Just started digging into the 2021 SX250/AR250 audio system

[Wheelspin]

This isn't an out of phase issue. I've removed all 6 factory speakers now. They're wired correctly. It's just a DSP crippling issue, ruining an otherwise decent amp. Verified that with test tones and a SPL meter. It's throughly chopped off below about 80-100 hz.

Anyway whipped out the harness mod today. Made an input for this crippled amp so I can swap in into my old boat for the usable amp in it. At least the radio will work when I sell it that way.
And then I made outputs on the factory harness from the Connext to go into the Rockford DSP.
(and then from that into my HTX6 and amp out of the old boat..)

 

[Wheelspin]

I put the factory amp in my old boat today. Took me longer than expected, because I had to change my wiring plan.
The factory gain on this thing is so incredibly dialed down that I had to pivot and feed it speaker level instead in line out in order to get enough output to match the other speakers in that boat. Giving it speaker level and bridging it to 2 channels gave it an appropriate volume level to match the head unit wired speakers.
-to do that, you just wire the amplifier input leads like it were a speaker connected to the HU. As opposed to using the RCAs pigtails and connecting only the positive wires, and grounding the negatives to the HU chassis. (Although I did it with 4 pigtails and a RCA cable so it's still easy to pop in and out if needed in the future for the next guy.)
Anyway, TLDR, the gain on this thing was way too low when I connected it off line out jacks. (and there's no gain to compensate.) But at line level it's usable for mid and high range applications.


-On the Yamaha when I get to it tomorrow I should be using just the positives from the amp side of the factory harness and grounding out the input negatives. The negative wires on the Connext side of the Harness are just left detached.

 

[Redwhiteandblue]

Thanks for this thread. It will help out tremendously when I swap my ar250. Currently looking to add a sub, and replace speakers and amplifier next season. Fingers crossed for JL , but also giving wetsounds and jbl the nod. Also havnt thrown out the skar audio option. I plan a stand alone amp for the woofer and a 6 channel for the speakers. Also considering running dual 4 channels for future towers. One question: can the connex screen support 3 amps? I havnt dig into the amplifier, audio situation on the boat yet. Just picked up and playing around with the basics. Its in storage so unable to look at it for a while

 

[Wheelspin]

The screen on the SX/AR only has 2 zones. Just front and rear channels... Basically a glorified fader. Once you add amps you can split signal and add more channels of course, but you will still only be able to control the original 2 with the Screen, which will change anything fed through them.
That's also something I plan to rely on the Rockford DSP to handle for me. I will use the transom channel for just those speakers, and then the font/cabin I will adjust as I would like with the DSP.

 

[Jeebus]

I got all my equipment in, so I can start working now. Hoping to get most of the prep work like wire ran, fuse distribution, harness converted to RCA and new speaker wires ran in a weekend, then the actual install the following weekend.

 

[Wheelspin]

Started running real power lines up to the helm. They're slightly larger than the factory power feeds.
Pulled the tank cover, and there's a super easy channel to run the wires through up to the helm. Took me 5 minutes each by myself with a fish tape. Hardest part was the dance back and forth up to the helm over the open tank compartment.
You can pass them from there into the switch compartment easily.
I tapped the positive to the house battery switch and upsized the wire from that to the battery.

 

[Jeebus]

For anyone wondering, the Skar Audio SK75MB speaker set, fits BARELY in the rear swim deck location. You have to widen the hole by about .188 all the way around, but it just barely has the right depth to fit. When I pulled the stock speakers out I said no way they would fit just becasue of how large the skar magents and casing was... but it was good to go.

 

[hanskapur]

Following this topic and all the amazing detail you all are posting. Thank you guys for doing all this ground work for the community. I have a 2021 252SD with 6 speakers and a sub OEM from Yamaha and I’m adding a 2 channel WS amp and 2 WS tower speakers. My question after reading everything this is exactly which wires do I tap into to create an RCA “out” to connect to the new WS amp I’m adding to support the two new WS tower speakers. Specifically would like to know which color is left and which is right and also which is positive and negative. I am also planning on buying the RCA pigtails from Amazon mentioned earlier in this thread to “splice in” the new amp. In my 252SD I have one amp in the helm. Any help is MUCH appreciated. Stay safe!

 

[Wheelspin]

The 252 has an HTX6 from the factory, but I am certain it is going to be very, very similarly wired. It's not visible in your pictures, but on the side of the amp where the wires are, it will have the inputs labeled actually on the amp. That picture would correspond to the wires in the harness you would want to tap.
Using mine as a reference, if I were doing what you are doing, I would tap 1+/- and 2+/- for an input to do that if I wanted the front channel. That's the white and white/black and the gray and grey/black wires in my harness.
Being it's a tower speaker though, you may want to tap the rears 3 +/- and 4+/- so the rear channel is feeding them. These are green and purple in my harness.
I would venture to guess that on yours 5 +/- and 6 +/- would be the sub inputs.

 

[hanskapur]

Thanks so much! There are six speakers on the boat plus the sub so somehow aren’t they driving 7 channels from this single amp?

I’ll remove the amp and see what diagrams I find. Thankfully Yamaha at least preserved that info!

What do you think of the equipment I am considering? Not Looking to be the loudest boat around but trying to improve the sound and have some music for the kids when they are
Tubing. I like youridea of tying into the rear swim platform speakers. If the Revos are a lot better I could upgrade to them and the 300 watt WS amp but again I don’t want to be super loud. Just want to hear some tunes while pulling the kids. Is 150 watts enough? Or go for the 300?

since there are 6 speakers do you think some are in series or are they all in parallel based on your best guesstimate.

Thanks again!!!

 

[Wheelspin]

My guess is Yamaha has the front 4 cabin speakers wired in parallel on yours, same as on mine.
So channel1 is both left cabins, and channel 2 is both right cabins.
Then the 2 swim deck speakers are likely each on a channel. Left on 3 right on 4.
And then 5 and 6 are likely bridged to a single 300 WRMS to the sub.

I think your speakers and chosen 2 channel amp are pretty well matched. 150 WRMS speakers at 92dv sensitivity matched to 150 WRMS each is solid imho.

 

[Wheelspin]

Jeebus, I encountered the same thing with the audio legions in all locations. Have to open up the holes just slightly to cheat the magnets in.

Also, as per another thread I saw in these forums, running cat6 wire is perfect for connecting the RGB lighting. It has all the strands and they are already color coded too.
I'm going to use the factory speaker leads for my tweeters, and ran new wire for the mids.

 

[jacoviii]

Thanks so much! There are six speakers on the boat plus the sub so somehow aren’t they driving 7 channels from this single amp?



Thanks again!!!

The Yamahas are very loud from behind. The Icon 8 is loud but if you only want to run 2. I would suggest the REV 8 with the horn tweeter.
As for the ch 5/6 on earlier models 18'-20' the amp did not use the sub input. Sure it was all hooked up but the WS amp used the DSP to re-create the subwoofer. signal

The cabin speakers (bow and rear seating cabin) are in parallel @ 2ohm. The stern / swim speakers are on there own @ 4ohms each. So cabin zone1 and stern zone2.

 

[jacoviii]

This is what I used when I did my boat.

Memphis Audio SW16LED120 6-Conductor Multifunction Cable - 16AWG Speaker Wire + RGB LED 120ft.

Memphis Audio SW16LED120 6-Conductor Multifunction Cable - 16AWG Speaker Wire + RGB LED 120ft. Memphis Xtreme Audio 16 AWG speaker wire plus RGB LED wirin...

creativeaudio.net

 

[hanskapur]

thanks everyone! I think I’ll pull out few speakers and unplug them one at a time to see what effect it has on the remainging speakers. My understanding is if they are in series once I unplug one anything in the same series will stop working. Otherwise they are hooked up in parallel? Is that correct?

Now I need to debate between the rev 8 and icon. I suppose to have room to grow or when we need the additional volume it may make sense to spend the extra $$ and get the following:

Rev 8 B-SC tower speakers
amp will then be the Wet Sounds SYN-DX2.3 HP.

Does that pair up well in. Your opinions? Thanks all!!

 

[hanskapur]

thanks everyone! I think I’ll pull out few speakers and unplug them one at a time to see what effect it has on the remainging speakers. My understanding is if they are in series once I unplug one anything in the same series will stop working. Otherwise they are hooked up in parallel? Is that correct?

Now I need to debate between the rev 8 and icon. I suppose to have room to grow or when we need the additional volume it may make sense to spend the extra $$ and get the following:

Rev 8 B-SC tower speakers
amp will then be the Wet Sounds SYN-DX2.3 HP.

Does that pair up well in. Your opinions? Thanks all!!

Decided to go with the original icon tower speakers and htx2 amp matching perfectly at 150 rms. If that’s not loud enough I’ll swap it to the revos with another higher power amp after a Pre install Bench test. Crutchfield has a fair return policy.

Last question. Would it be better To use a high level speaker to low level rca converter tapping the rear swim platform speaker connections from the exiting htx6 amp speaker outputs to create the low level rca Pre amp Inputs for the htx2 to drive the two tower speakers. See attached photo.

Or is it better just to split the low Level rca going to the htx6 with a rca pigtail as described earlier in this thread? Thanks again everyone!!!!!

 

[Adrian @ JB Solutions]

Pretty sure the HTX series amps will take high level in, so no need for the LOC. You can just splice on RCAs.

 

[hanskapur]

So I got the towers all mounted as well as the htx2 amp. Pulled all my wires. Using the proper gauge given the length of the runs and the amperage requirements and loads on the speakers. Everything worked great on my bench test.
As wheelspin suggested, I’ve tapped into channel 3 and 4 green and purple leads. It all worked.

Then all of a sudden some days no sound or I have to turn it up a lot to barely hear anything from my tower AND swim deck speakers. Sound is normal on the cabin speakers.

Other times I turn everything on and it works perfectly with both the swim deck and tower speakers working nice and loud.

I’ve adjusted the gain and still sometimes barely any sound while other times really loud. Made sure my zones are turned up on connect.

I even plugged in a different source to the amp rca directly thereby bypassing the tapped connections and bingo nice loud volume. So something seams to be related to the taps to AMP IN wires for channel 3 and 4 green and purple wires. It’s quite frustrating. It’s like a ghost is onboard or like the DSP is somehow cancelling these speakers (if that’s even possible as I’m no expert). I e triple checked for poor connections and all appears good. Amp tests fine when I use a different source.

Should I tap to the green and purple AMP outs (high level). Couldn’t that cause distortion? Would I need a high level to low level converter?

Any suggestions on what I should check? It’s driving me CRAZY! thanks all.

 

[Adrian @ JB Solutions]

I tapped directly behind the head unit for RL and RR (green/purple), no issues on mine.
By
How did you tap the wires? Is it military splice or t-taps?

 

[hanskapur]

I tapped directly behind the head unit for RL and RR (green/purple), no issues on mine.
By
How did you tap the wires? Is it military splice or t-taps?

I used those blue pinch connectors. Not sure what a military splice is. I’m thinking of switching to posi tap connectors today.

Also I tapped the harness right where the low level line in goes into the htx6 amp (channels 3 and 4, green and purple wires).

My understanding is that on the 2021 the head unit is actually the connect unit and not the rear remote on the swim deck. Therefore, based on other posts in this thread I tapped the line level inputs to the amp green and purple wires for channel 3 and channel 4.

Did you tap the line level inouts or did you tap into the speaker level outputs? What kind of taps did you use?

Thanks for your help and guidance


Thanks for your help and guidance