Amp

ive just bought a set of fusion 3 ways, and am unsure how much power they need, i'd like to get a 4 channel and use 2 so i got spares for subs, etc. could someone recommend a suitable rms wattage for these based on each having there own channel thanks.

Do yourself a favor and get two amps. Get yourself a good 2 channel to run your new Fusions, and a single channel D class to run your sub(s). Running your subs on a separate D Class amp will offer you more wiring options, and provide more/better power to your subs. Trust me, you'll be far happier in the long run with this setup than trying to run what you plan to run on one amp.

totally agree with mike...a seperate sub amp is much better...

btw, dont get fooled by watt numbers...it all comes down to current and quality.... a well built 100 wpc amp will sound better and louder than a crappy 500 wpc amp.. most usa built amps( zapco, jl) will stomp all over crappy 3x-4x higher powered amps.

i would go with a jl 300/4 ( can be 2 or 4 channel..can add tower speakers later if you wish) and a jl 250/1 or 500/1 class d sub amp depending on the sub you are using...

rock solid relaible, very flexible, high sound quality....

I've got the Fusion T-3 combo set. I use a single PPI 1000.4 to power them and the sub. 2 channels out to the tower speakers 250w ea. (speakers are 2ohm), and the rear 2 channels bridged (500w @ 4ohm) to a PPI 12" sub (dual 2 ohm coils in series). Works well.

Question about amp inputs for 3 amps? I have a head unit with 3 RCA outputs (F/R/S). I want to drive the 6 boat speakers on a 4 channel amp as front on my head unit, drive 4 tower speakers on a 4 channel amp as rear on my head unit, and drive a mono amp as sub on the head unit. Do I need to split the head unit's front RCA to the boat's amp front and rear for the boat speakers (same for tower amp)? If so sounds like I need 3 RCA interconnects (F/R/S) and 2 splitters (F/R) right?

By the way BIZ, I did not mean to take over your post. You can get some good sound out of one 4 channel amp driving speakers and sub. More amps are better but keep in mind how much battery and altenator you have.

chris,

do any of the amps have pre-amp outputs ? if yes, then just simply daisy chain out to in.

if not, then i would suggest a high voltage preamp (8v to 12v)...

Check the specs. on your amp. Many people overlook the fact that most high quality amps double power output when wired for 2 ohms. Therefore you could run four speakers off of your front/r&l and four off of your rear/r&l. then run a seperate class D mono amp for the sub. If your amp is 1 ohm stable you could run 3 speakers off of each channel on your fronts or rears. I agree with both mikes go with quality, not overall watts. Also, there are many high quality five channel amps available. Personally, I am sold on MTX. Go to ebay for good deals. baystereo and locustaudio have done me right. I bought a (new) MTX 1501D amp for my truck from baystereo for half the price Crutchfeild lists it for.

Just remember too, when you drop the ohm load, as Jon eludes to in his post, you also loose sound quality and 'potentially' create an overheating problem for your amp(s). Personally, SQ outweighs SPL for me. My suggestion, go with quality equipment and run your Fusions off a Class A/B amp (you choose the # of channels) at 4 ohms per channel, and your sub off a Class D amp at around 2 ohms. You could also do a single 5-channel amp as was also mentioned, but I'd still recommend the aforementioned ohm loads. You'll get the best quality sound out of these wiring scenarios, all the while keeping your amp(s) running cool.

thanks guys, another quick one, the boat ive ordered is getting the clarion m335 deck, which is great because it has the remote and me deck is going in the glove boz, but i dont have any inputs for my ipod ( ITHINK) is there any other decks whick have the same size remotes, do i dont need to alter the hole, but have inputs for ipods??

Chris, you didnt take it over, its all good info for me...

Personally, I'm not sold on the Clarion marine HU's. Way short on features, and too expensive as far as I'm concerned. I run a SONY CDX-MP80 in my boat which is simply a wonderful radio (MP3 capable, 4V front/rear/sub outs, AUX input for your I-pod, and virtually CD skip-proof) that is also fairly inexpensive. It also connects to SONY's marine remote to make the system perfect for your boat. If you aren't totally sold on the Clarion HU, give the SONY a look.

Having had to try and set up some speakers/amps to some of the Clarion units, I would agree with Mike's comments. I, like Mike, also have the MP80 from Sony. I've run Ipods, microphones, laptops (great for movie playback in evenings) and other devices through the Aux inputs (sometimes with a line driver/eq) and find this head to be extremely flexible and of good quality. I initially selected it for MP3, LCD display (don't like LED in sunlight)and of course the "G" protection for anti skip.

thanks guys, i have been looking for the cdx-mp80 on sony sites in australia, im not even sure if its available here, might try the phone.. i cant wait till my boat is built...waiting sux