This stereo came with the boat and we have a few issues with it. When we first got the boat, the stereo would it turn on every time, but now, it only intermittently turns on to sound. You’ll have to power it on, power it off, 1x, 10x’s, 20x’s, but sooner or later it will play. Any ideas why?
Second issue is, it sounds like crap. It sounds almost no better than a cheap clock radio or old ratty boom box with bad speakers. Is it the stereo, the amplifier or did the previous only put in garbage speakers?
“I am constantly amazed at the stupidity of the general public.”
~my dad
Equipment:
2007 Grady White 222 Fisherman / 250 Yamaha
Simrad NSS evo2 and G4
1- 23 boy that won’t move out)
1 - 19 year old (fishing maniac)
1 - wife (The Warden)
Fusion is a good product but don’t know much about Rockford for Marine. When you power it on, does the green light for amp turn on or does it take awhile? Looks like that amp is running 2 speakers? Possible speakers are toast and need replacing and the power on issue could be the head unit has an issue. You can go to Fusion and download the newest software and they may fix the issue. Fusion customer support is very good.
Fusion is a good product but don’t know much about Rockford for Marine. When you power it on, does the green light for amp turn on or does it take awhile? Looks like that amp is running 2 speakers? Possible speakers are toast and need replacing and the power on issue could be the head unit has an issue. You can go to Fusion and download the newest software and they may fix the issue. Fusion customer support is very good.
SeaPro 220CC
Dixie Craft-custom flats boat
I’ve never checked to see if the green light was on when the stereo would not pay sound. The stereo will always power up…just doesn’t always play sound.
I did search the Rockford Fosgate speaks…them eff’ers are expensive to have such a pitiful sound.
“I am constantly amazed at the stupidity of the general public.”
~my dad
Equipment:
2007 Grady White 222 Fisherman / 250 Yamaha
Simrad NSS evo2 and G4
1- 23 boy that won’t move out)
1 - 19 year old (fishing maniac)
1 - wife (The Warden)
That is a really nice setup and it should sound awesome.
How many speakers are in the boat? Your pictures only show that 2 are hooked to the amp. There are probably some that are hooked straight to the stereo. You may have some corrosion issues at the back of the head unit if those are the only 2 speakers. If there are more, you need to check connections directly at the speakers also. Corrosion is a be-atch in the marine environment. I don’t see any evidence of corrosion at the amp, but it could very well be at other locations, especially if water can get in behind stuff (especially saltwater).
That is a really nice setup and it should sound awesome.
How many speakers are in the boat? Your pictures only show that 2 are hooked to the amp. There are probably some that are hooked straight to the stereo. You may have some corrosion issues at the back of the head unit if those are the only 2 speakers. If there are more, you need to check connections directly at the speakers also. Corrosion is a be-atch in the marine environment. I don’t see any evidence of corrosion at the amp, but it could very well be at other locations, especially if water can get in behind stuff (especially saltwater).
'06 Mckee Craft
184 Marathon
DF140 Suzuki
There are only 2 speakers, no subwoofer that I’ve seen or heard. I’ve looked behind the head unit. There are other connections available, nothing hooked up to them.
I suppose I should pull the speakers and clean the connections.
“I am constantly amazed at the stupidity of the general public.”
~my dad
Equipment:
2007 Grady White 222 Fisherman / 250 Yamaha
Simrad NSS evo2 and G4
1- 23 boy that won’t move out)
1 - 19 year old (fishing maniac)
1 - wife (The Warden)
Had the same issue with my boat. Turned out the output on the JL audio amp was shot. Everything powered on correctly, however the output at the terminals on the amp was no where near what it should be. My speakers sounded horrible. New amp and the problem was solved.
Had the same issue with my boat. Turned out the output on the JL audio amp was shot. Everything powered on correctly, however the output at the terminals on the amp was no where near what it should be. My speakers sounded horrible. New amp and the problem was solved.
You ain’t exactly putting me in a happy place.
“I am constantly amazed at the stupidity of the general public.”
~my dad
Equipment:
2007 Grady White 222 Fisherman / 250 Yamaha
Simrad NSS evo2 and G4
1- 23 boy that won’t move out)
1 - 19 year old (fishing maniac)
1 - wife (The Warden)
Not sure on the turning on issue… but on the speakers sounding bad make sure they are in phase. As in + to + and - to - on both speakers. Rockford makes good stuff. or at least they used to.
Make sure your connections are clean and secure. Doesn’t hurt to put some dielectric grease on them as well. You need to isolate the problem if it continues. You could try temporarily hooking the speakers directly to the head unit to see how it sounds.
If you end up redoing your system consider just an amp with a bluetooth connection to your smart phone.
I have those speakers and they work great. That head unit sucks. Fusion had a lot of problems with those staying on. I would get another head unit that powers on/off properly first. Then work my way down the line.
Check input power to the amp to make sure it is getting enough juice. The amp just gets the signal from the head unit. You can actually test the amp just by plugging an iphone into the RCA cables and trying to play. If the amp isn’t working properly that way, I would remove it and take it to an audio shop to test it. It may have a bad channel. If the amp tests out, next would be speaker connection as well as the voice coils in the speakers. But I highly doubt it is that.
I’m running a similar amp but it is the Fosgate 400 watt two channel instead of Fusion. Cost $300. Two 8" Punch speakers that were $350. No head unit, just my iphone connected to he RCA jacks it will run you out of the boat. It’s just yours that sound crappy, not the speakers fault.
I have a Fusion (actually 2) head unit and they work great.
Why are you using an amp when you only have 2 speakers? The head unit has plenty of power. Wire the speakers to the head unit and test before spending any money.
You have to verify that the amp is working. It is what is supplying signal to the speakers.
When you turn on head unit, the amp should turn on. You need to verify it…if the amp is on, and producing crappy sound, it may be the speakers or connections. Or even the amp itself.
In all honesty, if you can’t sort it out by now, and figure out that there are really simple ways of testing this, you should just take the whole boat to an audio store and have them look at this. A simple Google search and 15 minutes on youtube and you would have figured out you could test every component in that boat in about 30 minutes.
Get some new speaker wire and connectors and run it straight from the back of the head unit to the speakers. Just run it on top of the floor for testing purposes. It should make good clean sound. If it sounds good, amp and/or connections to it are suspect.
If it does not sound good with the amp out of the picture, remove the speakers and connect them to a known good sound system. A home stereo will work. (Be aware that connecting speakers with low resistance to an amp/receiver that doesn’t support them can damage the amp/receiver. If the boat speakers are 4 ohm, make sure the amp/receiver will support pushing them. Generally, you can run 4 ohm speakers on any system… but, if the system ‘wants’ 8 ohm speakers, it will work harder to create the same sound pressure using 4 ohm speakers. Just don’t over heat your home stereo. Hook up the speakers long enough to see if they make good sound.) If the speakers sound good on a know good system, head unit or connections to head unit are bad.
At 70w per channel, your head unit should make a decent amount of sound without the amp.
17’ Henry O Hornet w/ Johnson 88 spl
26’ Palmer Scott project hull
14’ Bentz-Craft w/ Yamaha 25
I hope this doesn’t get off topic, but 26 Watts per speaker in a boat coming out of a 6.5" speaker is not near enough. Those speakers are designed to run a much higher constant watt than that. Don’t let anyone fool you into thinking an amp is a waste. Those speakers are designed to run that way.
26 watts from that fusion is enough to blast the audio from a VHF, but that’s about it. In an open air environment you need watts to push those speakers.
Not to mention, running a low watt head unit will force you to run the volume too high and you will blow the voice coils too early. Run the amp, keep the volume knob at a reasonable level and enjoy having tunes in the open air and while cruising.
Might also be worth checking to see if the speakers are what the cover says they are. Would not be the first time someone took the good speakers and threw the old junk back in before selling something.
