radio advice

[wiegs]

My wife and I are new to boating and purchased a 2003 glastron gx185. We are loving the purchase but the factory speakers and radio are not very good. The speakers are located under the driver and passenger dash area which makes it hard to hear when moving. Anyone have experience/advice on upgrading the speakers in this location? I want to start out with two new speakers and head unit first. Maybe add two more speakers next year. Having a hard time finding a good spot for 2 more speakers.

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_500SPSM600/Alpine-SPS-M600.html?tp=3384

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_113KMR330/Kenwood-KMR-330.html?tp=1721

 

[truckermatt]

Re: radio advice

i like you choice of head unit...... but for the speakers, i just installed 4 of these in my boat... they sound great and were a great price
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wc...toreNum=10103&subdeptNum=10333&classNum=10335

 

[dockwrecker]

Re: radio advice

Can't go wrong with an Icom radio. Good stuff. Don't skimp on the antenna, get the best Shakespeare model. It's your safety here we're talking about.

 

[NYBo]

Re: radio advice

Can't go wrong with an Icom radio. Good stuff. Don't skimp on the antenna, get the best Shakespeare model. It's your safety here we're talking about.

Good advice if he was talking about a VHF radio. But this is an AM/FM/CD install.

 

[wire2]

Re: radio advice

..... Having a hard time finding a good spot for 2 more speakers.

My '84 Glastron SX190 has 4 - 8" speakers mounted in the side storage area, 2 in front facing back (at my knee) and 2 in back facing forward.

 

[bkhdmh]

Re: radio advice

I am having the same issue with the Jensen system that came with my 2010 Mariah R18.9. I have been looking but so far with no luck. I am trying to find a head unit and 4 speaker combo that would be loud enough to hear while in motion that doesn't require an amp, that won't break the bank but also not bottom of the barrel quality.

 

[RickJ6956]

Re: radio advice

I don't know if you'll find what you're looking for. Almost all of the head units in the $100 - $150 range have too little power. Although they may claim 160 to 200 watts, that's "peak power" divided by four channels = 50 watts per channel. Problem is, RMS power is what we're looking for to get clean & loud. Most 200-watters actually produce only 15 watts or so of RMS power per channel. Some manufacturers fudge the numbers even further by applying the numbers from a 2-ohm load, knowing full well that most speakers are 4 ohms!

That said ... matching the speakers' RMS power handling to the head unit's output at the correct impedance in ohms is a good start.

 

[Boatist]

Re: radio advice

When mounting speakers do not get them close to your compass. Move the speaker around and if the compass move at all do not mount the speaker there.

 

[korygrandy]

Re: radio advice

I just went through this with my 04 Glastron SX175 I bought. The guy gutted the stereo system. It cost me a little bit of money and a bit of research but I am happy:

- Kenwood KMR330U Headunit (Wired to the ACC Switch on the dash)
- Clarion APX490M Amplifier (remote wire hooked up to Kenwood Receiver)
- Polk Audio DB651 (Front Speakers 6.5" mounted by feet under dash)
- Infinity 6912M (Rear Speakers 6" X 9" mounted next to the rear bench seat)
- Added a second deep-cycle battery with a BEP Voltage Sensitive Relay (so my cranking battery never dies with the draw on the stereo)
- Went with 4 Gauge wire from the amp directly to the second battery in the back of the boat.
- I rewired all the speaker wire with some marine grade 12gauge wire and a bunch of zip ties.
- And to top it off I just installed a 12v DC Outlet under the dash so I can charge my MP3 player while it's connected to the AUX in port on the kenwood receiver.

I have a 3.0l and with the engine running WOT I can still clearly hear the music. When you stop the boat it's a bit loud at full volume but it's still clear without distortion. To be honest I thought it would be louder with the speakers and amp I chose but I can only turn the gain on the clarion amp up so much before the speakers distort (too much power)

 

[GatorMike]

Re: radio advice

When mounting speakers do not get them close to your compass. Move the speaker around and if the compass move at all do not mount the speaker there.

Compass? What is that? Is that the little round dial that sits next to my GPS?