Sound System

Marty, heres my two cents I've done the same thing on all my boats and cars and get nothing but compliments except from the ones that dont want to hear it.

1. the deck- must have at 2 rca outputs, an mp3 input and remote control capable preferably wired, doesnt have to be high powered or expensive as it is just passing on the info to the equipment, no marine unless you like white

2. kenwood kgc-4042a- vital to this system. It has 2 input rca and 6 out
                      4 which will go to the 4 channel amp for the mid n
                      highs and 2 for the subs. $113 new and is simple
                      cheap and what makes it all work

3. 4 channel amp- comparable rms output to speakers rms handling

4. mid/highs 4 speakers (your polks)

5.1 or 2 10" bazookas with built in amps- got mine out of scratch n
                                      dent or ebay

Notes; with a brand new walmart battery(largest) you will not be able to start the boat after half hour to hour, one optimma about 2, I run two optimas in parallel and havent killed them in over 6. You will need some wiring parts but they can be picked up at radio shack or the like.
                        

My bad, parallel would be correct/pos to pos neg to neg,thanks for the correction

Don't forget a lot of amp makers also include a pass through circuit now. 4-6 pre-outs would indeed be what I look for 1st, but you can cheat with your amps. Also you could pick up a 5-6 ch amp, just watch your heat. They get warm inside.

MartyMabe wrote: Oh, well, someones gonna have to come and help me hook this thing up!

Hey Marty, If you don't figure it out by the time you make your trip to the Columbus area, bring the boat along with you and drop it by my house, I'll get it squared away for you! Feel free to give me a call if you need any help.

I found pics

I had one of those EQs in like 94 er 95. Worth the money for sure.
You could get away from it with a HU with 4ch out, and an amp with a pass through circuit though. Plus with a 4ch out you won't lose the imaging.

The Marine head units really aren't any more expensive than the non-marine, and if it gets wet, at least your covered where as if you have a non-marine unit you are going to be buying a new one... even if I had to pay an extra $20 - $50 it would be worth it IMO because I don't like to do things twice.

I don't care how much the closed bow "modifies" the sound of a bazooka, they still have pathetic amplifiers in them, a paper cone woofer with foam surround (that will not hold up in a hot car for more that a few years let alone a boat), and you could do a lot better with a decent sub and amp.

I don't see any need to add an EQ to the system either. I actually thought they stopped making these things back in the early 90's... you just don't see them used anymore. They add a lot of extra distortion and with today's head units and amps with built in crossovers I don't see any need to add the extra wiring that can be a fault point.

I used to have an EQ with "Power Boost" in my 1977 Impala back in high school. Man that thing had some cool lights. Made my cassette tapes sound great!      

I have a sony head unit, I'm not too crazy about this head unit but it works well for the price... I have the Ipod control and XM receiver that hook up to the head unit so I can control an Ipod or XM mini-receiver. The XM receiver is nice and about all I listen to anymore on the boat... it has a little 1" square receiver that I can remove and plug into my kenwood unit in my truck.

I have three of the Polk db605's in the combing pads and the one by the driver is mounted in the kick panel.

A kicker 700.5    5 channel amp   this is mounted behind the kick panel under the helm along with the Ipod controller and aux. battery, the XM receiver is mounted on the front of the kick panel for easy access, also have a switch and LED for the battery isolator/combiner mounted to this panel.

Polk MOMO 10" sub in a custom built sealed enclosure under the spotters seat.

Two Optima blue tops with an isolator combiner to keep the starting battery isolated while the engine is not running.

Every connection I made was soldered and shrink tubed.

adding it up in my head... HU- 150, amp- 350, polk 605- 100, sub - 100, Ipod and XM controller- 150 so about 800 not including the battery's and isolator...

I wish I had a better head unit, and wish I had gone with the MOMO 6" instead of the db's but it rocks pretty hard.

Marty,

You can go with one good 4-ch amp. Wire all 4 polks to the front 2 channels (2 on each channel in parallel), and then bridge the rear two channels to run a 10 or 12" sub.

I don't know anything about this Wakenoize guy, but give Mike a call/email and see what kind of deal he can make you on a sub/amp combo. He'll stand behind his stuff and help out where he can. He's also doing the INT boat this year. Be sure to tell him Ryan sent you.

Mike's Liquid Audio

MartyMabe wrote: Well, I e-mailed Crutchfield,and they got back to me today. 20 questions, like how much you want to spend, what brand, how many subs, what kind of music I listen too,I answered that one right away---BLUEGRASS!!!!.I told them $500 - $1000. But I'd be happy with a scratch-n-dent sale or refurbished units.I'll wait for the answer back from them for recommendations and maybe check e-bay for some deals, then go from there. I just thought maybe the 'MM' was marine made or something special for marine, but it looks like most of the Polks are approved for marine use. I'd love just to take it to WaveNoize or whatever it is beside of Race City Marine at Lake Norman and tell 'Weezy' to do his thing. Thanks for the info so far though. Marty

Check flea markets.. The only Blue grass music I ever see is on 8 track

So I guess I'll need another battery too! Where to mount? In my 93, the battery's in the floor in the middle up under the spotters seat. Should I just keep it simple, get a cheaper battery and just hook everything up to it? Then charge when I get home or what?Could hook up a solar charger to it and just put the panel out on the dash when I'm drifting.

It is possible to run different types of batteries if you want to keep your starting battery and just add a GEL/AGM for the stereo/equip. I've been running a lead-acid starting battery and an Optima D34m wired to a perko with a Yandina C100 combiner for 3 years w/o any problems. I usually hook up a charger a once or twice per month to top them off.

MartyMabe wrote: Could hook up a solar charger to it and just put the panel out on the dash when I'm drifting.

I have four, they don't work as advertised. Nowhere near it.