JL or Wetsound XS-650. Based on your stated need I would still go with a compression driver type of tower speaker, my current choice would be the Wetsounds Rev-10 (a single pair). For a subwoofer I would recommend a good 12 in a slot ported 1.5 cubic foot box, wetsounds has a nice box design in this owners manual: http://www.wetsounds.com/media/produ...ser_Manual.pdf

For power I would recommend two ARC KS300.4 or Wetsounds SYN 4 for the tower and inboats (one amp each), and one ARC KS500.1, KS1000.1 or Wetsounds Syn1 depending on the chosen sub.

Run everything off an EQ like the Wetsounds WS-420 fed from the head unit of your liking. There are some bluetooth enabled headunits that allow some fun remote control options via an iphone, I think they are made by Pioneer, maybe others.

Don't forget batteries, good power cabling, good RCA's... It's the little things that end up costing so much.

[EarmarkMarine]

Factory in-boats? Well, I'm not a single brand person. I have my favorites within any category but I place application ahead of brand.
If we are talking about the Polk MM651UM it rates high in musical accuracy. Its not my number one but its not too far behind in sound quality...especially if it already comes in the boat.
From a HU standpoint I like the factory integration of the remote in the dash. I'm also looking at it from a resale standpoint to the conventional buyer. Most are only using HUs as a pass-through for mp3 these days. If Bluetooth is important it can be added to anything with an auxilary input.
When it comes to subwoofers I want to have an exchange with any boat owner in respect to their tolerance for loss of storage space first before narrowing my focus.
Btw, Class D amplifiers are purely analog.

David
Earmark Marine

[tke104]

Thanks for all the responses guys. I am going to get a team edition, which comes with the Clarion CMD7 head unit, Polk 5000.5 Amp, 10" sub, and 6 speakers. My questions are 1) do I opt for the tower speaker prep kit? (pre-wired 4000.4 Polk Amp) - or should I wire the tower myself? I've never wired a tower before so I have no idea what to expect. How hard is this going to be? I'm assuming from what you're saying that I will want to purchase new amps so getting the prep kit sounds like a big waste of money. 2) will I want to rewire the 6 in boat speakers, or is the factory wire decent quality if I upgrade the amp? 3) will I want to replace the sub or just add another one? - I don't mind loosing some space, but I don't want a box that's going to take up the entire observer seat.

I really know very little about audio equipment, so I'm pretty much asking you guys to design my system for me, based on what I stated my needs are in my first post. Thanks again for all the help.

[TxJole]

Wetsound all the way. Great company to work with. U can call and still talk to the owner. Can't say enough about them.

[gride]

Go wet sounds. 1st piece I'd buy is a 420eq. Get 1 pair of rev 8's, and a 12" sub. Leave stock speakers and possibly amps, but I'd rather have ws amps personally. IMO, the weakest factory link is the sub box/power to the sub, the h/u powered bow speakers, and not having a 420. Just my opinion. I'm very brand loyal when I find something I like. Ws rules, Polk is nice, and it's nice to support a pure water company.

[schaabj]

I ordered a brand new 2012 SAN 230 this year, and am doing quite extensive stereo upgrades. I do agree with a lot of the people on here that the stock stereo CC uses is not the best, however, it might meet your needs.

If you want a stereo however, you must buy the package from CC or else it will not have all the speaker mounting locations and wiring. Which I have done some stereo mods to an older CC and running wires in the fiberglass is a bitch .... Best option is to buy the boat with the audio package, then either work out a deal with your dealer to buy the factory components off you, or sell them privately.

Here is what I am doing to my 2012 SAN 230:

All stock stereo components will be removed (8x6.5" Polk speakers, 2 Polk Amps, 1 10" Polk Sub).

I am keeping the deck stock, I realize this is not the best deck, however I weighed my options and did not want to loose the LINC system connectivity. Also, the clarion does allow IPOD connectivity and able to play music off a USB stick which is all I need. I am adding however, the wireless RF remote to better control the volume while driving (Cause I like to mute the stereo when picking up riders and both the LINC and deck locations I dont think are ideal for this). I am also adding the Clarion EQS746 7-Band equalizer which also boasts 4V pre-outs. The device is separately powered so I'm thinking it will boost the 2V stock deck output to 4.

Stock 6x9 Roswell speakers will remain the same.

8 x Focal 165 KRC 6.5" speakers will be used in the boat and on swivel mounts

2 x JL audio MHD 600/4 amps will be used for speakers. (Bridged 2 channels for 4 tower speakers will reduce speaker impedance increasing volume but decreasing quality which is not as important for a rider 20' back)

1 x JL audio MHD 750/1 amp to be used for the Sub woofer.

1 x JL audio 10W6V2 Subwoofer - Existing sub location to be Fibreglass sealed to the JL audio spec allowing better bass.

I hope this gives you some insight, this is what I think will sound the best for my needs.

<JAISON>

[tke104]

Thanks for all the replies. We decided to go with a 210. Right now the boat has the stock 6 in-boat speakers (Polk MM 651UM I believe), stock sub, and stock amps (Polk PA D4000.4 & PA D5000.5). I am undecided on tower speakers. I am looking at a pair of either Wetsounds Icon8 or REV8. I really don't want to blast the shoreline so I am leaning toward the Icon8. Hearing the music while I am wakeboarding isn't a huge concern of mine and I would rather have a clear speaker that didn't annoy my neighbors (as much). I have a few questions though before I purchase anything:

1. Are the stock amps worthless? It seems like they get a bad rap, but is that a function of how they are wired from the factory or are they just not great amps? I believe these are new for 2012. If anyone has any experience with these new amps please let me know your thoughts. I would hate to buy new amps if the ones that come with the boat will suffice for my needs.

2. Would I benefit enough to make it worth it by replacing the stock sub with either the Wetsounds free air sub, or the JL free air sub? Is one better than the other? I understand free air subs aren't the greatest, but I really don't want to have to sacrifice storage and/or cut vents in the boat. Can someone recommend a sub and/or something to improve a sub in the factory location?

3. Should I opt for the Dual 2ohm or Dual 4ohm WS sub? The Polk D5000.5 amp is stable on the sub channel to 1ohm (500w) - would this be too much power? I am thinking that a Dual 4ohm dub will be more versatile.

Wiring setup (assuming I stick with the stock amps) - please tell me if this would work or suggest an alternative.

6 - Polk MM641UM - RMS: 100w, 4ohm
1 - Wetsounds XS-10FA - RMS: 300w, Dual 2ohm or Dual 4ohm
2 - Wetsounds Icon8 (or REV8) - RMS: 200w, 4ohm


4 cabin speakers (Polk MM651UM), 2 each in parallel on channels 1&2 off Polk D4000.4 - 100w each speaker

2 bow speakers (Polk MM651UM), either (a) both wired in series on channels 3&4 (bridged) off Polk D4000.4 - 100w each speaker or (b) one on each channel 3&4 off Polk D4000.4 - 125w each speaker (too much power?)

1 sub (WS XS-10FA), sub channel off Polk D5000.5 either (a) Dual 4ohm in parallel - 400w or (b) Dual 2ohm in parallel - 500w

2 tower speakers (WS Icon8 or REV8), one each on channels 1&2 (bridged) & channels 3&4 (bridged) off Polk D5000.5 - 200w each speaker

I am assuming that I won't really notice/care that the tower speakers and possibly bow speakers are in mono, does that sound reasonable?

Thanks for any help.

[core-rider]

Overall I think what you have listed above sounds good. The Polk MM651UM are great speakers IMHO. You really need to analyze what you want from the tower speakers and make the right choice the first time so you're not disappointed and spending more money later. You will not notice the mono operation of the tower speakers that much (especially at wakeboard lengths). Definitely go with the WS FA sub if you really don't plan on enclosing it. Assuming the 5000.5 is 1 ohm stable the dual 2 ohm will be fine paralleled. Polk's info is a little unclear on their site about this. If you do end up building an enclosure the Polk sub will do well if the compartment is vented as you are already aware. Really I think the compartment needs to be vented even if running FA. As far as too much power to various components, you can always turn down the gains a bit which will actually help you since you will have some overhead and won't be driving the amps as hard.

[tke104]

Thanks. Does anyone else have a suggestion as to how I should wire the bow speakers (or other pair of inboats)? Will giving them their own channel be too unbalanced? Any other suggestions on the sub?