Marine Audio

When it comes to marine entertainment systems, Rockford Fosgate speakers, subwoofers and amplifiers are among the best in the industry. If you’re searching for an amplifier to power the subwoofer system on your boat, the new M2-500X1 is a great choice. This 500-watt is efficient, includes all the features you could want and sounds great! Let’s check it out.

Features of the Rockford Fosgate M2-500X1

The M2 Series of amplifiers is based on the Prime Series of car audio amplifiers. The amplifiers have been upgraded with Element Ready features that improve their longevity in high-humidity applications. All the terminals are zinc nickel-plated brass so they won’t corrode. The heatsink, which measures 6.5 by 8.5 by 1.9 inches, has been powder-coated with a UV-resistant gray finish that will look great for years. The circuit board has a special conformal coating that prevents the tiny traces and components from oxidization that can affect performance. This amplifier and its two-, four- and five-channel brethren are serious about reliability and performance in marine applications.

The M2-500X1 is a mono Class D amplifier designed to power subwoofers. The amp can produce a continuous 300 watts of power when driving a 4-ohm load. Power output jumps up to 500 watts when driving a 2-ohm load. Frequency response is specified as being 20 Hz to 250 Hz. The amp includes an adjustable high-pass infrasonic filter that can be set between 15 and 40 Hz, along with a low-pass filter that’s adjustable between 50 and 250 Hz. Both filters use -12 dB/octave Butterworth alignments. The amp also includes Rockford Fosgate’s Punch EQ circuit that allows for up to 18 dB of boost to be added at 45 Hz. If your subs didn’t hit hard before adding this amp, they will after! Finally, the amplifier includes an RLC remote level control to fine-tune the bass level quickly and easily right from the helm.

Your installer will appreciate that Rockford Fosgate has included their C.L.E.A.N. input and output clip LEDs to make it easy and fast to set the amp up. The amp has a set of RCA input jacks for low-level signals up to 4 volts. If your application requires it, speaker-level inputs on a pigtail will accept up to 12 Vrms of signal. The amp also has an auto-sensing turn-on feature that will activate it when it detects that a factory-style radio connected to the speaker-level inputs is turned on. Both inputs use a balanced differential design to optimize noise rejection for clean, clear sound.

A Pedigree of Car Audio Performance

With more than 50 years of car audio experience under their belts, the Rockford Fosgate team created the M2-500X1 with many of the technologies found in the Punch and Power Series models. In addition to the C.L.E.A.N. feature, the amp includes a high-efficiency MEHSA 4 high-mass heatsink to keep all the components running cool so they remain reliable. The NOMAD protection circuit monitors the amp for shorts or low-impedance loads to keep things safe. The M2-500X1 uses a loosely regulated power supply design called P.O.W.E.R. to maximize power production when the supply voltage increases. Finally, the amplifier and all the associated specifications comply with the ANSI/CTA-2006 standards for power rating. There are no “If Lightning Strikes” (ILS) numbers on Rockford Fosgate gear.

Upgrade Your Marine Audio System with Rockford Fosgate

If your boat needs great bass, drop by a local Rockford Fosgate retailer and check out the fantastic M2-500X1 500-watt mono Element Ready amplifier and the impressive M2 Series of 10- and 12-inch subwoofers. You can find a retailer near you using their dealer locator on their website. To learn more about the M2 Series of marine audio products, check out their Facebook page, Instagram feed and their amazing YouTube channel.

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.

Whether you’re waterskiing, wakeboarding or towing friends on a tube, having great music to accompany your time on the water makes a day of fun even better. When it comes to wakeboard tower speakers, the powersports audio fanatics at Rockford Fosgate have the perfect solution to ensure that everyone on the boat and at the end of the rope can hear your favorite jams. Let’s look at the Rockford Fosgate M2WL-8 wakeboard tower speakers and the PMX-RGB LED lighting controller.

Wakeboard Tower Speakers Done Right

The M2WL-8 are Rockford Fosgate’s second generation of wakeboard tower speakers. The kit includes a pair of enclosures loaded with the 8-inch M2-8 coaxial drivers. In addition, a set of universal tower bar clamps are included, along with inserts to work with bars from 1.5 to 3 inches in diameter. The clamps allow the speakers to be rotated by 360 degrees for each alignment during installation. Stainless steel grilles are mounted to the speakers out of the box but can be removed quickly to reveal the white, sport-style, twin-six-spoke grilles in behind. Finally, the speakers include Rockford Fosgate’s Color Optix RGB LED illumination system, and the rear of the enclosures boasts the new 3DIL RGB-illuminated Rockford Fosgate logo. The tower speakers are also available in black as part number M2WL-8B.

When it comes to marine speakers, there are three important product selection criteria: performance, longevity and style. Rockford Fosgate uses Klippel testing during the speaker development process to ensure that all of their drivers operate as linearly as possible. This design verification and testing process translates to speakers that deliver clearer and more detailed sound, especially at high output levels. In addition, the speakers are rated to handle 250 watts continuous and an impressive 1,000 watts of peak power, thanks to the large-diameter voice coils and high-quality crossover networks.

The M2-8 speakers are based on a PA66 glass-fiber-reinforced chassis for rigidity and thermal stability. At the heart of each speaker is a 1-inch voice coil wrapped around a high-temperature Kapton former. The voice coil is centered by a linear spider made from an aramid-polyester composite. The woofer cone is mineral-filled polypropylene with UV inhibitors and is bounded by a UV- and salt-resistant thermoplastic elastomer surround. The surround and cone benefit from Rockford Fosgate’s Vertical Attach Surround Technique, which allows for up to 25% more effective cone area than conventionally designed drivers. The tweeter in each speaker is made from what Rockford Fosgate calls laminated PXNX, and they have a dome profile with a 1-inch voice coil and dual neodymium magnets.

Marine Speakers Made to Last

In terms of longevity, the M2WL-8 meets all the water- and UV-resistance requirements to bear the Element Ready moniker. The speakers are IPX6 water-intrusion rated, and the enclosures are molded from UV-resistant ASA plastic for rigidity and to keep weight down.

Rockford Fosgate’s attention to detail includes dual water-resistant Deutsch/Amphenol DT-Series connectors with silicone gaskets. One connector is in the center of the clamp, and the second is behind the mounting hardware access port. The speakers can be mounted directly to many tower brackets without a clamp, and the dual-connection options keep wiring simple and clean in every application. Speaking of mounting, a concealed security Torx fastener keeps everything rock solid, even when you’re pounding across the tops of waves and wakes.

Great Sound with a Cool Look

The Color Optix RGB LED lighting works with the RMX-RGB wireless controller module. Using the free RFConnect app on your Apple iPhone or an Android device, you can set the illumination color on the speaker cones and 3DIL logo to almost anything under the rainbow. You can even adjust the brightness or choose from 30 color scrolling patterns. In terms of attention to detail, the Diamond R logo on the 3DIL can be rotated, so it’s upright, no matter what angle the speakers are installed.

Upgrade Your Wake Boat with Rockford Fosgate

If you want a set of wakeboard tower speakers that will sound amazing, look cool and last for years, drop by your local authorized Rockford Fosgate retailer and ask about the M2WL-8 system. They’d be happy to provide you with a quote to upgrade your boat. For more information on these tower speakers, visit the Rockford Fosgate website and be sure to follow them on Facebook, Instagram and of course YouTube.

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.