Yet Another Stereo Install Question..

[Yamaha242lsdallas]

I know there are a lot of threads on install questions but I never found one with what I was considering doing, I did not want to append onto another thread so here goes...

My current setup is stock so far (modified by Yamaha with the XC6210 Clarion 350W 2 channel amp).

The amp powers the rear cockpit and transom speakers (stock Polk 6.5") and the head unit "front" line out powers the tower tweeters and bow (2 6.5" Polks). Everything sounds very good (not audiophile great but pretty good) with decent base.
So fade works between the rear 4 and front bow along with the tweeters.

I want sound to be heard behind the boat more, not wakeboard distance but wakesurf distance.

To that end I picked up two JL MX770 tower speakers and will replace the tweeters with these using the existing wire (will upgrade the wire in future but for now will go with whats there). I also will bypass the crossovers going to the tweeters.

My question is has anyone configured their sound setup so you can fade out (or in) the transom and tower together? It would seem like these 4 would be the best for projecting the sound behind the boat. this would leave the 4 cockpit all at one level adjustment. I would more then likely have to add one additional amp to accomplish this - I'm not sure the MD8 head unit can power the 4 polks very well without an amp.

Other option would be to keep the wiring as is with just the tower speakers separated out and powered with a separate amp and its own inline fade control. That would leave the bow speakers powered only by the HU and the other 4 powered by the 350W amp. With setup though I'm not sure how i could put max volume through the tower but have the 4 cockpit and 2 transom speakers at low volume. Seems like I would only be able to turn down the tower speakers lower then the rest of them..not make them louder then every other speaker in the boat.

I'm just trying to get control over the cockpit sound volume level v/s the sound I want to project outside the back of the boat.

I'm not an expert by any stretch when it comes to setting up sound systems so I'm sure there are flaws to what I'm trying to do, please feel free to share suggestions on how to make this work.

Thanks

 

[GiddYupJoe]

Honestly. With any good tower speaker you will never need the transom speakers for surfing. I use a wet sounds 420 eq to zone between boat and tower. As long as you split boat and tower you will get what you are looking for. At least IMO.
If I remember correctly @Detonate used individual volume controls instead of the full out EQ. His setup should get you what you are looking to do also.
When listening to the cabin speakers while under way I just adjust the volume on the tower speakers to give me some highs as if they were tweeters.

 

[Yamaha242lsdallas]

I'm hopping the MX770's are pretty good, i was going to go with some kicker ones but I think these are a much better speaker. I know the M770's would have been even better but did not want the extra $200 cost.

I guess I don't understand how the separate volume controls work, do they control the amps directly, substituting the volume control on the H/U?

I guess another option would be to do the separate tower option but put the inline fade control on the cockpit 4 speakers along with the 2 transom speakers. that lets me crank up the tower full and keep the cockpit level adjusted down?

Edit: oh..and thanks for the reply

 

[GiddYupJoe]

Until someone with more knowledge chimes in, these are what I was talking about. It was @octavio3311 that installed them.

https://jetboaters.net/threads/blue-yonder-stereo-upgrade.1695/#post-25421

 

[Yamaha242lsdallas]

Speaker wiring

• Yamaha242lsdallas
• Aug 4, 2014

OK, i have figured out how I'm going to set up my amps/speakers but have run into another problem. Running the wires through the tower from the support cross member into the back tube (see photo). I cant find any opening into that tube and not sure how i can drill a hole using the opening from the tweeters.

Has anyone tried this or know how to run this wire/drill that hole?

Thanks

 

[GiddYupJoe]

Through all my reading I have not noticed anyone going your route with the wires. If you are stuck on going that way I would think that the only way to do it would be to drill a blow in the cross member and the tower tube right where you have it circled and then thread the wires from inside to out to back to inside and down the tube. You can use rubber grommets where you drilled into the tower.

If you choose not to go this route, from where I see that you have the speakers mounted, it should not be that difficult to run wire from the amps to the base of the tower and then up the tube. This is the most typical way I have seen it done and is how my tower speakers are ran. Here is a picture of how the wires are ran around the joints. Kind of like what I mentioned above just in a different place.

To answer your original question... I am at a loss of how you could drill internally.

 

[kthrash]

I installed a Kicker ZXMRLC that allows for independent control of the volume in the boat and the tower.. I installed one amp for the boat interior and another amp for the tower speakers. All Rockford Fosgate components.

 

[Yamaha242lsdallas]

Thanks for the responses. trying to plan out what to do and you have given me somethings to think about.