Set up for stereo amp

[Mcdonas]

I have a Moomba Mojo with the standard Sony Stereo system and six speakers. I have a 600w/4 channel kicker amp. I just added two rockford tower speakers for a total of eight. I connected the tower speakers with the front speakers on the amp. Im not sure how to set the switches on the amp. Hi/low and what does the fader do?

[David Analog]

First, the tower speakers MUST have their own dedicated channels. The demands placed on tower speakers (elevated in open air with the expectations of greater projection) are very different from the in-boat speakers which are listened to within a 5 foot proximity. Plus, you will want to fade between the tower and in-boat zones. That control is essential.
Then you can wire the six in-boat speakers in a series/parallel combination off the remaining two channels. The two cockpit coaxials from each side will be wired in series and that combo will be wired in parallel with one bow coaxial. That is as close as you can get to having an equitable distribution of in-boat power while still maintaining a stable load to the amplifier.
Then you can address the amplifier settings.

[Mcdonas]

Thanks David

[MLA]

Can that Kicker amp drive all 8.......sure, but like David said, its a huge demand to ask when its a pair of tower speakers. Get a nice 2 chnl, like the Kicker KXM400.2 that dedicated just for those tower pods and you will be much happier with the overall performance of the system.

[Mcdonas]

Thanks for the suggestion MLA. I will look at doing that. I actually have an extra amp that I can install.

[belewsfamily]

Thanks for the suggestion MLA. I will look at doing that. I actually have an extra amp that I can install.

Make sure that ALL stereo components are for marine applications . Everything in your boat can, and will, get wet in some way or another . Another thing that helps is to use all OFC (oxygen free copper) wiring for your speakers. The power wires on a boat don't benefit from being OFC, as the runs are generally short. But the speaker wire, especially for a tower application , has a much greater demand put on it. Always be overkill with your wire gauge too, bigger wire means less resistance , which means no power loss.

[MLA]

I have a different view on some points made above.

Marine grade speaker is a must IMO, for in-boats and towers. Too much exposure to sun and water. Subs and and amps are a different story. One misconception about "marine grade", is that amps are waterproof. They are not. The same direct water contact that can take out an automotive amp, can take out a marine grade amp. The single biggest advantage to marine amps, is the resistance to corrosion from the coated PCB and more noble metals uses and tinned terminals. In a fresh water boat that can be stored in a way that lockers can be left open to vent and dry, there is no reason an automotive amp cannot have a long service life in a boat. Its installation location means more, for any amp.

CCA power cabling has greater resistance p/ft then OFC, so you may need to go down a gauge to compensate. A speaker cable is carrying low current AC voltage, where as an amp power cable is carrying hi current DC. CCA is also less tolerant to corrosion. This will impact a power cable, just as quick as a speaker cable.

[beat taco]

Completely disagree all components need to be marine.

[clarkely]

Have u tried auto amps? I'm curious.... I have auto amps mounted in passenger compartment... Up high.... Time will tell.... On them.... I was just curious if u had tried and had them fail...

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[David Analog]

With certainty you must have a marine amplifier when you are in coastal or highly brackish areas. Salt and high mineral content is highly corrosive, especially for electrically charged circuits.
Keep in mind that not all marine amplifiers are the real deal. Some simply have a white shroud to appear marine. But the legit marine amplifiers might have additional input stage noise filtering, all stainless hardware, conformal coated circuit boards, gasketed & sealed cover panels over the controls, to name a few marine amenities.
A great majority of inland or fresh water boaters use automotive amplifiers. Most won't have any moisture related issues over a five year duration....if the installation is executed correctly and they keep a dry boat (bilge, carpet, etc.) during storage. A dry Arizona might be very different from a humid Houston.
On the flip side, as corrosion slowly begins to impact the electronics they may not notice a sound quality degradation. They only know that their equipment is still functioning.
On the better amplifier brands, the premium for marinized electronics is a minimal percentage.
IMO, any fan-cooled amplifier should be a fully marine product in any case.
Something to keep in mind. A marine amplifier is conformal coated which retards the air born corrosion elements. But if your amplifier is directly exposed to water while operational, the conformal coating cannot protect it. So if you take a roller over the bow, shut down the audio system pronto and until you can inspect your electronics.

[clarkely]

My situation... Is fresh water lakes o KY and always covered when in vacation on the lake.... And garaged when back at home....

Salt/salinity environments are hard on everything.... My parents boat at the beach requires lota of cleaning to keep it nice....

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