Quote Originally Posted by mmandley View Post
Yea that's whats holding me back LOL. I got 3 deep cycle marines right now. They been holding up decent with my punishment but id like the high-end batteries instead. Better peace of mind. I know if i spent that money on those Claudia would give me a the stink eye for sure right now. She has taken my bank card away LOL

Just wanted to give an update on actual performance of the new system. This setup absolutely POUNDS on the water. I had never really thought about it until I started talking to Brian (Exile) about the different components, but there is no sense in buying a good sub or tower speakers unless you are going to power them sufficiently with good Amps. 1 or maybe even 2 Amps is not enough to power an entire system IMHO. POWER is everything.

I had thought about changing the stock head-unit, but I decided against it. In retrospect, I am glad that I didn't waste my money. The head-unit is fine and the speakers sound great with it. And this is the inexpensive stock Kenwood head unit. Also, we are primarily plugging an Ipod into the back of the WS-420 for most of our music.

I was a little apprehensive about only having only 2 batteries for the boat. Let me tell you...........The combination of the Perko switch and the Volt meters have set my mind at ease. I thought that it would be necessary to trickle charge the Stinger batteries after each use while the boat is in storage, or at least after 2 trips to the lake. I don't believe that will be the case. I keep the Perko on the number "2" setting (alternator charging the big battery during operation of the boat--and this is the battery that powers the stereo), and the battery has been holding a charge amazingly well. We typically swim in a cove for a couple hours, and then do watersports for about the same amount of time alternating back and forth until we get bored and go home. I can't imagine why some of these high-end systems have 6 or 8 Optima batteries unless they are sitting in a cove all day long. After a couple hours of sitting, the battery hasn't dropped below 75% charge, and then it fully (or close to it) recharges during our operating time. This setup will work perfectly for our typical lake activities.

After a few trips to the lake, I was pleasantly surprised by 2 things.......... regarding the system. The Sub and the WS-420. The Sub absolutely pounds. When sitting in the driver's seat, my feet are not inhibited by the sub enclosure at all, and the sub is so loud that it will make the hair on my arms dance while seated in the driver's seat.

I don't know why some people don't like the WS-420. I find that it works incredibly well for my application. No distortion or feedback whatsoever when using the microphone and it has just enough adjustments to make the stereo sound great, but not so many that it is difficult to use. Sure the nobs could be different, but I don't find that I am adjusting things that much to make them difficult to use. I love the WS-420.