Help me get the right amp.

[Elevated1]

I am going to order 6 polk db651 to replace my kickers in my obv 08. I have the stock amp, but I think I need to purchase a better amp. I am doing my audio system in stages. Replace boat speakers, add sub, add tower speakers. I figure each stage will require another amp.
Thanks for the help.

[bzubke1]

I'm curious about this too. It seems most people use a 4 channel amp for the six inboat speakers but why not use a 6 channel amp like the jl audio g6600.

[mmandley]

There is no reason not to use the JL Audio 6channel amp. As a matter a fact Al Cab has been using one and pretty much swears by it. I cant recall if he has replaced it yet with a 4 channel but i doubt it even though im pushing him too LOL.

The main reason why i don't like the 6 channel amps is Power output.

You really dont need the Bow speakers to be as loud as the cabins. Also this amp is pretty big and takes a lot of room in a room limited environment.

You are also limited to 75 watts of power at 4 ohms.

You can get a lot more powerful 4 channels for the same price and run the bow speakers off 4ohms and then piggy back the cabins as 2 ohms and get a lot more power out of the amp.

Ultimately its up to you as the owner but that's why i prefer the 4channels over 6.

[bzubke1]

That makes complete sense, I have noticed the six channels were pricey for not that much output per channel. What amp do you have powering your 6 exiles the 800.4?

[mmandley]

Yea i got the 800.4 on it and have the gain turned down a bit on the bow speakers as 200 is a ton of power. The rear cabins though sound amazing and they really crank

[bzubke1]

Yea i got the 800.4 on it and have the gain turned down a bit on the bow speakers as 200 is a ton of power. The rear cabins though sound amazing and they really crank

So with your set up you have the 2 bow speakers running of two channels, and the 4 cabin speakers running off the other two channels.

The bow speakers are getting 200watts at 4ohms?
The cabin speakers are getting 100 watts a piece at 2 ohms?

Is this right?

[kaneboats]

Just me but I would change the order-- get the sub first. The Kicker ones aren't that bad if you run them hi pass and add the sub. They will be more efficient and sound pretty good. You will need a new amp or at least a sub amp. I run a 5 channel Infinity amp. I'd get some other opinions about this.

This assumes you have the same Kicker ones I do. They look like this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/KICKER-KM620-6-M...item4cf4efd796

I keep hoping Phil will kick in his .02 on these as these speakers get hammered on here all the time. Or does his silence on this speak volumes?

Here's one installer's take on these:

http://forums.wakeboarder.com/viewtopic.php?t=81735

[brain_rinse]

Just me but I would change the order-- get the sub first. The Kicker ones aren't that bad if you run them hi pass and add the sub. They will be more efficient and sound pretty good.

That would be my approach too.

[bzubke1]

I would go sub first too I still have the kickers they sound good to me.

[philwsailz]

Just me but I would change the order-- get the sub first. The Kicker ones aren't that bad if you run them hi pass and add the sub. They will be more efficient and sound pretty good. You will need a new amp or at least a sub amp. I run a 5 channel Infinity amp. I'd get some other opinions about this.

This assumes you have the same Kicker ones I do. They look like this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/KICKER-KM620-6-M...item4cf4efd796

I keep hoping Phil will kick in his .02 on these as these speakers get hammered on here all the time. Or does his silence on this speak volumes?

Here's one installer's take on these:

http://forums.wakeboarder.com/viewtopic.php?t=81735

Hi guys- Thanks for the invite to this discusison!

Let me tell you, being the OEM provider of speakers and amplifiers is the bane of any audio manufacturer. We all know the perception of "stock" and it is well founded, based on history. I think that the Kicker speakers are hammered as Kane pust it simply because they are stock... Everyone wants to replace "stock" and this is largely due to history...


A lot has changed in 20 years, and there was a time, not too long ago that boat stereos really did suck... 20 years ago a stock boat stereo was like a Bic lighter. It was CHEAP, and when it quit you threw it out and bought a new one. AND, you know it would quit... 20 years ago there wasn't a good sounding marine speaker being built, and none of the major companies that you would have gone to for a car stereo upgrade made marine gear. If you wanted a bad-azz boat stereo you used car gear.


As for the Kicker speakers, yeah, they are stock. They are stock for a good reason... they are good.
The Kicker marine speaker line was developed from the start, by boaters, for boaters, from a clean sheet of paper. This is not a car speaker painted white.

The tweeter is grill mounted instead of pole mounted. This seals the midrange speaker cone to keep water out, Since it is sealed it has greater radiating area than a standard pole-mount tweeter speaker which has a hole through the middle of the midrange cone. The sealed cone will also stand up to being hosed down and are highly water and UV resistant.

We designed our own proprietary basket design so that we could put in an over-sized 6.5" speaker cone, while fitting in the same 5.125" stock boat cutout noramally used for a 6" speaker. We have greater cone area as a result of this too.

The motors are magnetically shielded. We do this for two reasons. The first is for navigation where you have to rely on a compass.. The Kicker marine speakers are superior at minimizing compass deviation and the potential to stray off course as a result. Know that a GPS is good at telling you where you are, but it CANNOT tell you which way you are pointing....
The other key reason for the shielding is that it takes all that stray magnetic flux that jacks with a compass and focuses it inside the motor, onto the voice coil. We get higher magnetic energy on the voice coild and a more efficient speaker as a result. We create the shielding by installing a bucking magnet onto the back of the normal motor's backplate and then we glue a low-carbon steel cup over the whole assembly. Finally, we put an injection-molded cover over the back of the entire assembly to prevent rust.

Ever held a Kicker marine speaker in your hand? Pick one up and look real close. Holding it upright so that you can read the KICKER logo, take a look at the grill at the 6-o-clock position, both inside and outside the grill ring. See those little cookie bites? Those are there to provide a drainage channel for any water standing next to the surround to drain.

I mentioned rust above talking about the motor, but we do more than that to prevent rust. When you go to a store and buy a retail packaged pair of Kicker marine speakers you will get 316L stainless hardware instead of some cheaper stainless that can rust, (304) or some other even worse dipped plain-carbon steel fasteners. 316L stainless is the preferred metal for fasteners used above the water line and that is what most if not all boat builders use today.


Kicker has been in the audio business for a LONG time. We started as a Pro PA company back in the 70's and were working with high-effiency music reproduction long before many of you were born. Many of us have music backgrounds, both in recording, performing, and live sound. Heck, with the latest HLCD craze, understand we were using and building horns when we STARTED the company....


Yeah, Kicker is the OEM stock speaker for Moomba and Supra. Yawn...


It is understandable that you guys want to upgrade this stuff. It is human nature to personalize, to make your stuff truly your own. I like to make the analogy of a car... When you buy a big three car out of Detroit, you get that builders' OEM seats, that builders' OEM motor, that builders' OEM upholstery and that builder's OEM stereo.... I too would want to upgrade... Especially that stereo...

When you buy a Moomba or a Supra boat from Skier's Choice you are not getting that stock boring OEM car, you are geting the performance equivalent. Consider your boat as a sports car... Your sports car might have Borla Exhaust, Katskin seats, Brembo brakes, Edelbrock Intake, MSD ignition, Kicker stereo.... Yup, stock stuff can be darned nice too...


Now for sure, each of you have your own preferences, your own ears, your own eyes, your own identity, and your own goals. That is human nature. There will be some of you that just do not like the sound of a Kicker speaker, and that is cool too. Just know that if you take that Kicker speaker out, you are holding in your hands a very well-thought-out, designed from a clean-sheet-of-paper marine loudspeaker. A loudspeaker built by people who had, have, and always will have, a passion for music...



If I could make ONE SUBJECTIVE statemet in this entire post, (tough to do as the manufacturer's voice for the forums) I do not personally think your best bang for the buck is replacing the stock Kicker speakers with another brand's speaker. There are other things you can do that could be better considered as upgrades...

To the OP's comments, if I were to be making recommendations to upgrade a stock 6-speaker system, the first thing I would do would be to add a subwoofer and an amplifier at least for the subwoofer. While thinking about it, know that the stock speakers can handle more power than is provided with the basic 6-speaker setup, so I might consider replacing the stock amp with a larger one that would drive the in-boats to their full potential while also powering the subwoofer. Next I would add tower speakers or upgrade from coaxial tower speakers to an HLCD setup...

In all of this, make sure that gains are properly set, crossovers activated and at proper frequencies, all of the stuff that goes with a properly dialed-in system. Head unit EQ flat too!

I know I have written a long post, so I apologize. In an effort to keep it short, let me leave it there for now. If you have any questions holler!

Stay warm, (it was -18 here this morning!)

Phil
Kicker