A client from Williamsburg traveled up to Extreme Audio in Midlothian to have us upgrade the stereo system in his 2019 Yamaha 212X jet boat. He had seen the Yamaha 242E upgrade we posted on our website a few months ago and liked that we knew how to work with the existing Wet Sounds equipment that comes with these boats. After inspecting his boat and talking about what he liked and what he wanted to upgrade, we put together a package that would deliver great sound in the boat and at the end of the tow rope. He approved our upgrade plan and gave us the go-ahead to schedule an appointment to begin the project.
Wet Sounds Tower Speaker Upgrade
The boat came with a small soundbar on the wakeboard tower that’s connected to a pair of channels on the factory-installed six-channel Wet Sounds amp. The set of 5.25-inch speakers on the swim platform is also powered from the same amplifier channels. To make it much easier to hear music while skiing, we added a pair of Wet Sounds REV-8 tower speakers to the ski bar and powered them with an ARC Audio X2 600.4 amplifier. We configured this four-channel amplifier to operate in its high-power two-channel mode so that it can provide up to 300 watts to each of eight-inch tower speakers. The tower speaker pods include Wet Sounds’ TC3 Swivel clamps that work with tubes between 1 7/8 and three inches. By combining the swivel clamps with the flexibility of the mounting brackets, we were able to aim the speakers directly behind the boat.
Marine Audio System Upgrade
The next order of business was to add a third set of Wet Sounds XS-65i-S 6.5-inch coaxial speakers to the cockpit area. We chose a location beside the helm and the passenger seat that would ensure that the sound was distributed evenly throughout the cockpit. The speakers are mounted low in the boat, so they aren’t blaring in the driver’s ear when he’s concentrating on navigating.
We added a Wet Sounds WS-420SQ multizone equalizer to the sound system and mounted it at the very bottom of the dash, so it’s easily accessible. The EQ includes a microphone so the operator can talk to the skier or wakeboarder behind the boat.
The factory-installed six-channel amp continues to drive the Wet Sounds 10-inch subwoofer mounted by the helm, as well as the soundbar up on the tower. We added a JL Audio M800/8 eight-channel amp to drive the interior speakers. Providing the speakers in the bow, beside the helm, in the main cockpit and the smaller 5.25-inch speakers on either side of the swim platform at the stern of the boat with dedicated amplifier channels allows them to play louder and sound much better. This configuration also lets the owner use the multizone control features of the EQ to determine which speakers are playing and how loudly.
The two new amplifiers are mounted near the original amp in the battery compartment. We routed all the wiring neatly and protected everything with proper marine-grade over-current protection devices. All the wiring is covered in the same loom that the factory uses on the wiring that comes with the boat.
Richmond’s Marine Audio Upgrade Experts
With the new equipment mounted and configured to work with the factory-installed Fusion radio, it was time for the client to return to Extreme Audio and hear his newly upgraded sound system for the first time. He was thrilled with the output capabilities of the system and loved having the EQ to fine-tune the volume of each zone in the system. He complimented us on our attention to detail in integrating everything neatly.
If you live in the Richmond area and are interested in upgrading the audio system on your boat, drop by our store in Mechanicsville or Midlothian and speak with one of our product specialists. We’d be happy to work with you to design an upgrade that matches your budget and exceeds your performance expectations. For more information, or to schedule a personal consultation, give our location nearest to you a call, or click here to send our team an e-mail.
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