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Cost effective Stereo upgrade solution

MrG

MrG

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Lake Tulloch Ca
My 2012 2575QCW came with 4 kicker speakers and a Sony X-plod deck and Wired remote. It's the cheep entry level system you can't expect much. i figured I was gonna put a high end system in my boat so don't spend any money on stuff you just going to not use. 


Well I'll fast forward to almost 5 years later. I'm still rocking basically "the stock system"  and I'm totally happy with it. 


So if you have crappy "stock sound" and you don't wanna spend any money here is some advice. I was turned onto the Sony MEX XB100BT head unit from a Fourm member. I have been running it for some time and wanted to report back.


In my opinion your stock head unit has NO power. That's 1/2 of the reason your system sounds like crap. Remove your stock head unit and throw it away.  :)  


The Sony Mex XB100BT has 100 watts of power. Plenty of power to push your 4 stock speakers that's 25 watts per speaker. (For your 4 channel stock system) Your not gonna win any stereo contest but it's a far cry better then what you have now if your system is bone stock.


simply removing your stock head unit and swapping it out for a new high power head unit will make a big difference. And they are only $198 on Amazon. 


Now if you have the stock kicker speakers or newer offerings your in luck that's the other 50% of the equation. (Descent Speakers)  If you have deasent speakers and just enough power to push them your golden.  


Most people that have a 2012 or newer boat have good enough speakers to make it happen. 


Another bonus is low power draw for a system that sounds this good you typically need a Amp and that means more power draw. I have 1 Group 31 deep cycle battery in my boat.(stock battery is a Group 24)  That 1 Group 31 battery has more then enough power to play your stereo at a reasonable volume ALL DAY LONG. And still start your boat at the end of the day. I can tell you this because I have done it for the past 4+ years so. (Full Disclosure) I keep a jump start pack handy, so that if I ever have run flat I have somthing up my sleeve. 


Only 3 potential down sides that I can see that would hinder Fourm members 


#1 the new high power head unit asks you to run a larger gauge power wire to the Headunit. So if your batterys are not close your gonna have to pull a wire. Not a big deal but it's not plug and play. 


#2 if your boat came with a factory Sony dash or lounger remote your gonna need to swap it out for a new one, because the Orignal RM-X60M is not compatible with the new MEX XB100BT head unit.


if you want the convenience of a dash mounted remote you need to find a Sony RM-X11M. This brings me to the last down side to this install. 


#3 The Orignal Sony RM-X60M remote is a larger remote. The RM-X11M is a smaller and you would need to fab up a filler plate to mount the new remote.


All down sides considered I still think is a worth while upgrade. 


Here are some pictures of my remote retro fit. 


7CC2C77A-5B93-4B1C-9ADC-AAC8283911FA_zpsckk1rsid.jpg



here is what your dash looks like after you remove the stock remote


CFCE9F1E-C282-4B81-BFD1-D75C1E4839F8_zpswej9l2su.jpg



I made this filler piece out of Abs plastic


48B96D7F-58EC-4D9B-B54F-6DA0AEE2F62F_zpsenai0qko.jpg



Then I coverd it with some vinyl I had laying around.


22838ED2-5AD5-4F6B-A337-74AC2D10D5A3_zpsvmij4pvg.jpg



Here it is in the Dash 
 
Nice job!
 
I like the vice, probably cost more than the stereo.  Oh yeah, nice work.
 
Good job! 
 
MrG said:
My 2012 2575QCW came with 4 kicker speakers and a Sony X-plod deck and Wired remote. It's the cheep entry level system you can't expect much. i figured I was gonna put a high end system in my boat so don't spend any money on stuff you just going to not use. 


Well I'll fast forward to almost 5 years later. I'm still rocking basically "the stock system"  and I'm totally happy with it. 


So if you have crappy "stock sound" and you don't wanna spend any money here is some advice. I was turned onto the Sony MEX XB100BT head unit from a Fourm member. I have been running it for some time and wanted to report back.


In my opinion your stock head unit has NO power. That's 1/2 of the reason your system sounds like crap. Remove your stock head unit and throw it away.  :)  


The Sony Mex XB100BT has 100 watts of power. Plenty of power to push your 4 stock speakers that's 25 watts per speaker. (For your 4 channel stock system) Your not gonna win any stereo contest but it's a far cry better then what you have now if your system is bone stock.


simply removing your stock head unit and swapping it out for a new high power head unit will make a big difference. And they are only $198 on Amazon. 


Now if you have the stock kicker speakers or newer offerings your in luck that's the other 50% of the equation. (Descent Speakers)  If you have deasent speakers and just enough power to push them your golden.  


Most people that have a 2012 or newer boat have good enough speakers to make it happen. 


Another bonus is low power draw for a system that sounds this good you typically need a Amp and that means more power draw. I have 1 Group 31 deep cycle battery in my boat.(stock battery is a Group 24)  That 1 Group 31 battery has more then enough power to play your stereo at a reasonable volume ALL DAY LONG. And still start your boat at the end of the day. I can tell you this because I have done it for the past 4+ years so. (Full Disclosure) I keep a jump start pack handy, so that if I ever have run flat I have somthing up my sleeve. 


Only 3 potential down sides that I can see that would hinder Fourm members 


#1 the new high power head unit asks you to run a larger gauge power wire to the Headunit. So if your batterys are not close your gonna have to pull a wire. Not a big deal but it's not plug and play. 


#2 if your boat came with a factory Sony dash or lounger remote your gonna need to swap it out for a new one, because the Orignal RM-X60M is not compatible with the new MEX XB100BT head unit.


if you want the convenience of a dash mounted remote you need to find a Sony RM-X11M. This brings me to the last down side to this install. 


#3 The Orignal Sony RM-X60M remote is a larger remote. The RM-X11M is a smaller and you would need to fab up a filler plate to mount the new remote.


All down sides considered I still think is a worth while upgrade. 


Here are some pictures of my remote retro fit. 





here is what your dash looks like after you remove the stock remote





I made this filler piece out of Abs plastic





Then I coverd it with some vinyl I had laying around.





Here it is in the Dash 
Click to expand...

Really nicely done. And +1 on that head set. I also installed one on my boat. And it drives all six speakers great!


Last but not least,weren't you going to change out the switches?
 
+1 on the Sony MEX-100 BT head unit.


My 2015 GCW had a fused 15 amp circuit for the radio already installed so it was not necessary to run new primary circuit wiring.


This head unit made an amazing difference. The Mega Bass feature eliminated the "need" for a sub woofer add on. Third season for this head unit and it's still going strong.


At $199 it's a steal!


Posted 17 Jul 2015 ·


The install of a Sony MEX-XB100BT with four stock 6.5" Kicker speakers was completed today. My factory supplied Sony head unit sounded pitiful so I decided to try the Sony MEX stereo radio with Mega Bass instead, hoping for some decent bass improvement without having to install a sub woofer.


To say it knocks my socks off would be a gross understatement. We listen mostly to CD's on our pontoon stereo. With the Sony Mega Bass CD's sound crisp, clear and brilliant with amazing deep powerful bass, no distortion at very high volume levels, I'm amazed. It's hard for me to believe the bass coming out of this setup. I have no intention of pursuing a sub woofer or adding additional speakers, at least for now.


Among it's very nice features it has a 4X40W= 160 RMS output & 100WX4= 400W peak power output, some very nice Bluetooth and USB features and a hand held remote.


IMPORTANT: You need to do a Master Reset before using the unit and pay attention to the various SOUND/EQ settings to maximize this unit's performance, this is explained in the owner's manual.


This is not a marine radio but it should be fine in a fresh water installation. I have had numerous boats over the years in non salt water environments with non marine car radios with nary a problem related to corrosion. 


Review here: http://www.pasmag.com/car-audio/test-reports/3885-sony-mex-xb100bt-receiver-review


Also check it our here:  http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MEX-XB100BT-Hi-Power-Receiver-Bluetooth/dp/B00SCS26KE


The owners manual states that for best performance it needs a dedicated 15 amp/14AWG circuit. And a always connected direct 12VDC connection if you want to retain memory settings.


7/21/15 EDIT: The more I use this Sony Mega Bass stereo radio the more I like it. Exception though for the display being washed out in the sunlight. Acceptable trade off for an otherwise stellar performer


.
 
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One more thing to Note: 


if your gonna buy the MEX XB100BT Headunit and add the compatible Sony remote. You must pair the head unit to the remote. You need to go into the settings and tell the head unit that you want it to talk to a wired remote. The full instructions on how to do this are on page 19 of the user instructions. 
 
The Sony MEX XB-100BT comes with a hand held remote too.
 
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I have not tryed it but I believe it's a line of sight remote. So t think the head unit needs to be with in the headunits sight to work. Can any one confirm this?
 
yes,,, line of sight.
 
Yes so for people that Have the head unit mounted up and out of the way (under the helm) the supplied remote will do you know good. That why I recommend the Compatible Sony remote.


Man old habits are hard to break. The Stock Sony system that came with the boat had the big Orignal remote located on the dash. I can tell you how many times I reached up to turn up the volume for remote that didn't exist.  :)  
 
Hey G, did you see Wet Sounds new bluetooth module?  It actually fits in the Carling switch opening!


 https://wetsounds.com/pages/products/WW-BT-RS


If I'm understanding it correctly, you don't even need a head unit as it has a remote turn on wire and main output to the amp! Seems like a pretty cool solution since most people JUST use bluetooth 


Figure this could work great on your golf cart type things (sorry don't remember the name of them)
 
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Yes I have seen that Wetsounds Carling switch it's pretty cool for exactly what you said it for. 


I have found if your trying to do with out a Headunit and run a signal directly to a amp it's better to use a Eq or something with some Pre Amp or line voltage to feed to the Amp. If you had any kind of a high output system and you wanted to get the most out of it line voltage is key. Not sure how much line voltage that wetsounds Carling switch produces. But if it was just a simple system for a golf cart then heck yes
 
I was going to get that head unit but the wired remotes are discontinued, I am also not as handy as filling in the extra gap left by the old remotes, since I have two.  I already have a sub/amp combo, so I may just get new speakers and an amp to help drive them.


Edit, I also don't want to do away with the display on my remotes.  I guess only a couple sites stopped selling them, I just found some on Ebay.
 
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If You already have a Sub/Amp combo then you 1/2 way there. So I get it. Yes it's lame that the stock remote is not compatible so I understand not wanting to go threw the dance of making a filler piece and reprogramming a new remote. And it's strange how some places like Overtons sells the remotes and some other places list them as discontinued. I don't get it. The reason I latched on to this head unit was for ease of swapping one out and how inexpensive the upgrade in sound was. I wish it was more plug and play as far as the remote go's but I guess it's like everything you don't get somthing for nothing! :)  
 
This is a good head unit if you want to play loud music and are not so concerned with super high resolution sound. Sony put a Class D amplifier with a switching power supply in this unit to get a lot of output power (plays really loud) and this is a reasonable pairing with compressed music like MP3.  The drawback is the high frequency content is distorted so it's not so good for audiophiles and also much of the time the switching power supply will interfere with AM reception. For a boat I think this is a really good option but I definitely would not like this in my car. 
 
I find that the fidelity of the Sony MEX XB-100BT head unit is quite impressive, much more than  just adequate, speaker selection and source material play a key role here. The Mega Bass feature is a large plus too. I detect no distortion in either high or low frequencies. Following the correct setup parameters per the user manual is also important to getting the best performance out of this unit. For a boat setup this is really hard to beat.
 
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