185 Stereo Upgrade

[BillK2632]

Been thinking about upgrading the stereo in my 185 for awhile. Last summer the old CD player quit, so I put in a new Pioneer head unit with blue tooth, iPod etc (MVH-X370BT). It was a nice upgrade, but still had the 4 old speakers in the cockpit and nothing in the bow area. I spend a lot of time sitting up there when I'm anchored and like to listen to music, so thought it was time of an upgrade.

1. Added two Polk Audio 5.25" speakers in the bow area. (DB521)
2. Added a 60wx4 Pioneer Amplifier. (GM-A6704)

So now the amp drives the two Polks on channel A and the 4 cockpit speakers on channel B. The cockpit speakers are next for an upgrade, they are two 5.25" Boss and some Bestbuy brand outdoor speakers I bought on the cheap a few years ago. Thinking about replacing two more Polks, possibly some 6x9s and only have two speakers in the cockpit. Need to play around and listen to it awhile. I really don't have much space (hence the 5.25" speakers) would like to put the 6x9s below the rear seat, but the fiberglass frame is curved so not sure how I could mount speakers there. If I could figure that out, I think it would sound great. In any event, the two new speakers and amp have made a dramatic improvement. Thanks CliffA for your advice and recommendation of the Polks - great speakers and a good price.

Took me all day on Friday to get everything wired and installed - tried to tie everything up nice and neat. The amp is tucked up under the passenger side console - space was a problem there with the cooler above.

Amp


Head unit


Power with breaker


Speaker installation


Speakers installed


Rear seat frame I would like to install two 6x9s, but have not figured out how to mount on the curve.

 

[Wylie_Tunes]

A 6x9 in a boat is like your X GF's name tattooed on your back. Really hard to ever cover it up when its time to move on.

I would suggest a quality marine 6.5" at a minimum. Deeper mid-bass and more output then 5.25 with out even any additional amp wattage. 6.5" a very common size that I dont see going away any time soon. Will require more OD clearance than going with another 5.25, but less than a 6x9. Besides, no body out there is even making a quality marine 6x9 in-boat coaxial speaker. There are a couple of entry level hold-overs, but thats it. Kicker Makes a solid 6x9, but its geared more toward the bikes and power sports arena.

Another option is a marine 8" like the Kicker KM8, JL 7.7 or 8.8, Wet Sounds Revo-8, Rockford MA282, Roswell R1 8.0. Even more mid-bass extension and output over a 6.5". Depending on the model, you'd beed between 8 and 9 inch OD. So if a 6x9 would fit, a round 8" might if you have clearance all the way around.

By the looks of those pics, you might even be able to fit a 6.5" up in the bow.

 

[BillK2632]

Funny - good point on the 6x9, guess I am a holdout from the old Jensons in my high school buddy's Trans Am! I don;t have a picture, but in the cockpit there are two built in pods on either side of the dash that held the two factory 5.25. I think a 6.5 would fit there, and probably with the new amp would sound pretty good. Yeah I might could have gotten 6.5's in the bow, but there is a lot of curve in it that you don't see in the pictures, when I was measuring it just didn't look like they would fit.