Amp help

I'll be getting a Max here in a couple of weeks, and trying to plan ahead. The cabin speakers will need an amp. I'm not sure exactly which Wetsounds model they are, but it looks like all of their current 6.5's are rated the same at 100w RMS @4ohm.

My question is what is the ideal amp rating for a 4 channel amp where each speaker gets it's own channel since the Max comes with 4 in boats. Would the Kicker KMX 400.4 (100w RMS @4ohm) leave power on the table? The next step up is something like the WS Syn-DX4 (125w), but it's about a $300 price difference. How much power can you throw at a 100w w/o damaging it?

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Originally Posted by csm

I'll be getting a Max here in a couple of weeks, and trying to plan ahead. The cabin speakers will need an amp. I'm not sure exactly which Wetsounds model they are, but it looks like all of their current 6.5's are rated the same at 100w RMS @4ohm.

My question is what is the ideal amp rating for a 4 channel amp where each speaker gets it's own channel since the Max comes with 4 in boats. Would the Kicker KMX 400.4 (100w RMS @4ohm) leave power on the table? The next step up is something like the WS Syn-DX4 (125w), but it's about a $300 price difference. How much power can you throw at a 100w w/o damaging it?

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If you're gonna go through the process of wiring a single amp, you should consider getting a 5 channel. You can add a mid power sub on it's own channel, plus power your in-boats.

While you are sourcing your amp cable and distribution blocks, think about possible expansion down the road adding another amp for tower speakers if it doesn't already have one.

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Yeah, towers are taken care of. I was planning on having a separate mono amp for a sub just because that’s what I’ve always had in the past, but I’ll look into one amp for cabins and sub too.


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The Kicker kxma400/4 is actually 50w RMS @ 4 ohm and 100w RMS @ 2 ohm.

A 5 chnl hybrid is a mono woofer amp, just in along side a full range 4 chnl.

You could kxma400.2 for the in boats and a mono. That's 100w RMS to each speaker. Downside is no fade.

If the speakers are rated at 100W RMS, then an amp with the Same rating is a good match. If you’re running 4 speakers, a 4 channel is the way to go to allow fade/gain changes that you lose with a 2 channel.


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Thanks guys - Yeah I read the Kicker specs wrong. I'll definitely open up my options to look into 5 or 6 channel hybrids that match my specs.

The Wet Sounds HTX-6 would five you 100W rms for each in-boat and 300W for a mild woofer. The Syn-DX6 would be a step up in woofer wattage to 600W. Both of these options would allow for a 3rd pair of in-boats to be added. I would suggest this, if you went with the 600W rms woofer option.

With that said, the Kicker KXMA800.5 is still a solid option for a good setup. The in-boats are still going to sound great even with its 50W rms to each. Wattage is not the whole story, a quality amp makes a huge difference in sound quality compared to low quality amps that boast high wattage. This amp also includes a wireless sub controller.

Thanks. Yeah I’m leaning towards the Syn-dx6, paired with a 12” L7 wired at 4ohm.


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If you wanted to save some money, the Pioneer GMD8604 does 100x4 rms.
I’ve used a couple and they’re fantastic amps. Can be had for under $200! Hard to go wrong with Pioneer. I use their 9601 as a sub amp in my wife’s 4Runner.

I know I’ll catch some flak for the recommendation, I just have a hard time paying WetSounds money when you can accomplish the same thing for 1/4 the price. Lol
There’s some good amps out there that will do what you want, and you can buy a separate sub amp and still not be close to a single WS amp.