So as @BSReid said on his/her thread, it's slow so hopefully this is not repetitive and worth discussing. One good thing about getting a boat in the winter time is it gives you some time to ponder your plan. I've been slowly tracing over the stereo system in my '07 22ve, and I'm trying to figure out what I like, don't like, need to change, etc. Here we go:
1) The easy one - In boat speakers. Looks like they are Kicker KM620.2 component speakers. Everything I read shows them as discontinued, but Mike alluded in another post that they are solid. None of them look blown or decomposed. Any compelling reason to replace them? My gut says that tuned and well powered, they'll play loud and clear. We JUST put a set of brand new Kicker KM604s in our little '95 Classic and they sound great, so I dont have any issues with the brand. One of the repeat questions in this thread - What are the odds that these are original from the factory?
2) The tower speakers. Looks like factory cans (Chrome, Tige Branded), with the same KM620.2 - I'm thinking long term these probably just won't cut it. 8" Kicker 45KMTC8 Towers? Think it'll make a noticeable improvement without forcing me to smash my head every time I stand up? (This is totally a long-term item I think)
3) The Amps. 2 4 channel Amps in the boat, 1 is a Kicker ZX 350.1, Running the tower speakers ( 2 x 60) and Bridged to the Sub ( 1 x 120). Again, This smells factory to me due to its age. The second is a MBQuart NAU460, also 4 x 60, running the 6 In-Boat Speakers - probably replaced a blown amp at some point. I'm thinking the Sub is underpowered - I happen to have an Alpine Class-D 350WRMS/700WMax MRPM350 laying around that would make a world of difference.. From there, I could get back to 1:1 speaker to Sub channel on the other two Amps. Having said that, I feel like the MBQuart is probably not a good amp and the Kicker is 10 years old, both Class AB AMPs, both wired by a 10 year old (Picture below). I'm wondering if moving to an amp option that kills these 2 off, and also has the capability of running a set of bigger towers in the future may not be a sound investment in the short term?
4) The Head Unit. Currently a Clarion CMD7 with a single remote at the driver side. All we'll use 90% of the time is Bluetooth. Thinking about moving to an M608 so that I can maintain my existing remote (MW1) - but not sure why I couldn't use the M508 for half the price?
5) Equalizer - I've read a lot about here about the Wetsounds equalizers with Bluetooth in them (420BT). I guess my major personal drawbacks there are that you can't control the volume and Bluetooth device with them remotely (If I wanted to put a remote on the rear transom area for in-water control). I already have a remote level control at the Helm that I could use to control the tower volume independently of the in-boats, but I'd lose my subwoofer level control (I dont THINK I care). Am I missing something big with that thought process?
6) Branding. I've been toying with stereos for a long time. Wetsounds are expensive - why? Are the amps amazing? Do the speakers sound better? Is there a specific product set they do that are better than others? Looking at the Amps, they seem well constructed and seem to have a $ to Watt ration comparable to their competition, but the speakers and subs are spendy it seems.
I know this is long - It's awesome to have a sounding board in this community, and I appreciate it. Happy to spend some money with you, Mike, assuming you ship across state lines
(And assuming I have money to spend..)
For those interested, a picture of the frayed amp wiring that looks like 8 gauges (frayed) wiring to the Amps. Ugh. And the annihilated battery compartment which probably warrants a post in of itself to fix the EIDB setup and get back to a house/start battery configuration. *Sigh*
15448846487030.jpg
15448846489051.jpg
15448846489782.jpg
1) The easy one - In boat speakers. Looks like they are Kicker KM620.2 component speakers. Everything I read shows them as discontinued, but Mike alluded in another post that they are solid. None of them look blown or decomposed. Any compelling reason to replace them? My gut says that tuned and well powered, they'll play loud and clear. We JUST put a set of brand new Kicker KM604s in our little '95 Classic and they sound great, so I dont have any issues with the brand. One of the repeat questions in this thread - What are the odds that these are original from the factory?
2) The tower speakers. Looks like factory cans (Chrome, Tige Branded), with the same KM620.2 - I'm thinking long term these probably just won't cut it. 8" Kicker 45KMTC8 Towers? Think it'll make a noticeable improvement without forcing me to smash my head every time I stand up? (This is totally a long-term item I think)
3) The Amps. 2 4 channel Amps in the boat, 1 is a Kicker ZX 350.1, Running the tower speakers ( 2 x 60) and Bridged to the Sub ( 1 x 120). Again, This smells factory to me due to its age. The second is a MBQuart NAU460, also 4 x 60, running the 6 In-Boat Speakers - probably replaced a blown amp at some point. I'm thinking the Sub is underpowered - I happen to have an Alpine Class-D 350WRMS/700WMax MRPM350 laying around that would make a world of difference.. From there, I could get back to 1:1 speaker to Sub channel on the other two Amps. Having said that, I feel like the MBQuart is probably not a good amp and the Kicker is 10 years old, both Class AB AMPs, both wired by a 10 year old (Picture below). I'm wondering if moving to an amp option that kills these 2 off, and also has the capability of running a set of bigger towers in the future may not be a sound investment in the short term?
4) The Head Unit. Currently a Clarion CMD7 with a single remote at the driver side. All we'll use 90% of the time is Bluetooth. Thinking about moving to an M608 so that I can maintain my existing remote (MW1) - but not sure why I couldn't use the M508 for half the price?
5) Equalizer - I've read a lot about here about the Wetsounds equalizers with Bluetooth in them (420BT). I guess my major personal drawbacks there are that you can't control the volume and Bluetooth device with them remotely (If I wanted to put a remote on the rear transom area for in-water control). I already have a remote level control at the Helm that I could use to control the tower volume independently of the in-boats, but I'd lose my subwoofer level control (I dont THINK I care). Am I missing something big with that thought process?
6) Branding. I've been toying with stereos for a long time. Wetsounds are expensive - why? Are the amps amazing? Do the speakers sound better? Is there a specific product set they do that are better than others? Looking at the Amps, they seem well constructed and seem to have a $ to Watt ration comparable to their competition, but the speakers and subs are spendy it seems.
I know this is long - It's awesome to have a sounding board in this community, and I appreciate it. Happy to spend some money with you, Mike, assuming you ship across state lines
(And assuming I have money to spend..)For those interested, a picture of the frayed amp wiring that looks like 8 gauges (frayed) wiring to the Amps. Ugh. And the annihilated battery compartment which probably warrants a post in of itself to fix the EIDB setup and get back to a house/start battery configuration. *Sigh*
15448846487030.jpg
15448846489051.jpg
15448846489782.jpg