HELP shop for my dream stereo system

[Willy]

I decided to invest in my Mobius 2004 by getting a great sound system. I will probably get rid of every single component from the old crappy Kenwood factory system, including the deck. So I need your recommendations towards building the ultimate sound system for this boat.

I don't plan on changing career to become a pimp, but I want something of very good quality. I think I should budget around 3,000$, but I am open to increase if warranted.

Cabin Speakers: Boat comes with 6 (cheapo) speakers. They are Chinese made 50W max. I should probably change all 6 speakers for new ones? I don't make the crew deaf either. Probably more important to power up on the tower speakers.

Tower speakers: I don't have any, so I want to add something that I won't regret later. I want to be sure that the rider can hear a well as possible and I don't care what the neighbours say (I have put up with their PWCs and tubes long enough already). We typically like to listen to heavier rock when we ride. I would rather have two than four speakers (not including separate tweeters), but I'm not sure if that means a big difference.

Sub: Self contained (bazooka type), enclosure or get the speaker custom installed (where?)? 10", 12"? One or two?

Deck - I would have kept the old Kenwood, but I want something with an aux in. I already have a remote installed so if I change for a new Kenwood will the old remote work? Should I also consider one with built-in amps (I think Sony makes a 4X50W) to power the cabin speakers? Also would be good to be able to control volume between cabin and tower speakers.

Amp(s): The big question: One amp to drive everything? Or one for sub plus one for all speakers? Or how'bout 3 - one for sub, one for cabin speakers plus one for tower speakers? Or mayber the deck's amp for the cabin, and separate power ampos for the sub and tower.

One last note: I am a musician, so it's really hard for me to put up with bad sound.

Thanks for your input.

[hco]

Cabin speakers- most people will say go with Polk Momo's, great speaker, not that bad of a price. However, there are so many speakers out there that you can find, so I would say shoot for something around 100 watts RMS and that has a nice protective grill on it.

Tower Speakers- THe only way you will ever really hear music when you are riding is with horn driven/compression horn speakers. For this, you nead NVS or wetsounds, and since wetsounds is cheaper (and they also put more effort forth on forums to try to fix problems/help people), I would go with westounds.

Sub- Self contained subs tend to suck, and a boat is nothing like a car, so having a sub is alot about placement and tuning a box properly. You can go and grab any sub or any box and throw it in a storage area, however, the sound of the woofer may get washed away depending on its location.

Deck- I personally love alpine, great product, but if you just really need an aux input, then find a company that puts out quality equipment that makes a headunit with an AUX input. Most headunits today will have around 50wattsx4 for cabin speakers.

Amp- I would say let your headunit power 4 cabin speakers, then if you have more put at least 50 watts per interior speaker. Then, I would say have a separate amp for both the subwoofer and tower speakers. To control the volume of interior vs. tower speakers pick up an equalizer.

To address the kenwood remote question, I have no idea.

[sandm]

my .02. just get a newer kenwood deck with aux input and use it to control the remote on the back of the boat. I wouldn't ever recommend using the deck's power to run anything. most are overrated and distort too easy. get a good 5channel amp for the boat(run 4 maincabin speakers on 2 channels, run the bow speakers on the other 2 channels and 5th for the sub), and a 2ch 2ohm stable for the tower speakers(2ohm so you can run 2 now or 4 later). use the front output on the deck for the boat speakers and the rear output for the tower speakers, there's your fading and the sub output for the subwoofer(most have level control here). make sure you get front/rear/sub pre-outs on the deck. moomba is similar to supra. mine has a 10" mounted on a board where your feet go under the steering wheel. I would recommend using a 12" instead. speakers are a personal choice. take a cd with some tunes on it and listen to various speakers and make your choice that way. can't really go wrong with any of the name-brand units out there.

most importantly, shop around at different components and let your ears be the judge. 3k should buy a very nice installed sound system for what you are looking for.

[Willy]

Whoa! This is an old post. I ended changing the entire boat! I did get Wetsounds installed on the new SV-211. Thanks for the input though!

[hco]

my fault for bringing the thread back, it was only about 1/2 down the page so I figured it was new, should have known better and checked the date.