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Thought I would share my upgrade project since it’s a little different from others in that:
1. I stayed with Klipsch gear
2. It’s not going to win any awards for custom installs
3. I am average at best with DIY projects
My XT22 came with the Advanced Audio package. My expectations for the system were low based on the reviews I’d read but I was determined to just live with it no matter what, having spent every loose penny I had on the boat.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised and given our boating habits, did not see any reason to make any immediate mods.
By the end of the first season and 150 hours, I was ready to improve the bass performance and tower speaker output. I also wanted more sound for the driver.
Initially, I was resigned to adding a second Klipsch sub and replacing the tower speakers with JL 8.8s and a JL 400/4 amp.
Last November, I snagged a used Klipsch sub and set it on a shelf in the garage. Then, an 8 channel and mono amp came up for sale and I started thinking I could accomplish my goals with Klipsch gear. The challenge would be bridging 4 channels on the big amp.
Lastly, I grabbed a pair of lightly used 7” dash speakers.
I keep my boat at the lake, 3 hrs away which makes it difficult to easily work on it.
On a week when I had it home, I had a local shop install the second sub in the factory location. I decided to put the 7” speakers down low and close to the driver seat.
The shop charged me a fortune but it looked great and I know my limits. They ran high quality wire back to the amp rack.
Over the next few trips to the lake, I began to tackle the electronics. I studied everyone’s projects and photos and read through the Klipsch Mods thread several times and bounced my ideas off “ee” and wakejunkie numerous times.
I cleared out my observer’s seat storage area and went to work. I took photos of everything because I know how quickly you forget how things looked before. I envy the people who took out the entire amp board and did the work on a flat surface. Doing this as a vertical jigsaw puzzle was not easy or fun.
I learned from my other AV projects how important it is to move slowly, document everything and verify everything still works after each addition. And turn the battery off every single time. Plus, it gave me a chance to stretch.
I had great plans to maintain the slick connectors Klipsch uses but they were hard to find and in the end, I went old school with crimped butt connectors, shrink wrap and zip ties.
My only real mistake was rearranging everything only to realize the power cables from the new 8 channel amp did not reach the distribution block. So I got to do that all over again.
The hardest part was figuring out which wires to use to bridge the tower speakers. I studied the connectors for a long time and got it right on the second configuration.
In the end, I opted to tie the new 7” speakers in with the Bow Zone as I tend to zero out the Cabin Zone while surfing so my passengers can talk and not get blasted by the tower speakers.
I was not able to fit the factory cover back on. Maybe a project over the winter…
Sonically, I am 100% happy. The extra sub is very noticeable - and they are getting 300 watts instead of 200 - as are the 7” speakers when I’m driving. The tower speakers are now getting 200 watts and it sounds like it.
The next step is to install a set of BlastLED rings on the tower and bow speakers.
Let me know if you have any questions.
A huge shoutout to Wakejunkie who answered my many many DMs while hunched over in the trench.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
1. I stayed with Klipsch gear
2. It’s not going to win any awards for custom installs
3. I am average at best with DIY projects
My XT22 came with the Advanced Audio package. My expectations for the system were low based on the reviews I’d read but I was determined to just live with it no matter what, having spent every loose penny I had on the boat.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised and given our boating habits, did not see any reason to make any immediate mods.
By the end of the first season and 150 hours, I was ready to improve the bass performance and tower speaker output. I also wanted more sound for the driver.
Initially, I was resigned to adding a second Klipsch sub and replacing the tower speakers with JL 8.8s and a JL 400/4 amp.
Last November, I snagged a used Klipsch sub and set it on a shelf in the garage. Then, an 8 channel and mono amp came up for sale and I started thinking I could accomplish my goals with Klipsch gear. The challenge would be bridging 4 channels on the big amp.
Lastly, I grabbed a pair of lightly used 7” dash speakers.
I keep my boat at the lake, 3 hrs away which makes it difficult to easily work on it.
On a week when I had it home, I had a local shop install the second sub in the factory location. I decided to put the 7” speakers down low and close to the driver seat.
The shop charged me a fortune but it looked great and I know my limits. They ran high quality wire back to the amp rack.
Over the next few trips to the lake, I began to tackle the electronics. I studied everyone’s projects and photos and read through the Klipsch Mods thread several times and bounced my ideas off “ee” and wakejunkie numerous times.
I cleared out my observer’s seat storage area and went to work. I took photos of everything because I know how quickly you forget how things looked before. I envy the people who took out the entire amp board and did the work on a flat surface. Doing this as a vertical jigsaw puzzle was not easy or fun.
I learned from my other AV projects how important it is to move slowly, document everything and verify everything still works after each addition. And turn the battery off every single time. Plus, it gave me a chance to stretch.
I had great plans to maintain the slick connectors Klipsch uses but they were hard to find and in the end, I went old school with crimped butt connectors, shrink wrap and zip ties.
My only real mistake was rearranging everything only to realize the power cables from the new 8 channel amp did not reach the distribution block. So I got to do that all over again.
The hardest part was figuring out which wires to use to bridge the tower speakers. I studied the connectors for a long time and got it right on the second configuration.
In the end, I opted to tie the new 7” speakers in with the Bow Zone as I tend to zero out the Cabin Zone while surfing so my passengers can talk and not get blasted by the tower speakers.
I was not able to fit the factory cover back on. Maybe a project over the winter…
Sonically, I am 100% happy. The extra sub is very noticeable - and they are getting 300 watts instead of 200 - as are the 7” speakers when I’m driving. The tower speakers are now getting 200 watts and it sounds like it.
The next step is to install a set of BlastLED rings on the tower and bow speakers.
Let me know if you have any questions.
A huge shoutout to Wakejunkie who answered my many many DMs while hunched over in the trench.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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