TIP
32 | BOATINGMAG.COM | APRIL 2018
INSTALL DISPLAY/
CONTROLLER The waterproof
4-by-6-inch CMS4 display/con-
troller fl ush-mounts. Use the
supplied template and jigsaw to
make a cutout at the helm to drop
in the display, then use the sup-
plied bracket to secure the unit
from the backside. Route the con-
trol cable from the back of the
display (along with the display con-
troller USB cable and video cable)
through the cutout and tighten the
two supplied nuts over mounting
studs to secure the bracket. Plug
the control cable from the display
to the source unit as outlined in the
installation instructions.INSTALL SOURCE UNIT
Clarion’s CMS4 black-box source
unit has a footprint of 7.5 by 9.75
inches. We used the four supplied
self-tapping screws and washers
to secure the module to a bulk-
head on the inside of the helm
console to keep it dry. Check be-
hind the mounting surface before
drilling. Using the pigtail wires on
the female portion of the Molex-
style plug, connect the fused
yellow wire to a 12-volt DC pos-
itive power source. Connect the
black wire to ground. Also, now is
the time to install a marine AM/
FM antenna (not included) and
plug it into the source unit.INSTALL AND CONNECT
SPEAKERS We installed two
pairs of Clarion’s new CM1623RL
high-performance marine coaxial
6.5-inch-diameter speakers — one
pair in the inwales of the bowrider
area and another in the inwales of
the aft cockpit — marking holes
and then cutting them with a jig-
saw. Once the speaker holes are
cut, run marine duplex speaker
wire from the source unit to each
location, connecting the speakers
using the supplied waterproof
Deutsch connector plugs. Then
drill the fi ve mounting holes and
secure the speakers with the sup-
plied self-tapping screws.INSTALL AMPLIFIER We
added the compact (3.23-by-7.17-
inch) four-channel, 400-watt
Clarion XC2410 marine Class D
amplifi er to optimize audio, mount-
ing it inside the helm console.
Connect the red fused 12-volt DC
positive power cable directly to the
output terminal on the battery se-
lector switch, and connect the black
wire to ground, using the appropri-
ately sized cable for the length of
both runs. (Check for the appropri-
ate wire size at ancorproducts.com/
en/resources/ten-percent-voltage-
drop.) Follow the supplied wiring
instructions to connect the amplifi -
er to the CMS4 source unit.Clarion’s new CM
series marine speak-
ers boast integral
RGB (red green blue)
LEDs. A four-wire
Deutsch plug on each
speaker gives you the
option to power up
these lights. A mod-
ule such as the LED
Wi-Fi controller from
Magic Home ($14.99,
amazon.com) lets
you turn them on/
off, change the color
to any shade of the
rainbow, and adjust
the fl ashing rhythm
of the LEDs. Can you
say “disco?”+
RGB LEDSYou can network the Clarion CMS4 with an MFD using the optional MW6 NMEA
2000 interface adapter ($199.99, crutchfi eld.com). It ties the sound system into an
onboard NMEA 2000 backbone to control the audio on compatible MFDs from Garmin,
Lowrance, Simrad and other popular brands.ILLUSTRATIONS: TIM BARKER; PHOTOS: COURTESY CLARION