Help selecting best amp

[light200]

OK, here is my setup, I need help determining whats going to be the best amp for the job.

I will have 2 Pro80x, 2 XS-10FA, and 6 XS-650.
What amp(s) should i run to get the best bang for my buck with this speaker setup. Also, regarding the subs, should i go with the dual4 or dual2 voice coils? Nothing is installed or wired up yet so i can have some flexibility here....

[chpthril]

OK, here is my setup, I need help determining whats going to be the best amp for the job.

I will have 2 Pro80x, 2 XS-10FA, and 6 XS-650.
What amp(s) should i run to get the best bang for my buck with this speaker setup. Also, regarding the subs, should i go with the dual4 or dual2 voice coils? Nothing is installed or wired up yet so i can have some flexibility here....

If you already have the subs, we need to know which they are, the D2 or D4. This can have a huge impact on your amp choice.

If you want to be "that guy" then bridge the Pro80's on a Syn4. otherwise, a Syn2 is a perfect choice

For the in-boats, the Syn6 is perfect for powering 2-3 pair of in-boats and a pair of XS-10FA's, but you need 2 of the D4's so you have a 2 ohm load wired to chnls 5 and 6. You could also do a Syn4 for the in-boats and Syn2 for the subs. You would want to weigh the cost V's output difference. Definitely a difference for the in-boats, but only 100 watts more for the subs. Syn6 is $900 and the Syn4/2 setup would be $1150

If you want to fish in another pond (but dont go cheap on amps though), then look for an amp that will deliver about 200 watts rms or more for the Pro80's, 600-800 watts rms for the 2 XS-10FA's together, and 75 to 120 watts rms to each xs-650.

Some amps will deliver the same power at 2 and 4 ohm, so this adds a new twist to the game. There are also some full-range mono amps that work great for a pair of tower speakers. Again, if you have the subs, let us know which you have. if you haven't purchased yet, then this makes it a little easier.

[light200]

i have not "purchased" anything yet, im going try and just do it all at once as a package. so please reccommend the dual2 or dual4 for the subs.
also, what do you mean when you say "be that guy" in your above statement? is one way better than another? why?

[chpthril]

i have not "purchased" anything yet, im going try and just do it all at once as a package. so please reccommend the dual2 or dual4 for the subs.
also, what do you mean when you say "be that guy" in your above statement? is one way better than another? why?

If you decide to go with a mono sub amp, then make it easy, go with the D2 subs, with each sub's voice coil wired in parallel, you now have two 1 ohm subs. Wire the two subs together in series and they = 2 ohm. Now look for a mono amp that will deliver 600-800 watts rms @ 2 ohm.

If you decide to go with an amp that will require bridging (or wiring each amd to its own chnl) like the Syn6 or Syn2, then go with the D4's. This will give you two 2 ohm subs and they will equal 4 ohm if wired in series.

So, since you havent picked up anything yet, the subs and amp go together like a burger and fries.

Do you want to be the loudest on the lake, or just have nice clean quality sound? Hitting the speakers recommended RMS, like with the Syn, will do that and pushing well beyond that, like with a Syn4, will make you "that guy"

[light200]

yes, i want to be "that guy". i also am very much trying to do this using only 2 amps...so which 2 amps from wetsounds would i go with to make this happen? i am assuming syn2 and syn6? i really want to get the most efficient, clean, easiest install going on here.

[chpthril]

yes, i want to be "that guy". i also am very much trying to do this using only 2 amps...so which 2 amps from wetsounds would i go with to make this happen? i am assuming syn2 and syn6? i really want to get the most efficient, clean, easiest install going on here.

For the Pro80's, the Syn4 will give you 400 watts rms to each.

For the in-boats and sub, the Syn6 will be perfect. Plenty of power your 6 in-boats and 300 watts for each sub.

You will want to go with two XS-10FAD4's for the Syn6.

Now, lets talk sub placement/location, are you planing on running these Infinite-baffle (free-air) with no enclosure?

[light200]

yes, the 2 subs will run free air, i plan on putting 1 under driver footwell, and the other under the back middle seat(if theres enough room)

[chpthril]

yes, the 2 subs will run free air, i plan on putting 1 under driver footwell, and the other under the back middle seat(if theres enough room)

What boat?

[light200]

boat is a 2009 22ve.

the spec for the pro80x only says 200Wrms...and you claim i should put 400wrms to it with the syn4?

[chpthril]

boat is a 2009 22ve.

the spec for the pro80x only says 200Wrms...and you claim i should put 400wrms to it with the syn4?

With careful tuning and use, you will be absolutely screaming.

[wetsounds1]

i agree with chpthril. The best option would be the SYN-6 running the in boats on chs 1-4 and one sub on ch 5 and one on ch 6. With the pair of 80's on a SYN-4 if you only plan on having the single pair. Bridged in 2 ch more for 400x2

If you think you may add another pair, go with the SYN-2. 200x2. As you will be able to add the second pair in parallel which will drop the amps load down to 2 ohms and the amp will run 350x2 so split between all 4 speakers gives 175 per speaker.

You always want to get the RMS amp rating at a given load to as close to the RMS rating of the speaker. If a speaker says 200 rms. you want at least 200. Going to more power is good as this gives you more headroom. Allowing the amp to run very cool and clean as it doesnt need to run as hard. It is like putting a big V8 in a small car. The engine barely has to do much to get the car to move. So runs cool. Adding the larger amp is fine as long as it is tuned right.

Distortion and a clipped signal is more likely to damage a speaker. You can with too much power but if set right. You are good to go. We run dual SYN-4 on the tower on our demo RZ2. One runs a pair of 80's and one runs a pair of MB-8.

As for the subs, since you want to run dual XS-10. You would need dual 4 ohm. So XS-10FA D4. Wire each in parallel, which will make each a 2 ohm woofer. Then the amp will put out 305x1 on ch 5 and 305x1 on ch 6.

Since you have not purchased anything yet. I would strongly make the suggestion to go with a single XS-12 D2. Under the drivers footwell in a ported box. This is going to give you tons of bass. You would go with a XS-12 D2 and wire it in series making it a 4 ohm load. The bridge chs 5-6 to mono. This would give you 600x1 at 4 ohms.

When installing a woofer in an enclosure, you will get more output. Also, i prefer to have a single larger sub in one place versus multiple subs around the boat becuase of phase cancelation issues. With one in the front and one in the back. The sound waves can cross and cancel each other out. Lowering the perceived output. We run dual XS-XXX in the demo boat but they are on the same plane (equal across the boat) One under the drivers side and one under the passenger side. This is the best way I have found to run multiple subs.

Building a box for the XS-12 is not a hard task either. We have dimensions in the manual to follow. A lot of guys build a box and cut the hole in the factory panel like you would for the free air sub. And then load the box from the back side. And build a trim panel for the front of it. Easy to do and will look custom.

Tim
Wet Sounds

[Dan and Christy]

Light200, you have concurrence from two of the most knowledgable stereo guys out there, that's pretty good.

[chpthril]

I would never pick an argument with Tim about the subject of mobile audio, especially in regards to his own gear

I wholeheartedly agree that one properly executed bass-reflex 12" sub will have more out put then a pair of infinite-baffle 10"s driven with the same power. I also agree that with multiple sub installs, there is a potential for phase-cancellation.

So, from an execution of the install point of view, I do want to share this:

The RZ boats, due to how the bow storage is accessed, are pretty much a breeze to drop in a good sized back-loaded enclosure in the drivers side storage, then front load the sub right through the helm bulk-head. But, the Ve boats present a unique challenge for those wanting to accomplish the same task. Reason being, the mid-ship storage access behind the bow seat back, is very small. Its a very tight stretch to get a typical sealed enclosure through that opening, and I do not feel that a bass-reflex enclosure will fit.

This leaves the owner with a couple options, but they are way more involved, although doable, then a simple bench-build box that will drop in with little effort. You can build the box to fit in the fool-well area in front of the bulk head wall, but this does eat up some leg room. The other option is to cut a square whole in the bulk-head wall, then build the box so it will slide in that square hole into the storage area. The front panel, baffle-board, of the box will be a little larger then the square hole and they covered in a color matching carpet. Once in place, it looks very clean and the method of the install is not overly noticeable. All you see from the front is the front carpet covered panel of the box over top of the helm bulk-head wall.

So depending on how much of a project one wants to tackle, would play into the decision. If you decide to roll with the pair of 10's, I would suggest placing them both under the helm, but one there and the other one mounted in the seat base of the seat-box I think would be ok if it will fit, as the subs could be kept on the same plane. I have never looked to see if this is feasible.