Help installing JBL Cruise speakers on Yamaha QuietTech 2
 

I noticed lots of Yamaha gas carts have JBL Cruise speakers installed so I went and bought a pair. How are these wired into the carts? Are they just connected directly to the battery terminals?

Connected to 12v switched power. Will drain your battery is connected directly to the battery.
Bluetooth audio feed works well, but is an obsolete version.
They do not automatically power up when power is applied, you have to press the power button on the left speaker every time.

Quality of the sound is poor (lousy). I would return them and get a good quality sound bar.

I hope these are headset and not boom box speakers?

They are connected to switch power as the above post stated so you do need to press the power button on the speaker to turn them on. Personally I think that is a good feature so you can't run down the battery since they will shut down when you turn the key off.

I am very happy with the sound quality of the speakers given their small footprint. I guess you can get better speakers but they would be bigger and more intrusive. You are also riding in an open cart so you'll never get an audiophile sound but riding around I think they are more than acceptable.

I don't know about outdated Bluetooth but it always has stayed paired with my phone and has never disconnected until some other Bluetooth speakers I have.

I will add a word of caution, the "normal" switched 12 VDC is on the ignition switch and if you add to much load you could blow the main fuse, then your cart is dead. I would suggest adding a relay (low load) to the switched power supply, then run a new fused supply from the battery to the relay and then to the speakers. I have already seen 2 or 3 carts with additional lights, etc that blew this fuse. The final word of caution is some Yamahas sense the "battery voltage" from the switched source and can cause a significant overcharging to the battery due to the additional load. I posted additional info on this in another thread.

Thanks, Tinker. Does this mean the switched power supply is available on the ignition switch itself or somewhere else? Also, what type of relay would be appropriate?

Have a JBL speaker. Strap it down to bar above rear view mirror with straps bought at Lowes. Can take it out and use elsewhere. Speaker is Bluetooth and use Sirius for sound source. Battery lasts 12 hour. Ran a USB plug to the speaker and charge it up. Has very good sound. Some say it is not good. Problem is that cart makes too much noise, including engine, wind and tire noise,

I have the JBL speakers in my cart. They came with it. I guess they are boom box speakers. They are definitely not headset. They get decently loud and I think the sound is acceptable for the golf cart ride. If you hear a cart with Metallica or Megadeth coming that would be me.

After seeing some of the follow-up replies, I will suggest an alternative, have a USB adapter installed on your cart, this will supply 5 volts to the speakers, wiring these to anything else in the cart would provide 12 volts and damage the speakers. This is a very small load, and you should have no problem. These are available on Amazon, and I can do the install if you cannot find anyone. If you have an overhead tray, the USN adapter can be installed there which will tend to hid the speaker wires, and the power wires to the USB adapter can run up the windshield support (possibly inside the support). Let me know if you want help.

Hmmm. I just pulled my dash top off to take a look. I see where the switched portion of the wire comes off the ignition switch and has a number of things already connected (led lights, etc). There happens to be an open connection there already (picture attached).

The speakers are 12v and 5 amps. If I wanted to tap directly into the switched side of the ignition switch could use the open connection. Are 5 amps too much to pull?

Alternatively, I could use Tinker's suggestion of the automotive relay such as:

https://a.co/d/6SnSsVM

In this case, I would run a line from the positive battery terminal with an in-line fuse to terminal 30 on the relay, terminal 85 to the ground wire, terminal 86 to the switched side of the ignition switch, and terminal 87 to the speakers. (diagram attached).

I do have a usb port that is connected to the switched side of the ignition but the speakers are designed to be connected directly to a motorcycle battery so I don't think tapping into that would be a good idea.

What do you think?

I like your solution, I have no idea if 5 amps for the speakers will be a problem, but I had a situation where adding 2 amps for an LED light caused the 20 amp(?) fuse to blow. You would need to actually measure the current in the main fuse under all conditions to find the maximum draw. Your relay solution eliminates this.

Save yourself some serious time, hassle, and $$$ and just get a UE3 boom Bluetooth speaker that fits into a cup holder and plays great sounding music way louder than you will ever need and runs on a charge for about 15 hours. No wiring necessary, use not limited to your golf cart, and can be easily hidden if parked in a high risk situation.

It is a simple hook up. I purchased my speakers JBL’s on-line. Then I purchased the brackets from the Villages Golf car store in Brownwood ($41 for the bracket). I mounted the brackets to the front pillars as they do and made the connection to Yamaha label in the front of the cart, which comes on when you turn on the ignition. I have never blown a fuse or had any other issues.

Certainly not our experience- we ordered the speakers when we ordered our 2023 Cart - they come on automatically as soon as the cart is turned on and have great sound. Wouldn’t have bought a cart without speakers- love music and the JBL’s have been awesome!

That funny, I tried to buy the brackets at Village Golf up on 27 and they wouldn't sell them to me! I cobbled my own mounting solution together from local hardware stores.

Is your cart gas or electric? When you say "made the connection to the Yamaha label" what do you mean? You have a light in the front and you just tapped into that? Mine doesn't have a light like that (mine's probably older) but I have plenty of other accessories I could tap into that are on the switched ignition.