Need help with upgraded stereo

[PaceWithGrace]

Hi,

My 2014 R20 was built with the base stereo (Clarion CMD-6 with 4 Wet Sounds XS-650-S (I think) in-boat speakers) and dealer-upgraded with a JL M200/2 amp and 2 Samson SMT65 tower speakers.

I don't want to spend a lot of money on this but I'd like to get it sounding as good as possible.

At first, the towers were really quiet compared with the in-boats, so I turned the Input Sensitivity up from the 9 o'clock position to about 1:30. (It was set to 12:00 when I took the picture below.)

Now I'm noticing that the in-boats have decent bass (with head unit bass set to +3) and treble (also set to +3) but the towers have little bass and extreme treble.

It appears the in-boats are driven directly by the head unit (max 50W x 4) and the towers by the amp (75W x2). (Filter Mode is off.) I assume both sets of speakers need more power than this (and possibly not the same amount).

Is this a setup issue or do things have to be driven another way?


Cheers,
Severin

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[Truekaotik]

It seems set up ok for a Non-sub application... You can clean the towers by switch it to hi pass and because of no woofer, set the crossover to 70-75hz, this will let it drop low enough for the speaker to reproduce it but not lower than your speakers can handle.. Your next step would prolly be getting the Inboats off the head unit and on a amplifier. Then adding a subwoofer.

[PaceWithGrace]

Ok, thanks.

Is there an easy way to get the towers sounding like the in-boats, or is that not necessary for surf use or beach use?

[chpthril]

With the bass and treble both set to +3, its a wash basically. That will put more mi-bass into the in-boats, which they will handle, but the tower are not going to respond the same. They are a 6.5" coax in a small pod and they have a very aggressive 1" tweeter. To get better mid-bass from a tower setup, you need larger speakers.

Now, lets move on to areas that can have some noticeable improvements.

Lets start with the tower amp in the pic. Move the filter mode switch one click to the right to HP. Next, move the dial from the 60 mark to between the 80 and 120. Basically straight up. Back the input sens. down to the 11 oclock position. This will gave that tower setup performing to its potential.

Now, to make some significant improvements on the in-boat setup, you really need a sub. A system without a sub is like a martini without the olive juice, its just vodka

I would suggest the Kicker KXM800.5 class-D marine 5 chnl amp and Kicker KM10 marine 10" woofer. Put that woofer in a nice sealed enclosure and its very impressive.

[PaceWithGrace]

OK, I set the base and treble to 0, I set the filter to HP and ~100 Hz, and I reduced the sensitivity from 1:30 to 12 o'clock position (I assume you were looking at the photo when you said to back it down a bit). The volume is now closer between the in-boats and the tower speakers but I can't tell much other difference.

I noticed the head unit has a Non Fader volume setting but it had no effect. Is that to control a different set of outputs? Should I try connecting the amp to another set of RCAs?

If I understand correctly, you're saying 3 things above:

1. For better tonal balance, the SMT65 should be replaced with, say, Rev-8s. (Would they look too big on my Vector tower?)

2. I should install a sub. (Is that primarily for the benefit of the in-boats or the towers?)

3. Everything should be amplified. (Would a 800.5 replace my 200/2 completely or supplement it?)

Is there an inexpensive equalizer that would reduce the treble on the towers? (Or must the towers produce strong treble to be heard behind the boat?)

Thanks for your help!


Severin

[PaceWithGrace]

I noticed the head unit has a Non Fader volume setting but it had no effect. Is that to control a different set of outputs? Should I try connecting the amp to another set of RCAs?

Wouldn't the NF output be ideal for the amp, so that I can control the tower sensitivity right from the HU?

(I wonder how it's wired now???)


Severin

[cbath]

I put 2 rev 8's on my vector tower and it actually looks great and sounds even better! I'm 6'1" and do occasionally bump my head if I'm coming in the boat a little hot.... I'm running my 4 in boats and sub off a 5 channel amp and then my towers are running off a 4 channel that's bridged. Also have a ws420 for quick control and adjustability. I'll see if I can dig up a better picture of the towers.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[bsreid]

Bringing back an old thread here. Got a few questions of my own.

We are running the exact same setup as Severin. With the SMT65s is there a better amp they can be running off of, or would it be better to start fresh with something new like wetsounds rev 8 or 10?
Along with the tower speakers, the in boats. What would be a good amp to run them off of? Or would it be possible to take the Jl from the towers and use it with them?
Stupid question, with the wet sounds 220 BT do you need to be running there amps as well?

Thanks you guys.

[chpthril]

No, the Wet Sounds WS-220BT, 420SQ and 420BT are universal pre-amp devices. They would with any amp.

For most any 6.5" on a tower, I like at least 100W rms to them. On the JL 200/2, they would be receiving 75W. There really isnt going to be an audible difference between 75 and 100 watt, so if an amp change was going to be made, id make significant upgrade to like the Kicker KM400.4 bridged = 200W rms potential.

However, I would seriously consider upgrading to 1-2 pair of 8" coaxial (Kicker KM8 or Wet Sounds (icon-8 for example) or a single pair of Wet Sounds Rev-10. As well as an amp. Ive gotten to where i dont even display a traditional 6.5" tower coaxial anymore. With the 8" offerings, we get more output, more mid-bass and deeper mid-bass.

For the in-boats, yes, they need to get off the head unit an on an amp. 2-3 pair, I like the Kicker KXM400.4 or the Wet Sounds HTX4. Go with the Kicker KXM800.5 or Wet Sounds HTX-6 and add a mild 10" or 12" woofer for a better balanced system. Especially if you are looking at a 4-zone controller like the WS-220: bow, main, tower, sub. All those amp options would also allow for a 3rd pair of in-boats to be added.

Now, if your budget is tight and a tower upgrade is priority, move the JL200/2 to the two pair of in-boats for now, build the tower setup. Off season, upgrade the 200/2. Still a solid setup and you made better use of a good amp.

[bsreid]

Thanks for the reply. With the current tower speakers why are you referring to them as 6.5"? I was comparing dimensions with the rev 8 and they are actually bigger in size, am I wrong? Besides the kicker KM400.4 what would be a comparable wetsounds amp? Also, would I be crazy for adding a second set of the Samsons?

[chpthril]

You are comparing the outside pod dimensions, while im talking speaker driver size, which is what counts. The SMT65 is a 6.5" speaker. The rev-8 and Icon-8 are 8" speakers, so quite larger, regardless of the pods outside diameter. An 8" driver offers about 50% speaker surface area. No amount of smaller speakers, will yield the mid-bass depth.

Yes, you can add a 2nd pair. Surprised they are still available. You will get a slight bump in peak output due to the 2nd pair of tweeters, but only a slight bump because at the same time, you are dropping down from 75W to 50W to each pod.

Wet Sounds HTX4 would be the closest comparable amp to the KXM400.4. It would be a ton of power for a single pair of 6.5. If you added a 2nd pair of 6.5", the HTX-2 would be my choice.

Before I spent $750 for a pair of 6.5" speakers, you have to seriously consider a single pair of 8". That's Icon-8 price and more than the Kicker KM8.

[bsreid]

Ok thanks for your suggestions! I'll go check out my local shop for some prices