WhalerMax
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 42
- Reaction score
- 16
- Points
- 57
- Boat Make
- Yamaha
- Year
- 2017
- Boat Model
- 212X
- Boat Length
- 21
Our family took our awesome new (to me) 212x with the factory upgraded stereo system out for it's first session this weekend. Been eyeing this killer 6 speaker, soundbar, and subwoofer in the driveway and just couldn't wait to get into the open water, away from the crowds to let the kidsbop scream. We start the ride through the no wake zone with the bluetooth connected at a modest 1/4 volume... sounds great, this is going to be good.... get out just past the last house to make sure we don't wake up the sleeping mother in laws and dogs. It's mid-day sunday funday and I let her rip. I just knew that I was going to blow my children's minds when "chicken wing chicken wing" busted ear-drums as I eased the dial up high.
But it didn't. It sounded distorted, flat, and the bass was the equivalent to an old bazooka tube in the 90s. I went to the zones and tuning menus just knowing the guy I bought the boat from had no idea what he did by messing with the presets. Wrong, darn. All zones on, centered, and nothing I could do with the treble or bass could help. I knew this was about to be an expensive week for an unbudgeted upgrade.
Did some research to find everyone here had the same experience. First thing is first. I have had nothing but great luck with JL marine speakers in the past so I ordered 2 pair of m series 6.5s, a pair of m8.8, another 5 channel amp, and am currently debating which sub to get but likely 2 m6-10s running each of the amp sub channels. I dont think Ill fit the massive cone of the 8.8s in the location of any of the existing speakers so I need to figure the best location to cut those in and hope I can squeeze in some 7.7 in the bow speaker holes. The 8.8 is the key to a JL system, it changes everything all preconceived marine audio notions and the rest of the system becomes decoration to the massive power and range of the 8.8s, so Ill be running the second amp 4 channels bridged to this zone only with a sub on 5.
Longwinded TLDR- On the factory amp, I understand now that much of my power to speaker zones is lost to the ridiculous in-series wiring. My question to the audio gurus who may have made it with me this far is -
1. Can I shortcut the change to parallel wiring by running new speaker wires to the cockpit and bow only (which are super accessible), then take the positive and negative poles that used to go to each of these and solder connect to close the loop? Wouldn't that essentially make the tower soundbar and the rear deck speakers also an independent zone, wired at the amp in parallel by adding the 2 new channels to the same loom?
Another side question for anyone else who just likes cutting holes in fiberglass,
2. Has anyone found a good place for helm and all around sound for the 8.8s?
But it didn't. It sounded distorted, flat, and the bass was the equivalent to an old bazooka tube in the 90s. I went to the zones and tuning menus just knowing the guy I bought the boat from had no idea what he did by messing with the presets. Wrong, darn. All zones on, centered, and nothing I could do with the treble or bass could help. I knew this was about to be an expensive week for an unbudgeted upgrade.
Did some research to find everyone here had the same experience. First thing is first. I have had nothing but great luck with JL marine speakers in the past so I ordered 2 pair of m series 6.5s, a pair of m8.8, another 5 channel amp, and am currently debating which sub to get but likely 2 m6-10s running each of the amp sub channels. I dont think Ill fit the massive cone of the 8.8s in the location of any of the existing speakers so I need to figure the best location to cut those in and hope I can squeeze in some 7.7 in the bow speaker holes. The 8.8 is the key to a JL system, it changes everything all preconceived marine audio notions and the rest of the system becomes decoration to the massive power and range of the 8.8s, so Ill be running the second amp 4 channels bridged to this zone only with a sub on 5.
Longwinded TLDR- On the factory amp, I understand now that much of my power to speaker zones is lost to the ridiculous in-series wiring. My question to the audio gurus who may have made it with me this far is -
1. Can I shortcut the change to parallel wiring by running new speaker wires to the cockpit and bow only (which are super accessible), then take the positive and negative poles that used to go to each of these and solder connect to close the loop? Wouldn't that essentially make the tower soundbar and the rear deck speakers also an independent zone, wired at the amp in parallel by adding the 2 new channels to the same loom?
Another side question for anyone else who just likes cutting holes in fiberglass,
2. Has anyone found a good place for helm and all around sound for the 8.8s?
