Re: pontoon sound system thoughts
well guys i am going to be upgrading my pontoon sound system and wanted to see what other pontoon guys think. i love the speakers i got in my boat now they are clarion 6.5inch in the bottom of the seats. but when i get a few people they get drowned out cause they are so low in the boat so i was looking at adding an amp. well now i am going to be replacing my clarion deck cause it got water in some how. so i am looking at going with a upper end pyle deck and enclosure, 2 more small tower speakers or 2 more 6.5s and looking at still doing about a 600watt amp for everything. i am sure in the distant future i am going to add a self powered sub. but for now i am looking at amps and wondering if you guys think a regular 600 car amp will hold up to the enviroment under my steering console and will a 600 watt amp put to much strain on my single deep cycle battery. if i add some subwoofers then i will add another battery to the system. thanks guys. also i will run my amp remote line to a switch on my dash so i control it on and off.
Hi, I'm not a pontoon owner but I think I can help because of my multiple Holiday Inn stays...
You need to get your speakers higher. I have a nice system in my SeaRay but the listening environment changes drastically when one stands up.
So, self-contained outdoor speakers such as Bose & Polk Audio work great. I prefer Polk & I use their Momo speaker series in my setup.
http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/atrium/index.php#atrium5
Mount them as high as possible (I wouldn't put them on the top deck railing 'cause that would just be asking to get smacked around but there are a ton of mounting areas on a 'toon.
DON'T get four of these speakers & then try to run your 6.5 seat speakers also for "more" sound. Impedance doesn't work that way & you'll fry your amp. If you really like your 6.5's you could take them out of the seats & build enclosures & mount them higher but I think the Polks would still out perform & without the hassle of building boxes & baffles.
Amps- I use Clarion Marine.
http://www.clarion.com/us/en/products/2010/marine/amplifiers/index.html Love them. Real output #'s & made for the vibration & harsh environment they have to operate in. The APX490m would have your boat rockin'!
Amps get hot. Real hot. Don't be surprised if you mount one under your console & it cuts out after 20 mins or so. Add a little cutout with louvers by it so it gets air. I used four of those little rubber feet that go on the ends of wrought-iron lawn furniture to create a stand-off for better air under mine. Little 2.5/3.5" fans are cheap, draw little power & work great at cooling with a bit of hose directing the air across the cooling fins.
"will a 600 watt amp put to much strain on my single deep cycle battery." No. Unless you mean "my single deep cycle battery that is also my motor starting battery." YIKES!
Holy stranded Batman!
You'll be drawing 50-60 amps an hour. A great batt might give you 2 hours. You need a dedicated "start" batt & a "house" deep batt with a switch. Here is one that is a no-brainer (my kind of switch) that charges both but will not let you run the start batt down. A voltage sensitive relay (VSR) is the way to go-
http://www.bepmarine.com/125-Amp-Voltage-Sensitive-Relay-%28VSR%29-166-1468.html
I hope this helps you. Have fun!
