212 Limited S Tower Speakers

[Mattdog501]

Hi Everyone, new to this site but really happy I found it! I have a 2018 212 Limited S and I am wanting to tackle the stereo upgrade. I was thinking of starting with tower speakers and an amp. Anyone have advice on mounting/drilling for the speakers? Ive upgraded plenty of auto stereos in the past but never tackled a boat. We lower our tower down for storage after use so I wonder if it would be a problem with the wiring each time you raise and lower it?

I haven't even looked yet, but are the inputs in the stereo unit under the console for an amp? How about spacing to mount the amp? Does adding an amp make the factory Polk speakers sound better? I'm on the fence about getting getting a SUB because Im assuming it will have to take up storage space to mount it (Unless I go under the driver seat.) If anyone has a picture of where they mounted their Sub that would be great.

What do you'll think?

Thanks!!!

 

[Augieol65]

Mounted my sub on my 212 on the passenger side area. It’s a 10” I have a wetsounds sound bar was able to fish wire up through the rear tube started on the right side. The wire doesn’t get pinched and slides in and out as we raise and lower just fine. I have to lower every time it goes in the garage. The coaxial audio off the headunit are under the helm there is 2 sets there (forward and read). I added an amp for the 6 stock speakers in this location and it definitely woke them up. My amp for the tower and amp for the sub are located in the batter compartment.

 

[Augieol65]

212 Limited Audio here’s a link to another thread as well discussing upgrading 212 audio

 

[afsigma21]

I can tell you that adding even a mid level amp will help the sound of the stock Polks. I have a 2017 212 Ltd S. I added a budget minded Rockville Marine amp and it really woke them up. NOT competition sound, but an improvement over the stock sound.

 

[Augieol65]

I just stuck with Polk not crazy expensive but sounds good. This is the one I used for the stock speakers. This is the one I have driving my sound bar and a second of this one driving my sub

 

[Augieol65]

Hmm links didn’t work.
Polk Audio PA D2000.2 for the sound bar & another for sub

Polk Audio PA D4000.4 for the stock speakers

 

[Mattdog501]

How did you hook up the Amp for the stock speakers? Did you take the speaker wires out of the harness underneath and wire direct into the Amp then run RCAs from the Amp to the head unit?

 

[Mattdog501]

Also, since its a 4 channel amp, I assume you wired the front and rear together and then kept the center on their own channel? I was actually thinking of a cheaper 6 channel Amp to give each speaker its own dedicated channel..... Maybe thats not needed?

 

[Augieol65]

I’m definitely not an audio expert but since the swim deck speakers and read cock pit speakers are wired in series I just put those on a channel together since I used preexisting speaker wires. So I feed the 4 channel with one set of audio outputs (front) then unplugged the speaker wiring harnesses from the head unit and plugged them into the output side of that amp. The second set of audio outputs from the head unit (rear) I ran back to the battery compartment I feed audio to the amps there for the tower and sub. Hopefully that makes sense. I’m sure you could do a 6 channel but you’d have to run new speaker wire to the rear cockpits and swimdeck. Which isn’t hard I might do that eventually.

 

[Jeff L]

Hi Everyone, new to this site but really happy I found it! I have a 2018 212 Limited S and I am wanting to tackle the stereo upgrade. I was thinking of starting with tower speakers and an amp. Anyone have advice on mounting/drilling for the speakers? Ive upgraded plenty of auto stereos in the past but never tackled a boat. We lower our tower down for storage after use so I wonder if it would be a problem with the wiring each time you raise and lower it?

I haven't even looked yet, but are the inputs in the stereo unit under the console for an amp? How about spacing to mount the amp? Does adding an amp make the factory Polk speakers sound better? I'm on the fence about getting getting a SUB because Im assuming it will have to take up storage space to mount it (Unless I go under the driver seat.) If anyone has a picture of where they mounted their Sub that would be great.

What do you'll think?

Thanks!!!

Matt,
I just read your post from last year. I have a 2017 212ls and just bought new speakers and amp. Did you find out what you need to do to hook it up? Any advice? Do you know the size of the stock amp? I bought JL's 6.5( M3) and a 600 watt JL amp.

 

[SCP1]

Matt,
I just read your post from last year. I have a 2017 212ls and just bought new speakers and amp. Did you find out what you need to do to hook it up? Any advice? Do you know the size of the stock amp? I bought JL's 6.5( M3) and a 600 watt JL amp.

Where did you mount this amp?