How does this cockpit stereo setup look? JL, fusion and kicker

RAW BAR

RAW BAR

Member
Aug 27, 2020
81
RI
Boat Info
2005 Amberjack 290 V-Drives
Engines
Twin MerCruiser 350 MAG MPI Horizon w/ V-Drives
Does this Kicker amp pair well with these JL speakers and sub? Will it be powerful enough for cockpit only? Just want it to be loud enough while underway and sound good and clear at medium volume while on the hook or mooring.

Kicker KMA600.4 Multi-Channel Marine Amplifier

Qty 4 JL M3-650X-C-Gw 6.5" Marine Coaxial Speakers, 60W RMS each 4Ohm

Qty 1 JL M6-10IB-C-GwGw-4 10-inch Marine Subwoofer Driver, 250W 4Ohm

The Kicker amp is 4 channel and can be configured:

POWER [watts/ch], 2 OHM STEREO 150 x 4

POWER [watts/ch], 4 OHM STEREO 75 x 4

POWER [watts/ch], 4 OHM BRIDGED MONO 300 x 2

So my plan would be to wire the 2 port 6.5" speakers in parallel to channel 1, the other 2 starboard 6.5" speakers also in parallel to channel 2. Wire the sub bridged to channels 3 and 4.

Is it OK to wire the 6.5" speakers in parallel to get 2 ohms? This would give 150W to a pair at 2 ohm.
 
_storage_7E8F-0FB2_Searay repairs_20181121_084329.jpeg
_storage_7E8F-0FB2_Searay repairs_20181121_084323.jpeg
I have a kicker KXM 400.2 for sale. It does 100w rms at 2 ohms. I had it running 2 JL M3 6.5 and 7.7. It cranked. Perfect for the M3. I upgraded to M6”s so went with different amps. Pm me if your interested.

https://www.kicker.com/40kxm4002
 
Is the amp in the OP powerful enough for those speakers and sub?
 
Chris-380 said:
I believe the kicker kxm400.2 is rated 200 watts per channel at 2ohm….
Click to expand...
Yes 200 w per channel at 2ohm. If you hook up 2 speakers per channel it will push 100w per speaker. so this 2 channel is really like a 4x100w per channel amp. It never got hot that way also and handled it great.
 
dtfeld said:
Looks awsome!

Curious what size wire did you run to these new amps? Did you go al the way to the batteries?
Click to expand...

Over did it. 4ga from the battery to terminal block. Those 2 fuses you see were there I my old setup, I just left them. There 80A each then 2/0 wire with a 175A breaker right to 2 dedicated batteries.

I was going to install the new JL MM105 unit I have for sale in the for sale section, but I found the Wet sounds unit and liked the idea it was all together. Anyone needs a NEW in the box head unit at a great price, head over and take a look.
 
Nice work! Looking to do the same.

2 dedicated batteries? Curious where you put them, how do you charge them?
 
dtfeld said:
Nice work! Looking to do the same.

2 dedicated batteries? Curious where you put them, how do you charge them?
Click to expand...
Starboard side in front of generator. 3rd charge port on charger.
 
RAW BAR said:
Does this Kicker amp pair well with these JL speakers and sub? Will it be powerful enough for cockpit only? Just want it to be loud enough while underway and sound good and clear at medium volume while on the hook or mooring.

Kicker KMA600.4 Multi-Channel Marine Amplifier

Qty 4 JL M3-650X-C-Gw 6.5" Marine Coaxial Speakers, 60W RMS each 4Ohm

Qty 1 JL M6-10IB-C-GwGw-4 10-inch Marine Subwoofer Driver, 250W 4Ohm

The Kicker amp is 4 channel and can be configured:

POWER [watts/ch], 2 OHM STEREO 150 x 4

POWER [watts/ch], 4 OHM STEREO 75 x 4

POWER [watts/ch], 4 OHM BRIDGED MONO 300 x 2

So my plan would be to wire the 2 port 6.5" speakers in parallel to channel 1, the other 2 starboard 6.5" speakers also in parallel to channel 2. Wire the sub bridged to channels 3 and 4.

Is it OK to wire the 6.5" speakers in parallel to get 2 ohms? This would give 150W to a pair at 2 ohm.
Click to expand...
From a wattage standpoint, thats a good pairing. However, there are tow things that cause me pause. 1) bridging an IB woofer to a full-range amp set to low-pass, is not the most ideal for an IB woofer. The amp's fixed subsonic filter is likely way to low, forcing the woofer to play well below it wants to. Using a true mono amp that has an adjustable subsonic filter, allows you to filter the floor, allowing the woofer to be driven a little harder. 2" in this configuration, all 4 chnls will be loaded to their minimum impedance, yet the RMS specs are just barely exceeding the driver's RMS. So zero headroom for the 6.5" and only a little for the woofer. The amp will be carry a very heavy load and working very hard.

An amp like the KXMA900.5 would handle the entire setup. Or keep the 600.4 for just the speakers and source a mono for the woofer.
 
spikedaddy99 said:
Get a sub amp. You won't regret it. I just added a Fusion Apollo mono in my system.
Click to expand...
I have one. It's to the right. See the Black amp.

Having a problem with my AUX Bluetooth adapter. The unit comes with Bluetooth that works great, but the volume has to be controlled on the unit itself. I like to control the volume and songs through my phone. The WS unit has a AUX input that you can add a Bluetooth just like my JL I had. I was able to control everything through my phone that way. When I connect and put the volume up I get loud static as I raise the volume with no music. Tried 2 Bluetooths..Gotta look into it more. Maybe try a different power source.
 
Wylie_Tunes said:
From a wattage standpoint, thats a good pairing. However, there are tow things that cause me pause. 1) bridging an IB woofer to a full-range amp set to low-pass, is not the most ideal for an IB woofer. The amp's fixed subsonic filter is likely way to low, forcing the woofer to play well below it wants to. Using a true mono amp that has an adjustable subsonic filter, allows you to filter the floor, allowing the woofer to be driven a little harder. 2" in this configuration, all 4 chnls will be loaded to their minimum impedance, yet the RMS specs are just barely exceeding the driver's RMS. So zero headroom for the 6.5" and only a little for the woofer. The amp will be carry a very heavy load and working very hard.

An amp like the KXMA900.5 would handle the entire setup. Or keep the 600.4 for just the speakers and source a mono for the woofer.
Click to expand...

Thanks, really appreciate the advice I'll look into beefing up the amp.
 
Wylie_Tunes said:
From a wattage standpoint, thats a good pairing. However, there are tow things that cause me pause. 1) bridging an IB woofer to a full-range amp set to low-pass, is not the most ideal for an IB woofer. The amp's fixed subsonic filter is likely way to low, forcing the woofer to play well below it wants to. Using a true mono amp that has an adjustable subsonic filter, allows you to filter the floor, allowing the woofer to be driven a little harder. 2" in this configuration, all 4 chnls will be loaded to their minimum impedance, yet the RMS specs are just barely exceeding the driver's RMS. So zero headroom for the 6.5" and only a little for the woofer. The amp will be carry a very heavy load and working very hard.

An amp like the KXMA900.5 would handle the entire setup. Or keep the 600.4 for just the speakers and source a mono for the woofer.
Click to expand...
Thank for the input. The JL MX 10" Sub is powered by itself with a JL MX300/1 amp. Seen to the right.
 
Been following this thread with interest. @Wylie_Tunes I now have this sub: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079H34GRN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and these 4 6.5s in the cockpit: https://www.amazon.com/KICKER-Marine-Treated-Speakers-Grilles/dp/B079H2N8DS/ref=sr_1_6?crid=2B90IONB8JMZT&keywords=kicker+marine+6.5&qid=1683217319&s=electronics&sprefix=kicker+marine+6.5,electronics,79&sr=1-6&ufe=app_do:amzn1.fos.18ed3cb5-28d5-4975-8bc7-93deae8f9840

If I am following you correctly you'd power them with the KXMA900.5 or the 600.4 with a dedicated mono sub amp? What mono amp do you recommend for the latter?

When I replaced the Fusion sub with the Kicker sub I noticed a drop in volume with the Kicker. Is there anything I can check on the factory amp to resolve this? The factory amp is a Clarion 4 channel bridged for the sub and 6.5s.
 
mrsrobinson said:
Been following this thread with interest. @Wylie_Tunes I now have this sub: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079H34GRN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and these 4 6.5s in the cockpit: https://www.amazon.com/KICKER-Marine-Treated-Speakers-Grilles/dp/B079H2N8DS/ref=sr_1_6?crid=2B90IONB8JMZT&keywords=kicker+marine+6.5&qid=1683217319&s=electronics&sprefix=kicker+marine+6.5,electronics,79&sr=1-6&ufe=app_do:amzn1.fos.18ed3cb5-28d5-4975-8bc7-93deae8f9840

If I am following you correctly you'd power them with the KXMA900.5 or the 600.4 with a dedicated mono sub amp? What mono amp do you recommend for the latter?

When I replaced the Fusion sub with the Kicker sub I noticed a drop in volume with the Kicker. Is there anything I can check on the factory amp to resolve this? The factory amp is a Clarion 4 channel bridged for the sub and 6.5s.
Click to expand...
Lets start with the woofer replacement. If the old and new woofer are the same size class and the same nominal impedance (i.e. both are 4 ohm), then the end results would be about the same amount of moved air. The amp does not even know you made a swap. This is strange. I would start at square 1 as if this was a ground up installation. make sure of the head unit settings for the pre-out feeding the woofer amp and then retune the amp.

As to a suggested amp for a single FA 4 ohm. Sadly, Kicker does not have a marine mono with an adjustable subsonic filter. So you'd have to look elsewhere. The Wet Sounds HTX1, Rockford M2 500X1 and the JL M6001 would be my top choices if going with a dedicated full-range and dedicated mono.
 
I don't need marine (at least I do not think I do), everything is inside the cabin, under the seats like @mnm99. I boat in fresh water, boat stays in a covered slip.

The amp is original from Sea Ray. It's a Clarion 50 X 4 this is bridged to power all 5 speakers in the cockpit, the 4 6.5s and the sub.

https://www.crutchfield.com/S-pAFb5G3delt/p_020APA4204/Clarion-APA4204.html

Now the factory speaker wire negative and positive were not marked so I guessed. Could that be it?

Maybe my video will help:


Specs on the Fusion I removed:

  • 10" marine subwoofer
  • sealed basket and motor structure
  • designed for free-air applications
  • power rating: 130 watts RMS (400 watts max)
  • frequency response: 30-2000 Hz
  • impedance: 4 ohms
  • sensitivity: 88 dB
  • mounting depth: 4.51"
  • mounting diameter: 8.64"
  • overall diameter: 10-1/2"

Specs on the Kicker:

  • handles up to 175 watts RMS (350 watts peak power)
  • frequency response: 30-500 Hz
  • sensitivity: 86.27 dB
  • impedance: 4 ohms
  • mounting depth: 5"
  • mounting cutout diameter: 9-3/16"
 
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