Marine vs Automotive Sound Systems? Help!

I never fell for the "fad" when in the 90's everyone outfitted thier cars with big boom boxes. However I also missed out on a lot of knowledge I would have learned.

My factory bayliner sound system is worse than the cheapest dollar store battery powered portable. I have two speakers in the back and a crappy US MARINE garbage tape deck. I want to start by putting in a new deck and 2 new speakers. I can always add 2 more up front. I beleive my speakers are 6" rounds. Can I buy a car deck and car speakers with grilles or do I need to stick to marine. Some say the marine stuff is more durable, but will sound worse. Can I have some advice?

Re: Marine vs Automotive Sound Systems? Help!

I put an automotive deck in mine with a splashguard, and it works great. the speakers need to be marine though, i found that out. With all the water dripping and splashing, the automotive ones will short out. on my 87 bayliner the original speakers were 4" and I had to cut them larger for the newer speakers. everyone has an opinion, but thats what has worked for me so far. I would also like to add 2 more speakers around the dash area though.

Re: Marine vs Automotive Sound Systems? Help!

i used auto everything. everything is 4, 6'' speakers and a indash cd player.
on the speakers though, they do have the plastic cone which i'd think is essential for marine. i drip water on my aft port one when i re enter the boat from the water. so far so good, three years. my auto cd player ingested a wave once too through the cd slot. after a week or three of drying, it still works too. last time i had it out in oct. that is... it's dunking was 2 years ago. a big cruiser wave got me.

Re: Marine vs Automotive Sound Systems? Help!

Yes- a marine unit may last longer but an automotive head unit will be fine as long as you keep it dry. I have had a KenwoodCD with a remote( about $120 ) 4x 50watts and marine rated 6 1/2 speakers ( $70 pair) for several years and still rocking loud enough for me.
but as I'm sure you know-the sky is the limit$$$$.Some of the ski/wake boats go nuts on stereo-and they play the worst rap music!!!

Re: Marine vs Automotive Sound Systems? Help!

I put in 2 Bose marine speakers,and the sound is great. A friend of mine used their outdoor speakers and mounted them in the back and likes the setup. The head unit I bought came with 2 round speakers I still need to mount in the cabin.

Re: Marine vs Automotive Sound Systems? Help!

you don't have to look further than where you are right here on iboats for under $150

Marine Stereo Package

Re: Marine vs Automotive Sound Systems? Help!

I had to replace mine due to physical damage. I had a choice of major brands at the boat dealer. All were marine grade and no noticeable price difference than comparable automotive units. The speakers definitely should be marine rated, the deck is your choice, but why take the chance. Mine has AM/FM, Sirius and MP3 compatible, 4 speaker package, brand name, and more power than I need.

Re: Marine vs Automotive Sound Systems? Help!

I think the speakers must be marine grade. Just due to the enviromental concerns. Water spray ect. The Glastron I had before this new boat hada car head unit mounted on its side in it. It worked great and was behind a splash guard. This boat has a Marine head unit.

I mjust redid my speakers in the Rinker. Nothing like a new stereo.

Good luck

Re: Marine vs Automotive Sound Systems? Help!

lets throw in a twist... who has done dolby surround in their boat
I had intended to pick up a poly planar mrd-70 and two rd-44's but have been thinking surround sound with 3 zones... v berth, salon, and bridge
then plop an lcd on the dash which would serve dual purpose as a screen for a si-tex explorer plus chart plotter/sonar/radar and a second that could swivel between v berth and salon..... over kill? yeah definately!... So far I have not found a surround receiver to my liking.... din chassis wired remote with lcd and decent quality. no dual or jenson and such... oh and of course price matters

Re: Marine vs Automotive Sound Systems? Help!

I would recommend a Marine unit, last fall I upgraded the very cheap "Aquatronic" stereo in our Glastron.

I searched and found the previous years top of the line Sony Marine Head Unit. MP3 and IPod built in, Sirius and HD ready:
http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/mo...3&**********=e6cc16ed3a957c8ffeee72603055bb40

Two pair of Polk Marine 6.5" speakers:
http://www.polkaudio.com/caraudio/db/index.php?s=db651

Also installed a wired Sony Remote for the Head Unit so I can change tunes while still in the water:
http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/model-home.pl?mdl=RMX11M&LOC=3

These are all very nice products and I found them for way less than retail. You just have to look around. (all prices shipped)
Sony Head Unit - $130
Polk Speakers - $50 per pair
Sony Remote - $35
Marine Wire - $25

Re: Marine vs Automotive Sound Systems? Help!

I would say that the waters you run in would affect which you purchased. If it were mainly freshwater, I wouldn't worry about it and I'd get a auto head unit. If you want a good used one, I'd suggest the Alpine CDA-9813 or 9815, if you can find one. Best head units ever produced, in my opinion...and they can be had for ~$100-$150 these days. They have vast amounts of power for a head unit, will support an aux input, and have great sound processing capabilities (crossovers, EQ, time correction). For a head unit I'd stick to Pioneer or Alpine. I'd stay away from the ghetto brands, and also stay away from Sony altogether (speakers, amps, head units, etc). No offense to you Sony people, but I've been into Audio for a LONG time and Sony autosound stuff just isn't very good.

The reason I mention the water you run in...if there's going to be lots of salt getting all into your stuff, I'd stick to something that is made to resist corrosion. If you're just running around on rivers and lakes, you should be good as long as it's in a relatively dry location.

For speakers, I guess I'd probably stick with marine components. JL Audio makes some nice speakers, for example.

Anyway, that's my 2 cents.

Re: Marine vs Automotive Sound Systems? Help!

^^^^^I 2nd the vote for Alpine products. Their ipod integration is first rate.

Re: Marine vs Automotive Sound Systems? Help!

a lot of the kicker speakers are marine rated. personally i think kicker puts out the most sound for the price.

i have nearly 1500 watts powering 7 speakers in my truck and its like being in the front row of a concert... i mean like "holy crap" loud! my cousin has all kicker speakers and subs on his wakeboard boat and it sounds absolutely amazing as well.

Re: Marine vs Automotive Sound Systems? Help!

In a few of my previous boats I had automotive and the speakers didn't last. I would definitely use marine speakers. If the Deck is where it wills stay dry I don't think it would matter. Just my two cents.