195S Audio Upgrade & Wet Sounds Soundbar Install

[TheArk]

Wasn’t sure if the HMX were going to be noticeably better than the stock HBX though, both driven at their RMS ratings

I had the same concern. I’m no sound/speaker expert, but here’s what I saw that had me convinced the HMX speakers would be a worthy upgrade:

• The OEM Hertz HBX 6.5s have a 88db rating; HMX 6.5s are more efficient @ 89db - HMX produce more sound with the same power input.
• OEM HBX speakers have tweeters mounted on a post that comes up through the middle of the woofer cone, HMX have grill mounted tweeters and an uninterrupted woofer cone - More surface area and stronger design should lead to better low frequency response.

Just running them off the head unit power, it was immediately apparent that the low and mid range frequencies were much improved.

I think the biggest improvement for us wasn’t upgrading the speakers, but adding the two additional cabin speakers - better sound distribution amongst the boat. This should have been the factory configuration for the 195S.

 

[Btsnhos]

When weight, power density, and space savings are critical, I’m on board with lithium. Great for a bit more usefully load / taking a few extra gallons of 100LL in the tanks. I had one in a Buell that made a huge difference in starting performance and I’ll be replacing my BMW GS’s battery with lithium in the near future.

But in the boat … we’re never anchored for much over 90 minutes, so we don’t really need that much reserve capacity. The space savings don’t have much impact and the weight savings aren’t crucial. For us, the benefits of lithium don’t outweigh the increased cost, both initially and over time (when a battery fails or reaches EOL).

I was saying you can’t use the blue seas kit with lithiums since the voltage of lithium is higher than the starter battery, the acr will try to continuously charge the stater battery.

 

[FattyMatty]

What did you use to mount your amp in to keep it off the floor?

 

[TheArk]

What did you use to mount your amp in to keep it off the floor?

I had some 1/4” HDPE sheet I picked up at Menards for another project and had a decent amount left. I considered using StarBoard, but it’s so damn expensive.

Menards also has plastic lumber available for a reasonable price as well.

 

[TheArk]

Almost forgot an important part of the project … the project manager:



She definitely has a preferred spot in the boat …

 

[FattyMatty]

When drilling through the floor in the back storage compartment where your sub and stuff is did you when any concerns of drilling into something or is that an ok place to put some screws into. I have a sub I need to secure to the floor in there. What about the other side where the battery is in that storage area, can you screw into that floor as well with no worries?

 

[TheArk]

When drilling through the floor in the back storage compartment where your sub and stuff is did you when any concerns of drilling into something or is that an ok place to put some screws into. What about the other side where the battery is in that storage area, can you screw into that floor as well with no worries?

No idea what’s under the floor in those compartments - I assume it’s foam and stringers.

I measured a few times between a common reference point (the floor of my garage), the bottom of the hull, and the floor of the compartment. From what I remember, it was about a 2”-3” difference between the top of the compartment floor and the bottom of the hull. Given the battery sits a few inches below the floor on the other side, I figured there was a bit of room below the compartment floors.

I was pretty careful to limit the depth that I drilled to no more than 3/4”.

 

[TheArk]

Warming up to the look of the Hertz speakers - the perforations in the stainless grill give off kind of a prism/diamond effect in the sunlight.

 

[Dravell]

Your post made me finally get off my butt and install mine. Haven’t had a chance to really test them yet but hoping I’m happy with it all

 

[FattyMatty]

Looks great, what battery setup are you going with? This is my setup, works great and lasts for days. View attachment 233839View attachment 233840

Do you have a pic of the way you wired your dual switch?

 

[Btsnhos]

Added the second switch aft of the original, wired into a circuit breaker on the positive side which runs to a distribution block under the helm. All positive wires connect to that block. The negative side runs from the batteries to the shunt to a negative distribution block Relocated the original switch forward

 

[TheArk]

Had a few outings with the sound system - we’re very pleased with the results.



Hertz Speakers - they sound great. I had some reservations before purchasing them as JL Audio / Wet Sounds seem to be the go-to for most, but after hearing them in action, I have zero criticism of them. They look good, sound great (the bass is impressive), and were a great value.

Adding the 3rd pair in the cockpit is absolutely worth it and should be at the top of anyone’s list for upgrading audio in the 19ft boats.

Infinity / Kicker Amplifiers - No complaints. They seem to be a great match for the speakers / sub.

Wet Sounds Soundbar - Overall we’re pretty satisfied with soundbar …



Combined with the subwoofer, the sound behind the boat is excellent. The bar itself gets plenty loud and the overall sound quality is good. It definitely meets our goals for a low visual and spacial impact - no one’s hit their head on it and it doesn’t impair our ability to operate the boat with the tower down (going under low bridges).

One thing I noticed is that the tweeters have a very narrow soundstage. As you get 10º - 15º off center from soundbar, you can hear a very noticeable fall-off in the higher frequencies.

It’s a good product, but there is room for improvement. I think some more purpose built racetrack drivers, passive radiators, and some revised tweeter grills would give the bar a fuller sound and wider soundstage in the same overall size. JBL has some offerings that probably accomplish all of that …

Kicker TB 8” 4-Ohm Loaded Enclosure - Sounds great, but …

I wired my system for two subs (one in the starboard rear storage compartment, one in the port helm storage compartment). I’m content with the current sound, but I wouldn’t say no to just a touch more base when the soundbar is powered up and we’re 20 feet off the back of the boat. I might add the second sub; we’ll see.

If I were to stick with a single sub, I might have purchased the 10” 2 Ohm Kicker TB subwoofer. More power/sound in nearly the same amount of space. The only problem with more sound in that space is the rattles. The cup holder insert on the starboard side rattled A LOT at relatively low volumes, even with the subwoofer off. I ended up epoxying strips of StarBoard to the back of it and lined it with Kilmat. That fixed that particular rattle, but there are more rattle sources.

Not sure adding the second sub in the starboard helm is worth dealing with more sources of rattle …