2014 RZ2 stereo/speaker question

[Robmc9]

Every year I think about how my sound quality on my '14 RZ2 (with the 2 x 10's on the tower and whatever else it came with) isn't that great and curious on what can be done to make it better? Not looking for a booming sound but more of a quality/clearer sound. Don't get me wrong I do like bass but I'm not about to spend more $ to buy a new sub, build a box, etc. More or less looking to take what I have and make it better. If I have to add thats fine just hoping to use the same speakers/sub I have unless they're total garbage and can't produce better sound. My boat is 4 hours away (with an hour on gravel roads) to a shop so taking it somewhere isn't a possibility so hoping an unqualified boat guy can become a stereo guy.

Issues with current set-up:

- once in a while my tower speakers stops working, to get them working again I turn the volume up and the crackle or sound comes back on
- sound seems very unbalanced with the tower speakers putting out 80% of the sound
- never really hear the sub kick in and its right below me
- speakers in the front of the boat crackle from time to time, solved again by cranking the volume super high then bringing it back down and crackling goes away
- I like music more then my wife so I have to turn it up to hear the songs at the volume I like but since I'm driving all the time, she's complaining the people in the main cabin are being drained out by the volume (assuming this is true since 80+% is coming form the 2 x 10" on the tower that face away from me and directly onto the people watching the surfing

A) Is it do able with what I have + a few buck?
B) A complete over-haul is the only way to get what I want?
C) It is, what it is

look forward to reading everyones thoughts!

[Brianrzr]

I assume you probably have the same Wet Sounds components I have on my '14 RZR, along with a Clarion CMD 6. When I bought my boat used, it was ok but I did not notice any noticeable quality to the sound. I started looking at the amp settings, and the previous owner really screwed it up. Not just the settings of the dials but the way it was wired. Not considering myself a stereo guy, but I do understand them, I began doing some research. It made an incredible difference, not just in volume but I honestly feel the clarity is unrivaled on my lake. When I talk about changing subs or adding another pair of Revs, people tell me not to mess with it, it sounds great. They are right, but if the option is there, I like to tinker. Verify the amps are set correctly before you start changing components. Depending on how its wired, you can control by the fade and balance on the head unit to help equalize the volume between zones. But if you do change components, I am looking for a used SYN 2 or SYN 4 amp. Just saying.

[chpthril]

The first thing i like to do is make sure both amps are tuned to their most optimal settings. However, the crackling us an issue that cannot be fixed by tuning. Sounds like both amps have some dirty POTs, as in the adjustments dials and buttons. Not unheard of with these amps after a number of years in service. There can sometimes be cleaned or some cases, replaced.

Yes, two 10" Horn Loaded Compression Drivers are going to dominate a handful of 6.5" coaxial dome tweeter speakers. The best way to resolve this, zone control. This will allow you to dial down the towers, when you dont want them to dominate. next, FADE through the head. Its crude, but can work. Lastly, just gain down the towers. Down side is, then they cant perform like a tower speaker, when we want them to be tower speakers.

There some things with the woofer, that might be improved upon, more then just tuning. But we need to know if yours is the 4 ohm single voice coil or the 4 ohm dual voice coil woofer. I dont remember when they made the change. My gut says that a 2014 will have the 4 ohm SVC. Next, we need to see if its wire to only chnl 5 (or only 6) or bridged on 5/6.

So step one is going to resolve those cracklin gremlins. This may force you to purchase new amps. In that case, then pick an amp(s) thats going to go the furthest in improving the system overall.