Stereo questions
 

Stereo Questions
#1 Have a NON DIM stereo in boat, patch up hole or what?
#2 In Cabin, Do you HAVE to have a marine stereo???
#3 wire or wireless remote for stereo?????
#4 Amps, Where to put em?
#5 outdoor speakers? regular subs? How do you set up your speakers for best sound?
#6 on a budget, Have 2 amps, 2 ten inch pioneer subs and 2 6 inch JL subs that I have accumulated over the years
the 10's are muddier which I like but the JL's are considered by some to be one of the best subs on the market (dual voice coils ect -- damn things weigh about 12-14 lbs each)

What have some of you done with your stereo's and the like?
I was thinking the following;
No need for marine stereo when it is mounted down in cabin nice and dry
would like to get a small CD changer so head unit has to be accomidating
Definately need either a wired or wireless remote that I can velcro or stick at helm so I dont have to jump down in the cabin when a dumb song comes on that I cant stand
or I can adjust the volume ect or change cd's without having to stop boat and do this and come back up and get underway
I will be doing some LONER boating this year (going out solo just myself with no friends/family)
I dont think my dog is smart enough to learn how to flip through stations or adjust volume so Im basically in need of a remote

anyone have suggestions, pics of install, ideas of where to place the amps, speakers ect?
Can I put speakers in my radar arch?
Or is the gunnell okay for that?
I have 2 stock speakers in back seat facing forward, I was thinking of placing the SUBS there since it is an encosure like a sub box but if these subs get wet I think they will fall apart
Suggestions please/????
Thanks much to all
Jason

I do not understand # 1 are you saying non dimmer or non din. If it is a shafted radio and it is in the location you are planning to use you will just have to make the opening larger to accept the din model.Your assumption that the radio is high and dry in the cabin is true form getting soaked down but ther is always some moisture in a boat. A non marine radio will last for a while but no one ever knows when it will fail The radio is always exposed. That being said, Clarion makes nice marine equipment for not much more money than a standard auto stereo. I is also capable of 2 wired remotes linked to it. I like the wired remotes over a IR. Amps need to go in the cabin. I would go with marine speakers. 4 5.25 or 6.5 speakers should do. The 6 inch subs will not be enough, you can use Clarion or Babb, I have not heard the Bazooka marine yet but I was told they sound good. Personally I like the babbs. You did not state the configuration of your amps 2 channel or 4 channel. Subs Polyplanar or Clarion. They sound good and they come with grills most manufacturers have not figured out the marine speakers need nice looking grills to go with their product as the subs are very rarely concealed. I hope this helps, Forrest

jayl13

marine components are spec'd for the environment, but i have done like you are suggesting, using car audio equipment that i currently own. i have had good luck so far (4 years in this boat, 3 years with other equip in previous boat) if you could sell what you own to buy marine, then maybe, if you have the cash, go marine, otherwise what do you have to lose, use the equipment you have. I boat in fresh water and that probably makes the biggest difference.

my sony car amp (80wx2) is in my shirt closet (formula 272 sr1)
sony head unit with preamp output in cabin
sony diskman velcro'd to the helm when in use. (can change cd's safely while driving, trolling out the channel.)
2 cerwin vega three ways in gunwhales near bolsters.
plan to buy another amp, and subs in small boxes for when the gunwhale doors are opened. don't want to cut up the formula .
my previous boat (211 liberator) had a pair of 12" car subs (poly, not paper cones) cut into the rear bench support, and a 250x2 amp.
should have kept them. the boat rocked!

my $0.02

My 10 inch subs are poly (pioneer)
I just did not know how they would hold up in damn boating conditions
The amps and head unit would be down below in cabin so I would figure they would last a few years just imperative that I have a remote for the helm.
most of the boat is plywood backing under the vinyl stuff so cutting small holes for 6x9's or 5x7's should not be a big issue and wiring, no biggie either really, the gunwhales are easy to tuck stuff up underneath and wiretie
Might have to visit best buy or someplace to get a new head unit and trim ring
Any cd players (din) have multi disk changers in them these days?
Maybe I should talk to AudioFN on this???
Thanks for the input
Jason
ps 1 amp is coustic 4 channel 350w
second amp is planet audio 500w 2 channel (sub amp)
had the planet audio pushing the 2 subs (10 inch pioneers) in my pickup truck before I sold it and man did they thump
Im not looking to have this bass machine either like the ricer cars
Just want to enjoy the music over the sound of the twins once in a while
the coustic is okay nothing great like a Fozgate but it should work just fine (boat cockpit is not the most acoustically perfect spot either being open)
i was thinking 2 6x9's down below, 2 5x7's in gunwhales, 2 subs in rear seat support and maybe 2x 4-5 inch in v berth (i think there are 2 there already cant remember)
Jason

I would not want the pioneers to rust and bleed on your interior. You did not give a budget but I would still consider the polyplanars or the clarions for subs. If you want to save so money and the system should sound good use the infinity marine or the clarions. If you do not mind spending some money on speakers buy the babbs as you will never have to replace them. Your amps should be fine. As far as amps go I do not use the marine amps for customers as i can not get the power they require. I use PPI because of the regulated power supply. Forrest

i use waterproof baffles with non-marine speakers in areas where water/moisture will not directly hit the speaker.
-the baffles protect the spider/tinsels from ambiant moisture
-poly cones, other than sounding better than paper, also do not absorb moisture like paper cones would

for subs i use a sealed box to protect the rear-magnet, voice coil, etc- and the cones i assume will hold up
-speakers are in a recessed enclosure under rear bench, so that way splahes that come over the side do no hit the speakers

all i fresh water though

now my question, how important is it to put the amps in the cabin. with a 25' cabin space is limited

First off as I remeber from Biggus's boat you have a kind of stack deal in that boat. So you will have to make a plate to fill the space. As far as Marine Vs. Car. I am a salt water guy. So I can speak for salt environment that you are in. Will your car stuff last for a while? Ya probably it will. However the salt air gets into EVERYTHING!!!! Personally I like to do things right and do them once. However I uderstand your aproach hear. Just make sure that what ever you use is not going to stain your interior, and the worste that will happen is you have to replace it. Make sure it is plastic or stainless or alluminum. Anything else will rust and stain your interior!!!

Jon

Game over: Poly cones are actually about the worst cone you can have for sound. Pulpe paper cones are much stiffer pound per pound then polly cones. They are also self damping so they do not resonate. If you look at most really high end speakers they are paper cones. This is due to the fact that paper is self damping. Hope that helps ya a bit. Obviously paper is not an option on a boat :D

You need to keep the amps in the cabin. Audio I know you run into the same problems the marine amps are not up to the job that is becoming a requirement in boats. I never said you could not use non marine speakers that is your choice but there are high quality and great sounding marine speakers on the market. I will not install non marine speakers in a boat as I will end up paying for it when the speaker gets rust stains on the interior. That being said there are some speaker manufacturers that have polymer frames that do not rust and will not ruin your interior.(MB Quart) and there are others. Forrest

guess i've been straigtened out. thought i remember reading that poly was better than paper somewhere? maybe not

Game over I was of course refering to Home Speakers. Car is another world and there is so much bad and BS info flying around out there in car it is hard to wade through all the crap. The poly cones and alluminum cones are prefered because they last in the moist environment of a car were paper would just fall apart.

Forrest I myself would also never install a NON marine speaker. It is just not worth it. The costs in my opinion are not large enough to justify it. However if this guy wants to give it a try and we warn him about what to look for that is all we can do I guess.... Right?

Jon

I won't install a non marine speaker. Unless I have no choice But do not recommend it. If I do I explain the down side of doing this and I make sure the speaker has a polymer frame or Aluminum frame to cut down on rust. Even some marine speakers are not as protected as they should be. Some are just painted white and called a marine speaker. You can get as high end in marine for a few dollars more so why buy automotive. The main problem I have had is there were no 12's on the market in marine grade speakers. With the alumapro's the problem is solved. Thanks for telling me about them Jon. Jesse James boat will now be a Alumapro speaker boat. I can't wait Forrest

Okay Okay so let me get this straight
Audio, Yes I have that stacked thing down there like BD's ride
(exact same)
problem is I think the amp in there is fried, you pump the volume all the way up and you can hear it but it is by no means LOUD in anyway shape or form
sounds at volume max, like someone talking to you in a room!!!
so it has to go
the Pioneer's are poly. THat is no problem, but question is where the hell do I put them?
In rear bench??? I will be more than happy to purchase marine speakers, saw some in overton's catalogue and cheap in my opinion (99 for clarion's).
I can place the amps in storage area of bench seats in cabin and drill small holes up high for wiring but where do you put the subs???
Do you want subs outside or inside?
Under way I always have the cabin door closed so having it down below would be dumb I would think.
Talk to me about placement of these components!!!!!
Thanks guys, greatly appreciated
Jason

Subs and 6X9's or what ever mids you choise can go under the back seat. Subs in the middle, mids outside. For the fronts I just can not remember how biggus's looks so I have to say I THINK that the stock location was not bad on that boat. You do not want your subs in the cabin they will not sound all that good.

Jon

I believe there are 2 speakers in the front of the V berth area that face down into the cabin
there are 2 speakers in the rear bench and that is it
4 speakers total and the head unit with beat old eq is down in the cabin in the refridge side of the cabin under the helm
That is all you got in 1990 but now that it is 2002 we need to alter that a tad
okay so subs in middle (should I build a box in rear bench to enclose the subs?) or just cut holes, mount the subs through it and more or less just leave them there?
I was thinking of getting 2 5x7's and cutting into the plywood in the gunwales behind front bolsters and mounting those 2 there to get some mid range
I do like your idea better of putting the mids on the outer sides of the bench though
Should I take out the fridge to do this or can I fish it with the fridge in place?
The subs are the pioneer 10's that are poly and all silver (probably know what i mean)
Nothing super great but get the job done I would think. All in all im not going for the ricer THUMP THUMP that you hear a mile away but just a nice sounding system is all
need some tunage while teaching the waves who's the boss ya know.
If you come across any good deals, can you let me know?
Thanks man, GREATLY appreciated
Jason

Keep in mind: FWK and AudioFN and others on the board make their living selling and designing these systems. If you are going to bennifit from their advice, do the right thing and give them a chance to earn your parts business.

Well I know AudioFN does HOME THEATRE systems not ricer car stereo's but In my last post, I asked him if he comes across any great deals, to please let me know and that it would be greatly appreciated.
Geez, no thread anymore is relaxed, always tension geez.

Anyway, How goes the painting project Audio?
Saw the other pics, looks kick ass so far and believe me, in about 3 weeks, Ill be joining you in the weeks worth of sanding you need to do for prep for paint

Anyway, like i said the first time, if you come across any great deals on head units, with a cd changer and remote, let me know
Thanks man
Talk to you soon
Jason

Jayl13, your last post was not up when I wrote my prior post. But your post about Overton's was. I meant no offense to you. Was only looking out for a couple of this board's better resources.

Good luck with your sound system; sounds like it will be great.

Thanks Chart. Jayl13 you are good hands with audiofn. I will help you if I can. Forrest

Speaking of Overtons: Good deal to be had on the Clarion tape deck for below dealer cost!!!!

Add the CD changer and WALA you are psyched.

FORGET THE 5X7" speakers. They are a waiste of you time and money and effort to put them in.

Snaking behind the fridge...... I can not help ya there. You will have to do some looking. I have never taken Biggus's boat apart to work on stuff like that. Creativity is the name of the game with boats, cars, and homes.

Jon

Oh ya I have about 17 years in Car audio experience, and about 9 in home. I have always been on the high end of things as when I am done for the day I want to look at the stuff and say YA I did that :D

Jon