How important is waterproof

[jwanck11]

I've been looking at a lot of the kicker amps (based largely on board discussion) and they do not appear to be waterproof... How important is it to be using a waterproof amp? I will be running in brackash waters (part salt part fresh) in the Chesapeake Bay.

[philwsailz]

I do not think you will find an amp that is really waterproof! You might find one advertised to be, but when you get to it, water will get in.

There are several amps out there that have features that make them more suitable for marine use, and your use in brackish water is something to consider.

The KICKER marine amplifiers have a number of features to improve their resistance to moisture and corrosion from a salty environment. The boards are conformally coated. There are several gaskets to provide for a more water and air tight deal. The RCA inputs are of a sealed type, the remote bass control, (MX700.5) has a sealed plug, and the controls for the amp are all behind a sealed gasketed cover.

[chpthril]

No matter how "water proof" something claims to be, mounting location is key. Look for a place that will stay dry under normal conditions.

[larryueckert]

No matter how "water proof" something claims to be, mounting location is key. Look for a place that will stay dry under normal conditions.

i think you should mount them on the tower it will be water proof j/k

[jwanck11]

lol.

Am more concerned about the salt that is in the air...

I am going to mount them in the port side compartment where the current amp is and onboard charger & DC batteries will be. All there all together. They will be right below the HU...

I like the specs on the MX700.5 but do not see an MX series in a 2-channel amp.

[chpthril]

lol.

Am more concerned about the salt that is in the air...

I am going to mount them in the port side compartment where the current amp is and onboard charger & DC batteries will be. All there all together. They will be right below the HU...

I like the specs on the MX700.5 but do not see an MX series in a 2-channel amp.

I'll bet they expand their lines, but I wouldn't let that stop me from going with a Kicker now.

You know you gotta post pics, it's in the tigeowner.com bylaws

[jwanck11]

Will do!! Have to wait till I get there though!

Prolly an easy question is do I really need a 4 channel for the tower speakers or should I look into a 2 channel?

All ready did purchase a bazooka 4 channel amp... Question is should I send back the bazooka and look into a 2 channel...

and am definitely going to get the kicker.

[chpthril]

Will do!! Have to wait till I get there though!

Prolly an easy question is do I really need a 4 channel for the tower speakers or should I look into a 2 channel?

All ready did purchase a bazooka 4 channel amp... Question is should I send back the bazooka and look into a 2 channel...

and am definitely going to get the kicker.

I may have missed it but how many tower speakers are you going with. 4chnl is the best option for 4 speakers, but a 2 chnl can work and can sound good.

[jwanck11]

I have 2 speakers on the tower - Bazooka Tubbie MT8002's

Does not seem to make sense to have a 4 channel amp for 2 speakers...

I can send back the 4 ch I have or leave it for future upgrading possibilities or return the 4 channel for a 2 channel.

The kicker I am about to order (told the wife it was your fault) will power everything in the cabin nicely.

[mtnsmith]

I live in Florida, using the boat year round, I am only 2 miles from the beach, and I have a clarion marine amp, a jl marine amp, and a soundstream marine amp. Nothing has gone wrong with them as a result of saltwater corrosion. I had a rca connection come undone in the soundstream, but it was under warranty but they took care of it no problem. I have also heard good things about the mtx marine amps. The biggest thing I would do is make sure whatever you buy is conformal coated or coat it yourself, which is pretty easy to do.

[chpthril]

I have 2 speakers on the tower - Bazooka Tubbie MT8002's

Does not seem to make sense to have a 4 channel amp for 2 speakers...

I can send back the 4 ch I have or leave it for future upgrading possibilities or return the 4 channel for a 2 channel.

The kicker I am about to order (told the wife it was your fault) will power everything in the cabin nicely.

I hope I didnt tell you wrong, but I may have misread something in a previous post.

I need to go back and see what all you have

[chpthril]

OK, you have about 4 threads going about your planned stereo upgrade. We need to pull it all together in one thread.

You stated you are going with 1 pair of bazooka MT8002's, here is the post that I rec'd the ZX350.2
http://www.tigeowners.com/forum/show...13&postcount=7

For the interior, you stated that you have a Clarion 10" and an Amp....not sure if either is working, Clarion speakers, and you bought the CMD5 head unit. What, of the sub, amp, and interior speakers are good and will be reused? How many cabin speakers and id the Clarion amp a 2 or 4 chnl.

For sound, I bought Bazooka 8" tubbies for the tower, the boat all ready has Clarion 8" speakers fore and aft and I bought a CMD5 head unit with 2 remotes. It also has a 10" Clarion sub that is currently not working

There is a Clarion amp all ready installed. It has a few rust stains on it. I traced the wiring back to the battery and the connector had actually rusted through and was no longer attached to the post

Here you state you have 6 cabin speakers and a 4chnl amp.........is this a newly purchased amp, or the Clarion that came in the boat?

Based on this, you have bought a Bazooka 4chnl amp for the tower?

Tower speakers: Bazooka MT8002 (2)
Crossover: 3500 Hz
Impendance: 4 Ohms
Recommended Power: 100 watts
Power Handling: 200 watts

Cabin speakers:
Clarion (6) (factory?)
Clarion Sub 300W I believe but do not know model

Amp: Bazooka MAA465 Marine 4 CH Amplifier 600W
600 Watts Maximum Power
Bridged RMS Power: 170 watts x 2 channel
RMS Power (2 ohms) 90 watts x 4 channel

Here's how it plays out in my mind:

1 pair Bazooka tower speakers = ZX350.2
6 Cabin speakers: a 4 chnl amp...either the new Bazooka or the old Clarion (if it works and if it's a 4 chnl)
Sub: 1 mono amp or a small 2 chnl bridged.

Option B for cabin:
If sub is good, return the Bazooka 4 chnl, scrap the old Clarion amp, pick up the MX700.5 to power 6 cabins and sub.

You've got a couple of options here to put together a decent budget system, but we need to know exactly what you got, what's good, what you want to re-use, and what you expect out of your system.

We're here to help.

[philwsailz]

X2

[spharis]

In salty environment, I would stick to conformal coated, otherwise just keep it off the floor in dry storage. In the humid environment I live in I plan on replacing amps every 3 years, unless coated.

[jwanck11]

Sorry to be a PITA!

I am looking for decent sound now with mostly what I have. I want to have decent amps as cabin speakers can and will likely be upgraded in the future.


For now, I want to end up with:
6 cabin speakers
2 front 4 aft clarion 8". will reuse what is there
1 Sub clarion. will reuse what is there

2 tower speakers
Bazooka MT tubbies 8002 (bought - need to install)

Amps:
have a clarion 4 ch on the boat that will be junked.
bought a bazooka 4 channel (can use for tower or return)
will buy a MX700.5 for entire cabin.

Question I have is should I stay with 4 ch Bazooka amp for the tubbies or return for a kicker ZX350.2??