Rick's Mods v3.0!

deafwish · **Posted:** Wed Mar 27, 2013 3:18 pm

NiagaraChillin wrote:

ric wrote:

Update:

New stereo and speakers in.

Infinity sound Good!!! They sound a little brighter/clearer than the Polk, I like them better. Just as I suspected, the Kenwood deck doesn't need an amp to sound proper. Good bass, doubt I need a sub. Maybe in the future. I need to talk to Marinaire tomorrow to verify the power requirements and then I'll order it all up. The idiot that wired the radio that was in the boat should be shot. He had the speakers to the JVC remotes (original), etc. Speakers were connected by twisting the wire to the connector. Horrible. That's why nothing worked. I'm giving the setup to my buddy his boat needs a decent headunit/speakers they should all work fine. I fixed the running lights issue and now all that's left is the blower. He ran a wire from the battery positive to the positive on the blower. I'm guessing the breaker is bad, that's tomorrow's project. Very simple to undo that kludge and a local shop has the aircraft breakers. PS, Chaparral has the nicest boat wiring I've ever seen. It's made like an automotive harness using weatherproof automotive connectors all perfectly done in wire loom.

Old vs New:

I'm interested in the Kenwood deck you bought, I like the fact that it doesn't need an external amp, but I don't need the Bluetooth hookups. Does Kenwood make a deck that has the internal amp but no Bluetooth?

22Wrms is all this Kenwood is capable of making.
If you want something that will control your coaxials, you'll certainly need 50+Wrms (an amplifier!)...
p.s. Most run of the mill head units will produce around 20Wrms. The processors in brands like Alpine and Pioneer will sound better at doing so, too. :wink:

ric · **Posted:** Wed Mar 27, 2013 3:32 pm

I put 100w rms to my db651's on the stingray, didn't sound any better/louder then 22rms to the infinity's. I had 22rms going to the DB651's on my H180 with a Kenwood head and it didn't sound any worse then 100. What made it sound amazing was a subwoofer, but I spend so much time off engine that it's unpractical battery wise.

NiagaraChillin · **Posted:** Wed Mar 27, 2013 4:33 pm

ric wrote:

I put 100w rms to my db651's on the stingray, didn't sound any better/louder then 22rms to the infinity's. I had 22rms going to the DB651's on my H180 with a Kenwood head and it didn't sound any worse then 100. What made it sound amazing was a subwoofer, but I spend so much time off engine that it's unpractical battery wise.

Ummm, I guess I shoulda added that I am not an audiophile. What is this rms you speak of? Right now I have a 10 year old Pioneer SuperTuner III, with a tape deck (try not to laugh to hard), and 4 Sony Xplode speakers. The sound isn't bad, but it is wore out. I already have my speakers picked out for this seasons upgrade, but I'm at a loss as far as what deck to get.

ric · **Posted:** Wed Mar 27, 2013 5:03 pm

Unless the radio gets wet I suggest a car stereo. That is if you don't have remotes. Kenwood works with marine remotes. Sony doesnt. In the last 2 years I've purchased Sony, JVC, and Kenwood radios. JVC being junk, Kenwood being the best. I've owned pioneer in the past and they are good. Alpine rank #1 so ppl say. Idk.

I love my new Kenwood. Ive used hands free calling a few times already and its perfect. Im streaming audio as i type this. Ill end up putting a remote in the transom. If you dont plan to amp get the infinity. I got two sets off amazon for 130.

My stingray used a car stereo outside in a marine enclosure and was fine. My cuddy its inside the cabin

NiagaraChillin · **Posted:** Wed Mar 27, 2013 5:10 pm

ric wrote:

Unless the radio gets wet I suggest a car stereo. That is if you don't have remotes. Kenwood works with marine remotes. Sony doesnt. In the last 2 years I've purchased Sony, JVC, and Kenwood radios. JVC being junk, Kenwood being the best. I've owned pioneer in the past and they are good. Alpine rank #1 so ppl say. Idk.

I love my new Kenwood. Ive used hands free calling a few times already and its perfect. Im streaming audio as i type this. Ill end up putting a remote in the transom. If you dont plan to amp get the infinity. I got two sets off amazon for 130.

My stingray used a car stereo outside in a marine enclosure and was fine. My cuddy its inside the cabin

Yeah, no remotes on mine. I already planned on the Infinities, prob take your recommendation on the Kenwood. Just gotta figure out which model, like I said earlier, I don't need Bluetooth, but like the internal amp as I don't plan on adding one.

ric · **Posted:** Wed Mar 27, 2013 5:51 pm

They all have internal amps some better than others. The JVC I got was rated at 20w RMS... yeah right. Maybe 5 tops. Audio sounded horrible (even with amp honestly). Don't think you won't use bluetooth, if you do any text messaging it's a life saver. it beeps you have a message over the speakers. Also when the phone rings it rings over the radio, and keeps the radio silent when you're on the phone even if you're not using hands free. The wireless audio is perfect because I use navionics for navigation with a window mount, and it allows me to play any audio wirelessly. If I had to run an AUX cord I wouldn't be able to put the phone on the windshield for GPS.

I say get car stereo because they're a few generations ahead of "marine" radios. No "marine" radio sold today is rated for water splashing except a fusion. All these "marine" rated radios are just a sales gimmick for more expensive radio with less features (except for sony, only sony marine work with sony marine remotes). I'm two Kenwood's deep now, and both times I've been very pleased. If I ever sell this boat and buy another stereo, it will be a Kenwood.

I think the KDC-X397 is my unit without bluetooth. Only $30 cheaper, might as well get the X597 with BT. The x797 has HD radio. I have HD radio in my car (sony) and it sucks. The HD radio is compressed digital audio and sounds worse then a 2mb MP3 file. Biggest waste of $$ I've ever spent for a feature. Pandora/Spotify/and even listening to local radio on I <3 radio app sounds better then "hd" radio.

ric · **Posted:** Wed Mar 27, 2013 7:18 pm

Nothing to do with boats but I should have my pilots license by summer. Not bad for a college drop out.

joet · **Posted:** Wed Mar 27, 2013 8:22 pm

ric wrote:

Nothing to do with boats but I should have my pilots license by summer. Not bad for a college drop out.

Where are you doing your training?

schoolsOut · **Posted:** Wed Mar 27, 2013 9:42 pm

ric wrote:

Nothing to do with boats but I should have my pilots license by summer. Not bad for a college drop out.

Pilot's license sounds great, but my question is why would you ever drop out of college?? Best 6 years of my life!

ric · **Posted:** Wed Mar 27, 2013 10:05 pm

Life changes. Opportunities knock. I want to go back but for something crazy y'all would laugh

deafwish · **Posted:** Wed Mar 27, 2013 10:43 pm

ric wrote:

I put 100w rms to my db651's on the stingray, didn't sound any better/louder then 22rms to the infinity's. I had 22rms going to the DB651's on my H180 with a Kenwood head and it didn't sound any worse then 100. What made it sound amazing was a subwoofer, but I spend so much time off engine that it's unpractical battery wise.

Treble and most midrange frequencies use bugger all power.
Most coaxials in a boat are operating in an infinate baffle setup & bass response is poor.
Lower midbass frequencies is what consumes the amp's power. Having more power will control it's 'bass' response light years better (think fast kick drums).
Have those exact coax's in a car door, sealed with Dynamat and the 50Wrms will sh1t all over the head unit's power.

rpengr · **Posted:** Thu Mar 28, 2013 7:00 am

ric wrote:

Life changes. Opportunities knock. I want to go back but for something crazy y'all would laugh

OK, I'll bite. :?:

NiagaraChillin · **Posted:** Thu Mar 28, 2013 7:11 am

ric wrote:

Don't think you won't use bluetooth, if you do any text messaging it's a life saver. it beeps you have a message over the speakers. Also when the phone rings it rings over the radio, and keeps the radio silent when you're on the phone even if you're not using hands free.

Nooooo, I refuse to be dragged into this century! Ok, Ok, I'll probably get the bluetooth, and I'll probably like it....

JohnnyMarlin · **Posted:** Thu Mar 28, 2013 10:37 am

ric wrote:

Nothing to do with boats but I should have my pilots license by summer. Not bad for a college drop out.

Is flying such a good idea that close to the Burmuda triangle? :?:

greg5891 · **Joined:** Thu May 03, 2012 2:00 pm **Posts:** 85

Wrong again ric... C'mon do your homework.. I wouldn't agree with ric on buying a car stereo.. oh, and yes marine radios are resistant... Alpine is anyways.. Not only are they waterproof rated, but they are made to not skip if playing a cd, direct sunlight exposure, fog, salt, easy viewing in direct sunlight... Here is a model I have in my boat and I love it..

The CDA-118M is designed for full operation in your boat. The CDA-118M comes in a 1.8 DIN faceplate size, for an easy upgrade for standard marine head units. This unit features a large 2-line LCD screen, viewable in direct sunlight. Skip-resistant CD mechanism ensures continuous playback while you’re on the waves. The CDA-118M is fully IPx5 water resistant and salt fog/UV certified. EEPROM no-loss memory, ensures even when the boat is not in use and the battery is disconnected, all your radio presets, zone controls, sound adjustments will stay intact.

IPX5 is – Protected against low pressure water stream from any angle.. which is what will happen in a boat.. Car radio will be trashed if it gets too wet. Why skimp for a few hundred bucks you can get a proper radio

www.iFourWinns.com

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