Gainesville Client Gets Pro Sports 2660 Marine Audio Upgrade

A client from here in Gainesville recently visited Sound Depot and Performance to talk about his Pro Sports 2660 marine audio system. He wanted a sound system that would be easy to use and sound great while he was out for a cruise or fishing. We put together a relatively simple system design and included an extra battery to extend play time. He liked the plan, so we scheduled an appointment to begin the installation.

Marine Coaxial Speaker Systems

The boxes are going to turn this boat into a floating party!

A set of the JL Audio coaxial speakers were installed in the bow.

The white JL Audio marine speakers look right at home in this boat.

As this fishing boat has a large cockpit and deck area, we wanted to make sure there would be excellent coverage for everyone onboard. The client liked our plan to install three sets of JL Audio MX770-CCX-CG-WH 7.7-inch coaxial speakers around the periphery. The first set is mounted near the bow of the boat on what would be considered the back of the bench seat. The second and third sets are mounted on the outer walls of the cockpit area on either side of the boat.

We run new wiring from each speaker when we install our sound systems. New speaker wiring ensures the system will be reliable and offer excellent performance. It can take a while to fish the wiring through the hull of the boat, but the peace of mind is worth the effort.

JL Audio Marine Subwoofers

Subwoofer (L) and speaker (R) work together to produce a rich, full sound.

To ensure the system would sound great and be able to play loud, we added a pair of JL Audio MX10IB3-CG-WH subwoofers to the system. The subs are also mounted on the outside walls of the cockpit area. Having dedicated subwoofers in the system alleviates the need for the (relatively) smaller speakers to reproduce the lowest frequencies of the sound spectrum. The result: The system has better bass response and will play a lot louder.

Marine-Grade System Amplification

JL Audio’s marine amplifiers look as good as they sound!

The amplifiers were mounted to the side of the boat on a piece of marine grade Starboard.

The marine circuit breaker protects the system and allows easy shut down of the amplifiers.

We suggested a pair of JL Audio M-Series marine amplifiers to power the audio system. An M700/5 five-channel amp powers two sets of speakers and the pair of subwoofers. Each speaker receives up to 75 watts of power, and the subwoofers share the 300 watts from the fifth channel. An M200/2 provides an additional 75 watts to the last pair of speakers.

We mounted the amplifiers near the boat batteries on a piece of Starboard that is bolted to the hull. MESA power wire connects the amplifiers to the battery and ensures efficient power delivery. A 150-amp Stinger circuit breaker provides over-current protection in the event of a short circuit. The SCBM150 circuit breaker is designed specifically for marine applications and features an ignition-protected design that is safe to use in engine compartments. As you can see from the photos, all of the wire terminals are protected with heat-shrink tubing, and the wiring is secured in place with plastic wire ties. We used JL Audio interconnect cables to connect the audio system source unit to the amplifiers.

Electrical System Upgrades

Two additional batteries were used to support the additional draw from the audio system.

To ensure the sound system would have ample playing time while the boat is on the water, we added a pair Interstate SRM29 deep-cycle batteries. These batteries are designed to power appliances and lighting in campers and motorhomes when the engine is off. A master/slave battery control switch allows the client to run the sound system from the Interstate batteries and still use the original battery to start the engines when it’s time to head home.

Bluetooth Source Unit

Located within reach of the captain, the JL Audio bluetooth control is the audio source for the system.

The client wanted a simple source unit for his Pro Sports 2660 marine audio system. We showed him a few all-in-one gauge-style sources, but he liked the simplicity of the JL Audio MBT-CRX Bluetooth receiver and system controller. He can also connect to a streaming service like Pandora, iHeartRadio, Tidal, Google Play or Apple Music.

Pro Sports 2660 Marine Audio System

The client was thrilled with the sound system. It sounds better than he expected and is as easy to use as he had hoped. He loved the attention to detail in our wiring and how everything was mounted securely. If you are in the Gainesville area, drop by Sound Depot and Performance to find out how we can upgrade the audio system on your boat. For more information or to schedule a consultation, give us a call or send an e-mail using our online contact form.