Marine Stereo Installation

[AlaskaMan]

I scanned through the Repairs and Mods Forum but cannot find what I am looking for. I am installing a marine stereo inside my 2002 26X but I am trying to establish the best location to mount the stereo itself. Speakers will be mounted 2 in the main cabin and two in the cockpit. While I see some folks have installed stereos I cannot find any pictures of the finished product. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks to all

Mental Floss
Juneau Alaska

[trdprotruck]

I don't have any pictures yet, but I'm in the middle of installing mine right now on my . I mounted the head unit on the side of the galley just above the battery compartment/seat. It's a good location for me because power for the amp is really close to the battery and there is a lot of wasted space underneath the galley storage. I will be mounting speakers in the helm lexan and in the cabin another two on either side of the bow hatch. I will hopefully get this finished before the new year.

-Randy

[AlaskaMan]

Thanks for the response. Your install sounds like what i have in mind. One question are your cockpit speakers going in the console or installed facing aft on either side of the cockpit hatch?

Mental Floss

[trdprotruck]

Thanks for the response. Your install sounds like what i have in mind. One question are your cockpit speakers going in the console or installed facing aft on either side of the cockpit hatch?

Mental Floss

The cockpit speakers are going on the console lexan facing left and right. the speakers inside the cabin are going to be above the bow birth facing aft.

-Randy

[NiceAft]

You may get a more ballanced sound if you mount on either side of the hatchway.

Ray

[2BonC]

another position for the radio

Just above the galley.
Rainer

[TonyHouk]

Hello,
I would advise against mounting the speakers through the hull sides. Eventually the speakers will decade and compromise the integrity of the cabin. Take it from me I have a little experience with that. I mounted mine in the pedestal. Have fun, Tony

[NiceAft]

Tony,

How long before that happened

Mine have been in their present location since 2004, and I have not had anyproblems. I'm just inquiring By the way, so have both operating ports.

Ray

[paul I]

I faced the same dilemma when mounting speakers in my 26x. I already have one side of the companionway taken by a compass. I wanted to mount on the pedestal but needed a way around the left on left, right on right type of balance. I ended up mounting 2 sets of 6" MTX's . One set on each side of the pedestal. Ran wires to run them in series with a right and left output on each side. Worked great. The four cones provide excellent bass. You can also use drivers with dual voice coils and dual tweeters and use only one speaker per side.

[TonyHouk]

Niceaft,
I think it took a few years but I eventually had to remove the speakers and I had big holes to fill. I have the M pod helm on my x. I bought a set of box speakers that I will mount under the pod. I don't want to have to fill in another set of holes. Have fun, Tony

[NiceAft]

Thanks for the reply Tony.

When it comes time to replace the speakers (either a leak or for an upgrade) I would think that a layer of some sort of weatherproof material would secure against leaks. After all, the speakers went many years without leaking.

Ray

[SRQBob]

I used a different technique than what has been discussed so far.
I mounted a power amp under the table in the saloon. That location keeps it out of the weather and nearly invisible (unless you're crawling around on the floor!).
Then, I ran wires from standard mini-plugs (like earbuds have) from the steering pedestal and from the front of the table to the power amp.

This allows me to plug an iPod (or any mp3/radio/device that you can use with earbuds) into either location. When I'm in the cockpit, I use the plug on the pedestal, and when I'm hanging out in the cabin, I use the plug on the table.
That way, I can change volume, channel, or song selection without diving into the cabin (or wherever the stereo controls are located).
It is far easier to weatherproof a small music device than the whole stereo system! (I use plastic bags... cheap, waterproof, you can see through them and use the controls without opening the bag).
The speakers can go where you wish. I have one on each side of the pedestal and two speakers in the cabin. Run regular speaker wire from the speakers to the power amp.

The power amps don't have much in the way of controls. But, you can usually adjust the fade to make the cockpit speakers louder than the cabin speakers (or vise versa). My fader control allows me to turn the cockpit speakers off when I am docked or anchored and don't want to disturb neighbors.

Power amps provide as much volume as you want (they are what drive the "thump-thump-thump" of tricked out cars). They are fairly cheap and very durable (almost no moving parts, etc.)

I would be very unhappy if salt water splashed on my iPod Touch. So, I use it (primarily) in the cabin.
I bought a very cheap mp3 player for use in the cockpit. Even if it were to become drenched and ruined... I'm only out about $20.

The sound quality is amazing! And, if a guest wants to hear some music from their phone or music device... no problem... just plug it in.

[FLembo18]

Here's some pic's of my 2004 M stereo install in 2009, it's a Jensen Marine Stereo





I added 2 front speakers to the V berth area a year later in 2010.
Hope that this helps.

Frank L.

[NiceAft]

Frank,

Your set up is very similar to mine, with exception of where you located the aft speakers. The location of where you and I placed the receiver will not work on an X. X's have a different location of the head, thus completely open stem to stern.

Ray

[c130king]

Frank/Ray,

How did you run the power to the spot above the mirror? Did you have to cross it over from the other side?

Thanks,
Jim