Stereo system upgrade recommendations

[96Pirate]

Hello everyone. Well it is about time that I finally upgrade my stock system. So of course I came here for some recommendations.

My Goals
I am not an audiophile by any means and don't need to knock the pants off anyone.
Just looking for a nice sounding system that we can hear at cruising speed and has clear sound.
Budget of about $800-$1k.
Looking to replace stock cabin speakers (4) and add 2 additional to the transom, replace head unit, add possibly an amp depending on head unit, and possibly replace rear remote.
I am not looking to add a sub or tower speakers at this time.
I have a 2nd battery already but need to add a switch for controlling, so that would be in the budget as well as all wires, controls, etc.

Options

Speakers
I've tossed around the idea of just going with some Polk DB651's or Infinity 612M's (which by the way are on Amazon for <$50). But I would not complain about moving up to something in the $100 - $150 range. I don't think I want or can to go as high as the JL's or Wet Sounds with my budget. Was thinking the Polk MM651UM or Kicker KM series. Any other ideas?
Unsure what I can add to the transom. I would like to add them to the sides of the backrest but need to go and measure what can fit. I have seen some 4" Polks referenced for this area but I would like to go higher if I can fit it.

Head Unit
I have always heard great things about the Fusion line so was looking at the MS-IP600G model which can be had for the low to mid $200's. I like the zone control feature. I don't use Apple products but could pick up a cheap Ipod to load music on.
Also would like streaming capability through BT.
Any other quality units out there for that price or less?
Would you suggest still adding an amp with the Fusion or could you do without with some good speakers?

Amp
This may be optional if the Fusion can handle what I am looking for.
But I also came across the Wet Sounds HT-4 or the Rockford Fosgate M400-4D for under $300
I have seen high recommendations on this board for the Rockford but not much on this model Wet Sounds unless I missed some threads.
Any others I should look at?

Finally
The way I see it I have a few options including Fusion HU/no amp, Good HU/quality amp, Fusion HU/ amp.
And then also the different levels of speakers...how much better are the MM651UM vs the DB651?

Thanks for any feedback you can provide.
Mike

 

[spaz944]

My boat is completely stock. I just bought the Fusion 600 and so far I love it. I used the factory aux in for my phone to play music and it works great. I am considering the Bluetooth dongle and speaker upgrades as I can afford them.

Good luck with your upgrades.

 

[octavio3311]

The WetSounds amps are top notch. I'm running 2 HT6's.
I also run the Polk DB651's. They sound great when you power them up with an amp. I know they're not JL's, but they've exceeded my expectations.
Also have a WetSounds IB sub and tower speakers, but the Single biggest improvement I made was adding 2 cockpit speakers to the mid cabin. They should've come with 6 inboats from the start.
If you're looking to add tower speakers, you may not need transom speakers.

 

[spaz944]

@octavio3311 do you have pics of your cockpit speakers?

 

[octavio3311]

@spaz944
Here's the added mid cabins and the sub location.

 

[spaz944]

Looks good. I may have to consider that too. I have the dual captains chairs.

 

[KyleWade14]

I would hit up Odin @Earmark Marine . I bet he can hook you up with everything you need and still stay in your budget. He made me and many others a great deal.

 

[rickd01]

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_867HT4/Wet-Sounds-HT-4.html?search=wetsounds_ht4&skipvs=T
here is a great deal on the amp your looking for

 

[octavio3311]

That is a great price for an HT4.
Best price I've seen.

 

[Murf'n'surf]

They must be phasing that model out. Scoop up that deal ASAP!!

 

[96Pirate]

Thanks everyone! Yes, the Wet Sounds website shows the HT-4 as being discontinued. I did see this one on Crutchfield and the price looked crazy good. Just wanted to make sure it would fit my needs.

Sounds like with that deal I might go for it and build the system around it. Not sure how long they will last at that price.

Still interested in hearing more on the Fusion or if I can get away with a cheaper model.

Also on the speakers...would I see much improvement from the Polk DB651's to either the Polk MM651UM or Kicker KM series?

Thanks

 

[spaz944]

I like the fusion simply because it doesn't look or feel like a cheap unit. It's built FOR BOATS! The other marine companies have cheap looking lcd digits that remind me of the 70's-80's calculators. I was hesitant to spend the money at first but now I am glad I did!

It appears to be a great unit by itself or an even better for the foundation of a superior sound system. I used to be an audio freak, but now I just want some tunes in the boat while cruising. The fusion works great for me out f the box, but I will probably upgrade the rest of my system eventually.

 

[rickd01]

@spaz944
Here's the added mid cabins and the sub location.

View attachment 33503 View attachment 33504 View attachment 33505

@octavio3311 how does that sub sound? powering with an ht6?

 

[octavio3311]

I'm powering it with 2 channels off the HT6. 110 watts per channel for a 220 watts total. It can handle more.
It sounds amazing - it totally THUMPS - you can feel it hit!
I also have 3 zone volume control - 1 for the inboat speakers, 1 for the tower and 1 for the sub. The 1 for the sub is almost a necessity, cause different songs thump harder than other songs. It's great to be able to turn it up and down.

 

[96Pirate]

@octavio3311 what head unit are you using? One of the reasons I was looking at the Fusion was for the zone control but I am not sure how that would work running all speakers through the amp. The Fusion looks to use the 1st 2 zones for the speaker runs and the 3rd zone through an amp. Maybe it could be wired differently.

But like your use of the volume controls.

Also, aren't the HT-6's too much power for the Polk DB651's?

Thanks

 

[bronze_10]

I just bought the fusion ud750.. it wasn't the cheapest but I didn't it had what I wanted.. not sure about the other models but this one has a 75 watt class d amp built in.. I am only powering 4 6.5 wetsounds speakers with it so I think mine will be good for mow... eventually I am gonna add more speakers and an amp.. but when I un packed my fusion I was I Stanly impressed with the quality and the amount of engineering. I haven't installed it yet.. waiting on the boat to get back from the shop.. I will advise when I do..

 

[ChrisP]

View media item 2936View media item 2931

The WetSounds amps are top notch. I'm running 2 HT6's.
I also run the Polk DB651's. They sound great when you power them up with an amp. I know they're not JL's, but they've exceeded my expectations.
Also have a WetSounds IB sub and tower speakers, but the Single biggest improvement I made was adding 2 cockpit speakers to the mid cabin. They should've come with 6 inboats from the start.
If you're looking to add tower speakers, you may not need transom speakers.

I would agree, adding another set of speakers in the cockpit was a huge improvement. I went with the Rockford pm282's and love them. I also replaced all three sets of stock db651's with Rockford pm262's. Huge improvement!!

 

[octavio3311]

@octavio3311 what head unit are you using? One of the reasons I was looking at the Fusion was for the zone control but I am not sure how that would work running all speakers through the amp. The Fusion looks to use the 1st 2 zones for the speaker runs and the 3rd zone through an amp. Maybe it could be wired differently.

But like your use of the volume controls.

Also, aren't the HT-6's too much power for the Polk DB651's?

Thanks

@96Pirate - I'm using the stock Clarion CDM6 that my boat came with. It's a decent unit.
The Polks are rated at 60 watts continuous and 180 peak. The HT6 pumps 110 watts continuous. It's all in how you tune the amps - dialing down the gain.

 

[OCMD]

Here's you DB651s on sale.

https://jetboaters.net/threads/polk...tchfield-for-anyone-looking.8472/#post-146073

 

[96Pirate]

So I ended up going with the following...

- 6 Polk MM651UM (4 cabin and 2 transom)
- Wet Sounds HT-4 amp
- Fusion MS IP600g with Remote and Bluetooth attachment

I figure I have a couple ways to wire this so not sure what would be the best..

Amp is rated at
- 110 rms x 4 @ 4ohms
- 150 rms x 4 @ 2ohms

Speakers rated at
- 100 rms
- 200 max

Option 1
Wire the 4 cabins in parallel across 2 channels and the 2 transoms each to their own channels. That would give me 150w to each of the 2 cabin channels or 75w per speaker and 110 watts per speaker on the transom. Will that cause imbalance with the cabins at 2ohms and the transoms at 4?

Option 2
Wire the 4 cabins to their own channels and wire the 2 transom to the dedicated head unit outs. That would give me 110w per the 4 cabins and 70w to the 2 transoms (per Fusion specs)

Which would sound better? Speakers are rated at 100 rms. So I would expect the transoms to sound better with the 1st option and the cabins to sound better with the 2nd option.

How much of a difference would I see between 75w and 110w?

I want good sound in the cabin when we are cruising but I would also like to hear the transoms while surfing. Not sure if 75 or even 110 would give me that.

What do you think? Anyone have a similar setup and which way did you go?

Thanks
Mike