stereo replacement

Rzide

Member
Oct 19, 2019
52
Boat Info
1999 400 Sundancer
Engines
Twin 7.4 Horizons
I have the full clarion stereo system in my 99 400 sundancer. It sounds horrible and is in great need of a replacement.

Does anyone know if if this system has an amp anywhere, or just some general tips on this system. id like to replace all the speakers, head unit, amp, etc.

Id like to avoid a full blown re-wire, custom kit, if I could replace everything in a pug-and-play kind of manner. Any tips would be helpful. Thanks.
 

Id like to avoid a full blown re-wire
20 year old, its time to freshen up the cabling.

Very little is going to be plug n play. May even come down to needing some fabrication to get the head and any wired remotes, to fit back in the existing spots, do to the new offering having different physical dimensions.

If there is an amp, the cabling to it was likely undersized from the git-go. Ive seen this alot on a number of lines.
 
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I replaced all of mine with Clarion again and the big improvement was getting the upgraded 6.5" speakers... I love the new sound !!! I am cranking my classic rock like there's no tomorrow.
 
If the head unit is mounted in the cabin, the amp is most likely behind it. I had a 2000 340 and it was all behind and the head unit. Good luck.
 
Even on my 2006 290 the tech that did the upgrade said he had never seen such a small amp(Which would say wiring is under spec as well). Do it once correctly and don't just make it easy...a few bucks saved will not be relevant going forward.
 
in a late 90's boat, the amps are under the salon settee, directly under the head unit cabinet, mounted to the wall. My 98 370 had the clarion head unit and 6 CD changer (what's a CD?)
The salon and vee berth speakers were powered by the built in 40watt per channel in the head. Line out went to a 4 channel amp behind the Settee. That powered the 4 speakers in the cockpit (2 at helm and 2 right below the arch at ear level) in parallel, and then channel 3 and 4 were bridged for the 10" sub woofer at the captain's helm seat.
I modified mine a few ways. First, I added 2 speakers to the "garage" transom locker with a wired remote and an additional amp. I also wired in a set of switches to select where music would play. Downstairs only on the head unit amp, cockpit with one amp, and transom with the other amp.
I replaced the head unit with a Boss/Dual unit many years ago for the wired remotes (one at the helm too). I installed a 4 way selector box to pick input over the single Aux from the TV (football while in the water behind the boat), Bluetooth adapter, XM Radio, on-board PC, and an Echo Dot for good measure. I will probably start the hunt for a wifi/network enabled system now that I have a local network onboard, and can control from the A95, phone, or whatever. No more wired remotes. Also want to move the ear blasters around the cockpit couch higher or shoot down from the top of the arch.
 
Amp is behind salon seat back just above and to the right of the central vac. It is a four channel Clarion amp that powers the cockpit sub on two channels bridged and all four 6.5's in the cockpit off the other two, if all your equipment is original. The four speakers in the salon and forward berth are run directly off the head unit. I've posted some threads on the Fusion Msra-70N I installed and was very happy with. I also replaced the cockpit speakers and sub and reset the factory amp and it sounds clear and loud. The crossover settings were all messed up. I don't know if it came that way from the factory but it sure seemed like the owner before me was never in there...
 
Amp is behind salon seat back just above and to the right of the central vac. It is a four channel Clarion amp that powers the cockpit sub on two channels bridged and all four 6.5's in the cockpit off the other two, if all your equipment is original. The four speakers in the salon and forward berth are run directly off the head unit. I've posted some threads on the Fusion Msra-70N I installed and was very happy with. I also replaced the cockpit speakers and sub and reset the factory amp and it sounds clear and loud. The crossover settings were all messed up. I don't know if it came that way from the factory but it sure seemed like the owner before me was never in there...

+1. I replaced the amps, headunit and cockpit speakers on my '97. Not an overly painful project. If you get a standard size headunit there is zero fab required. Mostly drop-in so long as you pay attention to wire connections before you start pulling pieces out.

Leave the 6 disk changer in place or pull it out and cover the hole. Good to go. I left mine as an homage to CD's...and removing it looked like a PITA.

FWIW I used all of my existing speaker wire and power wires for the new amps/speakers. I have zero issues with the quality. I have decent speakers (JL), low cost amps (Rockford Fosgate) and a decent headunit (Fusion). I'm not an audiophile...but it sounds amazing to me and did not break the bank.

Here's how the couch looked after I was done with mine.
28709958777_4c362cbdb7_c.jpg
 
No doubt, the factory system was horrible. The other issue we had was the placement of the speakers in the lower arch. They're aimed directly at the ears of anyone sitting on the fwd bench.

We installed a 3rd pair of 6.5"s high in the arch and installed a new amp to power the cockpit and a 4-zone Fusion head unit. The factory amp powered the inside speakers for a few years. I replaced the salon speakers to improve the sound, and it was no better. That was how we discovered that the factory amp isn't just weak, it's low-quality.

The zones made a big difference. Between the remote app and NMEA-2000 interfaces it's very easy to adjust each zone to the ideal level and the overall cockpit level can be higher without blasting anyone in the ear.
 
Agree 110% with @Wylie_Tunes. A 20 year old boat, has 20 year old sound system wiring, and whatever degradation has occurred during that time. On top of that, much like the components of a new sound system - wiring has improved significantly in that space of time.

Example. Put a new JL sound system in our 98' 370DA using existing wiring....was always trying to trace down background static in the system. On our next boat, an 02', new JL system - this time with all new cabling, never had a problem. Current boat, an 08', all new cabling and not an ounce of sound other than the music.

If you make the investment in a new sound system, don't sell it short using old, outdated existing wiring. New cabling doesn't add much to the bill overall, but it immensely adds to the quality and lack of headaches.
 
+1. I replaced the amps, headunit and cockpit speakers on my '97. Not an overly painful project. If you get a standard size headunit there is zero fab required. Mostly drop-in so long as you pay attention to wire connections before you start pulling pieces out.

Leave the 6 disk changer in place or pull it out and cover the hole. Good to go. I left mine as an homage to CD's...and removing it looked like a PITA.

FWIW I used all of my existing speaker wire and power wires for the new amps/speakers. I have zero issues with the quality. I have decent speakers (JL), low cost amps (Rockford Fosgate) and a decent headunit (Fusion). I'm not an audiophile...but it sounds amazing to me and did not break the bank.

Here's how the couch looked after I was done with mine.
28709958777_4c362cbdb7_c.jpg
 
Unlike you i had know idea what I was doing. The summer of 2017 i went out and got some equipment like i new what i needed to buy. i got new head unit, amp.,12" subwoofer , Should be good to go. Nope! After sitting there scratching my head, ( some wiring not too clear ) I decided to give a Family member a call down in Florida. He Builds and repairs amplifiers . To make a long story short 3 days later he sent me the amp i needed and walked me through it. I'm not into the Head banging music i'm in my mid 60's I do like crisp, clear and good separation sound. Enjoy!
 

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Anyone know how to remove the speaker covers in the ceiling of 1998 500DA? Are they screwed in or just snap in?
 
Here you go.
 

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Some pull off and have a little silicone on it and some twist and pull
 
Those look like they are surface mounted and most likely siliconed in place.
 
So I've been piecing some stereo stuff together, and think I may try to tackle this myself.

Any tips on how to run the wires? I guess with a car its a little more straightforward, with either carpet or something thin covering where the wire needs to go. I am unsure with how to get all the wire where it needs to go in a boat. Will i have to pull cabinets and such?
 
So I've been piecing some stereo stuff together, and think I may try to tackle this myself.

Any tips on how to run the wires? I guess with a car its a little more straightforward, with either carpet or something thin covering where the wire needs to go. I am unsure with how to get all the wire where it needs to go in a boat. Will i have to pull cabinets and such?
It's just a matter of knowing your boat, Sometimes it's pulling things apart and other times it's trying to get a snake through. Exploring is how you learn your boat . Good luck you'll figure it out most of us do! lol :rolleyes:
 
Unlike you i had know idea what I was doing. The summer of 2017 i went out and got some equipment like i new what i needed to buy. i got new head unit, amp.,12" subwoofer , Should be good to go. Nope! After sitting there scratching my head, ( some wiring not too clear ) I decided to give a Family member a call down in Florida. He Builds and repairs amplifiers . To make a long story short 3 days later he sent me the amp i needed and walked me through it. I'm not into the Head banging music i'm in my mid 60's I do like crisp, clear and good separation sound. Enjoy!

I’m with you!
Hell, I still listen to the factory 8 track player in my 68 GTO once in a while.
 
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