18+ Klipsch Stereo mods

[eecyclone]

mate are you sure regarding the part numbers as the transom remote has 2 square plugs but the 25 ft cable and the Y cable have round plugs.

For the fancy transom remote (18 button), the harness with the square plugs should already be at the transom for it. This is different than what a parts guy originally told me. My boat came with the transom remote and I can verify that it does not have round plugs.

[jason smart]

Cheers mate , your correct plugs are already on wire loom at back of boat so just need to now re feed them back to the front so remote can be mounted next to glove box, luckily dealer is going to return the cables as they have confirmed are not required and they supplied them incorrectly . Blue tooth device works great even from at least 25 meters from the boat!

[eecyclone]

Cheers mate , your correct plugs are already on wire loom at back of boat so just need to now re feed them back to the front so remote can be mounted next to glove box, luckily dealer is going to return the cables as they have confirmed are not required and they supplied them incorrectly . Blue tooth device works great even from at least 25 meters from the boat!

Can't you just use wires that are already in the front passenger side instead of re-feeding the transom wires to the front?
There is a can-bus hub under the observer seat and power and ground, it should just be a matter of connecting 2 can bus wires to the hub (High and Low are in a single Deutsch/amphenol 12 pin connector with built-in bus connections) and then finding switched 12v power and ground. On my XT22 the can bus hub under the passenger side has 3 openings.

[eecyclone]

Can't you just use wires that are already in the front passenger side instead of re-feeding the transom wires to the front?
There is a can-bus hub under the observer seat and power and ground, it should just be a matter of connecting 2 can bus wires to the hub (High and Low are in a single Deutsch/amphenol 12 pin connector with built-in bus connections) and then finding switched 12v power and ground. On my XT22 the can bus hub under the passenger side has 3 openings.

This is the harness I’m talking about. I think the 2020 passenger remote option ties into this canbus connector under the observer seat.

[NGC]

Do your adapters have an advantage over the LOC my boat currently uses for the Revo 12 XXX?

[NGC]

Just received the custom cables I designed in for connecting aftermarket amps to the Klipsch DSP- JL, Wetsounds, Kicker, etc. These will drop the voltage down to less than 4V if you’re using an amp that doesn’t have a high voltage input. There is one version for the tower, bow, cockpit, and helm zones. Type 2 is for the subwoofer zone. Send me a PM if interested.

Do your adapters have an advantage over the LOC my boat currently uses for the REVO 12 XXX?

[eecyclone]

Do your adapters have an advantage over the LOC my boat currently uses for the REVO 12 XXX?

The main advantages are that the DSP adapter is plug and play so no wires need to be cut. The adapter also includes the blue remote turn-on wire. Sonically there shouldn’t be any difference between the 2 options if the LOC is a quality unit and installed correctly.

[Mikekee]

Has anyone changed out the 10” free air sub behind driver seat with a regular sub and enclosed it? Any particular requirements? Or is it easier to just add an amp and throw a 12 in an enclosure in there?
Thanks
2018 XT23

[eecyclone]

Has anyone changed out the 10” free air sub behind driver seat with a regular sub and enclosed it? Any particular requirements? Or is it easier to just add an amp and throw a 12 in an enclosure in there?
Thanks
2018 XT23

It's probably easier to add a 12" sub and amp somewhere else in the boat. I'd say that's more common than swapping out the free air sub.

[Ragged Edge]

Klipsch Stereo Upgrade Help

Hi Everyone,

I own a 2019 XT21 with the Advanced Audio option which includes cockpit, bow, and S80 cans on the tower, plus the sub. Compared to my 2014 X10 with a Fusion/JL Audio system, I have been extremely disappointed with the sound quality and volume level on the new boat and I need to improve it.

I've read through this forum and really appreciate the knowledge all of you have shared shared here, but I'm not an audio expert, so I have a few questions I need help with:

1. Is the root cause of the poor sound quality due to the Klipsh amp(s) and the Klipsch DSP?
2. If I replace the amp(s) with JL Audio VX amp(s), will the sound be significantly better?
3. Would I require anything besides the amp upgrade? Will the amp's built-in DSP cancel out the changes made by the Klipsh DSP (sorry, I don't really understand this)?
4. Is there any functional/performance difference in between the JL VX and MV series amps besides the MV being designed for marine applications? Which series is the better choice?
5. Considering the fact that I need 6 channels plus a sub, would it make sense to use an 8-channel amp and bridge two outputs for the sub, or is it better/necessary to have a separate amp for the sub? I plan to replace the free-air sub with a sealed sub.
6. EECYCLONE, do you still have amp input cables available for sale? If so, please let me know how to buy a set.
7. Is there anything else I'm missing that I should know?

Thanks for your help!
-Chuck

[Mikekee]

Thank you! Is there a plug and play system yet to tie in? I figured by now, someone has developed one.

[eecyclone]

Thank you! Is there a plug and play system yet to tie in? I figured by now, someone has developed one.

Yes, I made adapters so it’s all plug and play. Send me a PM if you're interested in purchasing one.

[eecyclone]

[*]Is the root cause of the poor sound quality due to the Klipsh amp(s) and the Klipsch DSP?

I don't think anyone complains about poor sound quality, most complaints are due to lack of volume. The amps are underpowered to deliver required volume levels in an open boat on the water.

[*]If I replace the amp(s) with JL Audio VX amp(s), will the sound be significantly better?

Yes, provided they are configured for the proper power levels and tuned correctly.

[*]Would I require anything besides the amp upgrade? Will the amp's built-in DSP cancel out the changes made by the Klipsh DSP (sorry, I don't really understand this)?

The VXi amps can't exactly cancel out the Klispch DSP programming, but they can improve it to your taste. The issue is that each boat function (drive, ski, wake, surf, chill) has different DSP programming. You would then need a corresponding DSP program for each mode. In my boat, I tuned my JL Twk88 DSP for 'chill' as when I am stopped I can hear the tuning more closely, and then deal with the tune being slightly "off" when I'm in other modes. Maybe I'll change this in the future but it seems fine for now.

[*]Is there any functional/performance difference in between the JL VX and MV series amps besides the MV being designed for marine applications? Which series is the better choice?

Yes, they actually use different DSP chips in them. The VXi's chip is capable of higher fidelity audio. The MVi's chip allows for more DSP controlled pre-outs. The MVi chip also allows greater signal delay as boats are larger than cars.

[*]Considering the fact that I need 6 channels plus a sub, would it make sense to use an 8-channel amp and bridge two outputs for the sub, or is it better/necessary to have a separate amp for the sub? I plan to replace the free-air sub with a sealed sub.

I think if you're unhappy with the existing 8 channel/800 watt amp, then you probably won't be happy with a JL 8 channel/800 watt amp. I'd suggest going with two amps, especially if you're adding an aftermarket subwoofer.

[*]EECYCLONE, do you still have amp input cables available for sale? If so, please let me know how to buy a set.

Yes, I do. Send me a PM with types (tower, sub, cockpit, etc.) and quantities and I'll help get you fixed up.

[MC25]

I completely forgot about the drive modes. I am replacing the stock 5 channel amp with a wetsounds SD6 for cockpit. Hopefully that helps.

[Ragged Edge]

I don't think anyone complains about poor sound quality, most complaints are due to lack of volume. The amps are underpowered to deliver required volume levels in an open boat on the water.


Yes, provided they are configured for the proper power levels and tuned correctly.


The VXi amps can't exactly cancel out the Klispch DSP programming, but they can improve it to your taste. The issue is that each boat function (drive, ski, wake, surf, chill) has different DSP programming. You would then need a corresponding DSP program for each mode. In my boat, I tuned my JL Twk88 DSP for 'chill' as when I am stopped I can hear the tuning more closely, and then deal with the tune being slightly "off" when I'm in other modes. Maybe I'll change this in the future but it seems fine for now.


Yes, they actually use different DSP chips in them. The VXi's chip is capable of higher fidelity audio. The MVi's chip allows for more DSP controlled pre-outs. The MVi chip also allows greater signal delay as boats are larger than cars.



I think if you're unhappy with the existing 8 channel/800 watt amp, then you probably won't be happy with a JL 8 channel/800 watt amp. I'd suggest going with two amps, especially if you're adding an aftermarket subwoofer.


Yes, I do. Send me a PM with types (tower, sub, cockpit, etc.) and quantities and I'll help get you fixed up.

Thanks for all of your input! I'm mostly disappointed with the tower speaker volume, so maybe I'll start by adding an amp for those plus a better sub.