Stereo System replacement - Advice appreciated

I am in the process of obtaining all the components for a stereo system upgrade on my (you guessed it) 95' Bayliner 1800.

I'm pretty sure the existing stereo is the original as I find myself rummaging thru dusty boxes looking for my old mixtapes. The current system only has 2 speakers, one of which does not work and the one that works, umm... sucks!

Decided it was due time for an upgrade.

So far I've purchased:
(1) Alpine CDE-102 H/U (18W RMS x 4)
(2) Polk Audio DB521 5.25 (45W RMS) Marine rated - These will be the front speakers
(2) Polk Audio DB691 6x9 (100W RMS) Marine rated - These will be the rear speakers

I am debating if a separate amp is needed to push enough juice to these speakers. I'm leaning towards - Yes. Does anyone think differently and why?

Any suggestions on the wattage in RMS I should be looking for on the amp? More importantly, does the amp have to be Marine rated? I plan on installing this deep into one of the cubby's under the dash on either the captain/passenger side. I don't think it will be exposed much sunlight or moisture. It stays pretty dry in there.

Will I need to do something with my battery to prevent it from dying while listening to tunes over a long period of time without the motor running? Should I invest in a second battery?

I've read that I should connect the RED (hot) and YELLOW (constant hot) wires from the H/U to an auxiliary switch on my dash to prevent battery drain while storing. I have two available, pretty sure they're not in use currently. Should I proceed with this direction?

Any other insight or knowledge is always welcomed and encouraged! I need all the help I can get.

Re: Stereo System replacement - Advice appreciated

2nd battery for sure.

I have the Polk DB521s and they are incredible with no amp. Dont think you would need to push them a bunch, they will rock.

I use a stereo power toggle to kill all power when Im done. Its easy and will save some battery life, and I dont mind resetting my settings when I go out again.

Id go with a marine amp, but thats me.

Re: Stereo System replacement - Advice appreciated

bouttime007 said:

2nd battery for sure.

I have the Polk DB521s and they are incredible with no amp. Dont think you would need to push them a bunch, they will rock.

I use a stereo power toggle to kill all power when Im done. Its easy and will save some battery life, and I dont mind resetting my settings when I go out again.

Id go with a marine amp, but thats me.

Click to expand...

Glad to hear that you like the DB521's. Am I assuming correctly that the stereo power toggle is the same as the auxiliary switch. From my understanding connecting the RED and YELLOW wires to the switch will kill all the power from the radio. I don't see that resetting radio stations or the clock will be an issue. Most of my music will be pushed thru a USB drive (Nice that most H/U have this function!)

I apologize for my ignorance but would I need to connect the 2nd battery in series or parallel or does it matter?

Thanks for your response and all those to come!!

Re: Stereo System replacement - Advice appreciated

Anyone have any additional thoughts to using a Marine AMP vs. a regular car AMP?

Re: Stereo System replacement - Advice appreciated

Depending upon your listening habits the Alpine CDE-102 will do a "credible" job powering the 2 pair of speakers your wanting to install. However, the addition of an amplifier would certainly bring the 6x9s to life. The amp will give you some needed headroom so you can turn up the music sometimes and it won't be distorted but crisp and clear. Now do you buy a 2 channel or a 4 channel amp? The Alpine CDE-102 has 2 pair of pre-outs so feasibly you could get a 4 channel and have all the speakers running off the amp and retain fade control (front & rear). If you were in my shop I could see how old you are and by doing that could suggest a few different configurations such as running the decks power to the 5.25s and channels 1 & 2 to the 6x9s and bridge channel 3&4 to a single 10" sub in a sealed portable enclosure. This is a killer set up and though it won't cause the waters to ripple around the boat it will deliver enough punch to satisfy pretty much anyone older than say ....27 years old. Unless you live near or around salt water you don't have to look for "marine" grade products, unless you hose your boat out or it is exposed to the elements. You can find lots of great deals on amps if you know what your looking for. If you have any questions feel free to email me here at the shop..

Re: Stereo System replacement - Advice appreciated

95Bayliner said:

Glad to hear that you like the DB521's. Am I assuming correctly that the stereo power toggle is the same as the auxiliary switch. From my understanding connecting the RED and YELLOW wires to the switch will kill all the power from the radio. I don't see that resetting radio stations or the clock will be an issue. Most of my music will be pushed thru a USB drive (Nice that most H/U have this function!)

I apologize for my ignorance but would I need to connect the 2nd battery in series or parallel or does it matter?

Thanks for your response and all those to come!!

Click to expand...

Yeah your aux switch is essentially a toggle, I just bought one from a car parts store. And yes you hook both yellow and red to the switch to kill everything. Thats what I did and it works perfect.

I ran a 2nd battery independant of anything else, to run my stereo and LEDs. You can hook yours up a few different ways, just depends on your plans for everything.

If you have a nice dry spot for your amp, then you could use a regular auto amp. Id go with the marine myself, but thats ultimately your choice. Those Polks will sound superb amped though, wish I had cash to change my Pioneers out for more Polks.

Re: Stereo System replacement - Advice appreciated

bouttime007 said:

Those Polks will sound superb amped though, wish I had cash to change my Pioneers out for more Polks.

Click to expand...

There's some pretty good deals on ebay right now!! All items listed are brand new.

DB521 5.25 - $55.85 free shipping opposed to $89.99 on Clutchfield.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...84743&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_4104wt_1185

DB651 6.5 - $64.99 free shipping opposed to $99.99 on Clutchfield.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...04&ssPageName=STRK:MESINDXX:IT#ht_1896wt_1185

DB691 6x9 -$84.49 free shipping opposed to $149.99 on Clutchfield.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...07109&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_4002wt_1185

Get 'em while they're available! Hope that helps...

Re: Stereo System replacement - Advice appreciated

remarkable53 said:

Depending upon your listening habits the Alpine CDE-102 will do a "credible" job powering the 2 pair of speakers your wanting to install. However, the addition of an amplifier would certainly bring the 6x9s to life. The amp will give you some needed headroom so you can turn up the music sometimes and it won't be distorted but crisp and clear. Now do you buy a 2 channel or a 4 channel amp? The Alpine CDE-102 has 2 pair of pre-outs so feasibly you could get a 4 channel and have all the speakers running off the amp and retain fade control (front & rear). If you were in my shop I could see how old you are and by doing that could suggest a few different configurations such as running the decks power to the 5.25s and channels 1 & 2 to the 6x9s and bridge channel 3&4 to a single 10" sub in a sealed portable enclosure. This is a killer set up and though it won't cause the waters to ripple around the boat it will deliver enough punch to satisfy pretty much anyone older than say ....27 years old. Unless you live near or around salt water you don't have to look for "marine" grade products, unless you hose your boat out or it is exposed to the elements. You can find lots of great deals on amps if you know what your looking for. If you have any questions feel free to email me here at the shop..

Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestions and I like your thinking. I was bouncing around the idea of putting in a sub to deliver some bass but that "may" be a little down the road, who knows...still need to figure out where the sub w/ enclosure would go - possibly under one of the back seats.

I was considering a 4 channel amp for sure! What wattage would you recommend for the amp if the intent was to power the 6x9's and bridge the bass? I do like bass but don't want anything that will rattle the boat. Do you think a 8" sub will suffice? Just weighing the options considering the space. I'll need to do some measurements to see what my boat can accommodate.

Thanks for the insight regarding "marine" grade products - definitely good to know. I may have to take you up on offer on emailing you.

Re: Stereo System replacement - Advice appreciated

Here is the stereo equipment I went with... I dished out a chunk of change though little over a grand... The only suggestion I have for ya is make sure ya listen to the equipment first. Make sure that ur happy with the sound. Also remember when you go to best buy and audio stores they usually have the subs and speakers hooked to REALLY good amps to make them sound the best... marketing at its finest. Stick with quality names like infinity, polk, JL, and u should be just fine

Head unit: Clarion CMD6 Marine CD/MP3/WMA Receiver with USB Port

Speakers: (4) JL Audio coax speakers (M650-CCX-CG-WH)

Subwoofer: JL Audio 10in infinite baffle (M10IB5-CG-WH)

Amp: JL Audio M600/6 600W 3/4/5/6 Channel Amplifier

Re: Stereo System replacement - Advice appreciated

The way to match an amp to a speaker is by the wattage. If you have a 50 watt driver, this means that you need a 50 watt or better amp to achieve full throw. If the amp delivers less, and you wind it up past what the amp can deliver, you get "clipping". What this means is that even though audio is alternating current, the amp itself has a plus and minus volatge rail to supply the AC. I'll use a really bad analogy... If your amp will give you plus and minus 3" and your speaker needs 5" plus and minus, the preamp doesn't know it isn't there, so the signal can't exceed the rails and clips the top off the top and bottom of the wave. You just can't get more out of it. Instead of the speaker flowing back and folrth smoothly, the DC holds the voice coil either forward or back and heats the voice coil. Clipping is hard to hear in a noisy environment. Having said all that, if you have a 50 watt driver and a 100 watt amp and turn it up too much, the voice coil exceeds it's throw and as the voice coil form comes back in, it tends to hit the slug in the center (pictures online). this "frapping sound" scares the willies out of you, and you turn it down for fear of blowing something up. Not enough power is why your buddies, after that 4th beer think they can get more power out at a house party, and wake up in the morning with burnt voice coils. Last point, You tend to get what you pay for... buy a good amp.

Re: Stereo System replacement - Advice appreciated

So... I'm still deciding which amplifier to go with for my setup. I really liked the suggestion of using the H/U to power the 5.25 speakers and using a 4CH amp for the 6x9's (channels 1&2) and reserve channels 3 and 4 for a sub. Would I be able to bridge channels 3&4 and what would the output wattage be (amp details below)?

I figure I stick with the PolkAudio "DB" series since that's what I already have. I would like recommendations on going with a 10" or an 8" subwoofer or possibly 2 - 8" subs. I still need to measure how much room I have under the rear seats to accommodate the sub(s) and box. Speaking of box... What kind of enclosure would y'all recommend? Vented?

I'm looking on ebay right now and they have some pretty decent priced subs.

Here's a 10" sub for $58.85 (270W RMS)
http://cgi.ebay.com/POLK-AUDIO-10-54...ht_2997wt_1139

Here's a 8" sub for $56.95 (180W RMS)
http://cgi.ebay.com/POLK-AUDIO-DB840...ht_3198wt_1185

Here's a pair of 8" subs for $99.95
http://cgi.ebay.com/PAIR-POLK-AUDIO-...ht_3256wt_1185

I did notice that the 10" sub is dual voice coil vs. the 8" which is a single voice coil. Is there much of a difference?

I've been searching for amps and here's the what I'm thinking about purchasing to accommodate the "bigger picture." I not sure about the brand but I've read some pretty good reviews regarding their amps. Does anyone have any knowledge regarding the quality of AudioPipe amps? And more importantly... Does this amp have enough juice to power my system? I'm leaning towards the 10" sub.

Here's one I've been eyeing on ebay for $126.99
http://cgi.ebay.com/AUDIOPIPE-APMR-1...#ht_4034wt_952

Power rating (RMS):
Stereo 4 Channel: 75W x 4 @ 4 Ohms (RMS)
Stereo 4 Channel: 150W x 4 @ 2 Ohms (RMS)
Bridge 2 Channel: 300W x 2 @ 4 Ohms bridged (RMS)

Do you think this would work well with my setup?

Another member recommended a secondary battery... How should this be connected? Any recommendations on which battery to use? Are there any other components I should/need to purchase?

Sorry for the all the questions but I really want to get this right the first round.

Re: Stereo System replacement - Advice appreciated

Piece715 said:

Here is the stereo equipment I went with... I dished out a chunk of change though little over a grand... The only suggestion I have for ya is make sure ya listen to the equipment first. Make sure that ur happy with the sound. Also remember when you go to best buy and audio stores they usually have the subs and speakers hooked to REALLY good amps to make them sound the best... marketing at its finest. Stick with quality names like infinity, polk, JL, and u should be just fine

Head unit: Clarion CMD6 Marine CD/MP3/WMA Receiver with USB Port
View attachment 105152
Speakers: (4) JL Audio coax speakers (M650-CCX-CG-WH)
View attachment 105155
Subwoofer: JL Audio 10in infinite baffle (M10IB5-CG-WH)
View attachment 105153
Amp: JL Audio M600/6 600W 3/4/5/6 Channel Amplifier

View attachment 105154

Click to expand...

I bet your system knocks... I just don't want to shell out that many clams. lol...

Re: Stereo System replacement - Advice appreciated

95Bayliner said:

So... I'm still deciding which amplifier to go with for my setup. I really liked the suggestion of using the H/U to power the 5.25 speakers and using a 4CH amp for the 6x9's (channels 1&2) and reserve channels 3 and 4 for a sub. Would I be able to bridge channels 3&4 and what would the output wattage be (amp details below)?

I figure I stick with the PolkAudio "DB" series since that's what I already have. I would like recommendations on going with a 10" or an 8" subwoofer or possibly 2 - 8" subs. I still need to measure how much room I have under the rear seats to accommodate the sub(s) and box. Speaking of box... What kind of enclosure would y'all recommend? Vented?

I'm looking on ebay right now and they have some pretty decent priced subs.

Here's a 10" sub for $58.85 (270W RMS)
http://cgi.ebay.com/POLK-AUDIO-10-54...ht_2997wt_1139

Here's a 8" sub for $56.95 (180W RMS)
http://cgi.ebay.com/POLK-AUDIO-DB840...ht_3198wt_1185

Here's a pair of 8" subs for $99.95
http://cgi.ebay.com/PAIR-POLK-AUDIO-...ht_3256wt_1185

I did notice that the 10" sub is dual voice coil vs. the 8" which is a single voice coil. Is there much of a difference?

I've been searching for amps and here's the what I'm thinking about purchasing to accommodate the "bigger picture." I not sure about the brand but I've read some pretty good reviews regarding their amps. Does anyone have any knowledge regarding the quality of AudioPipe amps? And more importantly... Does this amp have enough juice to power my system? I'm leaning towards the 10" sub.

Here's one I've been eyeing on ebay for $126.99
http://cgi.ebay.com/AUDIOPIPE-APMR-1...#ht_4034wt_952

Power rating (RMS):
Stereo 4 Channel: 75W x 4 @ 4 Ohms (RMS)
Stereo 4 Channel: 150W x 4 @ 2 Ohms (RMS)
Bridge 2 Channel: 300W x 2 @ 4 Ohms bridged (RMS)

Do you think this would work well with my setup?

Another member recommended a secondary battery... How should this be connected? Any recommendations on which battery to use? Are there any other components I should/need to purchase?

Sorry for the all the questions but I really want to get this right the first round.

Click to expand...

<<--Bump-->>

Re: Stereo System replacement - Advice appreciated

Stereos are funny. You can spend a ton of money with little improvement in sound quality.

Acoustics are crappy in a boat so the law of diminishing returns seems to come very rapidly.

My upgrade started as adding a couple tower speakers and a sub. When it was all done, it was 3 amps, tower speakers, cabin speakers, 12" sub, switches, fans, lights and gauges. Kind of took on a life of it's own.

That being said, I didn't spend much on speakers. Polk DB-651 in the boat (3 pairs @ $36/pair), some Kicker KMT6 pods on the tower and 2 double pods on the tower with Polk DB-651 speakers in them. They were all purchased off of ebay or amazon.

Where I spent money was on the amps. I went with Class D since I wanted efficiency. I spent more, but the amps are small, run cooler and waste less power than class a/b amps.

You can run the front speakers off of the head unit, but if it not bridgeable I think you could be overloading the amp in the deck creating heat and clipping.

I would pick up a couple amps (not marine rated IMHO) and install them to drive the speakers. You might look into a 5 channel amp that has a full range 4 channel and a monoblock built in for adding a sub later on. It will be easier to mount, but provide a little less versatility than seperate amps.

I would run a second battery and install an isolator so if you kill the stereo battery, the starting battery is fine. With the isolator, when the boat is running, both batteries automatically get charged.

If you don't want to install everything now, make it modular. Run a larger main power line to a distribution block so you can add devices later. Run your RCA cables from the HU to the place where the amps are and leave them unplugged.

It makes it easier to add the sub amp later on.

For simplicity, a single 10" sub is easier to wire and easier to tune. I was going to run 2 10's but at the advice of wetsounds went with a single 12". Fewer problems with cancellation and other issues. Kicker makes a sub in a rotomolded box that might fit nicely as it is pretty thin.

I am not familiar with audiopipe so I don't know if there stuff is any good. Perhaps look into kicker (decent) or the alpine FRP series. Alpine and JL also have budget minded series Class D amps as an alternative. I bought a 600 watt 6 channel JL amp for a couple hundred. It's class D, puts out decent power and can be set up many different ways.

For batteries, I like Deka and our local Napa carries them. I would go wet cell as the cost of AGM probably wouldn't outweigh the benefits.

Re: Stereo System replacement - Advice appreciated

UPDATE: The wheels are in motion!!

Yesterday, I was able to get the old tape deck out without a problem and luckily it had a harness that I was able to splice together with the new Alpine. I'm not sure why Bayliner designed my boat with the stereo located on the passenger side but that's okay.

A friend gave me an old Kenwood amp that I will be using for the 6x9's until I decide to upgrade. I will be mounting the amp in a cubby slot under the driver side console. I believe there should be enough ventilation in there to keep it from overheating but we shall see. There's about 16ft of cable to get around the bow from the passenger side console to the driver side. My friend said there might be some "airplane" noise due to the location of the amp and stereo. Has anyone experienced this and how do you eliminate? I *think* read somewhere that the ground wire from the amp should be the same length as the power wire to prevent the amp from cutting out. My buddy called bs and the wiring kit didn't justify my thoughts because it came with a ground wire but no where close to the length of the power. Can someone shed some light?

The 5.25 speakers will run directly to the headunit. It looks like the cutout for the factory speakers will accommodate the 5.25s with little to no modification once the face plates go on. Obviously, I will have to cut holes for the 6x9s since they are an addition. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we don't scar the upholstery. We plan on cutting an "X" on the upholstery where the speaker will go in hopes that there'll be enough to tuck back around the panel. I was thinking some adhesive and staple gun should do the trick but I'm open to suggestions.

I picked up a new Optima 'blue top' deep cycle battery yesterday from PepBoys. Hoping the notion of you get what you pay for holds true. I'm connecting the stereo system to the new battery that will be installed in the rear of the boat, opposite compartment than the starting battery. I'm also adding a accessory power port (cig. lighter) so we can charge our phones, inflate tubes, spotlight for navigation at night, etc...

I was debating whether I should use a perko switch, VSR or a dual battery isolator to isolate the batteries. I didn't want the hassle of using a switch every time I stopped/started the boat. I read that isolators have a current draw since it was older technology using diodes which may or may not have presented a problem. I also didn't want to fool with rewiring the stator/alternator to the isolator so I scratched that from the equation. I decided on the VSR due to the simplicity from the connection between batteries to functionality without manual intervention. I will probably add in a perko switch in the near future since I want the option to combine both batteries in case problems with the starting battery ever occur.

I'm hoping to upload some pictures after everything is finished. Thanks again for everyone's continued input!!

Stay tuned...

Re: Stereo System replacement - Advice appreciated

NEED SOME HELP!!

We ran into a few snags.

We were able to get the H/U swapped out without any problems. The 5.25 are connected to the H/U. Plays fine but drawing power from battery 1, my starting battery. I want to isolate the stereo completely to battery 2. We ran the hot and ground wires from the H/U to the amp, along with 2 pairs of RCA cables (one will be used for expansion if/when I add a sub.) I have an 8 gauge hot and ground running from the battery to the amp. The 6x9s bridged on channels 1 and 2. Turned on the H/U and received a DC error, the 5.25 front speakers wouldn't produce sound and the 6x9s sounded horrible!!

We also ran the 12v accessory power port directly to the amp's (+) and (-). I don't think this caused the problem, however, I don't think it should be connected this way. I talked to an audio shop around town and they said the Alpine DC error message was because of a short somewhere in the circuit. They said it's probably the speakers which is hard to believe since they play fine connected the original way - running off of battery 1. We suspected that it didn't like being ran directly to the amp and the draw was skewed somewhere. I also purchased a Stinger power distribution block (1 in / 2 out - but they said I can connect more than 2 out) to run the accessory power port.

After fooling around a bit, we connected the H/U back up the original way. 5.25 front speakers once again play fine. We left the amp connected to battery 2 and fired her up and the 6x9's still sound like squat!

We unbridged the 6x9s and put them on independently channels 1 and 2 which sounded alot better but still had some distortion on one of the 6x9s. Didn't know if it was a bad speaker or the channel so we swapped them around and it's indeed the channel. So the 6x9's will have to wait until I find a better amp and the VSR comes in.

We left the H/U connected to battery 1 and it plays fine but it isn't how I want it. Kinda defeats the purpose of a dual battery system.

So... I have some questions.

1. How do I run the H/U to power off battery 2? Should this be connected directly to the amp or elsewhere?

2. Where's a good place to ground? My buddy doesn't want to use the same ground everything else is connected to because he's worried everything might fry if I have problems with the stereo system.

3. I think I should run the (+) wire from the 12v accessory power port to the distribution block. Can/Should I run the ground to the (-) on the amp?

4. What else are we doing wrong? I'm learning as I go and open to suggestions.

Re: Stereo System replacement - Advice appreciated

For the record, I STILL HATE THAT DAMN REPLY TO THREAD BUTTON. Rant over.

Anyway, I will retype what I had just written.

Don't do any power splitting at the amps as it will do nothing but cause problems.

Start with running bigger power and ground wires from the battery. Either run 2 or 1/0 awg so you have the capacity for later additions. Remember, your ground wire has to be the same size as your power wire and the runs are generally longer on a boat than in a car. Get a fused distribution block for the power wires. I would go with a 1 in / 4 out so you have room to add things. The one I have (pic below) has 1 in, 4 out and 2 of the outs have 2 connections each so I can wire smaller things on the same distribution point. The ground block does not need to be fused. Also, don't forget to fuse the main power wire within 18" of the battery. This is very important.

To wires the head unit to the second battery, run the power and ground as well as the memory circuit if it has one to your distribution blocks. Run a wire from your ignition switch to the switch 12v line on the head unit. This only works if the grounds of the batteries are connected. You could run it to a constant 12 volt source but some headunits don't like that and it will be a constant draw on your batteries. Also, by doing this, when you are cranking the engine it could introduce all sorts of noise into the system. That's why stereos shut off when you are cranking your car or your boat. You could also run the switched lead through a switch to the second battery and manually control it that way.

Pic of distribution blocks.

For your 12 volt accessory port, wire positive and negative to distribution blocks. Again, nothing wired to the amp.

When you said you bridges the 6x9's describe how you wired them. I doubt they are really 4 ohm speakers. Most likely less than that though they will generally not cause issues for a 4 ohm stable amp.

Re: Stereo System replacement - Advice appreciated

Silverbullet555 said:

For the record, I STILL HATE THAT DAMN REPLY TO THREAD BUTTON. Rant over.

Anyway, I will retype what I had just written.

Don't do any power splitting at the amps as it will do nothing but cause problems.

Start with running bigger power and ground wires from the battery. Either run 2 or 1/0 awg so you have the capacity for later additions. Remember, your ground wire has to be the same size as your power wire and the runs are generally longer on a boat than in a car. Get a fused distribution block for the power wires. I would go with a 1 in / 4 out so you have room to add things. The one I have (pic below) has 1 in, 4 out and 2 of the outs have 2 connections each so I can wire smaller things on the same distribution point. The ground block does not need to be fused. Also, don't forget to fuse the main power wire within 18" of the battery. This is very important.

To wires the head unit to the second battery, run the power and ground as well as the memory circuit if it has one to your distribution blocks. Run a wire from your ignition switch to the switch 12v line on the head unit. This only works if the grounds of the batteries are connected. You could run it to a constant 12 volt source but some headunits don't like that and it will be a constant draw on your batteries. Also, by doing this, when you are cranking the engine it could introduce all sorts of noise into the system. That's why stereos shut off when you are cranking your car or your boat. You could also run the switched lead through a switch to the second battery and manually control it that way.

Pic of distribution blocks.

For your 12 volt accessory port, wire positive and negative to distribution blocks. Again, nothing wired to the amp.

When you said you bridges the 6x9's describe how you wired them. I doubt they are really 4 ohm speakers. Most likely less than that though they will generally not cause issues for a 4 ohm stable amp.

Click to expand...

Thanks for your response and I appreciate your time in writing it twice. Your picture is worth a thousand words. Very nice work by the way.

Where did you get the distribution blocks for the power and ground? I'm like to get something similar.

Re: Stereo System replacement - Advice appreciated

I bought the fused block off of ebay and the ground block somewhere else which I don't remember, but it was online. The single was bought locally because I needed one more large size power and didn't want to wait. Price wise it was a ripoff, but at the time I needed it.

Re: Stereo System replacement - Advice appreciated

Does the (-) terminal from the battery serve as the "main" into the input of the ground distribution block? Does it need to be grounded elsewhere?

Thanks for all the insight.