Sorting through stereo wiring mess left by PO

[CaptRedbeard]

Previous owner left me with a bit of an amateur stereo mess. Main problems I've found so far:

• 1 starter battery and 2 house batteries, but the house batteries are "starter" type batteries
• Battery, switch, and amplifier power wiring needed re-routing, zip ties, and cleaning up
• Abandoned stereo wires that I've yet to trace down and remove

Currently, the JL M10IB5 (4ohm SVC) sub is getting 200wrms wired bridged on the JL M400/4 amp (75wrms x 4 at 4ohms). The 4 JL tower speakers are wired bridged to channels 1/2 on the M400/4. I also have a JL 10w3 in a sealed box in the closet getting 150wrms from a Kicker ZX300.1 amp. The 4 cabin speakers are getting power from the head unit speaker outputs.

List of things to do:

• Re-work wiring and/or amplifiers for two mis-matching subs
• Amplify cabin speakers
• Add RCA knobs to control volume levels on the fly
• Replace faulty swim deck wired remote - may require new head unit as well
• Replace two house batteries with deep cycle battery(ies)
• Replace current 1-2-both-off switch with an off-on-both switch
• Add ACR

I'll keep this thread up as I work through these things (some may wait until the off season).

 

[CaptRedbeard]

First up: I've attached a rough wiring diagram for what I'm thinking of doing for the rewiring of the speakers/subs.

Essentially, I'd like to move the 10w3 (currently wired on ch3/4 on the M400/4 amp) to wire in parallel with the M10IB on the Kicker amp (300x1 at 2ohms). I'd then add the 4 cabin speakers on the channels 3/4 on the M400/4 that would be vacated by the sub (200x2 at 4ohms). I know in an ideal world the two subs would be identical, but they'd both be within rms wattage specs with this change.

Advantages of this would be to utilize more of the amperage available by wiring the subs in parallel and also amplifying the cabin speakers that are currently run on the head unit. The way I'm seeing it with regards to the two different subs - sound quality is less important on a boat than it is in a home theater setup. Let me know if anyone has reasoning that I can't or shouldn't rework the wiring like this.

 

[Julian]

The on/off/both switch will be an improvement, I like the BEP switches with 3 separate switches.....gives ultimate control. Plus the ACR links nicely to the "package"....

 

[212s]

JL M400/4 amp (75wrms x 4 at 4ohms). The 4 JL tower speakers are wired bridged to channels 1/2 on the M400/4.

This line doesn't make sense - I"m guessing you meant to say the speakers are wired in parallel?

Either way, those towers can probably take a lot more power as it's getting cut in half by the parallel wiring (about 50w per speaker), so adding a more powerful amp just for them might be a good idea, then use the 400/4 to drive the four cabin speakers.

 

[CaptRedbeard]

This line doesn't make sense - I"m guessing you meant to say the speakers are wired in parallel?

Either way, those towers can probably take a lot more power as it's getting cut in half by the parallel wiring (about 50w per speaker), so adding a more powerful amp just for them might be a good idea, then use the 400/4 to drive the four cabin speakers.

I worded that in a confusing way. You’re correct, they’re wired in parallel to the amp channels 1&2 (which are bridged).

I agree that the tower speakers are under powered. To be honest I haven’t looked much into them (model numbers, specs) because for my uses, I do not need more power to those speakers. They’re already loud enough to annoy people on the small lakes I frequent lol.

Anything wrong with waiting to add a 3rd amp?

 

[212s]

I agree that the tower speakers are under powered. To be honest I haven’t looked much into them (model numbers, specs) because for my uses, I do not need more power to those speakers. They’re already loud enough to annoy people on the small lakes I frequent lol.

That's fine...we like our music and we like it loud at times, but we don't need to make other people listen to it.

Anything wrong with waiting to add a 3rd amp?

Yes - you must spend more money on your system...it's an unwritten hidden rule of this forum.

Seriously, nothing wrong with what you have...it's your boat, enjoy it how you wish![/quote][/QUOTE]

 

[CaptRedbeard]

Yes - you must spend more money on your system...it's an unwritten hidden rule of this forum.

Seriously, nothing wrong with what you have...it's your boat, enjoy it how you wish!

Lol appreciate the input. Lets spend that money!

I'm curious if anybody here has any insight to the two different subwoofer models/styles being run in parallel off the same amp. Would that be an issue?

 

[RNYCLV]

Lol appreciate the input. Lets spend that money!

I'm curious if anybody here has any insight to the two different subwoofer models/styles being run in parallel off the same amp. Would that be an issue?

I'm curious myself, I can't find the sub that is in my boat now anywhere...however wanted to add another.

 

[212s]

I'm curious if anybody here has any insight to the two different subwoofer models/styles being run in parallel off the same amp. Would that be an issue?

Subs are generally non-directional when tuned to 80hz or less with sound waves travelling throughout the area. While the quality of the output can vary from different subs, the overall output wouldn't be terribly different. Ideally two identical subs would be best, but too similar subs with similar capabilities and quality should work fine in an open air boat.

 

[kgower]

Lol appreciate the input. Lets spend that money!

I'm curious if anybody here has any insight to the two different subwoofer models/styles being run in parallel off the same amp. Would that be an issue?

I have a BEP switch, brand new never opened. DM me if interested.

 

[CaptRedbeard]

I’ve been working through the wiring on this thread the last week or so. I rewired the subs and speakers to what I drew in my drawing and everything sounds great on that front.

I also installed three of these RCA line control knobs in the dash. One for subs, one for cabin speakers and one for towers. I’m having issues with some static feedback on them. Same issue on all three knobs and all three sets of speakers (including subs), same issue with the half dozen different rca cables I’ve swapped in. Full volume and 0% volume the sound is clear, but when I adjust the knob to anywhere in the middle (50% is worst) there’s a bad static sound. I also ordered and tested a different brand/style of RCA controller and I had the exact same issue.
I uploaded a video - don’t mind my 3yo in the background lol.

Any ideas on the source of this static?

 

[CaptRedbeard]

Also, @RNYCLV - the two different subs sound great wired up at 2ohms in parallel on the single kicker mono amp. I’d say you’re going to be fine as long as the power specs are within specs for your amp and subs.

 

[RNYCLV]

Also, @RNYCLV - the two different subs sound great wired up at 2ohms in parallel on the single kicker mono amp. I’d say you’re going to be fine as long as the power specs are within specs for your amp and subs.

Perfect thank you