Wiring questions for BIG system going in my boat

[slorente]

Hey guys,

I'm new to the forum but not to car audio systems. I just traded in my Mastercraft boat for a new one that has MANY more factory speaker locations. I am going to upgrade the whole system and I have some questions. I also posted a Visio diagram of the system to make it easier to understand.

1. Is it ok to use y-adapters to split the 4 channels of pre-outs from my deck to 8 channels going to the 2 4-channels amps? Is there a better way to do this?

2. Is it ok to run all 6 pairs of "cabin" components to the 2nd KX650.4 if I run 4 of the pairs in series to 2 channels? It won't drop the ohm load to dangerous levels but will there be enough power to run those speakers?

3. Is it correct to wire the 2 Optima batteries in Parallel? Will that double the amperage of the batteries' output to the system?

4. Is 1/0 gauge large enough to wire the 2 Optima batteries together? It will only be an 18" run as the batteries are right next to each other.

4. Any other glaring issues with this system setup?

Thanks!

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[mattmcss 10+ year member]

you can just get one 650.4 and run two speakers on each channel bridged to 2 ohms, save yourself some money.

Then get one 200.2 or something for the other two cabin speakers, not sure if you really really need those though.

 

[slorente]

Matt, I think that the Kicker components are 3ohm not 4ohm. So, running them together in parallel will drop the ohm load to 1.5 which the amp can't handle.

The boat has factory locations for 4 pairs of components in the main part of the boat and then another 2 pair in the bow. That's why the 6 pairs. Plus, 4 more pairs on the tower.

 

[mattmcss 10+ year member]

Ahh I see, are you sure they are 4 ohm and not 3 ? if they are 3, after impadence rise you should be okay. Kicker amps are tough, at least the ones I've had were champions.

You got any pictures of this boat ?

 

[slorente]

yeah, unfortunately they are 3 ohm They did that to get more power out of the amps. Does you no good though when you want to double up. I was originally told they were 3 ohm by the stereo shop where I bought them and then verified with Kicker tech support.

Sorry, no pics of the new one. It's a '04 X-Star. Here is the old one I traded in:

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

You don't need the RCA y cables. The Amps should be able to run all channels off a single 2 channel input.

Yes, wire the batteries in parallel.

When you go to build the sub enclosure, remember that you can't go with a car spec box if you want it to sound right. You won't have the cabin gain ans are going to want more of a HT type setup. For the most part you can model it up in a box design program and get what you see in the response plot.

 

[audiolife 5,000+ posts]

i would get as big of batteries as i could ..biggest boat system i have done has 3 batteries and just 200 more watts than yours..it lasts a solid 4-5 hours but still (he runs blue top optimas too)

 

[coolahan 10+ year member]

i wanna ride on your boat w/ all the kicker shit in it

 

[slorente]

You don't need the RCA y cables. The Amps should be able to run all channels off a single 2 channel input.

Thanks for the help! So instead of the y-adapters, I would just plug 2 channels into 1 of the 2 pairs of inputs on the amp? I'm not sure if Kicker is any different than other brands but I though that they actually have 2 seperate internal amps on their 4-channel amps (seperate networks).

 

[slorente]

i wanna ride on your boat w/ all the kicker shit in it

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/laugh.gif.48439b2acf2cfca21620f01e7f77d1e4.gif I have never used Kicker in car audio but it's my only choice for boats. It's loud, relatively inexpensive, and Kicker stands behind their products 100%; even for marine use.

 

[bri487 5,000+ posts]

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/laugh.gif.48439b2acf2cfca21620f01e7f77d1e4.gif I have never used Kicker in car audio but it's my only choice for boats. It's loud, relatively inexpensive, and Kicker stands behind their products 100%; even for marine use.

not true, coming from a place with over 2k miles of waterways, we rock just about everything in our boats. i run zapco, diamond, and alpine in my boat.

with the charging system, you should go with a perko switch to isolate the main battery from the aux batteries, and wire the aux in parallel. it is a manual switch. i run my boat on the aux batts all the time whether i am parked or not, and keep my main for reserve only in case i run the other two down so far that i need the main to start the boat. i have an on-board 3 stage charger on my boat, so when i get home i plug in the pigtail to my extension cord and the next morning they are charged. i get much more life out of my system than i would if i let the alternator charge them, and it is also 100% hassle free. it is hard wired, so i literally just plug it in and cover the boat up.

 

[bri487 5,000+ posts]

also, where do you plan on putting your enclosure? wakeboarding boats are extremely sensitive to bass setups.

 

[slorente]

not true, coming from a place with over 2k miles of waterways, we rock just about everything in our boats. i run zapco, diamond, and alpine in my boat.
with the charging system, you should go with a perko switch to isolate the main battery from the aux batteries, and wire the aux in parallel. it is a manual switch. i run my boat on the aux batts all the time whether i am parked or not, and keep my main for reserve only in case i run the other two down so far that i need the main to start the boat. i have an on-board 3 stage charger on my boat, so when i get home i plug in the pigtail to my extension cord and the next morning they are charged. i get much more life out of my system than i would if i let the alternator charge them, and it is also 100% hassle free. it is hard wired, so i literally just plug it in and cover the boat up.

I know that there are many other brands that would work well in boats and possibly sound better. All I was saying is that Kicker is MY only choice becuase of the reasonable price that I can get it for and, more importnantly, their support and willingness to cover warranty for marine applications.

I do have a Perko switch in the setup. It is actually ran from the factory with isolators. Forgot to add that to the diagram.

 

[slorente]

also, where do you plan on putting your enclosure? wakeboarding boats are extremely sensitive to bass setups.

The sub enclosure is the one thing I haven't planned yet. It's also the one thing I'll probably have someone else do.

 

[baseballer1100 5,000+ posts]

Can i have your boat?