One more amp

Hampton

Hampton

Air Defense Dept
TECHNICAL Contributor
Nov 26, 2006
7,628
Panama City, Fl
Boat Info
2008 44 Sedan Bridge
Engines
Cummins QSC-500's
Straight Drives
I love my Eclipses, but I need a 2-channel amp. They don't make a good 2-channel in the XA series. I need a 100 watt/channel RMS (or more) to drive 2 Klipsch 525 outdoor loudspeakers. My XA-4000 does great, but I want one more amp to separate these out. It has to be near top-of-the line, and low heat output. These are 8-ohm speakers.\

If I don't come up with a good alternative, I'll go with the Kicker 600.X whatever. I was hoping to stay under $200.

Thanks for your recommendations.
 
I have eclipse amps too, they are awesome. why don't you use two of the channels of you existing amps, and just connect them in parallel?

by the way, good taste! I have eclipse amps in the boats, and klipsch in the home theater!
 
chris41483 said:
I have eclipse amps too, they are awesome. why don't you use two of the channels of you existing amps, and just connect them in parallel?
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You do not do this because connecting speakers in parallel reduces the ohm load of the amp. This in turn causes the amp to work harder producing even more heat until it burns up. Mixing speakers of different ohm loads is definitely not recommended. I am a Rockford Fosgate fan, they are pretty much able to be baked and still work.
 
Eclipse amps are easily capable of handling a 2 ohm load. If he is using Klipsch home speakers, they are going to be 8 ohm speakers. If you connect a 4 ohm speaker (already in boat) and an 8 ohm speaker (the home speaker being added) in parallel, the amp will be perfectly capable of handling the load. However, you would not want to connect them in series, as this would show the amp a 10 ohm load, and burn it up. A 6 ohm load would be fine.
 
chris41483 said:
Eclipse amps are easily capable of handling a 2 ohm load. If he is using Klipsch home speakers, they are going to be 8 ohm speakers. If you connect a 4 ohm speaker (already in boat) and an 8 ohm speaker (the home speaker being added) in parallel, the amp will be perfectly capable of handling the load. However, you would not want to connect them in series, as this would show the amp a 10 ohm load, and burn it up. A 6 ohm load would be fine.
Click to expand...

Yes 2 ohms is the lowest ohm load that most high quality amps recommend. But I was keeping in mind that Hampton did not want to create heat. Decreasing the ohm load creates heat as half the power is lost in heat production.

A concern regarding speaker impedance involves mixing speakers with different impedance ratings. Avoid doing this, because drivers with different impedances will "see" different amounts of power.


This is just pointless.
Buy another 2 channel amp
 
Kurt said:
Yes 2 ohms is the lowest ohm load that most high quality amps recommend. But I was keeping in mind that Hampton did not want to create heat. Decreasing the ohm load creates heat as half the power is lost in heat production.

A concern regarding speaker impedance involves mixing speakers with different impedance ratings. Avoid doing this, because drivers with different impedances will "see" different amounts of power.


This is just pointless.
Buy another 2 channel amp
Click to expand...

Exactly.....no way to correct the volume difference. Bad idea all around. 2ch amps can be found for cheap.
 
depends. there are many possibilities. think outside the box. if heat is the issue, don't you think that 2 amps will create close to the same heat as one loaded? also, there are many ways to correct the volume diff. the easiest one of these would be a volume control with a transformer. many of these even have impedance matching (which is not made for this specific reason, but still does the same thing.) with impedance matching you could even match the impedance of the 4 ohm factory speaker. also, volume might not matter, depends on circumstance. I would rather have my "over the side" speakers louder than the cockpit speakers, in case I climb in the boat to get something.

I agree with you guys that this is not the traditional approach, however this is not a far fetched solution, and is an easy fix to a simple problem.
 
Heat isn't an issue. I want to keep it that way.

I'm adding another amp. I'm looking for a reasonable substitute for what would be an Eclipse XA2000 if it had more power.

I want these speakers on a separate amp because:

1) I need to add two more channels - When I added these speakers, I put my Bose speakers (hanging from arch) on the original, cheap 40 watt amp - it's as if they aren't even on. My 525's and my MB Quarts are currently on the XA4000, and I plan to put the Bose back on the XA4000 so I can hear them.

2) I want to be able to turn on the Bose/MB Quart speakers separately from the 525's since the 525s may be on and facing aft while we're at the beach. The easiest way to accomplish all of this is to add a 2-channel amp for the 525's (8 ohm).
 
I am looking to upgrade the system in my 97 230BR. It still has the orig four Clarion 6-1/2" speakers. I have a decent head unit. Any recommendations on 4 speakers and a sub? how about a powered sub? Do I need a seperate amp for the 4 six in speakers and a sub?
 
What type of bose speakers do you have on your boat? I would like to have 2 speakers that I can attach to the bow rail fairly easily, so I can remove them when not in use. I have acquired some flush mount mil-spec connectors, and have figured out how to run the wires, but now I need some ideas for speakers. Also, do they make some type of bracket that is capable of this, or will I have to make one?
 
csellers said:
I am looking to upgrade the system in my 97 230BR. It still has the orig four Clarion 6-1/2" speakers. I have a decent head unit. Any recommendations on 4 speakers and a sub? how about a powered sub? Do I need a seperate amp for the 4 six in speakers and a sub?
Click to expand...

I would recommend JL Audio Marine 6.5" Speakers and JL Audio 10" Sub(s). I would recommend one, 4-channel amp for the speakers with a 75+ watt/Channel capability for the 4 speakers, and then another 350 watt (or so) amp for the sub(s). Not cheap, but not top of the line either. Really good stuff at a reasonable price. I personally really like the Eclipse XA-4000 4-channel and the XA-1000 for the sub(s).
 
chris41483 said:
What type of bose speakers do you have on your boat? I would like to have 2 speakers that I can attach to the bow rail fairly easily, so I can remove them when not in use. I have acquired some flush mount mil-spec connectors, and have figured out how to run the wires, but now I need some ideas for speakers. Also, do they make some type of bracket that is capable of this, or will I have to make one?
Click to expand...


I have the Bose 151 SE outdoor speakers hanging from my arch. They are sleek, clean, and handle a lot of power. They are 6 ohms. They have no bass. I also have Klipsch AW-525 outdoor speakers. They are 8 ohms. They have tons of bass, but are not as sleek.

http://www.jr.com/klipsch/pe/KLP_AW525BLK/

http://www.amazon.com/Bose-151-Environmental-Speakers-speakers/dp/B0001H9TGS

Both come in white. I didn't buy them at these spots - just quickest links (for me).
 
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thanks. I like the klipsch speakers. those are the same that I have by the pool, never thought about putting them on the boat! good idea!
 
I went with this one:

60% off, factory refurbished, free shipping.

RF 500-2

http://www.rockfordfosgate.com/prod...y_id=20&item_id=108229&locale=en_US&p_status=

Rockford Fosgate continues to develop progressive sound technologies. Their aim — to produce a smaller amplifier, with all the power and clarity you expect from a Punch amp.

The award-winning "Dynamic Thermal Management" 3-stage cooling system uses forced air to dissipate heat evenly across the amp and out through the heatsink. The internal components in these compact amps stay cooler, resulting in higher efficiency and lower distortion. You get more installation options, without sacrificing wattage or audio quality.

The P500-2 2-channel amplifier dispenses 125 watts RMS per channel to your speaker system, or you can bridge it to send 500 watts to a sub. You can tailor the sound with variable-frequency high- and low-pass filters, and use the onboard EQ to add some high- and low-frequency punch to compensate for your car's acoustics. An optional wired remote control lets you tweak the sound from the front seat for quick adjustments while you're on the road.


Details:
2-channel car amplifier
125 watts RMS x 2 at 4 ohms (250 watts RMS x 2 at 2 ohms)
500 watts RMS x 1 bridged output at 4 ohms (4-ohm stable in bridged mode)
CEA-2006 compliant
Dynamic Thermal Management cooling system
variable high- and low-pass filters (50-500 Hz, 12 dB/octave)
variable bass/treble boost (0-18 dB at 45 Hz, 0-12 dB at 12,000 Hz)
optional wired remote bass/treble boost
Class-AB amplifier design
MOSFET power and output stages
preamp inputs and outputs
4-gauge power and ground leads and a 100-amp fuse recommended — wiring and hardware not included with amplifier
no on-board fuses — when installing multiple amps in a system, an additional 100-amp in-line fuse between the distribution block and the amplifier is recommended
13"W x 2-1/4"H x 8-1/2"D
 
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I installed the amp today. I'm at work right now, but later, I'll re-wire the speakers to tap into the power this thing will provide.

I bought a Marine-grade toggle switch for the power line to the new amp. With this toggle, I'll be able to run the four arch speakers and 2 subwoofers alone, or tap into the new amp to add 2 additional (Klipsch) speakers. Or, I'll be able to run the 2 Klipsch speakers pointed at the beach and turn off all other speakers on the boat. I haven't decided where to place the toggle. I think I'll put it up at the helm.
 
I finished installing the amp and wiring last night after work. I tapped into the power line right off of the back of the head unit to get the "Turn on" signal for the new amp (Blue line, white stripe). I routed that through a toggle switch mounted on the inside wall of the cockpit just above where the Captain's right knee would be at the helm. That worked out very well.

During my first test, I could not turn off the "Cockpit" speaker control switch at the cabin door and still run the new amp. The amp "Power" light was on, but the input line was dead. The input line ran through the first of the three amps. Apparently, on Eclipse, this is dead unless the amp is powered. On Rockford Fosgate, this is not the case, so I had to run a new, longer input line from the head unit past the first amp, past the second amp, to the third, new amp. Then, I ran the lines "Out" back to the first, and then to the second.

The second test went very, very, very well. The new RF 500 watt amp powers the Klipsch 525 outdoor loudspeakers very well. They have enough bass, midrange, and highs to stand alone in the cockpit if you were so inclined, but moreso for the beach. Also, adding this amp allowed me to put the first, 4-channel Eclipse amp back onto the front Bose Outdoor speakers hanging from the arch. They were on the stock, 40 watt amp for the last month. I couldn't tell that they were on. Now, they put out nice highs and mid-range to complement the other power-houses.

Eclipse XA-4000 4 channel: 2 MB Quart Premium 6.5" (side of arch) and 2 Bose Outdoor Speakers (hanging from arch).

Eclipse XA-1000 1 channel: 2 JL Audio 10" Subwoofers mounted low in the cockpit walls.

Rockford Fosgate P-500-2 2 channel: 2 Klipsch 525 Outdoor Loudspeakers mounted in the back corners on rod holder fittings.

I can select the 4 arch speakers and 2 subs, or the 2 Klipsch, or all 8 at once. When we're at the beach, the Klipsch face aft and we will turn off the other 6. That way, with the RF beach remote, we can turn up the Klipsch without blowing the cockpit speakers.

Only thing left to do is finish the mounts.
 
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