What upgrade to do for sound system?

[Almansoor]

Hello guys, I am new jetboater here, let say a beginner, I just bought 2016 Yamaha 242 s limited, and I am not happy with the stock sound system, I think there is no base, do you recommend any upgrade to solve this?

 

[Adrian @ JB Solutions]

Really comes down to your budget... so lets start there.

 

[biffdotorg]

That's the best answer I have heard in a while. The sound will only be as good as what you spend. Many are broke after the boat purchase, so if you want to still be able to afford to put gas in, then look at an all inclusive sub/amp/enclosure that you can add to your existing stereo. My buddies added a $200 Rockford combo in their pontoons to round out the sound, and they could not be more pleased (including their wives)

If you find that you can swing the cost of fuel and want to do it right, or can't but just care to rock out in the driveway and beat on the punks souped up Hondas, then look into marine grade subs, and a mono amp. At that point though a multi channel amp, wiring and replacement speakers all the way around is recommended. This leads to the next upgrade.... additional batteries.

Lots of stereo write ups on here. Check out this forum for well documented upgrades with part numbers.

 

[Bluewater272]

IMO, hands down the best money you can spend is adding an extra pair of speakers to the cockpit along with an amp.

 

[Rickey498]

You can go cheap on a head unit and amp, but skimp on the speakers.

 

[Almansoor]

Thnx all for ur replies, I just want something you have tried already regardless the price, and does this means I am going to change the stereo? I just need more speakers

 

[Jaylex]

Try this...look at the JL MX650s, you can grab 4 pair, 3 pair for the stock locations, 1 pair in the cabin near driver and passenger, then grab a sub either 10 or 12, enclosure or freeair and you can go with a JL amp to push it depending on your sub choice a M800/8 should work, but there are a ton of options and brands you can use depending on prefrence. You will need new wires but should be happy with the sound as a starting point. I'm thinking that would put you around/under 2K or so with all the trimmings.

 

[Almansoor]

Try this...look at the JL MX650s, you can grab 4 pair, 3 pair for the stock locations, 1 pair in the cabin near driver and passenger, then grab a sub either 10 or 12, enclosure or freeair and you can go with a JL amp to push it depending on your sub choice a M800/8 should work, but there are a ton of options and brands you can use depending on prefrence. You will need new wires but should be happy with the sound as a starting point. I'm thinking that would put you around/under 2K or so with all the trimmings.

I found this : https://www.amazon.com/MX650-CCX-SG...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=R3DN9CMQVGPSWG6ANVHM

Do I have to buy amp with it? or this will be enough?

 

[Drift Away]

You will need a

I found this : https://www.amazon.com/MX650-CCX-SG...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=R3DN9CMQVGPSWG6ANVHM

Do I have to buy amp with it? or this will be enough?

You will need a amp with those. Any aftermarket speakers will need an amp or they will sound like shit. $269 seems high. They might have the LED lights in them. If you dont plan on using the boat at night alot. Save your money and go with the reg 6 1/2 saves about $70. More money for more speakers.

 

[Ronnie]

If all you want is more base why not start with a subwoofer or two plus a dedicated (class D?) amp(s). if the subs end up over powering the other speakers add multi channel amp for them. I’ve found just adding an amp to the stock system was a major improvement as it Increased the volume range and lowered the point I had to turn the volume up to hear the stereo clearly while underway.

 

[Adrian @ JB Solutions]

If all you want is more base why not start with a subwoofer or two plus a dedicated (class D?) amp(s). if the subs end up over powering the other speakers add multi channel amp for them. I’ve found just adding an amp to the stock system was a major improvement as it Increased the volume range and lowered the point I had to turn the volume up to hear the stereo clearly while underway.

I agree. The OPs problem is bass not overall sound. I think a JL M800/8 with a M10IB5 would work great here. 6 channels to the factory speakers and bridge the last two channels to the subwoofer. From there he can decide what more he needs.

 

[Adrian @ JB Solutions]

You will need a

You will need a amp with those. Any aftermarket speakers will need an amp or they will sound like shit. $269 seems high. They might have the LED lights in them. If you dont plan on using the boat at night alot. Save your money and go with the reg 6 1/2 saves about $70. More money for more speakers.

My MX650s off the HU power was a huge improvement. Even more so when I added power, but just the speakers made a pretty big difference. Those ones come up at $239 for me, but that still seems high. I paid $215 with the LEDs. I think if he has the money though he should start off with MX or M770s all the way around instead of 650s. I probably would have done that if I had done more research.

 

[Jaylex]

If his budget allows for it then adding the speakers and sub at the same time would be optimal. Adding one without the other sometimes leaves an imbalance. Prob the first question is how much bass do you want @Almansoor? A single JL IB10 prob would do the trick for most... but if he wants more output than an enclosure might be the next move. The single best mod for the stereo is adding in the extra pair of speakers in the cabin. That would push him to 8 speakers total and ensure solid sound. Guess it all depends on the budget...once u move past a certain point it get pricey.

 

[BigN8]

Here's what I did and it was perfect to up the sound and not break the bank. I swapped all 4 stock speakers for the Polk db651 speakers. Then I added 2 more db651 speakers to the center are of the boat, pretty much under the seat just behind the captains chair, and one across from that. This allowed for more mid and high sound to the cabin area so we could hear better under way. Then I added one 10" Wetsounds sub right above the floor beneath the throttles. I had the six 6.5" Polks powered off 1 amp, and the sub with it's own dedicated amp. Then I replaced the head unit with a generic marine head unit that had bluetooth audio.

https://www.amazon.com/Coaxial-Spea...spons&keywords=polk+marine+speakers+6.5&psc=1

 

[Adrian @ JB Solutions]

If his budget allows for it then adding the speakers and sub at the same time would be optimal. Adding one without the other sometimes leaves an imbalance. Prob the first question is how much bass do you want @Almansoor? A single JL IB10 prob would do the trick for most... but if he wants more output than an enclosure might be the next move. The single best mod for the stereo is adding in the extra pair of speakers in the cabin. That would push him to 8 speakers total and ensure solid sound. Guess it all depends on the budget...once u move past a certain point it get pricey.

Screw it..... 6 M770s, 2 M880 pods, 2 800/8s and a 1000/1 to power 4 IB10s.

 

[biffdotorg]

Thnx all for ur replies, I just want something you have tried already regardless the price, and does this means I am going to change the stereo? I just need more speakers

Your budget does matter in this case. As this thread could go in many directions. And the amount of money some of these guys have spent could be half as much as your boat is worth. So to keep the scope of answers in a realistic package, share what your max budget is. From there the project can be dissected into bite size chunks.

As many have already mentioned, you can add the bass you need now, but future proof your investment in an amp that would drive additional speakers in the future if you so choose to add them.

For example. If you have an $800 budget, don't go buying 4 x $200 pairs of JL Speakers. As it would leave you no money for the amp and wiring. Instead spend that $800 on an amp, wiring and a single 10" sub. Put it in a place that would someday allow for a second 10". But also get an amp that would drive the stock speakers until you cared to drop another 800 on new 6.5" speakers. Or a tower set if you want sound out back.

And unless your connectivity options (bluetooth, XM, Line in/out) are inadequate, the last thing I would buy would be a new Head Unit. There are quality differences, but they are least contributing factor of the system in my opinion. I consider it just a way to connect or run the music I want.

good luck!

 

[Nick Hughes]

If you have a limited budget, it would be better to add a JL Audio M800 amp to your existing speakers rather than replace those speakers, the Polks arent that bad, but I did replace them. But this is not going to add pounding bass. With the M800, you could power the existing 6 Polks and add a 10IB Sub to use 2 channels of the amp. That would be about $1000. Also, the amazon cost for the those MX650s is higher than what you can get from @Earmark Marine .

 

[mattschepker]

I have a 2017 ar240. I've upgraded the sound system as I could afford it. First upgrade were interior speakers and amp and a sub
-4 polk mm652 speaker's
-Jl audio 5 channel amp 900/5 i think
-Rockford Fosgate shallow mount 12in sub in a shallow mount enclosure

Then during Christmas I bought this and added it few months ago
-Rev 8 Tower speakers
-Wet sounds 420 EQ
-Wet sounds amp (htx4) i think
-Pac audio controller for the front two speakers (in case it gets too loud for the kids)

Then recently I did not like the sub and I took it out and it's collecting dust in the garage. Then I upgraded the sub.
-JL Audio W3 12 inch sub
- Qpower 12 ported box and it's Rhino line.

Don't go cheap on the speaker wire or power and ground wires

Now I am officially done with the stereo upgrades. It sounds awesome and it's Crystal Clear.

Save your money, shop around find the deals whether it's online or in-store and go about it that way. I went cheap on my first Yamaha. It sounded great got a lot of compliments but I also had problems. I told myself the next boat I'm going to do the stereo upgrade the right way and by good quality products and that's what I did on the Yamaha ar240

 

[Jaylex]

Screw it..... 6 M770s, 2 M880 pods, 2 800/8s and a 1000/1 to power 4 IB10s.

Now your talking!!! That thing would sound great.

 

[vxooxv]

Speaker upgrades: Wetsounds 650's. Don't let anyone tell you there is anything better. Again - comes down to budget. An HT4 or 6 will work depending if you are driving 4 or 6 speakers. That's as simple as an upgrade as you can get... existing speakers and adding an amp. From there - go to the tower. Again - wetsounds. Rev10's - don't cheap out on the 8's. A pair will suffice and another HT4 will pair with those perfectly. That will be as loud as you'll want it and put you into "head turning... that guy status" - BUT you'll probably want to add bass. I added (two) wetsounds Free Air's. REVO 12 FA. Many have cut holes so don't let this scare you. Another HT-4 will drive those perfectly. By now you'll need to add a battery if you've not done so already. Blue Seas add a battery with ACR. To top it all off scrap the EQ idea. Go with a Fusion UD-755 Head Unit. You can store your phone inside and most importantly it allows you to zone everything so you can turn your cockpit off while your booming the tower. It also allows you to set volume limits so your kids don't mess with the controls and blow everything up. Lastly pair your Fusion HU with the NRX300 so you can skip the slow jams from floating behind the boat until you're ready to wake the sunset.

DITTO on the do NOT skimp out on your wire. Get 0/1 power/ground and all amp wire from KnuKonceptz (be sure to get the marine grade copper tinned).