HELP!!! I bought new tower speakers and an amp...now what?

[MLA]

Bridging the amp into to 3 chnl mode would leave the in-boats out of the mix, as it would be driving a woofer and a single pair of tower speakers.

[Stazi]

Bridging the amp into to 3 chnl mode would leave the in-boats out of the mix, as it would be driving a woofer and a single pair of tower speakers.

Yep.

I think he’d be better off with one of these:
https://www.jbl.com/marine-audio/JBL...GLOBAL-Current

He’d have to buy a sub in a box like this:
https://www.crutchfield.com/S-VJ5NDR...LhAaAhK68P8HAQ
but you could have the whole system up and running and sounding way better.


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[Moomba Dad]

Looks like you could run it bridges at 4Ωx2 and get 130W per channel. Should work.


It’s really meant for the in boats and a sub but you could use it for the towers. Personally I’d use it for the in boats, add a sub and buy another amp to run the towers. Then you would have a fully kick ass sound system.


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Thank you for your responses.

So are you suggesting I bridge four channels into two, and then use those to power the two new tower speakers? If so, how would I power the existing in boat speakers? Or do I just run them direct to the receiver?

Again, thank you for your help.

[Moomba Dad]

Yep.

I think he’d be better off with one of these:
https://www.jbl.com/marine-audio/JBL...GLOBAL-Current

He’d have to buy a sub in a box like this:
https://www.crutchfield.com/S-VJ5NDR...LhAaAhK68P8HAQ
but you could have the whole system up and running and sounding way better.


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Are you suggesting I add this amp for my current in-boat speakers, and bridge the amp I already have for my new tower speakers?

Would I then have to upgrade my current in-boat speakers also?

[Moomba Dad]

Bridging the amp into to 3 chnl mode would leave the in-boats out of the mix, as it would be driving a woofer and a single pair of tower speakers.

That’s what I thought. Thank you for clarifying for me.

[Stazi]

Are you suggesting I add this amp for my current in-boat speakers, and bridge the amp I already have for my new tower speakers?

Would I then have to upgrade my current in-boat speakers also?

No...the other way around. The amp you bought is meant for the in boats (cabin speakers) and a sub. Hence why it has 5 channels. 4 regular full range speakers and 1 sub (low freq only). You can run 6 in boaters on it and sub, too (the 2 bow speakers on 2 of the channels and the 4 from the cockpit area, bridged, and running on the remaining 2 channels). That is what I am doing with my 5-channel Kicker amp (Kicker KX800.5)

Then I said to get a second amp, which I posted a link for, to be dedicated JUST for the towers. The amp I posted also has more power for those 2 tower speakers, then the amp you already have, AND it will produce a cleaner more power sound from the towers.


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[Moomba Dad]

No...the other way around. The amp you bought is meant for the in boats (cabin speakers) and a sub. Hence why it has 5 channels. 4 regular full range speakers and 1 sub (low freq only). You can run 6 in boaters on it and sub, too (the 2 bow speakers on 2 of the channels and the 4 from the cockpit area, bridged, and running on the remaining 2 channels). That is what I am doing with my 5-channel Kicker amp (Kicker KX800.5)

Then I said to get a second amp, which I posted a link for, to be dedicated JUST for the towers. The amp I posted also has more power for those 2 tower speakers, then the amp you already have, AND it will produce a cleaner more power sound from the towers.


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OOOOkay. Gotcha!

So will this amp for my existing in-boat speakers be overpowering for them? Could they blow?

Also, is there a way to adjust the volume of the in-boat speakers and volume of the tower speakers independently? I would think this is a common concern.

Thank you again for your help! I really appreciate it.

[Stazi]

It’s better to have more power than needed, than not enough. Also you always want to look at RMS power, not peak. And that amp you have now is designed with a regular boat setup in mind.

When you run too small an amp and then try to crank up the volume, your amp with start to clip the signal and that’s what destroys speakers.

Yes, you can set up the gains on each of the amps to set the volume separately to the tower and the in boats and that will keep that ratio the same.

Now, if you want to be able to constantly adjust the volume from the towers or the in boats, then you would need to get a zone controller. If you don’t care and can live with the towers always louder than the inboats then you can skip the zone controller.




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[Moomba Dad]

It’s better to have more power than needed, than not enough. Also you always want to look at RMS power, not peak. And that amp you have now is designed with a regular boat setup in mind.

When you run too small an amp and then try to crank up the volume, your amp with start to clip the signal and that’s what destroys speakers.

Yes, you can set up the gains on each of the amps to set the volume separately to the tower and the in boats and that will keep that ratio the same.

Now, if you want to be able to constantly adjust the volume from the towers or the in boats, then you would need to get a zone controller. If you don’t care and can live with the towers always louder than the inboats then you can skip the zone controller.




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I think I'll try it without a zone controller first to see how it performs. I'll have to look into how to set up the gains on the amps. It looks like there are some "Gains" dials that will need adjusting.

Thank you again for all of your guidance It's very helpful.

A couple more quick items (1) can I run all of this on one battery, or should I consider two?; (2) If two, could you suggest the type of battery and link/shut off hardware that I'll need please; and (3) what type of fuses/breakers work best for my amps? (It looks like I'll need a 100A and a 60A.)

Thanx again for your time & your help!

[Shoebox]

Definitely get a zone controller. Best thing I did for my sound system. Every song is different, I'm constantly adjusting my sub output, and turning down the towers when nobody is behind the boat is nice.