QuestionBOSS 6" X 9" 550 WATT 4-WAY ROLLCAGE SPEAKERS or
BOSS 6.2 2-WAY ROLLCAGE SPEAKERS from this website http://www.arizonasportscenter.com/home.php?cat=910
These are for a Kawasaki mule and I need to know what size Amp I will need and if I need a sub. I know nothing about this except I need tunes. My plans are to wire ipod to amp to speakers(heard this is simple). I want the easiest most economical way to get decent sounding music. Any ideas or input is appreciated. If you have a better idea on reasonable speakers and where to get equipment add that to.Needs to be marine grade.
Joey
AnswerHi Joey,
I apologize for this late response to your question.
To be honest, I've never done an installation in this type of vehicle, so I'm not very familiar with the products you're looking at. It's a 12-volt electrical system, so the basic concepts are the same; the main challenges are the speaker mounting methods and the need for weather-resistant equipment.
Your plan to connect an iPod directly to an amplifier should work fine, as long as you don't mind using the iPod itself for all your audio and volume controls. You might want to include an inexpensive line-driver, like PAC's Turbo 1. A line-driver is a device that amplifies RCA signals. This would increase the output level of the iPod's headphone jack, so you won't have to turn the iPod volume all the way up to get to a good listening level.
Bass output in open-air vehicles like yours is typically pretty poor, so a subwoofer might be a good idea. Unfortunately, marine subwoofers are fairly expensive, and are usually free-air designs meant to be installed into the sides of under-seat storage compartments in a boat. I doubt you have marine-grade plywood panels in your vehicle, so you'll probably want to look for a marine subwoofer/enclosure combo. You might want to look at this Kicker package: http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_9768_Kicker+SKM10+-06SKM10-.html?utm_source=...
Your amplifier selection will depend mostly on whether you decide to use a subwoofer or not. If you're not using a sub, you can purchase a 2-channel Marine amplifier. This will work even if you install four speakers. If you want to use a sub, though, you'll need a 4-channel amp. Two of the channels can be used to drive the roll-bar speakers (up to four speakers) and the other two channels can be bridged for the subwoofer.
The speakers you're looking at seem to be well reviewed. I definitely would not place too much faith in the power rating, however. It's extremely rare to find a 6x9" speaker that can handle more than 100 watts RMS, so the 275-watt rating on your Boss 6x9" seems highly unlikely (although the fact that it's an enclosed speaker helps a bit). As for the 6.5" speakers, I wouldn't try to use them with more than 50 watts RMS.
If you decide to start out with a 2-channel amp to save costs, you can still add a subwoofer later on if you choose a self-amplified sub. There are a few amplified marine subwoofer systems around, notably Bazooka's marine bass tubes. You might find it more difficult to find space for a Bazooka tube in your vehicle, though, compared to the Kicker sub I linked above.
Hope this helps!
Brian
