Upgrade/replace cabin speakers

M

mrsrobinson

Well-Known Member
Mar 9, 2006
7,704
Virginia
Boat Info
2001 380DA
Engines
Caterpillar 3126
Because I'm lacking boat projects I thought about replacing the cabin speakers. I measured the two in the salon and the two in the forward berth, there's 6" in diameter, and odd size. I found some nice looking Rockford fosgate ones for $100 a pair. Or I can pick up some 6.5s or 6 3/4 for about $50 a pair, car speakers.

I'm home now and didn't think to see if there was any reason I can't widen the diameter of the hole to go with the larger speaker.

Has anyone done this before? Can I simply widen the hole with a Dremel or something?
 
Yes…and maybe. I tried this with the cockpit speakers and it wasn't very easy/straitforeward. It’s like an old house. You never know the scope of the project till you open up the first wall. The biggest issue is getting the grills to look right/factory. I’d go back with the exact same size/shape.

For me, unless they are shot, let ‘em be. I added a little Kenwood KAC-M1814 amp to power these speakers for $110, and put them on a separate zone….works really well. I don’t crank these speakers, they are more ambiance.

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I spent my $ in the cockpit.
 
dtfeld said:
Yes…and maybe. I tried this with the cockpit speakers and it wasn't very easy/straitforeward. It’s like an old house. You never know the scope of the project till you open up the first wall. The biggest issue is getting the grills to look right/factory. I’d go back with the exact same size/shape.

For me, unless they are shot, let ‘em be. I added a little Kenwood KAC-M1814 amp to power these speakers for $110, and put them on a separate zone….works really well. I don’t crank these speakers, they are more ambiance.

View attachment 147730

I spent my $ in the cockpit.
Click to expand...
Looks like lots of folks with motorcycles use this amp, I never thought about that.
 
When I replaced my 4 speakers on my 330, I went with 6.5” JL Audio Marine speakers for the cockpit and 6” JL Audio automotive speakers for in the cabin. They are a bit cheaper than marine and will never see sunlight or weather so I figured they should be fine. And they are. No need to blast the music in the cabin so the 6” work fine with no modification to mounts.
 
A true 6" is not very common in marine speakers these days, so if you have the room around the OD, about 7", if just open the mounting hole if needed, and go with a 6.5". Id pass on a slim mount, unless depth is an issue. Opening up the holes in the salon may be more work, depending on the material the speakers are mounted in.

Automotive speakers can sometimes be the best option for a salon. They often have a pole mounted tweeter and no attached grill. I see a lot of salon speakers covered with a cloth grill, making the speakers hidden. A lot fo your typical marine speakers, will not work here.
 
Agreed, I'm not looking to go with a marine application inside the cabin.

Correct, in the salon they're covered with cloth, in the forward berth they have grills, though if I recall correctly something is in front of them so I don't think the grill matters, other than protection.
 
So all 4 of the salon speakers are 6”…. My wife wants to buy me a birthday present…. Lol

mrsrobinson said:
Because I'm lacking boat projects I thought about replacing the cabin speakers. I measured the two in the salon and the two in the forward berth, there's 6" in diameter, and odd size. I found some nice looking Rockford fosgate ones for $100 a pair. Or I can pick up some 6.5s or 6 3/4 for about $50 a pair, car speakers.

I'm home now and didn't think to see if there was any reason I can't widen the diameter of the hole to go with the larger speaker.

Has anyone done this before? Can I simply widen the hole with a Dremel or something?
Click to expand...
 
Chris-380 said:
So all 4 of the salon speakers are 6”…. My wife wants to buy me a birthday present…. Lol
Click to expand...
$200 for four, toss in that Kenwood amp referenced above and you're at 300 bucks. Mine has a two channel amp already, I'm going to see if that sounds good with new speakers. The speaker sound fair/okay as is, but they're 22 years old, so.
 
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For those following along at home, here's what's from the factory and ones I will replace them with. I need to cut the tabs off to get them to fit better. It would be a challenge to get a bigger speaker in there, it's not as easy as just expanding the size of the hole, there's fiberglass and stuff behind it.
 
The Rockford Fosgate Punch ones have four tabs on them that prevent them from laying flat in the hole. Instructions say to simply use a pair of pliers to snap them off. Well it's not that easy because they're made of metal and plastic. Even being careful I accidentally sliced a hole in the cone so that speaker is no longer good. I used a hacksaw to start the cut on the other speaker then slowly twisted them off, that seemed to work.. FYI in case anyone else is exploring this upgrade.
 
mrsrobinson said:
The Rockford Fosgate Punch ones have four tabs on them that prevent them from laying flat in the hole. Instructions say to simply use a pair of pliers to snap them off. Well it's not that easy because they're made of metal and plastic. Even being careful I accidentally sliced a hole in the cone so that speaker is no longer good. I used a hacksaw to start the cut on the other speaker then slowly twisted them off, that seemed to work.. FYI in case anyone else is exploring this upgrade.
Click to expand...
Every tool box should have a good pair of side cutters and end cutters:)
 
The 2 in the salon ceiling. A noticeable sound upgrade. I may do the ones in the forward stateroom later.

I accidentally cut the cone on one of the two on the first pair I purchased (referenced in this thread) trying to remove the tabs. I decided to go with the 2nd pair after that (less expensive too). I did install one of each to see if I liked one more than the other though. The seemed equal to me.
 
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