Stereo upgrade by Hit and Miss

Post by **Salty Gator** » April 15th, 2018, 3:55 pm

For awhile I’ve wanted to upgrade the boat stereo. I’ve always used the $200 Sony headunit and two 6.5” speakers that come with it. The stereo sounds ok, better than a jawbone, but you really can’t hear it when running ( has 2 smaller speakers mounted on the T top facing backward). They would generally last 2-3 years, but always seemed to have problems. Probably a little to do with a cheaper head unit, but probably more to do with bad wires and connections. I’ve been trying to find someone that knows what he is doing and I wasn’t having luck. The place that does my boat work said they could install it, but when I started asking questions, I learned they didn’t really know stereos. So after H&M made his post last month we got in touch. We talked for a little and once he got an idea of what I wanted, he wanted to come look at the boat. It made me feel good that he wanted to come out and get his eyes on the boat before we decided on the system and how it would be installed. Greg showed up and was very knowledgeable and professional and we came up with a plan pretty quickly. He recommended two 8” speakers up front facing backwards and another pair in the sides of the console below the gunwales. I had two 6.5’s above the gunwales, so instead of reglassing the holes, we just put a pair of matching 6.5’s in. He picked out a nice 400 watt 4 channel amp, a cool head unit that communicates with a control on the second station. He showed me what to order, including really nice wire, a breaker, starboard and the other components from Amazon. Let me say, there is no way I would have known what to get to make this work. He was very specific about whet he needed, and there were accessories that I didn’t know existed. He walked me through the whole ordering process and it would have been impossible for me to put this together on my own. All of the stuff came in last week and yesterday (April 14) was the first installation date that Greg had available. I dropped the boat off a little after 9 am and picked it up around 6pm. The installation looks great, everything matched up perfectly. The sound blew me away. It was way more that I expected, in clarity and volume. Greg had it turned to 30 and it hurt my ears at 20. It’s comfortable for me to listen to around 5. 6 is the loudest I would play it at a marina. Although I haven’t heard it while running wot ( or on the water at all), I’m pretty sure it is more than I need. But like an outboard, you can always use more power, right? So if anyone is interested in a new stereo and want it installed by a pro, Greg is your man. I’ll try to post some pics

Post by **Juan** » April 15th, 2018, 5:24 pm

Sounds like an awesome set up, If I see a Pathfinder running wot while playing "Who let the dogs out", I'll know who it is.

Hit-n-Miss · Post by **Hit-n-Miss** » April 15th, 2018, 6:33 pm

Thanks for the review. If you want I can put the pics on for you. And thanks for the fish and fish dip. Which was excellent by the way.

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rockyg · Post by **rockyg** » April 15th, 2018, 6:35 pm

Tower boat with a loud azz stereo.......my dream boat......when I was 25.

Just kidding SG, I'm sure it's a sweet setup.

Post by **Salty Gator** » April 15th, 2018, 9:52 pm

Rocky, we won’’t be blaring music when idling down a shoreline or flat. Just wanted something I wouldn’t have to replace every 2-3 years and that I could hear on long runs offshore. You need to get Greg to set your new sled up with something slick. It will blow your mind how great four qualitiy 6.5’ marine speakers on his head unit (with no amp) sound. Music is certainly not important for everyone on the water, it is for me. Not loud, just clear and dependable. Greg, I can’t get those pics up. Can you post yours?

Hit-n-Miss · Post by **Hit-n-Miss** » April 16th, 2018, 6:04 am

. The Rockford Marine remote on the tower controls everything from up top.

.

. The Rockford Marine media receiver. Is radio, weather, usb, aux and Bluetooth. You can even search songs via Bluetooth. I removed an old bubble kit and radio then made a plate to cover the area.

. The JL AUDIO Marine 4 channel powers 6 speakers to amazing sound levels. It tucked away nicely in the console. All high grade American made marine wire was used.

. JL 7.7” went behind the front deck firing back.

.

. Another pair of 7.7” went low on the console and a pair of 6.5” went in the existing holes high on the console. ‘A side note if you want good sound in a boat never put speakers here(especially if it is your only pair) Unless you primarily plan to listen from outside the boat. They need to be below the gunnels to keep the sound mostly in the boat’. Most boats you see have the speakers high because it’s an easy spot to stick them. David thanks again for trusting me with your boat.

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Post by **silverking** » April 16th, 2018, 8:05 am

Very professional installation. Nice work, HnM! Will definitely send referrals your way.

SG, looking forward to hearing it sometime. I'm a classic rock, reggae and Buffett fan offshore. On the flats my favorite tune is Sounds of Silence.

Hit-n-Miss · Post by **Hit-n-Miss** » April 16th, 2018, 9:08 am

silverking wrote:Very professional installation. Nice work, HnM! Will definitely send referrals your way.

SG, looking forward to hearing it sometime. I'm a classic rock, reggae and Buffett fan offshore. On the flats my favorite tune is Sounds of Silence.

. Thanks Silverking.

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HighOnTheFlats · Post by **HighOnTheFlats** » April 16th, 2018, 9:15 am

clean job, looks great

Post by **onefishtwofish** » April 16th, 2018, 2:25 pm

Juan wrote:Sounds like an awesome set up, If I see a Pathfinder running wot while playing "Who let the dogs out", I'll know who it is.

If it is blaring at wot, it will be playing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTR13MV4fqc

Post by **Salty Gator** » April 16th, 2018, 5:33 pm

Juan wrote:Sounds like an awesome set up, If I see a Pathfinder running wot while playing "Who let the dogs out", I'll know who it is.

Rick if you hear that on my boat, in meant it’s been stolen. Please call the law

flatsbroke22 · Post by **flatsbroke22** » April 16th, 2018, 6:05 pm

I can attest to the sound those components put out and it's amazing! I have a pair of 8.8's mounted in the front of the rod lockers and a pair of 7.7's in the console, powered by a m400. Trust me you will not have any trouble hearing while underway. I can hear mine at wot and the volume only at 3/4 and it's LOUD! Jl Marine is top notch stuff.

Geno67 · Post by **Geno67** » April 17th, 2018, 7:49 am

Very nice!

kenfly · Post by **kenfly** » April 17th, 2018, 9:15 am

Nice setup!! See spared no expense and went with the JL’s which are nice. Have a pair on the Seaark. Did a great job on that install, bet sounds great

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