Would love to upgrade the sound system on my 2010 Tournament

ksgoldman

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I have a 2010 Tournament 275 (now called Freedom 275) and absolutely love the boat. The only thing I'm disappointed with is that the factory sound system (Kenwood) is pretty weak. It sounds fine when the boat is at anchor, but when the boat is under way it really could use some more "oomph".

I've been thinking about the options including adding an amplifier versus replacing the head unit versus replacing or adding more speakers.

I'd like to keep the installation simple as my boating season will begin this weekend, and I'd rather spend time on the water than in the bilge running wiring.

Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.
 

westar

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Re: Would love to upgrade the sound system on my 2010 Tourna

I have an '09 Tournament. My head unit died so I replaced it but still have the stock speakers. It sounds much better with a new head unit. New speakers and possibly an amp coming this summer.
 

jonaly179

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Re: Would love to upgrade the sound system on my 2010 Tourna

If your looking for a good sound system, it all depends on your budget and how extreme you want to go. Head units alone don't provide the clean power that some marine speakers need. Kenwood makes a great head unit for the money, Fusion is the best head unit on the market. If you do decide to get an amp, make sure you get a marine rated amp. JL Audio does make good amps and awesome speakers. They are pricey but you pay for quality. I personally would do a kenwood or fusion head unit, JL audio amp and either JL speakers or Rockford Fosgate speakers. They hit hard and sound good. I've installed many of these systems and customers are happy with the sound. I currently run a Kenwood Head Unit, 2,000 watt amp and Rockford Fosgate Speakers. My boat bumps a little bit too hard now though.
 

Rustygaff

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Re: Would love to upgrade the sound system on my 2010 Tourna

My 2011 255 Freedom has the stock factory Kenwood head with what appears to be a KENWOOD-KCA-RC107MR dash mounted remote. I think the unit is on its way out. The volume control is becoming unresponsive. What does Kenwood offer as a decent replacement that is compatible with the existing remote? I imagine changing out the head would not be a major project but changing out the square dash remote to one of the newer round ones may be a project in itself.
 

ksgoldman

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Re: Would love to upgrade the sound system on my 2010 Tourna

Can I splice the wiring for the Fusion remotes into the existing wiring for my Kenwood remotes so that I don't have to run new cabling?
 

everwhom

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Re: Would love to upgrade the sound system on my 2010 Tourna

While you're upgrading, I'd recommend getting a Bluetooth interface if your new unit doesn't already have one. I added a Fusion MS-BT-100 to my stock system on my 330 Express and I've been amazed at how useful it is. Any of my passengers can just pair their phone with the audio and play their tunes. Or you can pair and iPad and watch movies! Really cool!