Upgrading audio in stages

[Shady]

I want to replace the speakers first to get by for a while, then add amp and sub, maybe head unit if needed down the road. I’m thinking of going with the wet sounds xs-65i, would these sound ok without an amp pushing them for a season? I did see clarion xc2410 amp that I wouldn’t mind adding when doing speakers since it’s cheap.
If not what would you recommend as a good speaker running off factory unit then adding amp later? Trying to keep the budget reasonable since just dropped the cash to buy the boat lol

 

[Bruce]

Replacing the stock speakers should make a noticeable difference. I went with Infinity 6x9s with a high SPL (efficiency) using six powered by a single Fusion head unit before adding a pair of class d amps. Each stage provided benefit. I replaced the stock speakers a few days before the head unit upgrade. The speaker upgrade was nice on its own. The additional wattage of the Fusion was a big step up. Then the pair of amps topped it off.

 

[Bearsar240]

Check out creative audio. They have good pricing. I bought SW650 they are higher watts than the 65i.

 

[Adrian @ JB Solutions]

I did this in stages. Replacing the factory with out amp was a pretty big difference. Adding an amp then added another large difference.

 

[swatski]

If not what would you recommend as a good speaker running off factory unit then adding amp later? Trying to keep the budget reasonable since just dropped the cash to buy the boat lol

Polk DB651s if you can still find those, best value hands down. Should be able to get a pair for under $50.

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[BlkGS]

I've been doing mine in stages too. Its worth it each time.

If you can do it all at once, that's not a bad idea either. Personally, I've never felt like the top of the line speakers are worth it. You can spend 1k on midrange good stuff, or 4k on high end, and never hear a difference. Just my experience with cars, ymmv.

 

[Marvin willis]

I went with 6 kickers. Huge difference over stock. I had polks in my old boat and loved them but they didn’t hold up in salt water. The kickers are suppose to hold up well in salt water environments and came with a 4 year warranty through amazon.

 

[Shady]

Polk DB651s if you can still find those, best value hands down. Should be able to get a pair for under $50.

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I see them for around $60, i see the DB652 for less than $10 more. Are the new 652’s not as good as hte older 651’s?

 

[swatski]

I see them for around $60, i see the DB652 for less than $10 more. Are the new 652’s not as good as hte older 651’s?

Same or better from what we’ve heard, just a tad more pricey, I have no first hand experience with the 652s.

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[Shady]

deleted, found my answer

 

[chrisinslc]

So far I have only swapped out the factory speakers for the DB652's and I am running them off deck power. Big improvement over stock.

 

[stevenk2]

Question - I just looked at the OEM speakers in my AR195, and they are in fact the Polk DB652's, so if I just added something like the Clarion XC2410 amp, would I notice a huge improvement? Or will it just distort and sound like crap unless I get different (upgraded) speakers?

 

[swatski]

Question - I just looked at the OEM speakers in my AR195, and they are in fact the Polk DB652's, so if I just added something like the Clarion XC2410 amp, would I notice a huge improvement? Or will it just distort and sound like crap unless I get different (upgraded) speakers?

That amp is a perfect power match for two pairs of DBs!
Reliable and efficient, too.
May require some wire splicing to connect though.

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[chrisinslc]

You will hear a huge improvement.

 

[Julian]

If your stock speakers are the white grilled Seaworthy Speakers....the name for those is perfect....they are totally seaworthy, as in drop them in the ocean next time you are out!

The Polk db651/2s are a great upgrade from the Seaworthy speakers, and the next level up from that would be Wetsounds, and in my opinion JL after that. I have both the Polks and the JL speakers in my boat, and the JLs do noticeably out perform the Polks. It is all about money - how much you are willing to spend.

In my opinion, if you want to do it in stages and want to do it on a budget, go Polk. If you want to end up with a higher end system at the end, I'd put in the JLs from the start. But no matter what....if you have Seaworthy speakers....pitch them in the ocean so they can live up to their name!!! LOL

Amps come next. I have both Polk and Wetsounds amps in my boat, and the WS amp out performs the Polks.

 

[stevenk2]

In my opinion, if you want to do it in stages and want to do it on a budget, go Polk. If you want to end up with a higher end system at the end, I'd put in the JLs from the start.

Do you have any recommendations as far as a specific model of JL speakers & amps? Is there a low-end/high-end option on that brand as well?

 

[Julian]

Do you have any recommendations as far as a specific model of JL speakers & amps? Is there a low-end/high-end option on that brand as well?

There are indeed.....
Marine Audio » Speakers

I went with the "budget" MX series speakers. The M series is the next level up.

 

[stevenk2]

Thanks - those are definitely a big step up from my Polks, both in performance and price. Any suggestions for a JL amp?

My thought is that I could do the upgrade in stages, starting with the amp on my current system, then upgrade the speakers next season. Also, should I buy the amp now with an eye towards my future plans of adding a sub and tower speakers (i.e. full multi-channel amp with enough capacity to handle the added speakers), or should I buy single amps based on my need at the time (i.e. a 2- or 4-channel amp right now for the 4 stock speakers, then a 1-channel amp to drive the sub and another 2-channel amp to drive the tower speakers when I get those)?

 

[Julian]

@stevenk2 I think it depends on how much money you have....I would buy the amp you want to end up with rather than switching later. I'm not an amp expert, so I'll leave that up to others on the forum with much more Amp knowledge.

 

[stevenk2]

For now, I just went ahead and got the Clarion XC2410 - I'm only in it for $99 bucks, and from what others are saying, it'll still sound better than stock. Then I think I'll budget next year for the rest of the setup like I want with some higher-quality components, and I can just sell the XC2410 and/or reuse it in one of my other vehicles. This should get me by this season, and I can work on upgrading the stereo system during the off season. I'd probably still have time to tackle it before our scheduled trips this season if I really pushed hard, but time's getting away from me fast, and I don't want to risk having things all torn apart and/or doing a rush job just to try and finish in time. Plus it gives me a project to work on over next winter to fill the time before Summer 2020.

What gauge wire should I run for power to the amp? The power leads from the amp look to be standard 18/20 gauge wire in the pics from Amazon, but I've seen posts on here where folks are using like 8 or 10 gauge wire for power. Shouldn't you just match the gauge of what's coming off the amp, or is that not sufficient? Seems like you could only pass as much current as is allowed by the smallest pipe in the circuit, so even if you're running 8/10 gauge off the battery to the amp leads, then it steps down to 18/20 gauge at the amp leads, you're way overkill.