PDA

View Full Version : Stereo question for houseboat



atfritz
03-17-2006, 02:26 PM
Got a quicky question about getting good sound out of a stereo on a houseboat. Currently i have 6 speakers on my boat. 2 inside, 2 on front deck, and 2 up on the top. I am running them all from the front channels of my HU which is only a 50X4 so when i turn the music up to any decent volume there is a ton of distortion.
What i was planning on doing was adding 3 amps to control each set of speakers so that i can turn amps on and off as needed. If i am on the front deck and inside there is no reason for the amp powering the speakers up top to be on so i can turn them off independentally. I also was going to add a one channel amp to power a sub to give myself some bass to scare away some of the damn carp that like to munch on the bottom of my boat during the night.
My questions are these:)
1.) I was going to add 3 50X2's and 1 200X1 to power the speakers. How do i hook up multiple amps if i only have 1 or two preouts from from my HU? I am a newb so i am at a loss of what to use to connect multiple amps.
2.) With a 200X1 amp what is the maximum size sub i should get? Or should i get something along the lines of 200X2 and go for two subs or a single channel higher wattage amp for 1 sub.
3.) I was going to add a deep cycle battery to my bank of batteries to solely power the stereo and amps. It will be on a charger the whenever i am at dock or with the generator running. How long should i expect the radio and amp to run while the battery is not charging? Would it drain immediately or would i get a decent timeline out of it?
Any help i could get would be greatly appreciated. I will try not to bug everyone too much with my questions. Thanks

ROZ
03-17-2006, 09:44 PM
1.a few things you can do..
a. buy an amp that offers a preout. This way you can daisy chain the signal between 2 amps. I'd make them the most popular living areas.
b. Buy a 2 to 4 channel eq that will allow you to divide the signal between 2 amps
c. least expensive is to use a y adaptor to split the rca's from your deck's preouts
2. I have a question first... Where do you plan to put the subs? accordding to your question I'd run 2 subs from a class d mono amp... forget 2 channel class a/b amps for bass... depends on the gear, though...
3. playtime always depends on the user's finger.... play loud, don't play long.. Since you're putting it on a houseboat and plan to charge it at the dock only, you should consider using 2 6v batteries.. You could get a whole weekend of playtime if it's at consertative levels...Cranked loud (my definition) continuous probably 3hrs depending on how many amps are on... Basically, your question is raelative under several circumstances...
Also, you could put line level attenuators on all of your amps inputs... This would enable each area to have volume control.. actually you could put inspeakerline home style volume controls as well...
Please bug... It's what this forum is for.... Plenty of current and ex;) audio installers here to help out :)

Sotally Tober
03-18-2006, 03:04 PM
Does your houseboat have an inverter. If it does why not go with a "home" 110 system. Might be easier. When the batts get low just use your generator. It may not be as effecient. Do not know that. Our house boat has a 3000w inverter with a big bank of deep cycle batts. Only need to charge it up in the evening after a fridge, deep freezer, stereo etc. are running all day. Just an idea.

ROZ
03-19-2006, 05:00 PM
Does your houseboat have an inverter. If it does why not go with a "home" 110 system. Might be easier. When the batts get low just use your generator. It may not be as effecient. Do not know that. Our house boat has a 3000w inverter with a big bank of deep cycle batts. Only need to charge it up in the evening after a fridge, deep freezer, stereo etc. are running all day. Just an idea.
I thought the same thing at first, but having it seperate from pulling any current from the main system or having to burn gas when the genny powers the recharge is a better idea...atleast I think... But it really depends on use. It would be a lot less, that's for sure.... he could put surround sound in that thing too :D

Artimus
03-21-2006, 01:23 PM
Thanks for the great idea Roz. I was looking for a way to control the volume from the upper level of our houseboat as well. Forgot all about good ol' L-pads.
Do you know of any weatherproof 100 watt versions? Also, all that I have seen are rated for 8 ohms are they OK for 4 or 2 ohms?
Are there any amplifiers with a simple remote gain in case I want to go beyond the power handling of the L-pad someday?
One point about the Inverter, it's a good idea to try before you commit to this idea as I have had some setups that made a lot of hum when hooked up to a "modified sine wave" (as opposed to a "true sine wave"). I would really like to try a QSC PLX series amp on an inverter since they have a switching power supply, I think they would filter the noise better.
~art :rollside: