Amp for Boat system

[Silverbullet555]

I'm sure this has been asked before, but I didn't see my situation when searching.

Our boat has 10 Polk DB-651 speakers. 60W @ 4 ohm RMS.

6 of those are in the cabin and 4 are on the tower. The tower speakers are wired in parallel and the cabin speakers can be wired individual or parallel.

I will be adding 1 or 2 subs in the future so I would like to be prepared for that or at least factor it in to the system.

My biggest issue is that boats have crappy acoustics and I don't want to spend extra money on something that will not provide value. I've been looking at Alpine PDX amps, Kicker amps, JL XD amps to give you an idea on budget.

I'm looking for an appropriate amp to power the 10 speakers.

We listen to all kinds of music. Rap, hip hop, R&B, Country, Classic rock, etc.

I'm not worried about it being a marine amp as we store our boat in a situation where moisture is not an isssue.

Thoughts on what would be a good choice for our boat?

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[Cabin_Pressure 10+ year member]

Go with Zed Audio. Zed Audio Corporation His new line offers very efficient and flexible amps. I run his Series VII amps in my boat.

The tower is off in this pic, i had just pulled it out of the garage.

 

[Louisiana_CRX 5,000+ posts]

Go with Zed Audio. Zed Audio Corporation His new line offers very efficient and flexible amps. I run his Series VII amps in my boat.

The tower is off in this pic, i had just pulled it out of the garage.

thats a nice boat....

 

[n2audio 5,000+ posts]

To me the Alpine and JL are more "finesse" amps and all you really need is brute power. I like the kicker idea a lot more.

Is space an issue? That's the biggest advantage of the Alp/JL amps IMO.

How about a big 5 ch -- that would power eight 6.5's and two ~300w 10's well. Then you'd just need a little 2 ch for the other two. Or you could run four with the 2 ch to lighten the load on the 5.

Coincidentally the Polk PA 1100.5 looks like a good fit at $400. 125x4 at 2 giving each tower speaker 60w+ and 4 interior 6.5's 60w+ and leaving you the sub channel at 600w @ 2 for the sub upgrade.

The PG Roadster looks like a beast as well. 135x4 and 650x1, it's $500 at Sonic. Could be a difficult fit, probably 30" long or close to it.

 

[Silverbullet555]

Space really isn't an issue. Our cobalt has a great spot behind the console in an area that does not get wet. There is a vertical wall that is probably 18" wide by 24" tall where the wires run to and the stereo is housed. It doesn't get much air flow in there, but there is a lot of room in there and we don't put wet things on that side.

I'll take a look at the Polk and the PG as well. I had not considered Polk for amps and I have not heard of PG, but some reading should help.

One of the local shops recommend to Alpine MRP-F600 amps for my set up as well.

 

[Silverbullet555]

Just looked it up and realize PG is phoenix gold.

 

[mxer69 10+ year member]

PM'd you Silver

 

[Silverbullet555]

I think I am really overthinking this and I just need to order the amps and get going.

The one question I really need to answer now is can I run 2 channels at 2ohm and 2 channels at 4 ohms on the same amp?

My tower speakers consist of 2 double pods. The wiring is done in the tower with only 2 channels run so I will wire each double pod in parallel. The rest of the speakers are individually wired so they are 4 ohms.

Could I run the tower speakers and 2 of the cabin speakers off the same amp since 2 channels will be at 2ohms and 2 at 4 ohms?

I hope that made sense.

 

[Cabin_Pressure 10+ year member]

That is why i said Zed Audio. His amps are capable of running mixed ohm loads and he has 6 channel amps.....................and they are efficient, which means MORE power with less current draw. ...................and he builds them in California...........not China.

 

[n2audio 5,000+ posts]

Cobalt -- Nice, built right here in KS, amazingly. Had a chance to tour the plant once and didn't take it...idiot //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif.

It is perfectly acceptable to run different channels at different impedances, as long as no single channel (or pair of bridged channels) are operating below their minimum.

I'm curious about these tower speakers. Two pods? Two speakers per pod? What's the impedance of each pod?

I would want to be sure each pod gets ample power especially if the rider wants to hear it.

 

[Silverbullet555]

I don't think I communicated really well what they are.

They are an older pic of these.

I can chose how to wire them as the terminals are on the outside so I can set it up any way I want.

 

[n2audio 5,000+ posts]

So I think the big 5 ch would do the trick.

You could even run the 9th and 10th spkr with the HU. They wouldn't be as loud but it would save you the expense and hassle of the 2nd amp with only a very slight loss in output in the cabin.

Either way it sounds like a real nice set up to me.

We have a pair of 8" bazooka tubbies on our tower w/about 150w each and just a pair of 6.5's in the seating area. The 6.5's aren't even amped. The tower speakers pretty much cover it.

 

[Silverbullet555]

I've been doing a lot of reading and it seems that good information is hard to find. Maybe I am looking in the wrong spot.

I considered using 3 Eclipse EA4200 amps or an MB Quart Nautic 660 or 2 alpine pdx's or it seems like a million other choices.

I think I am narrowed down.

Choice 1: I found two Alpine MRP-F550 for $150 each. I would go with both and get a 3rd amp for subs in the future. Cost would be $330. I have the necessary cables already.

Pros: Cheaper, Class A/B, more flexible, higher output.

Cons: 2 amps, more space, more current draw, more heat.

Choice 2: JL XD600/6. Run the tower speakers off of 2 channels at 2 ohms, the main cabin speakers of of 2 channels at 2 ohms and the front 2 speakers of the final 2 channels at 4 ohms. $500 delivered

Pros: Size, current draw, heat, simplicity.

Cons: Cost, lower output, less flexibility.

Thoughts?