Stereo help - amp and speaker placement / upgrades

[sparky344]

Attached are a few pictures of our new Chris Craft interior. Don't mind the mess, we were cleaning.

We just upgraded from a 21' Sea Ray Cuddy and I am transferring our stereo into this boat. I am open to upgrading any of what I have.

Currently I have:

(1) Clarion M455 head unit
(2-pairs) JL Audio coaxials - want to mount all (4) on the top-side, there is a pair of Kenwoods in the cabin that will do fine where they are. Only have holes cut for (2) pair now (topside)
(1) JL sub-woofer - in a box (upgrade to free-air subs?)
(1) Kicker 700.1 amplifer (not a marine grade amp, have been using it in our 21' for 3 years, so far no issues)
(2) Clarion wired remote controls
(1) Optima blue-top, will connect to on-board charger
(1) Separate voltage gauge for optima
(1) external Sirrius radio
(1) Garmin 430? GPS

My biggest dilemma is where to put the amp, whether to upgrade to (2) marine grade amps, one dedicated to the sub-woofer(s). Where can I mount the sub-woofer(s)? Should I move the radio location to the helm or simply cut a hole and install one of the Clarion remotes?

I will have one of the two Clarion remotes mounted somewhere that we can reach while in the water and I have considered a removable set of speakers facing the stern, mounted at the transom to supply sound while we are swimming. The current setup at high volume does not supply great sound outside of the boat.

My goal? I spend allot of time in my boat and its one of only a few places I can listen to my music loud without concern of bothering other people. I want clean sound with great bass.

Comments? Suggestions?

 

[sparky344]

Re: Need stereo help - amp and speaker

Re: Need stereo help - amp and speaker

Here are some of the items listed above.

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x84/casey344/js57_tubin067.jpg

[IMG]http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x84/casey344/js57_tubin066.jpg
[IMG]http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x84/casey344/js57_tubin062.jpg

 

[slia67]

Re: Stereo help - amp and speaker placement / upgrades

With so few pictures it's hard to know for sure, and obviously personal preference has a lot to do with your choices. But here's what I would do...

Starting with the head unit; I would mount it, the amp, and the Sirius unit in the cuddy and use the HUs internal amp to power the Kenwood speakers that are already there.

I would install one remote at the helm under the VHF radio, and another one on your swim platform (assuming you have a swim platform).

I would use the Kicker amp that you already own to power the sub inthe box that it is already it, possibly mounted behind the port captains chair (where you have the battery sitting in the photo).

I would also add another 4 channel amp; 2 channels to power the JL Audio components that you have (make sure you mount the tweeters as high as possible) and the other 2 channels to power removable water proof speakers that you would add to your swim platform. That way you can hear the music while swimming, but not have to have the stereo so loud that it would drown out any conversation that may be taking place between folks still on-board.

Again, stereos are a very personal thing and what I like may not be your cup of tea. Hope some of these ideas are of help to you.

 

[Splat]

Re: Stereo help - amp and speaker placement / upgrades

What brand voltage meter is that?

Bill

 

[rmassa1234]

Re: Stereo help - amp and speaker placement / upgrades

i wouldnt suggest goin free air, its an inefficient way to mount a sub you lose alot of bass that way

 

[Gr8Lakes]

Re: Stereo help - amp and speaker placement / upgrades

>I would also add another 4 channel amp; 2 channels to power the JL Audio components that you have (make sure you mount the tweeters as high as possible) and the other 2 channels to power removable water proof speakers that you would add to your swim platform. That way you can hear the music while swimming, but not have to have the stereo so loud that it would drown out any conversation that may be taking place between folks still on-board.

Removable water proof speakers to be he ard while swimmingor wading on the sand bar is a great idea. How would these be connected? Any links to suitable speakers?

 

[slia67]

Re: Stereo help - amp and speaker placement / upgrades

Removable water proof speakers to be he ard while swimmingor wading on the sand bar is a great idea. How would these be connected? Any links to suitable speakers?

What I did was bought a decent (but not too expensive) set of enclosed marine speakers that didn't take up too much room on my swim platform. I used white industrial strength velcro on both the speakers and the swim platform, the white allows the velcro to blend in with the white speakers and the white swim platform. That way they are removable when you are not anchored, but stay put when people are cannon-balling off the platform. I also didn't want to have to mount the brackets to the platform, or have the chance of someone slipping and getting hurt on the mounting brackets.

I then bought two pair of 3.5mm male/female connectors (like you would find on an MP3 player's headphones) and decided where a good place to connect them would be. Someplace that would stay dry, because the connectors weren't waterproof. Once I decided where the connectors would go I ran the wires, soldiered the connectors in place, and mounted the female side of the connctor. I decided to use connectors like the 3.5mm male/female because of there ease of use.

When we decide to use them we plug them in and set the speakers on the platform and jump in, the velcro hasn't failed us yet. And when we pull up anchor it takes all of about 30 secs to pull the speakers up and unplug them before getting underway.

One side note, the speakers on the platform don't have to be very loud. You will be amazed at how well the sound travels across the water. Here is a link to some options http://www.rocktheboataudio.com/speakers.html or you can just do a search for "enclosed marine speakers".

Hope this answers your questions.