I am thinking about puting a system in my boat and would like a few suggestions. I would like 4 speakers and a sub without spending much money...


First off, I have the system out of an old van. Its a full size 4 channel Alpine amp (no wattage printed on it) and a half size alpine amp (also no idea what wattage), a Jim Fosgate Gavotte sound decoder ( has 4 speaker outputs, a sub output & a center channel out put) although I think it requires an amp for each set of speakers, & i also have 2, 6" alpine 2 way speakers. I believe in the van, a deck was connected to the sound decoder, then from there it split to the two amps, the larger one powered a set of 6x9s (3 way) and the smaller one power a set of 6" 2 ways & a set of tweeters.

In my boat I was thinking of 4 sony 6x9s, 4 way, (only $180 can) & a sub. I have an older sub that I will use untill I choose to upgrade. Will my amp power the sub? Or do I need a newer amp?

The amp has settings such as mono or stereo for channels 1/2 & 3/4...I might connect my ipod directly to the larger amp...if i do that can I connect speakers and a sub to it? Or do I need a sub specific amp? What controls the bass for the sub? Do I need a deck for that?

Any suggestions would help...thanks...I would also like to go the cheap route...not over $400 can. if possible....not obsessed with sound quality either...thanks

 

where are you usibg your boat sea or lake ?

 

lake. I'm planning on removing the speakers after each ride so I don't have to get marine ones.

 

what type of boat and how are you getting 12-14.4V

 

Its a 77' Starcraft 15 foot Fiberglass. Its electric start and has a constantly charging battery.

I've already had the amp and 2 speakers connected temporarily to make sure it all worked...

 

if the boat is not a sea boat i would glass the speakers in so the water does not get the speaker wet or rain.
i think temporarily installing and removing can do just as much to f them up as getting them wet

do you have a pic of the boat

 

glass the speakers???

im not at home now...but il get a pic in the next few days...is that for speaker placement?

 

Is there a switch on channel 3&4 for crossovers? lo-pass, hi-pass, full? im thinking you could run the sub off channel 3/4 as long as you switch it to lo-pass only. then run your speakers off of 1/2.

 

I dont have it on me but I believe it has channel 1, 2 , 3 & 4 inputs.

Channel 1, 2, 3, & 4 speaker outputs. And you can set channels 3/4 to mono. Is that good enough for a sub? what about controlling bass?

It doesnt list amps so i dont know if itll have enough power for everything.

 

Get yourself a basic cd player that has the proper outputs for a amplified system. Ensure it has sub level control and front panel AUX input. Pioneer Premeire DEHP390MP comes to mind here.
http://www.pioneerelectronics.ca/pna/product/detail/0,,32171715_32249681_424028133,00.html

Ignore the Gavotte (send it to me.....) in your boat. Use both amps that you have now. The larger 4 channel to power the sub and one pair of 6x9's. If you feel that you need more speakers in the boat, you can still add another set of 6x9's in parallel with the existing speakers. The amp should be able to power the sub with ease. If not, you can always get a larger amp in the future. Try what you have first. Your budget of $400 will easily get you a cd player and some speakers.