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Indyblackhawk
06-19-2012, 08:26 PM
Hey guys, I have a Donzi 22' Limited Edition Blackhawk. Im in the beginning of getting it back to show room condition. My next step is new stereo. I dont want to spend a ton of money on it but I do want it to be loud and sound good. I was thinking of going with four MB Quart 6x9's and two 10" shallow mount MB Quart subs. I just recently replaced the factory kenwood 6x9s in my Formula and am pretty impressed overall with them. I'm sure they would be more than adequate for the small space in the classic cockpit?

Now for what I really need advice on.... Amps

I just put A whole new system in my Sea-Ray and went with an Alpine MRP-F300 powering the four speakers and a MRP-M500 powering two JL Audio Marine subs. The system sounds great. Should I go with these amps or step up a bit?

The 6x9 speakers are rated at 60w each rms and the subs 300w each rms. the above amps are rated at 50wx4 rms at 4ohms and I bridged the mono and have it at 250w to each sub at 2 ohms. Since the speakers and subs I'm getting are a little more powerful, should I go with The Alpine MRX-F65 for the speakers? It's rated at 110wx4 and therefore wouldn't have to work as hard as the other only pushing 50x4. And for the sub maybe going with The Alpine MRX-M55 which is rated at 550w x1 and bridge them together again for 275w to each sub? I'm not great when it comes to audio and have only just recently started doing it. I did the searay myself from scratch and it came out very good I think. What is everyone's thoughts on the MB Quart stuff? It's price def cannot be beat. Let me know please. Thanks alot!

What is everyone else running in classics with the limited space? Any pictures?

VetteLT193
06-20-2012, 07:20 AM
They aren't that big so it might be overkill depending on your personal sound taste.

My brother had bose marine speakers pushed by a clarion waterproof head + a powered bazooka marine tube in the bow (the sub was switchable on the dash too) and it was plenty loud to be heard over the Big Block with CMI headers.

I had the same clarion waterproof head in my Minx with only two cheapie JBL speakers and that was good enough for me.

The classics kind of turn into a big speaker box of sorts so it doesn't necessarily take a ton of power to make them sound good.

Jraysray
06-20-2012, 10:18 AM
"My brother had bose marine speakers pushed by a clarion waterproof head + a powered bazooka marine tube in the bow"

I have the same bazooka tube all the way forward in the bow. It will go boom boom but eats up battery power, make sure you have 2 batteries.

VetteLT193
06-20-2012, 12:14 PM
The power drain is one of the reasons it was set up on a switch on the dash. The other reason is if you are listening to music where you don't want the extra bass

Jraysray
06-20-2012, 02:42 PM
And a damn good idea it is. I'm adding the modification to my boat.

Indyblackhawk
06-20-2012, 07:18 PM
Which amps that i listed would you guys recommend?

yeller
06-20-2012, 10:36 PM
The MRX is a Class D amp which doesn't reproduce the high notes as well. Not an issue if it's used for subs. Using Crutchfields for comparison, you could get two MRP's for about the same price as a single MRX. Bridge them and run one amp per pair. More wattage, better highs. Get the MRX for the subs.

One thing manufactures like to hide is what THD (Total Harmonic Distortion) the rated wattage is taken at. You can't really compare amp wattages without knowing that. Typically decent amps are rated at 0.05% THD or less, but realistically the human ear can't detect the distorion at anything below 1% THD.

Indyblackhawk
06-20-2012, 11:08 PM
Thanks for the advice! Will that not be too much power for the speakers? Sorry, I'm still pretty new to the audio game. My main concern is space. I was hoping to get by with 2 amps total since there is limited space to mount them.

yeller
06-21-2012, 12:28 AM
Too much power for your speakers??? Yes and No. Speakers are usually under-rated because the manufacturer knows the majority of people don't put "clean" power to the speakers, so those 60 watt speakers can actually handle more "clean" power. Now a 150 watt amp connected to 60 watt speakers can definitely blow the speaker due to overpowering them, but.......a 50 watt amp commected to a 60 watt speaker can also blow the speakers due to the amp supplying distorted power.

More often that not it is the distortion that blows the speaker, not the wattage. I personally prefer to "overpower" my speakers so I don't have to push the amp to its limits. Once you start cranking it up though, you have to listen carefully to hear when the speakers distort....and back off.

At one time, I could claim to be an expert, but it's been many, many years since I've been in the business, so I don't want to send you in a direction that might not be best suited for what you want. Although I said get two MRP's for your speakers, in hind sight it's probably not the best recommendation.


With that said; here's my opinion:
I wouldn't get either of those amps for the speakers. The MRP is underpowered and the MRX is a class D which is ok for subs, but not the best quality for reproducing highs.
First decide what your dollar limit is for your speakers and amps. Then put as much of that money as you can towards speakers while still leaving enough to get the amps. I'd recommend getting amps that are rated about 25~40 watts more than the speakers.
The most important part in a system in regards to sound quality is the speakers, then the amps, then the head unit.

This is my opinion because it is what I feel would be best for me. If you installed the MRX, would anyone notice that it isn't reproducing the highs as well?? In a car, it's possible. In a boat, it's unlikely. Sooooo.....to be completely wishy-washy.....I said I wouldn't install the MRX. That by no way means you shouldn't. Out of the two suggested amps, I'd go with the MRX.

Stereo questions are like Oil questions. There are limitless opinions/answers. There never really is a "right" answer.

Indyblackhawk
06-21-2012, 12:37 PM
Awesome that helps out a lot! What is your opinion on the mb quart speakers/ subs? I have been able to find no reviews online for them. They sound good in our formula but I bought them only bc it was all that best buy had in marine 6x9s. I like the sub in that it doesn't require a lot of depth as I'm hoping to install one on each side panel close to where the speakers are.

So I would be good to do the mdx amps for both speakers and subs? And just dial the gain down slightly on the speakers amp since its rated at 50w higher than the speaker is per channel? Thanks a lot for your help

yeller
06-23-2012, 09:02 PM
It certainly doesn't hurt to turn the gain down on the amp to protect the speaker. That way you don't have to worry about overpowering them if you're running the boat and don't hear them distorting.

I can't really comment on the Quart speakers. I use to have a pair but that was over 15yrs ago. Quart were a great speaker in my day......but I have no idea what they are like now.

I put Polk in my boat an love them. I think pretty much all Polk speakers are marine rated.......but don't quote me on that.

If you like the sound of the Quart then I'd stick with that. That way you know what to expect when you buy them.

yeller
06-23-2012, 09:08 PM
On thing about your subs. I haven't checked them out, but you say they are shallow mount...so I am assuming you are going to cut a hole for them somewhere and mount them "free-air"?

I think you'll be disappointed in any free-air mounted sub. Subs really need a tuned enclosure to work well. You might want to look into the Bazooka like others have suggested. I've never heard them in a system, but I have never heard anyone complain about them. If you don't use the Bazooka, I strongly suggest you find a way of mounting the subs in a box.

WAdonziZX
06-23-2012, 10:18 PM
Yeller, you seem to know your stuff and since I am about to do a stereo install such as IndyBlackHawk I'd like to throw this out there: I read somewhere that the class A/B amps are analog with better sound, true, but that class D's are digital and consume less power. Is that correct?

So, since as you mentioned above that in a boat the sound difference might not be noticed, should we consider the class D for those long days on the water? What would you do, is it worth the trade-off?

For what its worth, I am also going with the ultramarine polks. I am really impressed with the build quality and sound.