Off Season Stereo Build

[NautiGirl]

I wanted to start a thread to document the stereo build we are doing this off season. Seems like there is always interest in what people are doing with their systems. It’s going to be a bit of a long thread, so skip if you want, but hopefully it helps people shopping for new stuff.

The majority of the system in the boat is as it came from Neodesha, and while Cobalt did some stuff well, they also cut corners in a few areas that have driven me crazy since we purchased the boat. The original subwoofer stopped working on the last trip out last season – turns out it was a corroded wire to the voice coil – and while I could have just replaced the sub and moved on we all know that isn’t how these things work. I used it as an excuse to basically rebuild everything.

The main issues I have was the way cobalt cut corners on the amp setup and wiring. I did some looking on the factory tour and it appears to that cobalt finally hired someone who knows how to setup a stereo – perhaps the Malibu influence - most of the complaints I have with ours look to be fixed based on what I saw at the factory.

To start here is a listing of what is currently in the boat.

Current Setup

Sony MEXGS610BT Head Unit – we replaced the original head unit as soon as we signed papers on the boat. Sony isn’t my favorite brand by any means but it works /w the factory remotes. The old head unit was fine but we wanted Bluetooth / IPhone compatibility. Also nice that the new model has 3 Pre-Amp outputs with 1 being a dedicated Sub Pre-Amp.

6 x Kicker 6.5 Component Speakers. Not great not bad. They have survived 11 years in the boat – can’t complain.

1 x Kicker 10in Sub. See above. Nothing amazing but it worked, until it didn’t.

2 x Sony XM-SD46x Amps – This is where Cobalt lost me. First they are not marine grade amps, of course they have survived 11 years so maybe the marine grade is hype? The Amps are both rated at 60x4. In the current setup all six cabin speakers are running off one 4 channel amp. I never looked, but based on speaker output I am guessing two have their own channel with the other four wired in series. This would give those 15watts each. Weak.

The other amp is using two channels to run the towers with the other two bridged to give 150w to the Sub. Aside from the sub being under powered I am actually pretty ok with that setup.

2 x MB Quart NT1-116 6.5 Towers – These are not original to the boat. The original towers were Kicker’s however they were in ROUGH shape. I got tired of people saying “Hey Nice Towers – can’t really hear them though” and the MB Quarts were on sale so here we are. At the time Katie and I didn’t really think we even wanted tower speakers so they are pretty basic.

The other issue, and perhaps my biggest complaint / concern with the setup is that Cobalt cheeped out on amp power and ground wire. The wire is actually run really well, nicely secured, used wire loom, and even grommets when going through holes in the fiberglass. The issue is they decided to save $50 and run a mix of 8ga and 10ga wire. A 20ft run of 8ga wire hooked to a 40amp fuse powering an amp that is rated at even 250 watts seems crazy to me. The factory manual of the OEM Sony amps lists 4ga as a minimum, as does any replacement amp I would put in the boat, so all that will be getting replaced. Way to compromise Cobalt.

[NautiGirl]

New Build

If you came here looking for a JL vs WetSounds debate I apologize, isn’t going to happen. They both have their strengths and weaknesses, and in my opinion the only way to decide which to go with is to listen to both. The titanium tweeter and HLCD setup in the WetSounds just sounds very different when played next to a JL. Perhaps the HLCD and metal tweeter is your jam, and that’s great, we decided for our usage JL was the way to go. So here is what is going into the boat:

6 JL MX650’s for the cabin. In the 6.5 version the differences between the M and MX series is minimal. In some ways the MX series actually sounds more balanced with its smaller tweeter as compared to the M. The difference when talking 6.5’s isn’t worth double the price. If you have room to fit the 770’s or 880’s the M series really does start to sound different enough to justify the money.

M10IB5 Sub Stepped up to the M series for the Sub. We wanted the upgraded power handling and the M10 is regarded as one of the best sounding infinite baffle sub’s on the market. It’s a tight fit but we can make it work. Gotta have all the shove as Katie says.

2 x M600/6 – Easy choice for the cabin, 6 channels 75x6 and very very configurable. I agonized over the amp selection for the towers and sub for quite a bit. Originally had a M500/3 bought, and ended up exchanging it for a second M600. The M500/3 is a 200x1 75x2 amp. It would have been perfect for our current setup, but I know my wife well enough to know that once we upgrade everything in the boat she is going to want the current tower speakers to be replaced with something that matches. The JL towers are all 7.7in drivers that really need more than 75 watts to power them.
To that end I future proofed myself a bit and bought a larger amp. The plan is to bridge two channels to power the Sub that will give it the same 200 watts as the M500/3 would have. For now the current towers each get their own channel and 75 watts on the M600/6 leaving the final two channels unused. Once we upgrade to JL towers I will bridge channels 3 and 4 and 5 and 6 on the M600 to give the towers up to 200 watts of power each.
Looking Back the M700/5 would have been a really good option also. I suspect there isn’t much internal difference between the M700 and M600. They share the same physical dimensions, same power output, only difference is the M700 is stable to 2 ohms on the Sub Channel. Not a huge factor in our build so I’ll be happy I saved the $50.

JL HD-RLC – This is JL’s amp remote control cable. It allows you to adjust the volume of all channels on the amp, a subset of channels on the amp, or a single channel on the amp. Currently we have a switch that turns the tower speakers on or off. Plan is to replace that switch with this knob so that we can vary the volume of the towers from 0 to 100%.

NVX 4GA Power and Ground Wire – After a LOT of shopping NVX was the cheapest quality power and ground wire I could find. The wire is true to gauge – no 6GA wire wrapped in enough insulation to make it appear 4GA and is 100% Oxygen Free Copper. It is also Tinned and Certified for Marine use. Ordered 50ft of both Power and Ground.

NVX 12GA Speaker Wire – again cheapest I could find for quality marine grade speaker wire. The 12GA may be a bit overkill, I would have preferred 14ga but they only make 16 and 12. A general guide is you don’t want wire resistance to be more than 5% of the rated speaker impedance. In English this means that 24ft is about the longest acceptable run for a 16ga wire hooked up to a 4ohm load.

Couple of the longer runs in the boat are 20+ft. After all the money we spent on amps it didn’t make sense to skimp on wire.

Amp Fuses – Cobalt wired the boat with two 40A Sea-Dog Re settable Circuit Breakers. JL spec’s 50A for the M600/6. I found a 50A version on Amazon that matches the OEM fuses exactly. Easy upgrade.

Audio Interconnects – All JL Marine here – no real reason other than they were pretty affordable, marine rated, and the wires in the boat are really showing their age.

If you made it this far congrats - you must have entirely too much time on your hands. We plan on traveling to the lake in the coming weeks to start the install. Katie of course will document the entire thing w/ the GoPro and pictures. The time lapse video of me cursing while I crawl into the engine compartment of the boat should be thrilling.

More to come...

[gdane]

Team Nauti, You won't regret going with JL over wet sounds. JL has a cleaner high end especially when you push the power. Did you consider the LED light rings? Especially for the tower speakers? Cool look and you are running the wire already? Don't know if you were able to compare the 8.8 tower speakers over the 7.7's? Good luck on the knuckle busters and hope you have a great chiropractor?

[NautiGirl]

Team Nauti, You won't regret going with JL over wet sounds. JL has a cleaner high end especially when you push the power. Did you consider the LED light rings? Especially for the tower speakers? Cool look and you are running the wire already? Don't know if you were able to compare the 8.8 tower speakers over the 7.7's? Good luck on the knuckle busters and hope you have a great chiropractor?

On the JL vs WS debate - I tend to agree JL's sound better - but everyone's ear is a different. Most report quality between the two is very comparable, so it really does come down to what sounds best to you, as well as what fits your application.

I asked Katie several times if we were ever going to do LED's because, as you mentioned, now is the time to run the wire. We don't boat at night, and she isn't into the look so no LED's. I have a notarized statement from her saying "I will never want them". We will see.

I have heard the 7.7's I didn't take time to listen to the 8.8's. New towers will be down the road a bit, important thing is I could drive either the 7's or 8's off the M600 amp /w no problems so we are in good shape there. We will definitely step up and go M series in the towers. I honestly wish we could have fit 7.7's in the boat, but the cutouts in the bow were too narrow. I could have mixed and matched w/ 7.7's in the back of the boat and 6.5's in the front but decided to not to.

Should be a fun install - the boat is pretty wide open - the worst part is going to be getting to the battery switch - and cleaning up the factory wiring its a birds nest behind the stereo right now. Rest should hopefully be pretty straight forward. Of course I totally just jinxed myself.

If I need to get into any really tight spots BBP has volunteered to come to KY. He has a particular set of skills that make him very good at fitting in tight spots. That was the nicest way I could come up with to say BBP is short.

[jhnmdahl]

Jeff, any issues with holes that wouldn’t expand from 6.5 to 7.7 inches due to the shape of the fiberglass around the speaker locations? I'd like to do something with mine this summer, but the molded-in recesses around the trim rings appear to be a constraint.

[NautiGirl]

Jeff, any issues with holes that wouldn’t expand from 6.5 to 7.7 inches due to the shape of the fiberglass around the speaker locations? I'd like to do something with mine this summer, but the molded-in recesses around the trim rings appear to be a constraint.

Exactly the same problem /w ours. There is no way I could have fit 7.7's in the bow. They would have also been a tight fit on the Port side wrap around in the back of the boat. Really the only place I think I could have fit them would be in front of the passenger and driver seats and maybe on the Starboard side back by the pass through.

If it was just an issue of cutting a larger fiberglass hole then I would have been all for it. I would have loved to go /w the larger drivers, no matter how much power you push to a 6.5 its still a relativity small speaker. As you most likely discovered the area around the speaker holes isnt flat, and is recessed a bit, there is no way I could have made anything larger fit. Here is a pic:

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[Big Block Power]

I'm glad Jeff isn't working today as you all can tell he's bored and has Plenty of time to type. Nice write up Jeff. Yes I'm short and yes you will have fun running your wires to the battery switch. His is in a much nicer spot then mine. Not!!
My engine compartment is pretty wide open. I won't tell Jeff but at the factory Katie said tower speakers with leds are coming soon I just want supposed to tell Jeff. Lol
I forgot already what I wasnt supposed to tell Katie.
Yes the wet sounds debate could go on for ever just like a oil debate. It will be fun when I get my boat next to there's and we will be able to compare them.
I'll start a much shorter thread like me in a few months as Mines getting a upgrade as well. Yes Jeff and I had fun spending each other's money the last couple of months.

[NautiGirl]

I'm glad Jeff isn't working today as you all can tell he's bored and has Plenty of time to type. Nice write up Jeff.

Actually I am at work today. It's dead in here - ask anyone in IT - you don't touch ANYTHING, no matter how insignificant it may seem, on Friday's or during holidays. No one wants to be "that guy" and break something while everyone is out.

And don't worry BBP yours will be louder. It's times like these I wish I had the 280hp V6 option. Think how wide open that engine compartment must be?

[Big Block Power]

I'm glad Jeff isn't working today as you all can tell he's bored and has Plenty of time to type. Nice write up Jeff.

Actually I am at work today. It's dead in here - ask anyone in IT - you don't touch ANYTHING, no matter how insignificant it may seem, on Friday's or during holidays. No one wants to be "that guy" and break something while everyone is out.

And don't worry BBP yours will be louder. It's times like these I wish I had the 280hp V6 option. Think how wide open that engine compartment must be?

You scared me there for a second. Here I thought you were trading the 6.2 for the 280hp. I know they are much more responsive then the old tech but whooo.

[jhnmdahl]

I listened to Wet Sounds and JL Audio too, and found the JL Audio maybe a bit smoother and less fatiguing to listen to (aren't audiophile terms great?). I think a lot of Wet Sounds people haven't compared them directly, or are after what we used to call "rock speakers" in the 70s and 80s and like the somewhat brighter sound of the Wet Sounds over the smoother JL Audio. That said, the difference is not as big as I thought it would be.

[NautiGirl]

I listened to Wet Sounds and JL Audio too, and found the JL Audio maybe a bit smoother and less fatiguing to listen to (aren't audiophile terms great?). I think a lot of Wet Sounds people haven't compared them directly, or are after what we used to call "rock speakers" in the 70s and 80s and like the somewhat brighter sound of the Wet Sounds over the smoother JL Audio. That said, the difference is not as big as I thought it would be.

I guess I am getting old because I prefer the sound quality of the JL's over the volume of the WS. Also, the majority of our day on the lake is spent anchored up floating close enough to the boat to rest an adult beverage on the platform, not on a wakeboard 30 feet behind the boat being towed 30mph.

For our application the JL sound quality wins over the ability to project sound at distance. Doesn't mean would be the right choice if we had a R5 Surf and wanted to hear music while wake surfing. But to your point you really can't go wrong w/ either.

[Big Block Power]

I agree. I don't think you can go wrong with either. I'm a treble kind of guy. I got a smoking deal on the wet sounds inboats 2 summers ago. That's the only reason I went and stayed with them. I can't wait hear it in person Jeff

[NautiGirl]

Found this on my doorstep today. Weird. Santa was just a bit late but given the present I guess I really can't complain.

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[NautiGirl]

New Build Updated

Turns out slow days at work are dangerous things. Around Christmas I spotted a set of new in box JL M770 towers. They were priced well below MSRP and about $80 below the best price I had seen online from Creative or Crutchfield. Shipping was high at $40, and we had just spent a ton of money on Christmas so I passed. I figured once you add in the shipping it made more sense to buy from an authorized retailer. I kept an eye on the auction, and the speakers ended up not selling. I kicked myself a bit for not making an offer on them but whatever.

Fast forward to late last week. The speakers had been re-listed at the same price, I was bored at work so I texted my buddy BBP - he of course said "buy them". Thanks, I expect nothing else. While I was debating making the purchase ebay sent me an email with a coupon code for 15% off any single item. Divine intervention? Santa spreading some Christmas Spirit? Not sure but that put the speakers and shipping $140 below the best price I had ever seen on them. I had to sell some plasma at the local blood bank, but I couldn't pass that up.

They are most likely stolen, or were part of a drug deal or something, but they did come in a box sealed /w JL tape so who knows. They shipped from a guy in Florida that lives near the JL Corporate offices - yes I stalked him - so perhaps returns or something? The wire on them has never been cut or crimped so I dont think they have ever been used. Not a scratch on them.

Merry Christmas to the 222. I hope she is smiling in the storage unit.

[Big Block Power]

Divine intervention at its best!! At least on the no internet day neither of us will spend money 1 day a week. Lol