[frdvschvy]

I am not knowledgable about stero stuff so bear with me. The stereo in our boat is weak sauce and in need of some upgrades. The head unit is good (Clarion CMD4) but the other stuff has to go. Right now it only has 4 Clarion marine 6.5" speakers and they sound like crap if you turn the volume above medium. I am thinking of replacing the 6.5" speakers with a better quality speaker plus adding two additional 6.5" in the rear and 1 or 2 subs.

What would be a good combination of equipment to get a decent sounding stereo out of this without breaking the bank?

Thanks.

 

[redneckcharlie]

I am not knowledgable about stero stuff so bear with me. The stereo in our boat is weak sauce and in need of some upgrades. The head unit is good (Clarion CMD4) but the other stuff has to go. Right now it only has 4 Clarion marine 6.5" speakers and they sound like crap if you turn the volume above medium. I am thinking of replacing the 6.5" speakers with a better quality speaker plus adding two additional 6.5" in the rear and 1 or 2 subs.

What would be a good combination of equipment to get a decent sounding stereo out of this without breaking the bank?

Thanks.

Post up a budget you have in mind. Keep in mind that "budget" is very subjective which many times is directly connected to income level.

 

[frdvschvy]

Post up a budget you have in mind. Keep in mind that "budget" is very subjective which many times is directly connected to income level.

Good point. I would rather save some money for other projects and would only like to spend about $1,500 on this mild stereo upgrade.

 

[Havasu Dreamin]

 

[ellabo]

mike ... dont take this personally, but i am not too sure how much of an upgrade you could do for $1500.00. i know as much as you do about audio ( i dont know jackshit ), but it seems like most upgrades tend to cost a bit more.

 

[frdvschvy]

mike ... dont take this personally, but i am not too sure how much of an upgrade you could do for $1500.00. i know as much as you do about audio ( i dont know jackshit ), but it seems like most upgrades tend to cost a bit more.

Interesting. I have no clue about this stuff but did not think $1500 was out of the question for a mild upgrade.

 

[frdvschvy]

LOL... I already have one of these beauties in the AMC Gremlin. The chicks dig my sweet beats!

 

[redneckcharlie]

Are you going to do the install yourself? So, your budget is for equipment and wire? If so, you can do fairly well for that budget if you don't mind buying online. You can get some great deals on speakers and amps if you don't mind last years models. As far as your sub goes, where are you intalling it? Building a box, free air, etc.

 

[ellabo]

Interesting. I have no clue about this stuff but did not think $1500 was out of the question for a mild upgrade.

again, i have no clue about these kinds of things. just something that came into my head when i first thought about it. are you just looking to upgrade the head unit? or add some other equipment as well?

 

[redneckcharlie]

Heres you a pretty decent setup. Its actually top notch equipment. It leaves you plenty of room for the sub and wiring.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Morel-Tempo-Coa...66:2|39:1|72:1234|240:1318|301:1|293:1|294:50

http://cgi.ebay.com/ZAPCO-REFERENCE...66:2|39:1|72:1234|240:1318|301:0|293:1|294:50

This is a good resource for primary wire, speaker wire, and patch cords.

http://www.monoprice.com/home/index.asp

 

[ellabo]

there's no doubt in my mind that if it is done yourself, you will save some cash.

 

[frdvschvy]

Are you going to do the install yourself? So, your budget is for equipment and wire? If so, you can do fairly well for that budget if you don't mind buying online. You can get some great deals on speakers and amps if you don't mind last years models. As far as your sub goes, where are you intalling it? Building a box, free air, etc.

No problem at all buying online, and yes this was my equipment budget. Subs would have to be free air and would not be installed in a box. I have a spot in the helm that would be a good location for them or under the rear seat.

 

[redneckcharlie]

No problem at all buying online, and yes this was my equipment budget. Subs would have to be free air and would not be installed in a box. I have a spot in the helm that would be a good location for them or under the rear seat.

Here you go. I'm sure you know your not going to get the same output out of free airs as enclosed, but these are actually pretty decent.

http://cgi.ebay.com/JL-AUDIO-12IB4-...s?hash=item2c4a8024c2&_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116

 

[frdvschvy]

Thanks for all the advice so far. I am beginning to peice the system together and ordered three pairs of the 6.5" speakers today. I had a chance to listen to about 10 different sets and liked the Memphis Audio and Infinity Reference 6022i the best. I understand they are in two different leagues but the Infinity's did a damn good job holding their own against the higher end Memphis Audio. The reality of the situation is that my untrained ear propably can't tell the differnce sphss. Ended up finding a killer deal on the Infinity units so I went with those. The online reviews are also very strong for this speaker. Definitely won't win me any awards on the water but it will certainly be a HUGE improvement from where it is now. Only $150 in so far so keeping this thing on a budget is looking like a reality.

Gonna take my time and find the other needed components at the right price. I need to figure out a way to get an enclosed box somewhere on the boat without sacrificing storage or go with the lower performance of some open air subs. Also need to track down some decent amps to go with.

 

[daninja]

You found three sets of 6.5's for $150? Online I'm guessing? Did you just do a search online or was it from a specific site. Looking for speakers also. Thanks in advance.

 

[frdvschvy]

You found three sets of 6.5's for $150? Online I'm guessing? Did you just do a search online or was it from a specific site. Looking for speakers also. Thanks in advance.

Yep, three sets for $150....

http://www.amazon.com/Infinity-Refe...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1245955286&sr=8-1

 

[SlowSquirt]

personally, I do not like the infinity ref speakers (or kappas). Very poor mid range, much too bright IMHO. For the same "off the shelf" type speaker I would recommend polk db's, better yet check out CDTs at woofersetc -smokin deals on their CDT's.

Again, just my opinion, but I would stay away from infinits mid range/coax/components. Listen first and buy later .

cheers.

 

[frdvschvy]

personally, I do not like the infinity ref speakers (or kappas). Very poor mid range, much too bright IMHO. For the same "off the shelf" type speaker I would recommend polk db's, better yet check out CDTs at woofersetc -smokin deals on their CDT's.

Again, just my opinion, but I would stay away from infinits mid range/coax/components. Listen first and buy later .

cheers.

I did listen first and liked them. My ears must not be trained enough to tell the difference.

 

[frdvschvy]

Also, I think the CDT's are a little outside the realm of what I am looking for on a mild stereo upgrade. $500 for a set of 6.5" coaxials is not within my low budget sphss

http://www.woofersetc.com/p881/HD63--CDT-Audio-High-Definition-65"-2Way-Coaxial-Speakers.htm

 

[redneckcharlie]

Also, I think the CDT's are a little outside the realm of what I am looking for on a mild stereo upgrade. $500 for a set of 6.5" coaxials is not within my low budget sphss

http://www.woofersetc.com/p881/HD63--CDT-Audio-High-Definition-65"-2Way-Coaxial-Speakers.htm

Cliff Designs makes a nice product. The Morels I referenced earlier are a little smoother. They were in the 150pr range, 400-450 retail. A good rule of thumb is half on electronics(amps), and half on speakers. One way to get a little better performance out of less expensive speakers is to buy the cheap plastic baffles for them, especially if your installing them in side panels that are basically open cavities.