I am no expert but one thing you do for sure is mount your speakers up...not down. If they are low they are muffled to an extent. Higher up the more projection you will get.
I'm new to the marine audio world but have some experience doing automotive installs. How do you get a good sound quality in an open air environment such as a boat? Doing a stereo for a convertible sucks....you can use premium components, but it will never sound as good as a lesser quality setup in an enclosed car. It would seem that this is even more pronounced in a boat where it is nothing but open space and all speakers are mounted down low in relation to your ears....how do you marine audiophiles get around this?
I am no expert but one thing you do for sure is mount your speakers up...not down. If they are low they are muffled to an extent. Higher up the more projection you will get.
Originally posted by fourspeednup
....how do you marine audiophiles get around this?
HD is right...there is little you can do to get around it. Get your directional speakers as high as possible, and forget about good imaging.
Other than that, overkill on the subs and components (compared to a car) is the best way to ensure decent volume without distortion.
Try not to put speakers facing front to back,except subs.
Keep as high as possible.
What kind of boat?
Go for good quality components and amps that produce a minimum amount of heat. And overkill on the number of amps and speakers. Go for watts and speaker surface area.
Originally posted by rivercrazy
Go for watts and speaker surface area.
In other words, seperates?
Seperates are good. But IMO not from an imaging standpoint. Components are better because the woofer cone is a solid without the pole piece coming through for the tweet. They will distort a bit less at very high volumes. I still like multi-element 6X9's though.
Originally posted by rivercrazy
Seperates are good. But IMO not from an imaging standpoint. Components are better because the woofer cone is a solid without the pole piece coming through for the tweet. They will distort a bit less at very high volumes. I still like multi-element 6X9's though.
Just get some seperates in conjunction with Rons Billet Grills. Cut the middle and insert the tweeters like this:
http://www.mikesnetworking.net/siteb...r2-658x491.jpg
And the combined mid/high speakers with the new billet aluminum covers......
http://www.mikesnetworking.net/siteb...gh-644x480.jpg
Then you will have the looks and the quality you want Of course you will be spending some money to accomplish this but worth it in my opinion.
Originally posted by rivercrazy
Seperates are good. But IMO not from an imaging standpoint.
Not like you can easily create a soundstage on your boat's dash, but
Originally posted by rivercrazy
Components are better because the woofer cone is a solid without the pole piece coming through for the tweet. They will distort a bit less at very high volumes.
Don't forget the crossovers
We have always built boats more for volume than sound quality because it is an open enviroment. I have built many boats over the years and found that 6X9s are generally the best option for boats, even though there are many on this board that would disagree with me. But I have made a very good living doing it this way and would not use anything other than 6x9s in my own boat (mb quart).
A lot of mids highs and bass in a boat will = good sound quality.