2013 G25 Stereo Help

[Bevostein]

Sorry for the lengthy post but need some help here.....looking to improve the stereo in my new to me 2013 G25. The stereo is stock which I understand to be the following:

Tower - 4 Roswell Airborne 7.0 speakers 6.5 HLCD 200RMS/500 Peak @ 4ohm driven by Polk 4000.4 which is rated for 125RMS per channel. To me it seems like the tower speakers are seriously underpowered.

Inboats - For a 2013, I assume these to be Polk DXI650 based on what I have found here in old posts from when the 2013 Gs were rolled out. If that is correct, the inboats are rated at 60RMS/180 Peak @ 4ohm. Four of these are being driven by a Polk 5000.5 and two by the Clarion head unit. The Polk amp is rated at 70RMS per channel. I am not sure what the Clarion produces but regardless I don't like the mismatch of power. I have also read reports that some Gs had 2 ohm Polk speakers installed. I haven't pulled mine to confirm what might be there. Any way you look at it the inboats aren't pushing a lot of power and sound. Also, the hodge podge of amplification is weird in my opinion.

Sub - The sub is a Polk 10 inch which I think in 2013 was the MM1040UM or equivalent. It handles 350RMS/700 Peak @ 4 ohm. Its powered by the subwoofer channel on the Polk 5000.5 which outputs 200RMS. Again, it seems the sub is vastly underpowered as well and its not an infinite baffle sub yet its mounted in an open environment.

Correct me if I got any of that wrong...

To me improving the stereo means upgrading the sound yet retaining the Roswell tower speakers. I understand Wetsound Revs are better tower speakers but I like the look of the Roswell and don't want to lose the light on the underside. We are also not the boat on the lake that blasts the music for a rider 80' back or hangs out in a party cove. I would like a surfer to be able to hear the tower but don't want to disturb every neighbor next to us on the lake. We do float and play music but half the time we are in the boat while the kids are jumping off the boat 100s of times. I would also like zone control and Bluetooth. Given all this I am thinking of we need to do the following:

1. Upgrade the inboats speakers and repower. Given we listen in the boat a lot I think a good investment would be to upgrade the inboats to XS-650s and repower with a SD6 or HT6. The 650s are 100RMS/200 Peak at 4 ohm. The SD6 does 185RMS and the HT6 does 110RMS. Is the SD6 overkill? A HT6 would definitely be easier on the wallet. Any other recommendations I should consider?

2. Repower the tower speakers. Seems to me the towers are underpowered and more could be gained from those speakers with some more push to them. Has anyone tried this and what were the results?

One option would be to add another Polk 4000.4. Looks like another Polk could be had for around $250. Bridge both of those and you have 4 channels of 400RMS to apply to the towers. You would have to gain it down some but I would think that would wakeup those speakers. Another but more expensive option is to rewire the towers in parallel for a 2ohm load and use a Wetsounds SD2. Thought or other recommendations?

3. New sub and repower. I am struggling with this the most. I have seen some suggest to get a larger true IB sub and modify the factory opening and install it there with new power. That's appealing from a storage and aesthetics standpoint. Also not opposed to an enclosure. What suggestions do you have for the sub and power? I know I need to install a grill or port the storage area to let the sound out.

4. Install a Wetsounds 420BT for zone control and Bluetooth. Also, upgrade wiring.

Would welcome any suggestions and thoughts about this. Thanks

[MLA]

1) In-boats: A setup like the SD-6/XS-650 combo is not overkill wattage wise. Tuned accuratly, that extra headroom gets you all the speaker performance and amp run real conservative. The other thing I like about this combo, is that you can run 3 pair of in-boats on 4 chnls of the SD-6, leaving the last 2 for a moderate 12" woofer setup @ 600W rms. Just keep that option in mind as you make a woofer decision. I also like the new HTX-6, so keep that as an option. 110W rms is perfect wattage for an XS-650

2) Tower: Yes, those 6.5 HLCDs could stand to have some extra wattage. On the other hand, if you are struggling to hear two pair at surf distance, I would first investigate the amp tuning. Four 6.5" with 125W rms, even coaxials, should do pretty good for surfing. A 4 HLCD should clearly have some output. IMO, the most ideal amp would be the Wet Sounds Syn-2. More power, allows for a summed mono output, no rewiring, just connect two pair per chnl right at the amp.

3) This is where it gets fun. This is the hardest part of a CC to address. Sounds like you know what needs to be done and are ready to do it. If the new JL 12IB is ready for release, this would be my choice over other IBs ive seen mentioned, for simple fact that the others are not marine and use a paper based cone. The advantage of doing a woofer/enclosure setup, is it opens your woofer options wide open. It can also allow you to place the woofer closer to the cabin vent. This improves the perceived output and time alignment over just a venting the locker and leaving the woofer deep in the locker in the original location.

4) Zone control: I think this is going to help your tower output a great deal. Being able to dial down the in-boats and crank the tower is important. In most cases, the in-boat volume is overbearing by time the tower speakers get to an audible level for a rider.

[Bevostein]

Thanks. Good suggestion on the SD6. Did not think of that as an option. Might be enough to power that JL 12IB.

On the towers, I wasn't saying I couldn't hear them at surf speed. In all honesty I don't know. We just bought the boat in October and due to schedules/weather we didn't get to use it before we had to winterize. My desire to repower them is make sure I get the most of the equipment I want to keep or don't see the value in replacing.

Why do you think the Syn2 is the right amp for the towers vs a SD2? The Syn2 is 350 @ 2ohms and the SD2 is 620 @ 2 ohms. Seems like the Syn2 would be more than I have now but still underpowered relative to what the speakers are rated to handle.

One other question...in my first post I mentioned upgrading the wiring. You suggested no rewiring to the towers if I plug and play a single amp. How is the wiring in the boat? Both amp power supply and speaker....does it need to be replaced or is the gauge/quality sufficient? The less rewiring the more likely I might be to tackle this myself over the winter or do some myself and have a shop do something discrete like the sub and the 420BT.

[MLA]

Im a little skeptical of a 6.5" HLCD with a 500W peak rating from the manufacturer. 300W is a respectable wattage for a Rev-10 and strong wattage for a Rev-8. The Syn-2 is going to drive them at a good spot for 4 6.6" hLCD pods. This will also allow you to cross them over a little lower. This plus some tweaking to the hi's at the WS-420 and they will sound as good as a 6.5" HLCD can.

The tower is pre-wired with tinned marine 14ga and each pod has its own pair. No need to upgrade this unless you make a substantial jump in amp wattage.

I also recall that the in-boat speaker wiring is also tinned marine 14g. More than enough for an in-boat amp upgrade.

I do not recall the power cabling gauge for the amps, but those can be address as the amp choices are made.

[nyryan2001]

Premium setup;

Upgrade your power cables to the amps off the Perko, roughly a 20ft run of fused 1/0awg or so. Run a 20ft set of 8 RCA plugs, and a remote turn on lead while you are at it.

JL 750/1 on your choice of 8 inboats

JL 750/1 on your 4 tower speakers

JL 750/1 on a 12" Fi Audio IB3 in the stock location.

Ws420 or an Exile ZLD.(8rca and remote wire)

Done.

All amps are NOT the same. Crank brands A-F up to 75% volume next to a JL HD... And you'll hear the difference.

I wish someone had told me this years ago.

[Bevostein]

Thanks Ryan.