The below instructions were posted by Phil White of Kicker on another forum and i thought it would benefit everyone who has questions on how to go about it.

Per Phil's instructions;

Turn gains way down but not totally off at the EQ and all amps.

Now turn radio up with your loudest source selection, (radio, MP3, CD etc) until you can audibly hear the sound beginning to distort, get crunchy, etc... Then turn the radio down just barely below that.

Now turn the EQ gains slowly up until you hear that distorted crunchy sound. It should sound similar to the distortion that the radio put out. Turn the EQ gains back down just a little below that.

Finally do the same thing with your full-range-in-boat speakers amplifier. Turn the gains up till crunchy then back off... turn up your sub amp until it blends with the in-boat speakers, and if you cannot get the sub amp loud enough, go back to the in-boat amp and turn it down to match the sub.

What we are doing here is using our ear to gain-stage the whole system... The method I describe makes every component clip at the same time. Each and every device is more-or-less exactly calibrated where they track uniformly from zero-output to max output.

This will deliver the best signal and will minimize operating noise, clicks, pops, etc... Phil White / Kicker