Music!!

magstang1

magstang1

Active Member
May 30, 2010
1,338
Lake St.Clair
Boat Info
1998 31 Sedan Bridge
Engines
Twin 350 Marine Power
Music, sweet music. There's nothing like a great tune to carry you away from the harsh reality of the world we live in.

Having recently upgraded the stereo in my boat, it's like I'm born again. I've always been a bit of an audiophile. Unfortunately I'm cheap too and those things are about as close to polar opposites as you can get. Maybe not cheap... Thrifty, frugal. Ya. That sounds better.

Theres something about the flawless reproduction of a great song playing on a well tuned system that just simply carries me away to another dimension. Immersive sound that envelops your whole body. The soft treble (I'm a silk dome guy) tapping on the tips of your ears. The sub woofer pounding out the bass line beating the rhythm into your chest. The mid ranges belting out the chorus of everything in between.

Close your eyes, crank it up and let it take you to another world. Listen to the subtle nuances in the background like fingers sliding across the strings of a guitar. The deep inhale of the lead singer right before the first verse.

It's been a few years since I've had a good stereo. I usually tear my car apart and turn it into a concert hall, but this one I've left alone. This boat has been a slow evolution for some reason. Maybe I thought I outgrew it. Cutting holes in fiberglass to add speakers seemed a bit silly at first. Now that it's done, I should have done it sooner. It's not quite as elaborate as some of the others here have, but it's certainly no slouch. Tasteful, capable, refined and it's mine to enjoy any time I like.

I've been through a fair amount of mobile audio equipment in my travels. Mostly mid to higher end stuff. Distortion just doesn't work for me. The JL Audio speakers in my boat now are among the best I've ever owned. Feed them and they just keep coming at you. Loud, musical and balanced, right out of the box. Not too bright and a surprising amount of bass.

The boat is my sanctuary. An escape from reality. A place where the real world simply ceases to exist. No schedule. No expectations. No pressure. And now it sounds really, really good there.

I think I need bigger amps!
 
I share your thoughts. I love to sit on the boat alone on a warm evening with great music on, a glass of wine and a really good cigar. I say music is the ultimate Time Machine. Just a few notes or words can instantly transport you to a different place and time.

Shawn
 
Magstag1, reading your post made me smile! I can totally relate to your experience. It sounds like you know what you like and you have it, good for you!

Matt
 
Floating in Lake Michigan , music on ,maybe the Doobie brothers, just enough to set the subs , my woman laying half naked on my right or left...... Reality Nowhere in site!!!!!!


Boltman
 
I love to kick back,stream spotify to the Fusion feeding the hungry JL's as well. I grew up in a musical family and have a wide variety of Genre's that I enjoy. So I say turn it up and enjoy!!!
 
This post just made me go listen to the Eagles remastered in DTS in my man cave
 
I just put wet sounds in my boat and they sound good. However I am wondering if I should have went JL instead. I get a bit of distortion at higher levels. My problem may be power though as I only have an amp running my sub........
 
Mustang, what JL's should I buy to replace my 6.5" Polk's? I have a couple nice Alpine amps pushing the Polks but they just aren't clean enough for me.

Thanks by the way. Now I have the itch to upgrade.
 
Great lakes pirate said:
Mustang, what JL's should I buy to replace my 6.5" Polk's? I have a couple nice Alpine amps pushing the Polks but they just aren't clean enough for me.

Thanks by the way. Now I have the itch to upgrade.
Click to expand...

I'll gladly spend your money. Any time.

I went with JL M series components. The 6.5 coaxials in my arch are pretty impressive. The 7.7 components in the back, even more so.

NVERL8: absolutely, add an amp. My last boat had a top of the line alpine head unit with 4 6.5" Polk MOMO speakers. It sounded decent but when I added the amp, it was dramatically better. Clearer, louder and fuller. Don't let the head unit power the speakers. Buy a good 4 channel amp.
 
Totally relate to the OP in all respects. Beautiful day yesterday spent drifting down the middle of the lake with the sound system taking me to a rare place - relaxation from everything if only for about 6 hours. 12 JL 6.5's, 4 JL 7.7's, 2 subs and 3 amps will get you there. It's nice to not hear yourself when you're singing.....

About time to make the 13.4 mile drive back to happyville for the afternoon. :smt001
 
NVERL8 said:
I just put wet sounds in my boat and they sound good. However I am wondering if I should have went JL instead. I get a bit of distortion at higher levels. My problem may be power though as I only have an amp running my sub........
Click to expand...


You need more power Scotty.......put an amp to those speakers and you and THEY will be much happier.
 
Now that I'm crawling back out of the musical Stone Age, where does everyone get their music from? When I'm near shore, pandora across Bluetooth to my head unit works, but cell coverage is spotty on the lake.

ironically enough, my iPhone has 0 songs on it but that needs to change.
 
Some good tunes, a cocktail, and a willing wife, make an evening on the hook the best reason to have a boat.
My stuff is old, but still sounds good. An upgrade is on my wish list.
 
magstang1 said:
Now that I'm crawling back out of the musical Stone Age, where does everyone get their music from? When I'm near shore, pandora across Bluetooth to my head unit works, but cell coverage is spotty on the lake.

ironically enough, my iPhone has 0 songs on it but that needs to change.
Click to expand...

I use Spotify. Ten bucks a month, and you can save unlimited songs in your Spotify music file - I've got a couple of hundred right now. All you need from there is your Bluetooth connection, no internet, no phone connection required when playing from your music file.
 
A bunch of years ago I started building play lists in iTunes. Some purchased but a lot from my CD collection just recording favs from the disks. As I added songs I started making special playlists. First stored on an iPod, then an iTouch and finally the iPads. I have one playlist titled Boat Music that is like 13 hours long, one that is just my favs and one for my wife that has Jimmy Buffett in it. (I usually have to leave the boat for that one) When I installed my Fusion IP700 3 years ago I didn't use the Bluetooth connection. I have an iTouch that I continually bring home and update and I leave it on the boat in the Fusion. I just turn it on and let it run. And the beauty of the Fusion is that I have remotes everywhere; my iPhone, the wife's Samsung and the iPads.

It works well for me.
 
I stream spotify(unlimited data) but also have a thumb drive in the fusion for dance parties, an old iPod classic 32gb and an iPhone 4 all with different playlists made from iTunes at home.
 
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