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| I am in the process of selling the boat that I have been running the last two years and unfortunately the expensive stereo that I put in last year is going with it.
I will be putting a system in my new boat within the next few months and was wondering what everyone had. I am looking for something of high quality and Sirius capable, I need my Shady 45. |
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| It really depends on what boat you will be getting and where the radio/head unit will be placed. Will it be under the console or cut out to be placed "in dash"? |
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Location: Athens, Ohio | My question, too. Do you need the head unit mounted in a waterproof gimble? Do you have or need speakers? Freestanding speakers or flush mounts? What kind of tuneage will you be playing? (sorry, I'm old and don't know what a Shady 45 is!) Best way is to go to a dealer where they have different units displayed and see what sounds good to you. I got a Jensen unit that I like put into my BassTracker this winter, it rocks. m |
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| KC, i know who you are!! ; )
I have the Clarion waterproof head unit with CD and Sirrius installed.. it is the same one Ranger is putting in at the factory...great unit...you don't need a cover for it since it's waterproof. http://www.clarion.com/us/en/products/function_marine/
I put in some Alpine Marine speakers that were recommended by a very reputable car/boat stereo place in Madison that did the sound system in my ski boat..I have 4 of the 6.5"s but if I had room would have bought the 7"ers.
depends on how much money you want to shell into the rig, but since you like that ghetto music you might want an 8" sub, JL Audio makes a good one for a decent price...
If you do that then you'd probably want to put in a small amp for that...
the 4 speakers and head unit I have in mine sounds great....would like a bit more bass at times...and may consider a 8" sub as I have a perfect spot for one...
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| Boat sound systems: what is the best?
The Loon, although a flock of geese flying overhead is marvelous, too. |
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Posts: 814
| One other question to add to the thread.....Are you guys running the stereo on the trolling batteries or the starting battery? If you are running it on the trolling motor batteries are you noticing(sp) a power loss? And if you are running on the starting battery have you noticed sonar noise, or trouble starting outboard because of constant power draw? |
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| mine is hooked up to my trolling motor batteries..no noticeable loss in battery life really.
i have 2 31 size AGM's that are great.... |
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| It is a 620T. I think the Clarion is going to get the nod for a head unit. BN, why the Alpine speakers over the Clarion?
The batteries are Trojans and they should not be affected by the stereo as far as power loss.
Should I get an amp if I run 4 7in speakers or can the unit power them? |
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| the Alpines I got at a great price on Ebay...Clarion speakers are decent...Also, JBL and Infinity make some good marine speakers you might want to check out...do a search on ebay for them and see what prices are...I think I got a pair of the 6.5's for like $60 each..the 7's were like 80ish.
The Clarion head unit can power the 4 speakers no problem...if you put in a sub you'd want a powered sub or amp to power that.... |
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| I know Reef Hawg put in a rockin system in his boat..he might want to chime in one he put in his 690... |
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Posts: 1758
Location: Mt. Zion, IL | polk audio speakers are marine certified for their entire lineup of automotive speakers! |
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| good to know. Polk is considered one of the best. |
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Posts: 273
| Does it really matter if you put in a marine stereo or a regular stereo. I was told by one person if you are not fishing saltwater a regular streo will do just fine.
Jeff |
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| it definitely matters...it depends on where it's mounted..if it is mounted say up underneath a console with a flush mount weather proof type case then you can be alright with a regular non marine head unit but if it's out in the open and has any chance of getting wet you are much better off with a head unit that is waterproof...jbl and clarion are 2 that come to mind..i have the clarion cmd5 or something like that and it's waterproof, it can get dumped on (which it has plenty) and it doesn't get fried...most likely your best bet is a waterproof marine head unit... |
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Posts: 3518
Location: north central wisconsin | Good thread!! Marine or not, there is not a truly waterproof unit. Further, there really isn't a marine head unit with the features of a non marine unit half the price. Now, if your unit will be on the console and out in the elements I'd highly recomend one of the marine styles as Nelson recomended. However, if you have room, and an extra $30.00, pick up a water-tight head unit case. Your remote will still read through the clear case, and once closed, is water tight.
As far as head units go, there are a ton of really great ones these days. I normally run Eclipse, but realized that there were other units that offered more bang for my buck. Pioneer used to make some great equipment, then crappy components(90's). Now, they have come full circle and are making some really nice units again. Their price line and features are tough to beat right now, as far as head units go. I picked up a Premier DEH-P390MP at a local car stereo shop, and absolutely love the thing! The remote is waterproof, tiny, and works from most anywhere in the boat. It also allows for my Sirius radio to be broadcast right through the head unit, showing song, artist, genre, etc on the screen. It will also play your MP3's, and will synch or hook up to your PMD(ipod, Zune, mp3 etc).
For speakers, again, in the marine dept. you are paying for a white speaker with stainless or aluminum screws. You still should not get the cone of a speaker drenched, but some can handle alot of water. I decided to go with JL audio coaxial 6.5" up front, and JL 6x9's in the back, both sets built into custom boxes for my rig as I didn't want to cut into my side tanks etc. Again, if good sound is what you are after, run standard car audio speakers. You'll save $$, and get the best sound. The JL line I run, along with many others have rubber seals instead of foam(stay away from foam), just like the marine jobs.
That said, what I have is far from a 'rocking' system. I had to cut alot of corners in building the speaker boxes to fit them where I wanted to, and opted to stay away from amps and subs. It sounds fine for what I use it for, besides, I cannot stand the wake boarder boats that go by with crappy bass pumping into my rig. When I want to listen to tunes, I don't want the other boats around me to have to listen to them too.
Edited by Reef Hawg 2/28/2008 5:14 PM
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| I had a Premier head unit in my ski boat that was highly recommended ...good clal Reefer..
JL Audio makes a line of "marine speakers" as well Capt Kev...
check out this as far as being splash proof vs water tight..this head unit kicks out 50 watts x 4 channels which is plenty to power some 6.5's or 6x9s....I was told it's waterproof, so far it has been drenched...and hasn't missed a beat
http://www.clarion.com/us/en/products/2008/marine/source_units/CMD5...
I agree Reefer, my speakers are down low and even when I'm crankin I doubt a boat too close to me can hear them...would like a little more bass at times...what do you think of JL subs? |
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Posts: 3518
Location: north central wisconsin | Again, all personal preference in head units. Even though I am going deaf, I still have a discerning ear for tunes, and had to shop around for the head unit with the sound and features I wanted. Get whatever suits your needs and sounds good to you. Power is a big thing as you mentioned, and it needs to be looked at in terms of rms rating.
JL might be the most respected name in car audio. It could be argued that it would be overkill to run their product in an open environment like a boat. I love the JL subs in my pickup. I am a rocker and not a rap guy, and JL subs are tight, even in 10", though it depends on the series you buy.
That said, you might be well served checking out one of the powered 'tube' type units for your boat. Less space(you can get one 8" that will pump some pretty good bass in your rig), no need for an amp, and in some cases, sealed up pretty nicely.
Edited by Reef Hawg 2/28/2008 5:30 PM
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Posts: 1758
Location: Mt. Zion, IL | This may seem like a dumb question but wouldn't the vibrations from a stereo with that much bass scare the fish away? I thought we were after a "stealthy" approach. |
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| the music doesn't seem to bother them..now I only am using the stereo on lakes where there is a ton of boat traffic and fishing pressure...the stereo isn't turned up THAT loud when I'm fishing...but at times we get it rockin and the fish come right on and eat on figure 8's no problem with the stereo goin...sure there are times and probably places it could hurt..but on the lakes I have the stereo goin it hasn't effected my success.... |
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Posts: 3518
Location: north central wisconsin | Ryan, what BN said. While I normally have it only loud enough to hear, we sometimes get it rockin pretty good when all alone, and continue to have success, even with followers as BN mentioned. |
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| they seem to really come in and eat on the Fig 8 when LA Guns is rockin!  |
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Posts: 3518
Location: north central wisconsin | Don't you mean Culture Club? |
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| yes, Culture Club....I borrowed your greatest hits cd remember!
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| I'll rumble for ya, I'll rumble for ya, I'll rumble for you!!!!!! |
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Posts: 43
Location: Warrenville,IL | Ipod.
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