adding tower speakers to factory radio

[Whitetail15]

ok. im a rookie stero guy and have some questions please. i have a clarion head unit (xdm3? year 2005) that runs four polk speakers. i would like to add tower speakers (up to four). they are not top of the line speakers , dont know the brand but they are six inch and pretty heavy. i believe they say max 160 watts. can i use my head unit and what will i need to do the following.

1. be able to turn up the tower speakers without getting blown out in the boat.
2. not have a dead battery the next day.
3. not going to go top of line , i would like to use what i already have.

i checked out the back of my head unit. i see no rca jacks. is this a problem when adding a amp.

thanks

[EarmarkMarine]

BB,
The Clarion source unit will not accept a load below 4-ohms without becoming unstable. Yes, you could 'series' two speakers per channel and run eight total speakers but with a serious loss of power per speaker. And you can't afford to lose power, especially in an open boat.
The surrounding coaming of the boat interior (the bathtub so to speak) tends to reinforce the sound a little like an amphitheater. Unfortuneately nothing like the fully enclosed closed cabin of a vehicle. But you will find that when you place speakers up on a tower in open air and without any surrounding planes or boundaries that the increased need for power will be monumental not to mention that your expectations in driving the sound farther will be increased. So you will need to have an external and larger amplifier for the tower speakers. Plus without running the interior speakers on an external amplifier you will never have complete control between the two zones (in-boat and tower) although you may be able to live with partial isolation.

David
Earmark Marine

[EarmarkMarine]

BB,
As long as the power isn't too extreme the alternator will keep pace while you are underway. If you are going to have play time at rest then you need dual batteries and a dual battery selector switch so that you can deplete one battery while keeping the starting batterty in reserve so that you don't get stranded. Then you need to recharge that battery. If you are not burning gas and turning some good rpms for a long duration after a period at rest and before returning to a slip or trailer then there is no way to fully recharge a depleted stereo battery. In that case you need an AC smart shore charger for restoration.

David
Earmark Marine

[gride]

I've got a clarion 280m amp I'm willing to let go. It will definitely power a set of coaxial or component speakers(same as in boats but in a can) pm me if you're interested. Here's the specs
http://www.clarion.com/us/en/product...912142757.html

[tgator96]

BB, I'd also add that under-powering speakers leads to distortion and potential damage to the speaker. Make your handle proud and get a decent amp to power the new speakers.

[Whitetail15]

my head unit has no rca jacks. clarion xdm3. can a amp be added to this head unit? do i need to get a wire kit that has rca jacks. it looks as though i have 16 speaker wires coming directly out the back of head unit that go to my four speakers.

[gride]

Unless they do things differently, your h/u absolutely has RCA jacks. Should be front, rear , aux