Just put the Kicker CS 4in in my Godzilla, and now am looking to purchase a replacement 8inch speaker for the cabinet.

Currently looking at this Boss CXX8 and the Kicker 44CWCd8. Outside of Low Frequency, the Boss seems almost a better spec than the Kicker? This is on top of being alot cheaper too. Qts, which has been referenced in this thread, s much higher on the Boss as well (<.7 vs .54 on the Kicker)

Any opinions on this, or other things I should pay attention to with these two?

Installation of the pre-amped equalizers is coming along. Got the first one hooked up, tested, and works great.

pasted_image (resized).png

The first one pictured is for the cabinet speaker and PSW10 subwoofer. The RCA cables feed signal from the sub to the amp. So far, wow. On volume setting 5, it is pretty full. Volume 8 is loud, and volume 12 is a full on blast. May have to swap the settings back to 4 ohms in the diagnostics and bring the max volume range down some. I'm interested to see how it sounds with both equalizer hooked up.

Working on the second one now...

pasted_image (resized).png

Tagging for future reference.
After reading 4 pages I confess, I dont understand any of the audiophile lingo.

Been wanting to uograde sound, thanks for doing all this work.

Calling EJS for power supply ideas

Something easy to use without a lot of settings to fiddle with.

Here's my answer:

My ideal amplifier for a pinball machine would have a 3.5mm aux input, with an RCA line level sub output. It would be 200w on the cabinet woofer and 75w on the head. It would have an adjustable LPF for the cab and independent HPF for the head speakers. It would have a 12v trigger for power. I think I'd be ok without tone controls/EQ.

Well, I am all done with the install. Took a solid weekend (took my time, had meals, watched a movie here and there), but it got done! I have the equalizer on the left running the backbox speakers, and the equalizer on the right running the cabinet speaker and RCA input/outputs for the Polk PSW-10 subwoofer.

I removed the coin door anchoring bracket and installed the equalizers side by side with the mounts that came with each unit. I also cleaned up all the excess wiring. I'll be using blue painter's tape to create taped labels for each wire so I can clearly discern which wire is responsible for what input/output/speaker.

Only boo-boo I made was installing the external power supply too close to the installation location of the equalizers. To disconnect the ground wires from the power supply, I have to move the right equalizer out of the way first. Whoops. Other than that, pretty simple but methodical install!

Happy to answer any questions. After the first book I wrote earlier in this thread, I'll hold off explaining everything this time.

Video link is below. It was taken before I "tidied up" the finished install, so please don't infer the video showcases the completed install state - I cleaned up the wiring and made it much cleaner upon completion.

pasted_image (resized).png

pasted_image (resized).png

Disable it or replace it with Skar 8" MIDRANGE speaker for about $25. I have kicker 4", skar midrange 8", and polk with the port stuffed. TMNT.
with the 5.25 kickers i'd skip the 8" skar and building the cabinet and turn it off. it's a terrible position for a speaker. not as bad for a sub, but i'd just forget it. (turn on and off oem 8" speaker after the 5.25 kickers and sub,then you decide if it isn't just clutter sound)
opinions.
1. people like the polk. i am not impressed, it's loose and muddy, but plugging it helps. to do over again i'd get a sealed cabinet, likely an 8"
2. Everyone looks at the weak link as the speakers first, then the amp second. i disagree. the oem speakers are dirt, anything is better, but the next weak link is not the amp, it's the cabinet. Build a 5 x 17.75 x 12 cabinet if you are keeping the 8". do your best to enclose the backbox speakers, use foam board.
3. I am experimenting StarWars with kicker 4" backbox and matching 8" sub in the cabinet. this time I will build a wooden speaker box in the cabinet and foam in back box. These speakers are actually meant to work together, but that's a project downthe road

I installed the Goldwood LE cabinet speaker in my GZ Premium and the Kenwood’s with the SpaceCoast adapter in the backbox and then adjusted both speaker sets to the 4 ohm. While this is an improvement from the crap stock paper speakers in range, Godzilla needs more bass, even with tweaking the EQ. So my next step is to test my Infinity powered sub with a connection off the CN5. Looks like TinyBlackDog has provided the mouser links needed so ordering up.

I had a set of FF speakers that I put in my Rush. 4” 8 ohms in the backbox and an 8” 4 ohm in the cabinet. Again an improvement from the stock speakers. While Rush does not need the bass in my opinion like Godzilla does I will do CN5 plugs for both machines as I have a Polk powered sub available for testing.

CFC7EB4A-1CE5-4EF9-8130-E8408F0E0B57 (resized).jpeg

Those ground loop isolators do a good job on JJP machines too in my experience. Stock, hobbit and dialed in had pretty annoying him from the speakers. Those isolators cleaned it right up.

Pretty close is :
https://www.parts-express.com/TPS3116D2-Class-D-2.1-Bluetooth-5.0-Amplifier-Board-2-x-50W-100W-with-Filter-and-Volume-Co-320-635

I have been following the first and last pages of this thread, I am wondering if there has been a resolution as to what is the best combo to make it all work?

I like the idea of the AMP in the game, however, I really dislike the daughter board idea presented by the company mentioned before and this is why I did not buy their product. It just is terrible design and prone to issues, not to mention not good for my OCD.

Looking forward to adding some nice sound to my Spike II pins.

Everyone's level of willingness to modify their game here is different - from plug and plays to setups like mine and others in this thread that splice wires, cut factory connectors out, and get more nitty-gritty/enjoy the sense of mad scientist/tinkering/making their own sound system.

That being said, if you want to make your game boom and have selective channel control, add pre-amped equalizers like I did (along with upgrading to 5.25" speakers, a good mid-range cabinet speaker, and an external subwoofer).

While the Boss equalizers metallik and I used are no longer available, SoundExtreme has a unit nearly identical and available:

https://www.amazon.com/SOUNDXTREME-Passive-Graphic-Equalizer-ST-EQ-180/dp/B00NQJ8N4M/

Super simple to do in terms of introducing to the audio circuit:

1. Cut wires off left speaker
2. Take + back box speaker wire and tie to yellow wire of equalizer; take - wire and tie to yellow w/black stripe wire of equalizer
3. Repeat step 2 for right back box speaker to orange and orange w/black stripe wire
4. Get some car audio speaker wire and locate the "speaker output" wires on the equalizer
5. Connect green wire to + terminal of left back box speaker. Connect green w/black stripe wire and connect to - terminal of left back box speaker
6. Repeat step 5 for right back speaker and use violet and violet w/black stripe wires

The equalizer has now been added to the audio circuit. All you need now is to determine how you want to supply power to it (see my post earlier in this thread on this). Repeat steps above for the cabinet speaker being hooked up to its own equalizer.

The longest and hardest part is picking where to install, what wire gauge to use, how much wire you'll need, all the appropriate crimp connections, tools to complete the job, and most importantly - the fortitude to complete the job.

It's worth it though. My girl told me the game sounds like it has a home theater system installed in it now. The ability to tune 7 different channels for the back box speakers and another 7 separate channels (remember, the back box speakers get their own equalizer as well as the cabinet speaker. You can really dial in a full and wide spectrum of sounds going this route.

Completed on my JP, and as long as the speaker setup is the same in Spike I (speakers wired in parallel [meaning EACH speaker gets their own dedicated + and - wires]), any Spike I and II game can perform this upgrade (I can't imagine what Iron Maiden would sounds like!!!).

Hey everyone! We've seen a couple mentions of our power board and concerns over the design approach. We'll try to add some color.

Below are two definitions that those of us in the electrical engineering and electronic design world focus on:
1) Quality - the measure of an article performing its function at time zero.
2) Reliability - the measure of an article performing its function over time.

There is not a lot to say about 1) and it does not seem to be in question. We've had occasional fails out of the box but we've made testing and BOM changes to address this.

For 2), what seems to be in question is some theoretical failure as a result of the use model. The mounting connection used is a Molex 41815 series Board-to-Board, Power connector. The topology of the power board is what that right-angle connector type is designed for. If there is some concern over tension on the connection when the head is folded to the down position, our harness employs 12-foot cabling and there is ample excess slack to allow for the head to close. We include cable ties and there are numerous wire looms for installation and points for securing the cables. Considering the required run length through the machine is much less, there is plenty of slack and adding more length is not helpful. (There are also many other MODs that run wiring between the head and cabinet so we are not necessarily unique.)

If there is a reliability issue out there it has not been reported to us and there is no actual customer feedback on PinSide that we are aware of. To say there is a bad design at play does not seem to have a basis, and our reliability data and the Molex connector design approach are to the contrary. There are many, many hundreds of this board in the field so the sample size is adequate to be confident in our data.

Anything might eventually happen so won't say "never", but we are not aware of an actual problem. If we're missing an actual reliability event it is because it has not been brought to our attention or it is not visible to us.

OK, thanks for your attention and have a great day!

Did the sound start to distort before the protection kicked in? Did you test this with all speakers running or just the sub?

Is your conclusion that the other mini amps that you tested are inferior in sound quality at elevated volumes to this Dayton?

I am using this amp on 6 of my pins. 5 Spike2 and 1 SAM. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08CJZGT6H/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title

I am very pleased with it. On my LZ Prem I can crank it to crazy volumes with no noticeable distortion or clipping. On that pin it is driving JLAudio C2-525X backbox speakers. I splurge a bit on speakers as I am an Audio/VideoPhile. For the sub I am running a Klipsch R-12SW powered sub.

I just picked up a deadpool pro this weekend and went with the kicker 5.25 cs series back box and jbl stage 810 for the cabinet combo. This is the third game I’ve done this to and ya I think it sounds incredible. From what I took from this thread an amp gets you the last 10% but simply dropping in those speakers and tuning the stock eq gets you 90% of the improvement to be had. I listen to my games at low to medium sound levels fwiw.

Anyone happen to have a 4” to 6 1/2 speaker adapter file they’d care to share?

Thank you, ok. With this feedback now I think I will need to re read this thread in its entirety to see the whole picture. Now I am confused, but I never and will never listen to my pins full blast, just want really good sound, the highest I will ever go on a pin is 10-13 for volume with stock speakers, so then perhaps I do not need an amp?

I wish there was a sticky sections so information can be easily found on this thread, I am being perhaps a bit lazy, it is just that do not have the time to browse through 13 pages and when I do have time I only manage to get a few pages in, then I forget where the info was. I have started reading this thread 3 or 4 times and find the information to be difficult to find.
Great work regardless, please do not take offence on this comment, it great efforts put into this thread, just pointing something out for future reference that is all.

You should use the bookmark function to save posts you consider key. Bottom left of every post by every person on the forums.

thank you for that, had no idea of this feature.

Agreed. The amps are cool and definitely make things pop, but most people would be happy with just swapping the speakers.

Visually I am not a fan of the Kicker Cs, anyone have a recommendations for a 5.25 speaker without the bright colors?

I’m running the kicker DS when my GZ comes in. Reviews I’ve read say that they work well in vehicles especially with low power. They don’t have the yellow. Adapter rings courtesy Sleal16

838B8A93-01B7-49BC-B88E-86B5BB4640DF (resized).jpeg

Any tips on mounting a new 8inch cabinet speaker in the base? The new one I got (Boss CXX8) is just BARELY bigger than the stock version, and doesn't fit in the stand-off screws.

Assuming getting new screws and drilling new holes is the best solution for this?

Pick four holes on the cxx8 and use a round hand file or dremel to slot them towards the center of the speaker. The metal is thin and its quick work. The cxx8 will bolt on using the stock hardware after doing that.

And for completeness a note on the JBL 810 cabinet speaker:

Can a 6 1/2 fit?

Appreciate the tip! It ain't pretty, but the speaker is mounted just fine in the cabinet. It's SNUG, and definitely not going anywhere regardless of how many tilts I throw at it.

Currently playing with the EQ and Ohms setting. Running 4 in the back box (Kicker 4 inch) and 8 for the Boss CXX8.

PXL_20220421_014522589 (resized).jpg

Check from under the cabinet that the woofer surround isn't fouling on the Stern cutout. Aftermarket cabinet woofers (8") are generally larger. I think stock is actually a 7.5" if we're being honest! I made a spacer on the 3D printed but you could use wood as well.

Re - whether you need an amp or not, I don't think it's necessary if you're only doing the backbox speakers. If you're doing the cabinet woofer, then I think it's mandatory otherwise I'm yet to hear an improvement (and often it's worse because almost every aftermarket woofer requires far more than 16 watts).

Made my own CN5 connector for GZ and since I had this cable will run Left/Right down to powered subwoofer

EDB927DE-B26C-4AFF-A381-C41D807BDFEE (resized).jpeg

excellent information,Thank You

I am running the Kenwood’s and like those as the cone material comes through as translucent.

I am getting myself ready for my Godzilla arrival (if ever!!)
I am going to tackle it with making a plug and play setup for myself so it’s easily 100% reversible if ever needed to be.

-Doug’s 5-1/4 light kit and adapter.
- $34 AliExpress amp uncased.
- going to make molex harnesses to go to board and click right into amp.
-find a 12-24v power supply anywhere
-super pro speaker for cabinet.

I’m not looking for crazy audiofile over the top shit. I want it to be loud and clear and snappy.

I may build all this in for my Deadpool first and it if it kicks ass, I’ll just re-up the parts for Godzilla

AB7AE05A-7604-4686-BCEE-F3F8CE48825C (resized).jpeg

DD5A3742-0EDE-4430-921B-68617463C1E5 (resized).jpeg

DFB26B6A-7DEE-4398-A105-735DEAF86E27 (resized).jpeg

Unless I missed it where do you connect the amp to the pinball machine? Was there any pictures?

There are 2 connectors on the Spike 2 board - 1 has 2 pins and goes to the cabinet woofer, the other has 5 pins and is for the backbox speakers. You have to roll your own cable and connector

There are several commercial connectors available that give you 3.5 mm female stereo plugs using those pins. I have Pinsound in mine.
There are pics early in this thread.

Does this unit combine the sub and front speakers (three sets of wires) into one output???
I'm thinking I may need something like this for my output to my small cheapo amp

EDIT: - I am now seeing this comes with the 370$ full set from pinwoofer -
Spike output (resized).jpg

You can either make your own connector from CN5 on that board (think its 5) or get the one from pinsound. Thats what I'm using. This is the pinsound one:

https://www.pinsound.org/shop/en/64-subwoofer-line-out-stern-spike.html

Yeah, that's where i'm confused. That looks easy to grab and use. Would I just use one side of that connector to fo to my little amp with 1 - 3.5mm male to male and not have to use the 'sub" side? or would I be missing out on the lows from the pin if I didnt use it? Because my amp only has 1 input.

So in my current setup, i just have the L+R from the adapter into the amp. So its just the stereo single input to my amp, and I have the cab+backbox speakers to the amp. Nothing else. I'm getting a great range of lows to highs.

Great to know, Thanks. appreciated.

I may grab a couple then, they'll be quite easy to use.

There's also the setup from PinWoofer that's almost identical but has the small board with the three outputs. $30 usd

Added a sound bar. Mixed results so far.

52971F7B-29ED-420F-8DCB-EFB8C245590C (resized).jpeg