Fusion MS-RA70 Subwoofer Signal/Line Out

[Sarcophosaur]

I'm planning a small addition to the factory radio in my 2021 212. Just want to add a little powered sub under the helm, and I'm currently looking at this one or the 10.

What I'm not able to find is if our Fusion MS-RA70 has a line out that we can utilize, or a specific subwoofer line out. I found on page 3 of the installation instructions on Fusion's site that a specific circuit does come off the harness that comes with the radio.

Each cable provides a single mono output to a powered subwoofer or subwoofer amplifier, and one or both cables can be used, depending on the connection requirements of the subwoofer or amplifier. A connected subwoofer is associated with the volume control for zone 1.

My question is - has anyone had experience finding this line out? Is it available on ours the way Yamaha has these installed, or does Yamaha have a specific harness that eliminates this Sub out circuit?

I'll be investigating on my boat this weekend -- but before I go pulling the radio off the transom I figured I'd start the conversation and post my own follow-up once I get this done since the info doesn't seem to be on this forum yet. Maybe I just suck at searching today...

Thanks!
John

 

[BigAbe75]

@CDENsomnia added a self powered sub.

I believe he said you need a special harness adapter. Hopefully, someone more knowledgeable will answer.

 

[kgower]

I plan to hook up a WS 10" free air sub tomorrow, maybe I can look for it.

 

[Sarcophosaur]

I plan to hook up a WS 10" free air sub tomorrow, maybe I can look for it.

If you're able to snap any pictures of the back of the unit and share that'd be awesome. I'll be doing the same this weekend if nobody beats me to it.

 

[kgower]

If you're able to snap any pictures of the back of the unit and share that'd be awesome. I'll be doing the same this weekend if nobody beats me to it.

 

[Sarcophosaur]

There it is! Sub Out. Is it marked with a #4 anywhere? Not that it really matters but it'd confirm that pigtail is exactly what's shown in the manufacturers install manual.

 

[JetPowered]

I believe that I have seen mentioned that Yamaha was sometimes cutting the unused outputs off the pigtail. A new pigtail could be ordered in that case.

I had recently installed the RA70 in my much older boat, yes, there were all the necessary pre outs and sub out for expansion as needed.

 

[Sarcophosaur]

That'd be hilarious if factory SOP was "snip and cap" anything unused vs just leave it alone. But I can imagine them getting a discount by ordering bulk radios from Fusion without the accessory line out pigtail...

We'll find out what my early release 2021 212 has in a few days... I'll post what I find.

 

[212s]

I'm planning a small addition to the factory radio in my 2021 212. Just want to add a little powered sub under the helm, and I'm currently looking at this one or the 10.

If you want a sub for extra bass output without amplifying the stock speakers, then the 8" will be plenty and will be able to overwhelm the speakers. If you intend to add an amp as well, go for a 10" as they can move more air and will have a lower resonance frequency to better match the speakers at high volumes.

I personally don't use subs for music, I prefer clean flat sound output and opted to put two extra speakers in my 212s for more cockpit volume while driving. Home theater is a different story and I like to run dual 12" subs for that house-shaking rumble in movies.

What I'm not able to find is if our Fusion MS-RA70 has a line out that we can utilize, or a specific subwoofer line out.

I can confirm the RA70 does have sub-out options and built-in sub volume level control in the radio head unit. Seems Yamaha has been trimming the outputs that are not used, but I was one of the lucky few who had all of the wires and pre-outs intact and was able to wire up my JL Audio amp to power all 8 of my Polk speakers without issue. If yours are snipped, you can order a replacement harness online...I believe someone posted a link in the forum at some point.

 

[kgower]

If you want a sub for extra bass output without amplifying the stock speakers, then the 8" will be plenty and will be able to overwhelm the speakers. If you intend to add an amp as well, go for a 10" as they can move more air and will have a lower resonance frequency to better match the speakers at high volumes.

I personally don't use subs for music, I prefer clean flat sound output and opted to put two extra speakers in my 212s for more cockpit volume while driving. Home theater is a different story and I like to run dual 12" subs for that house-shaking rumble in movies.


I can confirm the RA70 does have sub-out options and built-in sub volume level control in the radio head unit. Seems Yamaha has been trimming the outputs that are not used, but I was one of the lucky few who had all of the wires and pre-outs intact and was able to wire up my JL Audio amp to power all 8 of my Polk speakers without issue. If yours are snipped, you can order a replacement harness online...I believe someone posted a link in the forum at some point.

Only one of my wires was trimmed. I also have an extra harness, wasn't sure if I was going to need it.

 

[Sarcophosaur]

Thats great to know! I wasn't able to get to it this weekend. Got sick Friday and haven't pulled the boat home yet. Hopefully I'll also be one of the lucky ones where they didn't snip the pigtail. Not really a big deal since it's available separately from the head unit.

Also as far as the 8" vs 10" decision goes, I am also not looking for the most extreme bass ever, just want to balance it out a little. I tend to agree with you that a modest 8" is all I'll need for my preferences. The stock Polk seem above average to me, and I've heard plenty of good car audio. I'll run them ampless until they start to wear or fail then cross that bridge.

 

[Sarcophosaur]

Finally got around to pulling the head unit this weekend.

Good news! I have the pre-out pigtail intact. For reference, here are some more angles on what mine looks like. Hope someone find this useful in the future when planning audio changes!



The only cut wires are here (haven't looked up what they are yet):

 

[212s]

Finally got around to pulling the head unit this weekend.

If you haven't put it back in yet, I recommend a thin bead of clear silicone sealant behind the gasket - the hull is not completely flat at that location and it'll help with water seal and also the poor cutout and screws.

Good news! I have the pre-out pigtail intact. The only cut wires are here (haven't looked up what they are yet):

That's good to hear. The blue wire is probably the amp remote turn on line. Not sure of the other two as I didn't need them, but orange might be backlighting? The manual has the pin outs.

 

[Sarcophosaur]

I did put it back in storage and reassembled everything. I made sure everything sealed up well. I chose to not use any sort of curing stuff to gasket it this time, since I'll be removing it again soon when I do any audio equipment installation. My unit has a soft foam gasket all the way around that seems to handle the curved fiberglass face just fine. Took the boat out for a full day this past weekend after the removal/install and didn't have a drop of water when I let out the drain plug at the end of the day. I'm not too worried about it.

 

[Martin005]

I know this post is older but I don’t have a remote wire for amp. Would it be one of the zone 1 or 2 out orange rca?

 

[MrBubbaGump]

I know this post is older but I don’t have a remote wire for amp. Would it be one of the zone 1 or 2 out orange rca?

No but you can put any ignition on power to the amp and be fine

 

[Martin005]

No but you can put any ignition on power to the amp and be fine

what are the orange ones for?

 

[MrBubbaGump]

what are the orange ones for?

not sure i would have to see the wiring diagram, could be for additional speakers