Tuning Amps on a 2020 GS22

[North Woody]

I’ve got a question for the Stereo Pros out there ..... Having bought our 2020 GS22 last month, we’re absolutely loving both the surfing and the skiing behind this beast. It’s a fantastic boat, and with room for 15 people it’s also a beast of a cocktail cruiser

So here’s my question: How many of you have had to tune their amps to get a better sounding JL Audio stereo system? We’ve got the upgraded JL audio package with the 8.8” Towers plus the cabins and bow speakers, but frankly the output is kinda “meh”. Should l assume that the amps need to be tuned by the dealer to get the best performance from the system, or should that have been done at the factory? I am just not super impressed with the overall stereo performance and am hoping that it’s just a quick amp-tune away from awesomeness.

Thanks for any help on this!

[dhmcfadin]

I’ve got a question for the Stereo Pros out there ..... Having bought our 2020 GS22 last month, we’re absolutely loving both the surfing and the skiing behind this beast. It’s a fantastic boat, and with room for 15 people it’s also a beast of a cocktail cruiser

So here’s my question: How many of you have had to tune their amps to get a better sounding JL Audio stereo system? We’ve got the upgraded JL audio package with the 8.8” Towers plus the cabins and bow speakers, but frankly the output is kinda “meh”. Should l assume that the amps need to be tuned by the dealer to get the best performance from the system, or should that have been done at the factory? I am just not super impressed with the overall stereo performance and am hoping that it’s just a quick amp-tune away from awesomeness.

Thanks for any help on this!

I believe you have JL MVi amps in that boat. You need to download the JL TUN app to your computer and connect your computer to your amp/dsp. From there, you can tune the system. I have a little side hobby/business where I remote tune high fidelity audio systems. In closed environments, I utilize an RTA and Room EQ Wizard. In open environments like boats, I don’t rely on the rta so much. It’s more of a basic setup but if something is setup incorrectly in your dsp, it’s very easy to spot and fix. I’ve tuned quite a few JL VXi dsp’s for car audio applications. Software is the same from VXi to MVi. If you want me to take a look at your tune, send me a pm and I’d be happy to free of charge.

[North Woody]

I believe you have JL MVi amps in that boat. You need to download the JL TUN app to your computer and connect your computer to your amp/dsp. From there, you can tune the system. I have a little side hobby/business where I remote tune high fidelity audio systems. In closed environments, I utilize an RTA and Room EQ Wizard. In open environments like boats, I don’t rely on the rta so much. It’s more of a basic setup but if something is setup incorrectly in your dsp, it’s very easy to spot and fix. I’ve tuned quite a few JL VXi dsp’s for car audio applications. Software is the same from VXi to MVi. If you want me to take a look at your tune, send me a pm and I’d be happy to free of charge.

That would be awesome .... we’re heading back up to the Lake this weekend for 10 days so I’ll ping you when we’re back up there to take you up on your very kind offer. Thanks, and I’m looking forward to optimizing the stereo system to be as awesome as the surf wave!

[Gtsum2]

Good info above. I had no idea jl had an app to help tune


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[dhmcfadin]

That would be awesome .... we’re heading back up to the Lake this weekend for 10 days so I’ll ping you when we’re back up there to take you up on your very kind offer. Thanks, and I’m looking forward to optimizing the stereo system to be as awesome as the surf wave!

Glad to help!

[BasaltRMK]

Wait - there’s a JL app? And you can jack a computer into the MVi amps?? Tell me more! I think our G21 sounds incredible out of the box, but can see playing around with it...


2020 SAN G21
2018 SAN G21 (traded in)
2015 Tigé R20 (sold)
1972 MFG Gypsy-15 (sold)

[dhmcfadin]

Wait - thereÂ’s a JL app? And you can jack a computer into the MVi amps?? Tell me more! I think our G21 sounds incredible out of the box, but can see playing around with it...


2020 SAN G21
2018 SAN G21 (traded in)
2015 Tigé R20 (sold)
1972 MFG Gypsy-15 (sold)

The MVi amps have a built in digital signal processor with 10 bands of parametric eq per channel. Plus a whole lot more (individual channel high pass and lowpass crossover control, high and low shelf filters, time alignment, individual channel gain for level matching, multiple tune presets depending on listening preference, list goes on). From a car audio perspective the VXi dspÂ’s are right up there with Helix and Mosconi. Really the only thing that prevents the JL dsp from competing directly is the JL only has 10 bands of parametric eq per channel vs Helix & Mosconi having 30 bands of parametric eq per channel. But 10 bands is more than enough for an open air environment.

I’ll add this though: if you aren’t familiar with how to operate a digital signal processor, I STRONGLY recommend NOT adjusting your system. You can easily damage your speakers.

[MLA]

I was real surprised to hear a couple years ago, that the OEM DSP amps would be open to consumer level tuning. I somewhat agree with dhmcfadin. The DSP is quite detailed, so use caution if you are not versed in DSP. A misstep in a setting could lead to a blow driver.

[BasaltRMK]

Excellent advice that I shall follow, gents. Thank you!


2020 SAN G21
2018 SAN G21 (traded in)
2015 Tigé R20 (sold)
1972 MFG Gypsy-15 (sold)

[North Woody]

Thanks all, there’s a ton of wisdom here! I’ve also been (gently) reminded that for best results, I should stick to playing music from my phone (not streaming Pandora or Spotify), and the I should attach via the cord (not BlueTooth) as both of those degrade the quality of the sound. I spoke to the Dealer this afternoon to get them to just make sure that my amps are correctly set up and fully operational (since they’ve got our boat for the 25 Hour Service), so I’ll try all of this when we pick up the boat Friday.

[mcosub]

I thought I read that if you tweek your amp settings to something different than factory settings..................you will void the warranty should anything happen to the sound system?

[gobluemike21]

That's awesome of dhmcfadin to help out. That's what this forum is all about.

[WakeBuilder]

I downloaded the app recently and was surprised how much control there is.

I have a question maybe you guys can help me with. My mid starboard speaker (one right behind the captains chair), has never worked. I tried a new speaker, and that doesn't work either. Through using the JL Audio TUN software, I believe I was able to take the speaker wiring and essentially connect to another zone on the amplifier. Is that the same as connecting it to another channel? I'm trying to determine if the issue with the speaker is in the wiring, amplifier software, or amplifier hardware.

What is going on behind the amplifier rack that connects the wires to the wiring harnesses I see above the rack?

Thanks