2013 AR240 JL Audio Upgrade

[WickedPorter]

Long time coming ... finally (almost) done.

I replaced all four of these junky things that came with the boat: http://www.asaelectronics.com/marine-audio-speaker.html

Upgraded to the JL MX650 in the factory locations. Easy install... did have to drill new holes, which was very simple and very necessary; the old speakers had four screws holding them in, but only about 2 per speaker were holding due to shoddy mounting.



I did have a 8" "150W" bazooka tube in the battery compartment providing bass ... not very good bass, but bass nonetheless. I replaced it with a JL 10" M10IB5 in the starboard storage compartment behind the helm (yes, I used a birch baffle ring from Earmark )



The four MX650s are powered by the JL XD400/4v2 amp, and the M10IB5 is powered by the JL XD600/1v2 (Odin recommended this one over the 300/1 as it will accommodate an additional M10IB5, should I want to upgrade in the future.)

Entire system is running off a dedicated Optima D34M; amps are sitting right next to it in the battery compartment (no photos yet; still need to clean up some wires).

I pulled all new speaker wire through the boat; KnuKonceptz brand. Each amp has a <2ft power cable run using 8ga wire, both individually fused with the WetSounds WW-CB60 circuit breaker which allows me to easily cut power to the system when not in use.

Battery is charged after every outing using an onboard Minnkota 315D. Battery voltage is monitored with a dash-mounted voltmeter + USB charge port combo: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CU2VSAQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 (this is not hooked up yet; planning on it this weekend)

Still need to tune the system; planning on doing it this weekend (need to pick up a new multimeter tomorrow).

All of this is running off the factory Clarion CMD7 deck ... no desire to upgrade this yet; it works great, love the aux-in/USB functionality as well as the swim deck control.

Hopefully this will satisfy my stereo bug for awhile ... even un-tuned, the thing sounds phenomenal. I can't believe how clear/detailed/crisp the MX650s are; not much experience yet with the sub (freshly installed) but I have high expectations!

Special thanks to Odin @Earmark Marine for the excellent deals, tips, and tricks, specifically on the sub/sub amp (the MX650s and amp was purchased locally... should have gone through Odin on this as well but my impulses got the best of me).

 

[WickedPorter]

Some additional notes for anyone considering similar setup ...

Run time:
The completely isolated Optima D34M dual purpose marine deep cycle (55Ah, 120 minute RC) powers the system (Headunit + JL 400/4 and JL 600/1) for about 3 hours at moderate to high volume before dropping below 12V, at which point, I shut it down and hook it up to my onboard charger when we get back to my slip. I'd like a bit more floating / stereo time. @ ~12.5V, I would imagine I'm pushing around 240W to the 4 in cabin MX650s @ 4ohm via the 400/4 and 200-300W in to the M10IB5 sub via the 600/1 @ 4ohm, of course, all completely variable based on music type, volume over time, etc.

I'm going to move the D34M to my starting battery, as the cheap starter battery provided by the dealer is getting a bit weak after 4 yrs and could use a replacement (Optima was brand new late last season).

For the new isolated stereo battery, I have a XS Power XP3000 (120Ah, 240 minute RC) on order that I'm hoping will give me 5-6 hours before dropping down to 12V, if I still need more time, I'll quickly add another in parallel... but am pretty confident this one will give me the time I need (about double).

Tuning:
I used the method outlined here: https://jlaudio.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/204374120-Amplifier-Level-Setting-Guide to tune the system. No complaints, system sounds phenomenal (with obvious contrast effect compared to factory setup, it could always sound better, right? )

 

[skrip345]

Nice work. How did you mount your amps?

 

[WickedPorter]

Nice work. How did you mount your amps?

The amps are mounted side-by-side to the fiberglass floor in the battery compartment, elevated slightly for cooling efficiency. Not the prettiest of installs, but all of the wires are routed neatly and my power wire runs are only 16-22" using 4Ga wire, with a WetSounds WW-CB60 60A circuit breaker for each amp. I'll post some photos of the entire install once I get everything finalized w/ new battery, etc.