towers with 4 or more speakers

(hawaiianstiln) · (hawaiianstiln) **Join Date: Oct 2004** 10-06-2009, 5:09 PM

What are you guys using for a quick disconnect with all these speakers on the tower.

Some have told me to use Neutriks quick disconnect plugs, but I can't seem to find an 8 pin (for 4 tower speakers) male to female quick disconnect. Some have also told me to use Deutsch, but it looks like 16 guage is the max you can use for that quick disconnect.

I have 12 guage(actually it might be 14, but can't remeber) speaker wire coming out of my tower (MasterCraft X2 2007) and the quick disconnect is at the top of the tower. So basically i'm looking for a barell (or cylinder) type that can just hang there and still not look completely ugly.

I was thinking about using two male Neutrik 4 pin adapters and two couplers in the middle, but that will make the quick disconnect lengthy while hanging off the edge of the tower on the passenger side.

Anymore ideas here? I've searched all over the net but kind of having a hard time find: waterproof, quick disconnect, 8 pin, barrel type.

Yes I know these towers come pre-wired, but I took it all out because I didn't like that they wired it up in parallel which isn't going to work for me.

(noquams) · (noquams) **Join Date: Apr 2002** 10-06-2009, 5:57 PM

Here you go. They work well been using for years with zero issues.

http://www.audiogear.com/Neutrik-Speakon.html

(sippi) · (sippi) **Join Date: Dec 2007** 10-06-2009, 6:25 PM

This may be a dumb question but oh well. I already have my quick disconnects and system wired and am very happy with it. I recently had to get a new harness for my trailer. The whole thing, 4 pin connector on both the trailer and truck (don't ask haha), when I was wiring it all up I thought about whether or not it could be used for an application like this. It's rubber and waterproof, easy to disconnect, has 4 pins (so you could only have two speakers) and would be easy to wire. It's just 4 wires on each side that are hooked together when you connect them. Would that just be dumb for some reason? I don't know what goes into the construction of a speaker connection and something like a tailed connection, but they seem to be close to the same. Like I said I already have mine so I'm not asking like I'm gonna put it on my boat, but just curious to know if it would work?

(hawaiianstiln) · (hawaiianstiln) **Join Date: Oct 2004** 10-06-2009, 7:19 PM

Chris, thanks, but the problem I was talking about is that Neutrik doesn't have the female adaptor. They have a female adaptor that mounts to something, but not the female barrel connector. They just have a coupler and then I would have to get to male connectors and then it starts getting bulky adding more connections and couplers.

(hawaiianstiln) · (hawaiianstiln) **Join Date: Oct 2004** 10-06-2009, 7:26 PM

Sippi, actually I'm sure it would work fine as that is what Mastercraft puts on the towers from the manufacturer. There is a 4 pin flat connector that looks like a trailer connector on the passenger side for the tower speakers and then there is a 6 pin flat connector for the tower lights on the driver side.

(hawaiianstiln) · (hawaiianstiln) **Join Date: Oct 2004** 10-06-2009, 7:32 PM

I guess I could go with the Neutrik NL8FC male adapter 8 pin to NL8MM coupler then to NL8FC male adapter again. Just seems like it would be long and bulky looking hanging off the side of the tower.

Most towers you don't have to worry because you can bring the wiring all the way down to the base of boat (top of gunell wall), but since the MC X2 breaks down at the top of the tower, I need the quick disconnect at that location and that's why I need a barrel to barrel adapter (male to female).

(sippi) · (sippi) **Join Date: Dec 2007** 10-07-2009, 7:32 AM

Preciate it. If that's the case then you can just get 2 trailer harnesses and wire them up for your quick connects, or two of the 4 pin barrels.

(bill_airjunky) · (bill_airjunky) **Join Date: Apr 2002** 10-07-2009, 7:46 AM

Sippi, I used 2 of the 2 pin connectors similar to the trailer lights connectors on an old boat tower install. Had the boat for a long time & it never gave me problems.

murphy8166 10-07-2009, 8:21 AM

IMO they above refrenced Neutrik connection would look awful and be extremely bulky.

Take a look at this website and give them a call. They have 2, 4, 8, 12 pin Deutsch connectors. Call them...they can help.

Have you thought about running 2 wires up one side of the tower and 2 more up the other...this would make for a much cleaner and less bulky/noticeable install.

http://www.deutschconnector.com/products/deutsch_dt_8-way_connectors.html

(05mobiuslsv) · (05mobiuslsv) **Join Date: Apr 2006** 10-07-2009, 9:59 AM

Ya murph those look so much better

.

murphy8166 10-07-2009, 10:16 AM

take a look at these.

http://www.deutschconnector.com/products/wiring_harness/deutsch_dtm_wiring_harness/deutsch_dtm_4-way_wiring_harness.html

(Message edited by Murphy8166 on October 07, 2009)

(hawaiianstiln)

I just ended up ordering two Neutrik 8 pin male adapter, and one 8 pin coupler for them to connect all together. Plus I think the Neutrik can handl 30 amps and the deutsch connectors only seem to handle 13 amps.

Oh well, thanks for everyone's input.