speakers
 

I want to replace the 4 speakers in my Z222 but I'm having a hard time finding a better 4" speaker than the ones that are already in the boat. Has anyone replaced thiers and if so with what make & model.............thanks

I replaced all of mine with Infiniti Kappa 5.25" seperates. I chose to use automotive instead of marine speakers since (1), they sound better and (2), they are less expensive. Infiniti's aren't the best speakers out there but they are quite acceptable for this application as you have too many environmental issues that plague marine installations. Plus, the odds of them getting wet are very, very remote in my application. I needed to enlarge the openings of the factory 4" speakers and add another hole for the tweeters. It looks totally factory and the sound is significantly improved.

Just as it is with anything, the sound will only sounds as good as the equipment you are using to drive them. I upgraded the head unit as well and installed a 4x100watt amp for the seperates, and an additional 400watt sub amp for the matching 12".

Do you have pics of your install, I am looking at adding a sub and looking for ideas.

I don't but I could snap some. That is, once it stops raining here long enough to take the cover off the boat. The sub was easy, I fist had it in the compartment next to the engine, under the sundeck. I thought it was muffled too much there, so I moved it to where my toilet is/was. I installed the amps inside the enclosed cabinet under the dash, so they completely out of the elements as out of sight.

I"ve got a set of 4 6.5" polk momo speakers and 2 10" polk momo subs. Small speakers driven by a 1000w amp and subs by a 2000w amp. Not sure if they make the momos in 4" though...they're marine rated and sound great!

checked out the polk audio website. They make a 4" marine speaker.........thanks for the reply's

No problem, but just remember, a 4" speaker is.. small. Even moving up a size significantly increased the surface area of the cone, thus allowing the speaker to produce a vastly larger range of music.

My suggestion, so take it for what it's worth, is to visit any electronics store that sells marine or automotive audio equipment and listen to the differences between the sizes, regardless of the brand. If you are worried about the installation, don't be, it is a very novice job.

I miss quoted myself earlier, mine are 6" not 5.25".

When i redid the stereo in our boat, i replaced the dinky 4" speakers with 4 Infinity Reference 6"x9". I spoke to a tech at crutchfield for 30 minutes and he was able to provide me with a list of speakers that were made out of material that would not succumb to water damage. The infinities were on that list and man do they sound great.

Here's some pics of where i installed em:


I also installed an MTX Thunder 600w amp along with a 12" MTX sub in a sealed box that i had sprayed with Line-X truck bed coating to keep the MDF material from turning into a sponge from the moisture.

I don't have pics of the sub and amp but hopefully the above stuff helps out!

Many thanks to Doug for the suggestions... I just installed 4 Polk db 5.25". I wanted the Momos, but the place I bought them from didn't carry that size. The db's are a step down, but they sound great! I knew the 5.25" wouldn't have the bass I desired, so I bought a 10" Polk Momo sub and a Kicker amp. I mounted the sub under the rear bench, much like Doug's except only 1. Talk about fear - I was cutting into the vinyl and carpet, without a clue how this thing was going to sound!!!

Well, I thought Doug was exaggerating about the women fighting over who gets to sit there... nope. I can tell you he's completely honest! I'll be surprised if my bench seat makes it through the season (before I get a chance to reinforce it and build a correct box within the bench) - that thing shakes the crap out of it!!! I can see ripples in the water! Absolutely incredible!

My Sony indash is running the 4 full range speakers better than I thought as well. I really didn't want to run 2 amps for the fear of killing the batteries too quickly. I'm completely happy with the results. I'll try to remember the camera one of these days and get a couple shots. Again, thanks Doug (and Brett from another board) for the suggestions and advice!!!

cutting into the fiberglass for the two front speakers is no problem. My concern is enlarging the hole for the two speakers beside the stern bench seat, it's molded to the size of the stock speaker. My boat is a 98 Z222, I'll post a pic of my problem next week.