Help please on Audio upgrade

[granpachuck]

We have a 2016 242 LS E Series. The sound system as you already know is not great, and we would like to make some minor upgrades. Not looking to be the loudest, just improve what we have.

I bought the boat used, so I don't know the exact speakers, or even what unit is in it. I think the speakers are decent for now, but would benefit from more power. The ridiculous tweeters in the tower are driving me and the wife crazy.

Here is what we are thinking: Tower speakers, disconnect the existing tweeters , maybe use the same wiring? I should mention I am Way out of my comfort zone with audio electronics, and the amount of wiring and electrical gadgetry of this boat scares me.

Amplifier. Do I need one, two ? I do like being able to fade the power bow to stern, depending on where people are sitting.

I know many on here have installed 2 more cabin speakers. I don't think I want to do this yet, hoping the tower speakers and amp will give us enough improvement, re evaluate down the road.

I could really use some advice on what to buy. Please suggest specific tower speakers and amp for me.

I have read many of the great installs on this site, but you guys are so beyond my understanding, I am having a tough time following what you did. I am watching some youtube videos too. If you have some particular favorite sources of info you can share , please send it on.

Thank you,

 

[scokill]

JL audio and wetsounds are the two most popular quality brands, but there are certainly more. Unfortunately if you are out of your comfort zone I would suggest taking it to an audio shop and getting their suggestions/price and come back here and let folks chime in. There will be too much to absorb otherwise.

 

[giroux68]

I got out of my comfort zone with the audio stuff...but it just takes some research (which there is tons of here) . I had a "pro" install a head unit and he did a crappy job that I'm sure I could have done better. I did my own speakers amps etc. Its worth the effort if you have the timw.

 

[anmut]

I took it to a shop. There was 1k in labor to do a full system, but whatever, it was worth the time/aggravation/peace of mind that it's done right. If you have a decent shop, that is.

 

[granpachuck]

I got out of my comfort zone with the audio stuff...but it just takes some research (which there is tons of here) . I had a "pro" install a head unit and he did a crappy job that I'm sure I could have done better. I did my own speakers amps etc. Its worth the effort if you have the timw.

Thanks, that is where I am at. I want to learn how to do this, and not interested in paying a shop to do it. I have spoken to a few boaters that spend 3-5k on this, and I am not going there. I am stubborn, and curious, and enjoy taking on a new task.

 

[Chevyguy2021]

First, what is your budget.
1) Determine a budget
2) go from there. lol
We have POLK cabin speakers. Love em for the price. Loud and clear.
And we have kicker KM8 for the tower. Sound great for cove/party music. Get 2 amps. make sure to add a good sub

 

[Ogtbagger]

I have a stock 16 242se. I just picked it up and only have had it out twice. It sure needs some sound upgrade for mid-ship. I am not looking to change the world here just add some sound mid ship. I want to stick with connext for now.

 

[granpachuck]

First, what is your budget.
1) Determine a budget
2) go from there. lol
We have POLK cabin speakers. Love em for the price. Loud and clear.
And we have kicker KM8 for the tower. Sound great for cove/party music. Get 2 amps. make sure to add a good sub

Thanks , my budget is flexible. I dont mind spending money on good quality , so I can save by doing my own install. Do you have a pic or a link for your tower speakers, and can you tell me the amps you are using? I am going to wait on the sub, and see how step one goes.

 

[granpachuck]

JL audio and wetsounds are the two most popular quality brands, but there are certainly more. Unfortunately if you are out of your comfort zone I would suggest taking it to an audio shop and getting their suggestions/price and come back here and let folks chime in. There will be too much to absorb otherwise.

Thanks, I may do that and see what a shop has to say. You are right that it seems like a lot to absorb, especially that I am over 60...

 

[Chevyguy2021]

Thanks , my budget is flexible. I dont mind spending money on good quality , so I can save by doing my own install. Do you have a pic or a link for your tower speakers, and can you tell me the amps you are using? I am going to wait on the sub, and see how step one goes.

 

[Chevyguy2021]

Thanks , my budget is flexible. I dont mind spending money on good quality , so I can save by doing my own install. Do you have a pic or a link for your tower speakers, and can you tell me the amps you are using? I am going to wait on the sub, and see how step one goes.

The picture I posted is all I have. lol We did 4 Kicker KM8s.
FYI they have LEDs built in if thats your thing. They were about $500 with the cans if I remember correctly. They are LOUD and work great. Glad we were able to save $1k over using Wetsounds.

I think first you should decide your speaker setup, and then find an amp to power what you want.
I would also do a sub now, you will need it to get the full effect.
I think we are running a pioneer amp and a rockford fosgate I believe. Not sure to be honest. haha

 

[granpachuck]

The picture I posted is all I have. lol We did 4 Kicker KM8s.
FYI they have LEDs built in if thats your thing. They were about $500 with the cans if I remember correctly. They are LOUD and work great. Glad we were able to save $1k over using Wetsounds.

I think first you should decide your speaker setup, and then find an amp to power what you want.
I would also do a sub now, you will need it to get the full effect.
I think we are running a pioneer amp and a rockford fosgate I believe. Not sure to be honest. haha

Nice, they look good, thanks for posting.

 

[obrien19]

I just upgraded the speakers in my SX190 this weekend. Went with JL Speakers and a JL AMP. Install wasn't really bad. Having the right tools for the job goes along way. I think having a good terminal crimper and a self adjusting wire stripper are a must have tools to make wiring speakers an amp headache free.

Titan 11477 Ratcheting Wire Terminal Crimper Tool for Insulated Terminals - - Amazon.com

Titan 11477 Ratcheting Wire Terminal Crimper Tool for Insulated Terminals - - Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

Knoweasy Automatic Wire Stripper and Cutter, Heavy Duty Wire Stripping Tool 2 in 1 for Electronic and Automotive Repair - - Amazon.com

Also if you are running new wires, label them. I just used a piece of masking tape on the wire, labeled "FR, FL, RR, RL" that way when I was connecting to amp, I knew what was what. Patience is key here. Take an afternoon, take your time, and know that you might have to try and fit in some uncomfortable spots. I'd actually make have extra cable that you could zip tie. I didn't get enough speaker wire, so ended up with two runs with just enough, so i had to crimp ends laying on my side under my helm. Not bad, but not comfortable by any means.

 

[scokill]

Thanks, that is where I am at. I want to learn how to do this, and not interested in paying a shop to do it. I have spoken to a few boaters that spend 3-5k on this, and I am not going there. I am stubborn, and curious, and enjoy taking on a new task.

Mind you that I'm on the 13th season with my boat. I replaced my stock speakers with Polks db651. Decent upgrade for not much money. Then upgraded head unit to integrate with iPhone. Nice little upgrade as the head unit had more power. Added sub and tower speakers and an amp for those. Maybe $1,500 for that total upgrade over time. Those speakers and amp aged out. Over the past 2 seasons I've upgraded head unit, tower speakers, boat speakers, and 2 new amps. The sub is OK. I have 2 Wetsounds REV10 Tower Speakers $1,500. 4 JL MX650 $520 JL M700/5 AMP driving tower speakers and sub $700 JL M400/4 driving boat speakers $520. Misc materials, cable, etc. $200. $3,000 material, my own labor. Added Fusion MS RA670 head unit last year. $450, so $3,500. Had an existing bazooka tube sub $200....so it climbs to $3,700. This is middle of the road system. I wish I had went with bigger boat speakers the 7.7s and another sub.

I would say go with less and high quality than more with lower quality.

 

[Weeb]

I just got a jl audio amp and subwoofer today at discounted prices although the amp is refurbished.I Saved around $400.
Creativeaudio.net. No tax either.

 

[Ronnie]

I just upgraded my entire system but recall building on what I had initially.
That is, keeping the oem head unit and installing a 6 channel amp to get dedicated power to each of the 3 sets of speakers and sub woofer (to keep costs down I used the head unit power for the swim deck speakers and used the amp to power the bow, cabin speakers and subwoofer). This really helped to provide clearer/cleaner sound at higher volumes and didn’t cost a fortune. The head unit and budget amp failed and the remotes were going bad at the end of last season so I bit the bullet and replaced everything but the subwoofer.

A few things about the labor, I did it all myself so it took longer than If a “pro” did it but I am very knowledgeable about my system as a result it also gave me a greater appreciation for what installers have to do sometimes and why it costs what it does. If you are a bigger guy working in the helm compartment will be difficult or impossible. I assembled/wired everything I could on a single board and installed it as a module (which minimized My time time working, contorted or stretched out laying on the compartment edge) on or in the helm. You will also have to deal with the occasional fiberglass splinter and if you don’t prep (put long sleeves and / or lots of lotion on) before cutting / drilling fiberglass you could be in for a bad case of the itchies (not a real word but if you worked with fiber glass before or will in the future you know l/will know what I mean). That said, I saved well over $1k at $100 per hour as I’m sure I took at least 20 hours to complete my latest system upgrade but I’m counting the time it took to design, configure, test and tune the system as well as clean up the wiring.

I highly recommend that anyone doing this replace all of the oem speaker wires (yamaha has been jacking up the six speaker systems since they started installing them, I have a 2010 242, the crossovers to the tower tweeters seem to be attached to the wrong speaker (left to right and right to left) and the way yamaha split the 4 channels/speaker power of the stock head unit caused problems with zone function of the head unit. I went with six lead wire (two for power and four for the speaker LEDs, $1.50 ish per foot).

I chose kicker for the amps and main speakers and alpine for the tweeters. I just could not afford/justify buying jl or wetsounds. For the head unit and accessories (remotes, usb / aux connector and antenna) I went with Fusion / now a sub of garmin. I have not used it on the water yet but can tell that this is the system I’ve always wanted for the boat. The zones work properly, the speakers are wired correctly and it has a lot of connectivity options.

Here is what I have and the approximate costs:

Fusion 670 ($450) with a wired remote ($200), 2 wireless remotes ($50 each) , 2 aux ports ($30), 1 USB port ($20) and antenna ($5)).
Sub total: $805.

Speakers: 3 pairs of kicker coaxials (4 6.5” and 2 8”) with integrated LEDs ($500 for all 3 sets).
3 pairs of alpine tweeters, 1 pair for the bow, another cockpit/tower and A third pair for the swim deck ($320 for all 3 sets). Alipine 10” subwoofer ($200).
Sub total: $1,020.

Amps: three 4 channel (one amp/four speakers per zone, three zones) and a mono / single channel amp for the sub woofer). Roughly $180 each.
3 wired remote gain Controls ($80).
Sub total: $800.

Wiring, fuses, bus bars, connectors, etc. Roughly $300.

Total: $3,125 plus tax close to 10% in California and some shipping. So $3,500ish. It hurts
to see it all in one place but spreading the purchases over several weeks helped.

 

[granpachuck]

I just upgraded my entire system but before remember but recall building in what I had initially.
That is, keeping the oem head unit and installing a 6 channel amp to get dedicated power to each of the 3 sets of speakers and sub woofer (to keep costs down I used the head unit power for the swim deck speakers and used the amp to power the bow, cabin speakers and subwoofer). This really helped to provide clear sound at higher volumes and didn’t cost a fortune. The head unit and budget amp eventually failed and the remotes were going bad at the end of last season so I bit the bullet and replaced everything but the subwoofer.

A few things about the labor, I did it all myself so it took longer than If a “pro” did it but I am very knowledgeable about my system as a result it also gave me a greater appreciation for what installers have to do sometimes and why it costs what it does. If you are a bigger guy working in the helm compartment will be difficult or impossible. I assembled/wired everything I could on a single board and installed it as a module (which minimized My time time working, contorted or stretched out laying on the compartment edge) on or in the helm. You will also have to deal with the occasional fiberglass splinter and if you don’t prep (put long sleeves and / or lots of lotion on) before cutting / drilling fiberglass you could be in for a bad case of the itchies (not a real word but if you worked with fiber glass before or will in the future you know what I mean). That said, I saved well over $1k at $100 per hour as I’m sure I took at least 20 hours to complete my latest system upgrade but I’m counting the time it took to test and tune the system as well as clean up the wiring

I highly recommend that anyone doing this replace all of the oem speaker wires (yamaha has been jacking up the six speaker systems since they started installing them, I have a 2010 242, the crossovers to the tower tweeters seem to be attached to the wrong speaker (left to right and right to left) and the way yamaha split the 4 channels/speaker power caused problems with zone function of the head unit. I went with six lead wire (two for power and four for the speaker LEDs, $1.50 ish per foot).

I went with kicker for the amps and main speakers and alpine for the tweeters. I just could not afford/justify buying jl or wetsounds. For the head unit and accessories (remotes, usb / aux connector and antenna) I went with Fusion / now a sub of garmin. I have not used it on the water yet but can tell that this is the system I’ve always wanted for the boat. The zones work properly, the speakers are wired correctly and it has a lot of connectivity options.

Here is what I have and the approximate co:

Fusion 670 ($450) with a wired remote ($200), 2 wireless remotes ($50 each) , 2 aux ports ($30), 1 USB port ($20) and antenna ($5)).
Sub total: $805.

Speakers: 3 pairs of kicker coaxials (4 6.5” and 2 8”) with integrated LEDs ($500 for all 3 sets).
3 pairs of alpine tweeters, 1 pair for the bow, another cockpit/tower and A third pair for the swim deck ($320 for all 3 sets). Alipine 10” subwoofer ($200).
Sub total: $1,020.

Amps: three 4 channel (one amp/four speakers per zone, three zones) and a mono / single channel amp for the sub woofer). Roughly $180 each.
3 wired remote gain Controls ($80).
Sub total: $800.

Wiring, fuses, bus bars, connectors, etc. Roughly $300.

Total: $3,125 plus tax close to 10% in California and some shipping. So $3,500ish. It hurts
View attachment 119579to see it all in one place but spreading the purchases over several weeks helped.
View attachment 119578

Yikes. That is a lot of work you did there. I understand what you mean about doing the work and that causing more appreciation for what others do for a living. I am not real big , 6 1 or so, but I think my age is going to make it hard to get to some of these areas. I like your idea of the module. Looks like you built a system you are really going to enjoy for a long time. Very impressive, and thanks for that info.

BTW, at one time or another, 3 of my 6 kids lived in the Bay area, just one there now. Maybe not too much longer though.

 

[granpachuck]

I just got a jl audio amp and subwoofer today at discounted prices although the amp is refurbished.I Saved around $400.
Creativeaudio.net. No tax either.

Speaking my language there. Do you tower speakers ?

 

[Weeb]

Speaking my language there. Do you tower speakers ?

I don’t have towers, I’m adding two jl 6.5’s to the mid cabin. The site is an authorized jl audio dealer and they have some great prices. It seems there trying to move the older model speakers without led lights.

 

[redthumper9]

If you can swing it, start with JL Audio or Wetsounds. If they are out of the budget, I'd have no issue recommending Rockford, Kicker or Polk stuff. A simple system would consist of something like an 8 channel JL amp running your cabin speakers, a set of towers and a subwoofer. Something a little bigger may involve a 6 channel amp running all of your cabin and tower and running an additional separate amp for your subwoofer(s). Either of these will probably put most people where they want to be on the stereo front. If your boat came with the Polk or Wetsounds speakers stock and they are still in good shape, you may just be able to put an amp on them...... The Polk 6.5's that came in a lot of the Yamaha boats actually sound pretty darn good when amplified. Just remember to use good tinned copper wire throughout. Id also rather see you spring for good quality equipment from the beginning, even if your budget only allows you to do it in stages.

Edit**. Just noticed you were in Cary, NC. A friend of mine in New Bern is a Wetsounds dealer and could handle the install for you. If you're interested in going that far, call Albert at Street Sounds IV in New Bern, NC. He would also ship equipment if you plan to do it yourself. Performance East in Goldsboro is also a WS dealer,but I'm not sure they get into custom installs.

My install on a similar boat.....

https://jetboaters.net/threads/my-2019-242-limited-se-audio-build-and-modifications-thread.24539/