Replace Stereo/headunit or update entire system

reneechris14

100 bucks blue tooth tube speaker waterproof.Throw it the dinghy and tack it to the beach.battery dies but the boat starts

dropout

I built this "cooler boombox" to use for the dinghy, complete with cigarette lighter. Has abut a 10-12 hour battery life.

Michael T

Holy cr*p! That is super cool. You should put that on facebook I bet you'd have orders for a 100!

diggin2day1

The question is.... Can you still ice down your beers in that?!?!

dropout

Michael T said:

Holy cr*p! That is super cool. You should put that on facebook I bet you'd have orders for a 100!

Thanks, I've seen them for sale on ebay and other web sites.

dropout

Unfortunately not intended for cold ones, this one is to small for that, the inside is the guts and to store things from getting wet.

diggin2day1 said:

The question is.... Can you still ice down your beers in that?!?!

Michael T

I think that would lend a whole new meaning to the words BOOM Box...LOL

Dirtythirty

06Rinker270:  UPDATE:   So I just got back my estimate to replace my entire system. I chose JL Audio LED 6 1/2" speakers (8of them)  JL Audio 10 1/2" LED sub, an 800 watt JL amp and a 400 watt JL amp and a Kenwood am/fm/satellite /bluetooth head unit with 2 remote heads. Installed........$4300.00    ($1200 of the is labor)  so maybe I will live with my old system a while longer...Grrrr

Handymans342

It's a boat Dirty LOL

partlowr

Is there a passive crossover being used? 

06Rinker270

@Dirtythirty holy cow that's a lot for a system.  A bad a$$ system but still.  Sometimes keeping the old ain't so bad.

@partlowr I am not sure, don't think so.

I am stumped on this. If there are two sets of RCA jacks, what's the purpose?  It seems one set controls cabin speakers and one controls cockpit.  When the aux cord is plugged into RCA and I switch to tuner, cabin speakers don't work unless I unplug aux.  

JBam67

I just finished a stereo upgrade myself. I went with the Fusion AV 750, 2 Fusion Wired remotes, 6- 6.5  Jl M series, 2 Jl 7.7 ccx series, a Jl 800/8 amp, and a Jl 10 inch open air sub. 2 in the cabin, 4 in the arch, and 2 in the rear above the platform seat. Blue Led light rings on all speakers up top.
It will literally wake the dead. Lol

diggin2day1

What make/model head unit do you have and what type of rca aux jack did you install(was it just the rca cable or and actual adapter)?

partlowr

06Rinker270 said:

@Dirtythirty holy cow that's a lot for a system.  A bad a$$ system but still.  Sometimes keeping the old ain't so bad.

@partlowr I am not sure, don't think so.

I am stumped on this. If there are two sets of RCA jacks, what's the purpose?  It seems one set controls cabin speakers and one controls cockpit.  When the aux cord is plugged into RCA and I switch to tuner, cabin speakers don't work unless I unplug aux.  

That's why I was asking if there is a crossover being used. Did you buy the boat new or is there a chance a previous owner modified something with the sound system? For instance they might have had a subwoofer installed that they pulled out and the two sets of RCA's has one going to a passive crossover which tunes out high frequency sounds and the other set of RCA's is not plugged in....just a thought. I can see where your frustration is coming from on this because it does all seem odd. They also could have hooked up a splitter to allow for more speakers than there are RCA outputs on the back of the head unit, again just thinking out loud here. Good luck, I hope you get it figured out.

diggin2day1

That's a possibility... Or it could be a setting in the head unit that uses one of the RCA pre-amp outputs as a low-pass subwoofer output. Most radios with multiple pre-amp outputs have the option of selecting full range or sub-out. 

06Rinker270

Thank you everyone for the continuous help.  Also talking to Clarion to see what they can do.

@diggin2day1 the head unit is Clarion M455 Marine in Dash DC Player.  I actually bought a used on ebay for cheap when I thought mine was bad.  It also has the two sets of RCA jacks.  I did not install any RCA jacks or adapters.  Two sets of one Red and one white.  

@partlowr I bougt the bought used so there is a chance.  Although the guy I bought it from said he never used the radio.  Wouldnt the crossover prevent the aux music playing on top of the tuner?  It was like the aux jack was a completely independent channel and the tuner could be played at the same time.  But the aux jack controlled the cabin speakers only.  

jme097

****. That is weird @06Rinker270
Are your cabin speakers wired to the head unit and the deck speakers are through the amp? I had my RCA outputs go bad last spring in my old boats system. 

06Rinker270

@JBam67 haha I bet that would.  Post some pics if the set up if you can. 

Mike_G

 OK.. just to chime in... have you checked the head unit config?  Often times, the "rear" RCA outputs on the head unit (to the amp) will be switchable.  This allows you to run either "full range" for normal speakers, or "sub out" with Low Pass Filter with the sub volume being controlled on the head unit.  Not all head units have 3 pairs of RCA outputs (front, rear, sub-out).  Some have 2 (front and rear/sub out).

The Sony head unit that Rinker uses now has that functionality (front, rear/sub-out).  Ask me how I know.    I had the exact same issue you are having with the cockpit speakers having no treble (sounded "muffled) when I first bought my boat.  Turned out that they never changed the head unit to "full range" for the rear RCA outs.  Luckily for me, I am familiar with car stereos and it was the first thing I checked.

Also.. the reason why the "switch on the amp" that you couldn't see, but switched might have "sort of" corrected the issue could be because older amps (and some cheap new ones) have a "bridging" switch.  Without going into detail, this could affect sound coming out of the "rear" channels of your 4-channel amp because it internally connects the channels together.  This is not how it is designed to work and is bad for your amp to use like that.  Bridging is when you basically make your 4-channel amp into a 2 channel amp (Positive of subwoofer for example goes to channel 1 and the negative goes to channel 2.  Same for channel 3 and 4 for a 2nd speaker).

I would get a mirror and make sure that's not a "bridge" switch.  Put it back to non-bridged or "4 channel" if so.

-=Mike G.

JBam67

Mike_G

OH. I forgot.. @partlowr Where did you put your marine Bazooka tubes?  I want to add some bass to my boat, but I cannot find a good place to put them.  I don't want to cut holes in my boat (for some 10" Polk Audio marine subs I already purchased) because I might sell the boat in a year or two (to move up).  Self-amplified Bazookas would be perfect.  -=Mike G.

JBam67

06Rinker270 Here are a few. I'm pretty stoked on how it came out!

JBam67

I also added this light on a IR remote control, which dims, fades and has pulse effects.

Michael T

beautiful...don't you love IR. I had an IR "button" installed in the cockpit to link the cockpit TV to the satellite receiver in the downstairs cabin.

JBam67

I hope I love it. lol I haven't really been able to play with it because the underwater light is not suppose to be on outside of the water because it may burn out. But based on what I expect I'm excited.

06Rinker270

@Mike_G thanks for the input, sounds like you know your stuff.  There are three sets of RCA jacks, front/rear/amp out.  Here is a picture of the back of the head unit.  I dont see a switch maybe hopefully I am wrong.  Clarion was almost no help, said I had to talk to Rinker.  

06Rinker270

@JBam67 looks sick my friend.  You are going to have one heck of a time this summer!  What is that under you cockpit seat?

JBam67

Thanks!! I can't wait to get this party started. Lol. under the actual seat itself is a storage compartment which I use for lines. To the right near the floor is the sub woofer.

Dirtythirty

partlowr:  FYI...That is not touching the cabin speakers...those 8 speakers I wanted to replace are up top in the cockpit.  The reason I went with the one 800watt amp, is so I will have the juice available (if I can afford it) to replace those cabin speakers one day.  Right now I'm only concerned with the outside

Mike_G

@06Rinker270 Sorry.. I was referring to the switch that you said you switched on your amp that made the cockpit speakers sound normal for a short while.

As for the RCAs... you're sure none of those are inputs, right?

-=Mike G.