Tower Speakers powered by head unit?

[Jmac572]

Hi all, I am adding Rockford PM2652 Tower Speakers to my 290 SDX.... The boat already has an upgraded stereo with a 10" sub and 4 6.5" in boat speakers all powered by external amplifiers.... The PMX-2 head unit's internal amplifier is not connected to anything, so I have 4 channels of 25 watts RMS to power whatever I want.

Is this internal amp too weak for the tower speakers? Im not looking for perfection, but I do want good quality sound. It's just so perfect to connect the speakers to the head unit, id save $1k in purchasing and having an amplifier installed because I can make the connection myself (the tower was pre-wired by sea ray and the speaker wires go right under the helm - next to the head unit). I can also try to find a use for the other 2 channels on the head unit, maybe some swim platform speakers... I was thinking of possibly adding some JL 1" tweeters somewhere.

 

[Stee6043]

What are your new tower speakers rated for?

I assume you may find the 25W to be on the low end but if you can wire it yourself without significant pain or suffering why not try it for a weekend before deciding whether or not to spend more cashola? There's no downside to giving it a shot.

I think you won't get much joy from a 1" tweeter installation in an open bow scenario but I could be wrong.

 

[Wylie_Tunes]

The PM2652 is nothing more then their PM2652 4 ohm in-boat, just in a tower pod. So in theory, you can drive a pair of these mounted to a tower same as a pair mounted in the boat. Just need to manage your expectations with only 25 head unit watts. They will do ok floating behind the boat.

 

[Jmac572]

They're rated for a max of 85 watts RMS, so the 25 watts RMS seemed low, but I agree its at least worth making the connection just to see. Especially while it could save me up to $1k. The real goal is to get tunes to the rear of the boat anyways as two of the four speakers are in the bow and the other two are in the footwell area of the helm.

I figured a pair of 1" tweeters on the swim platform would help even more with sound back there. The space is very limited to install a 6.5" speaker back there but I could definitely find a spot for a pair of 1" (after all, the tweeter on the 6.5" speaker is the same 1" right?)

 

[Stee6043]

From what I've experienced you shouldn't need any extra sound help behind the boat if your tower speakers are properly setup. Those things are perfectly positioned to wow anyone on the water.

1" tweeters alone at your transom would sound absolutely awful...you wouldn't even hear voices from them. Super extra bad.

You'll love the arch speakers. Try 'em at 25Watts....you might be surprised. If not all you need is another amp....a small price to pay.

 

[Wylie_Tunes]

Rockford rates the speaker at 85W rms and 170 peak. There really is no "max" RMS, its kind of an oxymoron. These ratings are more of a calculation used as guides for ideal wattage and what the voice coil can handle. They have little to do with how the speaker will perform at any given wattage, say 25W for example. A 100W rms "rated" 6.5 speaker will behave much the same with 25W as a 50W rms "rated" speaker will with the same 25W. The wattage driving the speaker will dictate performance long before and rated wattage spec will.

As to a stand-alone tweeter on the transom with no bid-bass. You will grow tired if it before the first song is done. The highs are going to be so dominant with no mid-bass driver close by, its going to sound horrible. If you have an old working speaker laying around, carefully clip the lead to the mid-bass coil and just listen to the tweeter.

Do you have room for a 4" speaker? Kicker makes an awesome marine 4" speaker that works very well on a transom. They come with a white or charcoal grill.

 

[Jmac572]

I think ill stay away from the tweeter alone then.... On my 330 I installed 4" kicker speakers in mini pods on the bow and they sounded great, im just not sure I have the room for them on the new boat

 

[Stee6043]

Shoot - you fancy outboard guys need to find a way to mount 6.5" full-range speakers in those engine covers!

 

[Jmac572]

Shoot - you fancy outboard guys need to find a way to mount 6.5" full-range speakers in those engine covers!

Haha yea.... I actually think I can fit a pair of 4” speakers between the two lounger seats under the built in cooler... I will probably go that route. They’ll be close together but oh well.