Looking to the speakerHeads for help/suggestions! !

[TXtraumaRN]

I'm trying to set up an audio system on my 2022 195s while keeping the Connext system. Everything is being run off the remote head unit on the transom. Original plan was to run the JBL towers and Kicker sub off of a JBL 1800 watt Amp, but I'm just not getting the sound I'm looking for. The towers sound flat and I'm barely getting any bass from the sub. Is the amp too small to run both? Now I'm thinking about maybe running only the towers (bridged) off the JBL Amp, and running a separate Amp for the sub. I feel like this Amp should be more than enough for both though? Is the amp too big for only the towers? Should I do the opposite and run a different Amp for the towers and run the sub off the JBL? I've read good reviews on the sub when pushing close to 1000w. Maybe a mono block Amp for the sub? Also settings on both? Bridged? Recommended Freq? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Second... Recommendation on another Amp (if needed)?

The cabin speakers are running off a separate 400w JBL Amp, and I'm happy with that setup. Below are the specs on what I currently have to work with.

KICKER 46CWTB104
10 Inch Subwoofer
400W RMS with 800W Peak Power
4 Ohm
Enclosed Tube https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07N95Q15K/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_M7NT3CB0FRP1F99ZZS4T

JBL dual 8" Towers X Marine MT8HLB
General Specifications
Power Handling150Wrms, 450W peak
Sensitivity (@ 2.83V)92dB
Frequency Response40Hz – 20kHz
Voice Coil Diameter1.5in. (38.5mm)
Impedance4ohms

JBL Tower X Marine MT8HLB | 8" (200mm) enclosed two-way marine audio tower speaker with 1" (25mm) horn loaded compression tweeter – Black

The JBL Tower X Marine Speaker system is ready to take your next outdoor adventure to the next level. The fully marinized speakers deliver a JBL pro sound experience complete with RGB lighting to bring it to life.

www.jbl.com

JBL MARINE MA4505 Amplifier
General Specifications
Max Power1800W Peak
RMS Power @ 2Ω (sub) 500W x 1, <1% THD+N
RMS Power @ 4Ω (sub)320W x 1, <1% THD+N
RMS Power @ 2Ω (full)65W x 4, <1% THD+N
RMS Power @ 4Ω (full)45W x 4, <1% THD+N
RMS Power @ 4Ω Bridged (full)130W x 2, <1% THD+N
Signal-to-Noise Ratio (sub)>80dB (ref 1W output @ 4Ω)
Signal-to-Noise Ratio (full-range)>80dB (ref 1W output @ 4Ω)

JBL Marine MA4505 | Multi-element high-performance, 5-channel amplifier

New weather-resistant & high-performance JBL Marine amplifiers deliver impressive power from a compact chassis designed to withstand outdoor environments.

www.harmanaudio.com

 

[Farny]

I'm trying to set up an audio system on my 2022 195s while keeping the Connext system. Everything is being run off the remote head unit on the transom. Original plan was to run the JBL towers and Kicker sub off of a JBL 1800 watt Amp, but I'm just not getting the sound I'm looking for. The towers sound flat and I'm barely getting any bass from the sub. Is the amp too small to run both? Now I'm thinking about maybe running only the towers (bridged) off the JBL Amp, and running a separate Amp for the sub. I feel like this Amp should be more than enough for both though? Is the amp too big for only the towers? Should I do the opposite and run a different Amp for the towers and run the sub off the JBL? I've read good reviews on the sub when pushing close to 1000w. Maybe a mono block Amp for the sub? Also settings on both? Bridged? Recommended Freq? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Second... Recommendation on another Amp (if needed)?

The cabin speakers are running off a separate 400w JBL Amp, and I'm happy with that setup. Below are the specs on what I currently have to work with.

KICKER 46CWTB104
10 Inch Subwoofer
400W RMS with 800W Peak Power
4 Ohm
Enclosed Tube https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07N95Q15K/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_M7NT3CB0FRP1F99ZZS4T

JBL dual 8" Towers X Marine MT8HLB
General Specifications
Power Handling150Wrms, 450W peak
Sensitivity (@ 2.83V)92dB
Frequency Response40Hz – 20kHz
Voice Coil Diameter1.5in. (38.5mm)
Impedance4ohms

JBL Tower X Marine MT8HLB | 8" (200mm) enclosed two-way marine audio tower speaker with 1" (25mm) horn loaded compression tweeter – Black

The JBL Tower X Marine Speaker system is ready to take your next outdoor adventure to the next level. The fully marinized speakers deliver a JBL pro sound experience complete with RGB lighting to bring it to life.

www.jbl.com

JBL MARINE MA4505 Amplifier
General Specifications
Max Power1800W Peak
RMS Power @ 2Ω (sub) 500W x 1, <1% THD+N
RMS Power @ 4Ω (sub)320W x 1, <1% THD+N
RMS Power @ 2Ω (full)65W x 4, <1% THD+N
RMS Power @ 4Ω (full)45W x 4, <1% THD+N
RMS Power @ 4Ω Bridged (full)130W x 2, <1% THD+N
Signal-to-Noise Ratio (sub)>80dB (ref 1W output @ 4Ω)
Signal-to-Noise Ratio (full-range)>80dB (ref 1W output @ 4Ω)

JBL Marine MA4505 | Multi-element high-performance, 5-channel amplifier

New weather-resistant & high-performance JBL Marine amplifiers deliver impressive power from a compact chassis designed to withstand outdoor environments.

www.harmanaudio.com

Are you wiring in parallel or series? If I am reading correctly- your only pushing 65w rms to your towers? If you bridge and can get 130w rms that would be louder. Also I am assuming you set the gain?

You are welcome to come over and listen to my system. I’m pushing 100w rms to each of the 4 towers (150w rms handling 300peak ea.) which is not excessive but nice and loud. See if it’s something worth trying. Just drop me a pm and can arrange. I went a bit more budget than you but am pretty happy with the results. (Aside from my cheap powered sub)

Also I cannot see any scenerio where you would not be able to use the connex…

 

[212s]

Are you wiring in parallel or series? If I am reading correctly- your only pushing 65w rms to your towers?

Worse if they're not bridged, he's only pushing 45w to the towers at 4 ohms and 2 channels unused. Bridged at 130w should be plenty. And 320w into the sub should be thumping, then all the channels are in use.

@TXtraumaRN Did you check the radio settings to make sure the sub level is turned up? It should be set to max and then the main volume will control all the levels together. As mentioned, check your gain levels on sub and front/rear inputs.

 

[Adrian @ JB Solutions]

Agreed with others, if bridged this should be pretty decent. I'd check settings.

 

[TXtraumaRN]

Are you wiring in parallel or series? If I am reading correctly- your only pushing 65w rms to your towers? If you bridge and can get 130w rms that would be louder. Also I am assuming you set the gain?

You are welcome to come over and listen to my system. Just drop me a pm and can arrange.

They are in parallel. I had been meaning to bridge them, but brain farted on it, so I will give that a shot when I pull her back out Thursday.
Maybe one of these days I'll drag her down to you and you could help me fine tune it. I did audio in cars when I was a kid, but I didn't know what I was doing then either. LOL

And 320w into the sub should be thumping, then all the channels are in use.

@TXtraumaRN Did you check the radio settings to make sure the sub level is turned up?

From what I've read, this sub requires closer to 800 to get good bass. I did not check the radio level so I will do that as well.

So, if I'm understanding correctly... if I have only the sub running through the amp (and put the towers on a separate Amp), that is the best way to get more out of it? Or will I still get only 320w? Or if I put the sub on a separate Amp does increase power to the two connected tower speakers to give me 260w to each tower?

Im just thinking if I need to buy another Amp, it would be cheaper to buy a separate Amp to run the towers at 300w each rather than buy a separate Amp for the sub to get 800w? Is it possible to get 800w out of this Amp if just the sub is connected?

 

[Daddy Fat Sacs]

Did you actually tune your amps? Do you own a multimeter? You just cant go based off of what you're hearing to ensure you're getting best output. Also what are your settings on the amps? Pics of those might help diagnose besides the mentioned of having your towers way under powered

 

[TXtraumaRN]

Did you actually tune your amps? Do you own a multimeter? You just cant go based off of what you're hearing to ensure you're getting best output. Also what are your settings on the amps? Pics of those might help diagnose besides the mentioned of having your towers way under powered

As I said earlier, my only experience was when i screwed around with this stuff as a teenager and into my twenties. I don't understand a lot of it, but I know how to set gain and bridge speakers among some of the basics, but it has been over 20 years since I did anything audio-wise. No multimeter. I'll get pics of Amp settings when I pull her back out on Thurs.
I'm not looking to get "show quality" sound out of what I have, but it should be better than what it currently is and I'm trying to figure where the problem may be (most of the problem being that I don't know what the F I'm doing).

 

[Adrian @ JB Solutions]

As I said earlier, my only experience was when i screwed around with this stuff as a teenager and into my twenties. I don't understand a lot of it, but I know how to set gain and bridge speakers among some of the basics, but it has been over 20 years since I did anything audio-wise. No multimeter. I'll get pics of Amp settings when I pull her back out on Thurs.
I'm not looking to get "show quality" sound out of what I have, but it should be better than what it currently is and I'm trying to figure where the problem may be (most of the problem being that I don't know what the F I'm doing).

Sounds like incorrect filter settings might be culprit.

 

[Daddy Fat Sacs]

Its not "show quality" sounds that you're looking for. Tuning your amps is actually a very simplistic process and will help you dial in where your gain is set without having the speakers distort or your amps clipping. Here's a great video that explains the process, you can pickup a cheap multimeter off amazon or at harbor freight. Thats also why I asked for pics of your amp settings as you could have the incorrect frequency or pass/cross over selected that could be hurting your sound quality. Also I would see if you could return the 4ohm kicker tube for a 2ohm instead as you are under powering the sub. The 2 ohm tube would allow you to run 500w from that amp which would hit much harder

you can also use JL's site to obtain the needed audio files to play on your phone through BT into your head unit. Also the desired voltage chart can usually be found in your amps manual

Amplifier Level Setting Guide – JL Audio Help Center - Search Articles (zendesk.com)

 

[TXtraumaRN]

@Daddy Fat Sacs thank you sir, I appreciate it. I'll take a look at the video when I get home and try and get some pics of my settings.

 

[Daddy Fat Sacs]

You’re welcome and hopefully we can help get you fixed and sounding good!!

 

[Farny]

Some good advice throughout here @Daddy Fat Sacs

 

[TXtraumaRN]

Also @Daddy Fat Sacs ,didnt realize it was 4 Ohm til you mentioned it, I meant to get 2 Ohm, so thanks for pointing that out. Already started the return.

 

[jocolo21]

You can bridge it to run the towers bridged @4ohms with 135w per can guessing you only have 2, if you can are only 100W. use the multimeter and this formula V=SQUARE ROOT WX OHMS, guessung your can are 100 , v= squar root of 100x4 you will need to set the gain to 20V, the you will need another amp something like a jl700/5 will work with your 4 speakers and can power your sub to 300w@ 2hms

 

[TXtraumaRN]

@Daddy Fat Sacs @Farny just looking over it again. Now that I'm switching out to the 2 Ohm sub, I should be able to get 500 RMS to the sub while still getting 130 RMS to each tower speaker correct?

 

[jocolo21]

@Daddy Fat Sacs @Farny just looking over it again. Now that I'm switching out to the 2 Ohm sub, I should be able to get 500 RMS to the sub while still getting 130 RMS to each tower speaker correct?

Agreed.......you can bridge the amp to 3-channel mode to power two speakers with 130 watts RMS each, while still driving a sub with 500 watts.

 

[Farny]

Agreed.......you can bridge the amp to 3-channel mode to power two speakers with 130 watts RMS each, while still driving a sub with 500 watts.

That should SCREAM!

 

[platinum00]

subscribed.. I want to hear the results of this kicker tube

 

[TXtraumaRN]

subscribed.. I want to hear the results of this kicker tube

I think with all the brainpower and experience in this forum I should be able to get it dialed. I'll tag you in the install thread with the sound test when I'm done.

 

[tim h]

BWAHAHAHAHA
CV....