tunes!

[fire on the water]

I've got a 19' RexCraft w/no tunes http://free.***boat.net/ubb/frown.gif. What kinda of systems does every body have? Whats a good setup for a boat my size? Speaker sizes, decks, amps and subs. Like most jets, interior space is on the short side. Any help is appreciated!! Ty

[rivercrazy]

What are you goals? Do you want to kill fish or enjoy the stereo in the boat but not from shore?

[rivercrazy]

Do a board "search" using the word "stereos". Read some of the historical posts. The resident experts (not me!) will become apparent really quick...

[1quickjet]

I built and installed a system in my jet that turned out absolutely killer for very little $$. If I may, let me ofer this advice. Make sure you shop around a lot! There are lots of good deals to be found out there, but just as many crooked shops trying to rip you off and give you crappy components. Do your homework. The last thing you want to do is hand over the checkbook. The mobile audio industry is a frustrating and confusing one, but with some research you will be happy with the end result. Make sure all the components will work with each other. Trust the bigger brand names. There is usually a reason their components are popular. If you are looking into a subwoofer for bass, remember this, its all about enclosure design! The subwoofer box design can make or break a system. If anyone tries to tell you any different, run. Oh yeah one more thing, regarding amplifiers in boats, run fans! The amps will easily thermal and shut-off in Arizona heat. When in doubt, go overkill on the fans. Sorry to seem like a know-it-all, but this is a touchy subject with me. I constantly see so many people spending way too much $$ only to have an ill sounding system that they are unsatisfied with. If anyone tries to tell you that a rippin' system can'y be built on a budget, tell them to meet me on the river and listen. Good luck! http://free.***boat.net/ubb/smile.gif

[fire on the water]

thanx guys, I'll do some more research, before I shell out the dough. Good stuff in the search board. TH

[wsm9808]

cool, I never noticed there was a "search" for the board. Learn something new on here every day.

[Kwicherbichen]

Hey 1Quickjet,
Sounds like you did a good job on a budget? Maybe you could help some of us other budget minded boaters out and post your layout. List your setup and costs with some pics perhaps. I know I would appreciate it.
Brian

[1quickjet]

No problem! Give me 'till tommorrow and I will try and dig up reciepts. http://free.***boat.net/ubb/smile.gif

[XClutchboy725]

A Sound System install is on my to do list this winter as well.
Question........
Does the bow area in a boat like mine make a good bass enclosure?
I was thinking of mounting a couple of free-air speakers in the bulkhead.
Which way should they face? in or out? (my bulkhead has a cutout for storage of skis, life jackets, etc)
any and all input appreciated....
http://members.aol.com/xclutchboy725/images/boat2.gif

[Chestah Cheetah]

Clutchboy, my opinion - stay away from free air speakers. You'll never get that difinite bass that you would with an enclosed setup. Some of the stereo gurus may be able to go into more detail. I along with other friends have had them and we came to the conclusion that they are worthless. Maybe someone has done a bad ass system with free airs, but it's just so much easier and better with enclosed.
Idea: I met a guy at the rock bar in Parker with a 21 Schiada that had 1 12" Solo Baric in a box that ROCKED! Had trouble just keeping my balance on the deck (maybe beer + sun affected me? Naaaahhhh!).
[This message has been edited by Chestah Cheetah (edited December 04, 2001).]

[rivercrazy]

Chestah's right. To add to his comments if your running subs in an open air enclosure, they will be at risk for over-excursion (to much movement) and you will burn up the voice coils (sometimes they will even catch on fire!).
Get enclosures designed for the subs you buy.

[1quickjet]

Clutch, These guys are correct, stay away from the free air woofers. With a little math, planning and simple construction, you can build an effective enclosure that sounds good. BTW, I have one 12" in the bow of my closed bow Advantage and it pounds. It is mounted at the very front of the bow in an extremely tight sealed enclosure. Should the woofer be mounted anywhere else, it would still sound good, but the closed bow area adds a lot of bass. Slightly on the boomy (sloppy) side, because of all the room under there, but extremely loud and bass heavy. http://free.***boat.net/ubb/smile.gif

[1quickjet]

OK here is the skinny on my low dollar yet very reliable and good sounding system. I will do my best to keep the post as short as I can but forgive me if I run long. The highs/mids are Elipse 6.5" point source coaxs. These were chosen for their ability to crank with minimal distortion and their polypropolene? cone. They are not affected by moisture as a paper type cone would be. There are two under the rear seat and two in front of driver/passenger in the side panels. I've seen them sell for as much as $200 a pair. After some negotiation and shopping around, I picked them up for $79 a pair. The Amplifier was actually a trade for an old snowboard. But, I figure it to be worth $350 - $400. It is an older Rockford Fosgate Punch 4040 that had belonged to me at one time when it was new about 5 years ago. It is a four channel and the only amp in the boat. The front channels are used for the highs/mids (front to rear fade was given up, but not all that important in a boat) and the rear channel is bridged to run the bass. The sub is one Rockford Fosgate 12" single voice coil 4ohm woofer. It is actually one of their cheaper woofers. Being that I only had 200 watts for bass, there is no sense in buying a high end woofer. The higher the power rating the woofer, generally the more power it requires to push it. The power rating on my RF 12" is 250 watts. Therefore it would suffice at full power, but not be a heavy slow-reacting woofer. I got a smokin deal on it at $89. (Forgot the model #). My requirements for a head unit were these: Dual preouts, CD in dash, CD changer control, remote, and detahable face (yes I have had one stolen before). I shopped for a head unit that met those requirements, so a lot of the extras were avoided. I am generally a hardcore Alpine guy, my installer is an ex Alpine rep/factory demo vehicle installer. In my opinion they are superior, but in a boat that sees violent movement (rough water) the mechanisms can break. This happens in every brand of CD player given enough time/rough water. I have found through trial and error with many boats that the Kenwoods are slightly more durable as far as mechanisms go. Changers are much more durable, hence the need for CD changer control cability. If (when) the mechanism in the head unit breaks, it will still have the ability to control the still functioning changer. The Kenwoods are generally priced lower too. I picked up a Kenwood KDC-X615 for about $200. Works great so far! I spent an additional $70 on all the wire and terminals. I built the enclosure myself and installed the system myself. Added two fans on the amp. Also added two Optimas and a Perko switch to avoid dead batteries. The Changer will come soon. I have been a car audio nut for years, and don't proclaim to know everything, by any means. But I feel I did my homework, trusted the opinions of my installer who I trust and I am very happy with the result. The main reason the boat system can be built cheaply, is because you will never get great sound quality in an open environment such as a boat. My buddy has 10k in his boat, is only slightly louder yet sounds identical. The reason most car audio components are priced high because of their quality and ability to yield a great sound quality, generally worth the money in a car. But why spend the big dollars on PPI amps and such (bitchin' BTW) when the sound quality can not be appreciated in a boat. If this were another car, it would be an entirely different story. My requirements were that the system had to be LOUD, (you want to hear it when swimming in the water, right?) with minimal distortion when cranked, reliable and affordable. Mission accomplished. I would definitely post pics, but no dig cam or scanner. Sorry for being so long winded! http://free.***boat.net/ubb/biggrin.gif

[fire on the water]

Thanx 1quickjet! Very helpful, I appreciate it!

[Kwicherbichen]

Thumbs up 1QJ. When I have some more cash I will probably use your system ideas.
Thanks
Brian

[Bense468]

Just to add to that a brilliant information. I would try to go with a head unit that has a seperate sub control. What I mean is you want to be able to turn down the bass in the mids and highs so that you can crank them a little louder without distortion and have another setting right in your head unit to control bass with the sub. I feel this is a really nice feature. Whether you listen to Zepplin, System of a Down, Or Rap you can control the sound right at your finger tips. Playing with the settings on the amps suck out at the river. So Rock ON. PEACE

[DOHARA]

When I bought my boat it already had a marine cd player and 6.5" up in front by driver and passenger. I finally added on to system. Added 2 6 by 9 pioneers in rear and a polk 10" sub under storage area in a sealed box. I bought a some what cheap amp just incase it got beat up, that way the money didn't go to waste. It's a power techniques four channel 1,000 watt deal. I hooked up the 6.5 together on 1 channel, the 6 by 9's together on the second channel and bridged the sub to the 3rd and 4th channels. The amp never gets hot, you can crank it real loud with no noticeable distortion, and it hits hard. I bought the amp , 6 by 9's, sub and box, amp install kit with all the wire and good rca's for 250.00. The cheapest, best sounding system i've done. My budy just bought a 1989 21 foot commander and i installed the same system for him, If anybody needs some decent prices on stuff my buddy owns bristol sound in santa anna and is easy to negotiate prices with.
IT'S ALL ABOUT GOOD TIMES http://free.***boat.net/ubb/smile.gif

[ole war horse]

Originally posted by fire on the water:
I've got a 19' RexCraft w/no tunes http://free.***boat.net/ubb/frown.gif. What kinda of systems does every body have? Whats a good setup for a boat my size? Speaker sizes, decks, amps and subs. Like most jets, interior space is on the short side. Any help is appreciated!! Ty

[ole war horse]

fire on water, on my boat i have a set of bose's 151 box speckers and they will crank
and you can even add a amp to it, I didn't.

[Slick]

Ok, here's my $.02. I'm no stereo guy, but I've done some research and asked a lot of questions. If all goes right, this will be the system for our 21' open bow. Haven't nailed down the head unit yet, but definitely going with Sony because of their changer with the ESP (Electronic Skip Protection). Four 6 x 9s, two 12" subs and two JBL amps.
Sony receiver w/goodies, around $250
Sony CDX-747X 10-disc Changer $250
Infinity Kappa 693.3i 6" x 9" 3-way $155/pair
(www.justcarspeakers.com)
JBL 180.2 (going to run parallel, 80watts to each speaker,don't care about fade) $190
(www.justamps.com)
Infinity Perfect 12.1 12" 4-ohm Sub $350/pair
(www.justwoofers.com)
JBL BP 1200.1 Class D sub amp $400
(www.justamps.com)
Total Stereo around $1750. Already have 100amp alternator and installing two Group 27 dry cells.
[This message has been edited by Slick (edited December 06, 2001).]

[Havasu Hangin']

Originally posted by Slick:
Infinity Perfect 12.1 12" 4-ohm Sub...JBL BP 1200.1 Class D sub amp
My my, what a big "class d" you have... http://www.goldenplasma.f2s.com/forum/smilies/confused02.gif
http://www.goldenplasma.f2s.com/forum/smilies/happy25.gif

[LVjetboy]

Here's a couple ideas:
Dragn Tunes (http://www.angelfire.com/extreme2/dragnjet/Stereo.html)
http://users.lvcm.com/lvjetboy/Xplod.jpg
jer

[Slick]

Let's give credit where credit is due. Things may change once I finally get the boat back together, but HH was paramount in helping me figure out what goodies I chose to go with. Might go down to a BP600.1 for the sub amp or have to add some components up front. We'll see. Too much work yet to do to even worry about the stereo yet.

[DOHARA]

SLICK, thoes JBL amps are awesome. You will definately need more mids and highs with that low end set up. My system has two 6x9's and 2 6.5" and my single polk 10" overpowers my highs and have to turn the sub level half of what my high level is, but that system will rock with the 600.1 w/2 12" and 4 6x9's for sure. http://free.***boat.net/ubb/smile.gif

[Havasu Hangin']

Originally posted by DOHARA:
SLICK...You will definately need more mids and highs with that low end set up.
Maybe he likes the bass for his "NWA" CD... http://www.goldenplasma.f2s.com/forum/smilies/happy02.gif
http://www.goldenplasma.f2s.com/forum/smilies/happy25.gif

[Slick]

Too much bass even with the sub down? Oh, well, since we're at it, what's another amp and a few more speakers.

[rivercrazy]

I've got the 600.1 and 1 10" perfect now. A second perfect on the way.
The one perfect and this amp has a respectible amount of boom. In fact it pounds better than many other stereos I heard with 2 12's. However, its a clean and tight boom. You can hear every bass note up and down the scale. I'm adding a second one to get the most out of this amp, add a bit more boom and fullness to the sound. I'm also running 4 6X9's and the sub does not overpower them. Make sure your crossover on the sub amp is set at reasonably low Htz so the subs and 6X9's don't overcompete for the same frequencies.
I second the comments on HH's advise. I owe the guys some Silvers and Grey Goose Martinis...

[Slick]

I'm thinking about 10's also. Just depends on how much space I have in front of the ole gas pedal. Dave, are you running your 6 x 9s on the same JBL amp?

[rivercrazy]

Due to space considerations, I running 10"'s in sealed enclosures. With this speaker you only need about a box dimension of .60 cubic feet sealed or 1 cubic foot vented. With the 12" you will need a 1 cubic foot box sealed and a 1.75 cubic foot box vented.
I went with the easy way out and went with a QLogic .65 cubic foot box. Another one on the way for the 2nd Perfect.
This size box fits in my below open bow deck storage areas with plenty of space to spare. I believe your boat has a smaller space so be careful in the planning stages. QLogic has pretty good web site for info.
I think the 10"'s sound a little tighter and the 12"'s will produce a bit more SPL.
I am running the 4 Infinity Kappa Marine 6X9's off a JBL P80.4 4-channel amp and the Perfects off the bp600.1. When I add another amp down the road for the 6X9's, I will bridge them at a 2 ohm load to give 180W RMS to each speaker (with the gains at conservative settings of course).
Go with HH's advise on the P180.2. I screwed up the first time around so I'm gonna stick with the P80.4 for now.

[Havasu Hangin']

You guys are too nice...I'm getting a little emotional here... http://www.goldenplasma.f2s.com/forum/smilies/sad01.gif
...hang on... http://www.goldenplasma.f2s.com/forum/smilies/happy43.gif
Ok, seriously, thanks for the kind words, but I don't think I've ever told you anything you didn't already know. Sometimes I think you guys ask me just in case something screws up you can say..."that Havasu Hangin' guy told me to do it this way- it's his fault!"
BTW, whoever asked about the subs under the deck? That adds another order in the equation. Kinda like a bandpass box with a really big port- that's why it can get "boomy".
http://www.goldenplasma.f2s.com/forum/smilies/happy25.gif
PS- consulting fees are due 12/22. For you Slick, I'll defer till summer...

[rivercrazy]

Damn strait HH. Hey, if I burn my boat to the ground, I gotta have someone to blame right?
HH has been keepin us in the dark with his plans. 4 10" perfects behind a 1200 watt class D amp. That and "high end" new components. Better head for the hills baby! He might even give AlColeHolic a run for his money in the battery compartment!
HH, I know your worried about weight. I got a great idea for you. Take out all the interior seats and turn that boat into a large dance floor.

[1quickjet]

I mentioned this in another thread a while ago, but it is appropriate again and I still have them. I have 2 2001 model Rockford Fosgate amps for sale. They were meant for the truck, but don't have the time and $$ to finish. Both brand new in box with reciepts. Bd1000.1 digital amplifier (1000 watt single channel bass amp)and a Power ( not punch) 400.4 4 channel. Will sell both for a very fair price. E-mail me at Bigburban@hotmail.com for price. Check out specs at www.rockfordfosgate.com. (http://www.rockfordfosgate.com.) http://free.***boat.net/ubb/smile.gif

[Slick]

HH, defer? Why is that? Are you concerned that I need all the $$ to get that broken-down barnacle barge back on the water? Well, you're right. Or, are you hoping to crash out at Casa de Slick? As long as we don't have the kids (get's a little crowded) you're welcome to come on down and we'll turn it up.
[This message has been edited by Slick (edited December 07, 2001).]

[froggystyle]

2 12" under the bow? Just ask anyone at OP62 how hard the sealed bow enclosure works! CC couldn't keep off of the thing. He just kept muttering... two more minutes and I'm there, two more minutes!
I like the sound of the big closed bow bass. It will free up a lot of money that you will need to dump into your mids to keep up. I have my amp on 2 and my eq flat just to let my mids have a chance.
BTW, it bounces the deck at least an inch when it is really pounding. I say go for it!