2003 21i Stereo upgrade

[chuckhoenig]

Guys,

It's time for me to finally upgrade my sound system on my 21i.

Here is what I have now:
CMD5 with remotes
6 in boat CMD1622 speakers
1 APXM200.2 AMP
HU powers the bow speakers
Amp powers the mid powers the mid/aft port and mid/aft starboard
1 battery set up with 60 amp inline fuse on 8guage headed to amp.

What I'm planning on:
Blue Sea two battery setup
6 KM65 led in boat
1 KMW104LC10
1 KXM800.5
2 KM84LCW tower speakers
1 ZXMRLC volume knobs
**Possibly upgrade to the CMD8 with new remotes** This can probably wait, I have iphone functionality with the CMD5, and my remotes can advance songs/control volume.

Couple of questions:
Can I keep the existing wiring for my current amp configuration, and just plug and play the KXM800.5 and the other components?
Will the KXM800.5 be enough to power all of those components?
Should I reuse the clarion amp to power some of the components? If so, what should the smaller amp power? Tower? Bow?
Is the installation of the Blue Sea as easy as it looks? I've seen some really simple diagrams explaining the installation, and some really complex ones also.

Thank you in advance for all of the help!!

Chuck

[chpthril]

Can I keep the existing wiring for my current amp configuration, and just plug and play the KXM800.5 and the other components?

I would suggest 4ga for that amp

Will the KXM800.5 be enough to power all of those components?

No, here is why. With 3 pair of in-boats and only four full-range amp chnls, you are two chnls short. You would not want to pair up a pair of tower speakers with a pair of in-boat speakers. Even then, for most system designs, I like to have a dedicated tower amp thats separate from the sub and in-boats. The tower and sub zones seem to be the hardest driven zones on a boat. Having them on different amps, reduces the load on each.

Should I reuse the clarion amp to power some of the components?

Technically, yes, you could us it to drive the tower speakers, but. That amp is only going to deliver 50W rms to each tower pod. Thats half of what I like drive a tower coaxial with and a forth of what the KM8 likes. That speaker really shines when driven above 150W rms. 50W is going to be a struggle to compete with water, wind and engine noise if you are wanting a surf system. For a single pair, the KXM400.4 in 2 chnl mode is ideal.

Is the installation of the Blue Sea as easy as it looks?

Switch or switch with ACR? Two greatly different wring schemes.

[chuckhoenig]

Thank you for the quick response! Couple more questions for you:

Could I wire my 6 in boats and sub on the 800? If so, would I have to wire the four main cabin speakers in parallel?

Then just wire the tower to the 400?

Save my APXM for some other toy down the road?

I was planning on wiring second battery with switch and ACR.


Thanks!

[chpthril]

Yes, the 800.5 is perfect for a sub and 6 in-boats. Bow pair on 2 chnl and the 2 pair in parallel on the other 2 chnls. Tower pods on their own amp.

The Switch/ACR wiring setup is not as straight forward as just the traditional dual battery switch, but its not too bad.

[chuckhoenig]

CT,

Any wisdom on joking up the LED lights? The kicker manuals are not that descriptive. If it's a real hassle I may just get the non led speakers. They are cheaper too

I can always add some LEDs elsewhere for more lighting.

Power source?
Separate switch on the dash?
Do I have to run the four colored wiring to every speaker?
Can I run it in series or does it have to be parallel?

Thanks!
Chuck

[chpthril]

The speaker LEDs are a separate circuit from the audio, so they need to be wired to their own switch power source. Easy way, tie them into the original courtesy lights if you only want single color. Better way, which i prefer, wire them into their own rocker switch so they work independent of the courtesy lights. Nothing kills the mood of red LEDs like bright white courtesy lights. If you want the full RGB effect, you need to use a 4 conductor cable and an RGB controller like the Kicker KMLC.

Each speaker LED has for leads, one is the B+, the other three are for the color. Each speaker would be wired in parallel since theres only one set of leads per light assembly. However, you can daisy chain from one speaker to the next, all the way around the boat, rather then home-running each speaker to the source.

[chuckhoenig]

Mike,

Thanks for following up. I bought and LED 12v wiring harness, with a relay and a switch for my dash.

I also went with the Wet Sounds RGB Controller (instead of the kicker) because it offered more control of the lights, and you can sync the LEDs it to the music.

Thanks!

[chuckhoenig]

Ok, so I've decided to go all the way with this upgrade...well at least as far as my budget allows. My new system components are ordered, and I've done my research on the Blue Sea ACR.

I plan on using this schematic I found on another thread, along with Mike's recommendations on the reply in the thread.


http://www.tigeowners.com/forum/show...t=blue+sea+acr

I've also decided to add a onboard battery tender since I'm tired of lugging my battery charger around. Based off another thread, this is the brand I plan on going with:

http://www.overtons.com/modperl/prod...-Bank&i=762336

Questions:
--How many amps should I go for on a Dual Tender? 8?
--If I follow the schematic with the ACR/Switch above, do I simply attach the positive and negative leads from the tender to Batteries 1 and 2 as the instructions indicate?
--What position do I put the switch in when the boat is in the lift charging?


A SINCERE THANK YOU!! Without this site I wouldn't dream of tackling these projects on my own.

Chuck

[chpthril]

Theres so much wrong with that diagram, I would not use it. Check with your retailer/installer, maybe they can design you a custom diagram thats accurate for your application.