upgrading stereo in my 1994 sport Nautique

[John Bell]

I plan on upgrading my stereo in my 1994 sport nautique and was wondering about some suggestions on which brand to use? I dislike the look of the wetsounds so that will not be an option at all, I plan on either going with a Roswell set up, or a JL audio setup. JL as i understand it, is being used in all the brand new nautiques now and have been leaning on them because of the price difference between them and Roswell. I'm buying myself a Roswell Aviator tower around income tax time in white and would like to use roswell speakers but the price tag on them if very hefty after dropping $2000+ on the tower. My thing is, What all would i need to power a good sounding system, any insight would help, I would like to be able to hear tunes at 80 feet if i ever get out that far. I don't need to be heard across the lake because i spend my time on the brazos river here in TX and just want to hear my music while boarding/skating. How many Amps? Tower speakers? Best stereo deck for the money with AM/FM as well as bluetooth and aux input. Subwoofers, 2 JL 8's in boat or just one 12"? Would i need a different amp for running tower speakers, boat speakers, and subwoofer, or could i get away with using 1. Anybody here able to help me out?

Also if anyone has any insight on which cruise system to buy? Hydrophase or the Perfect pass. Again i will be boating on a river and im not sure about current or anything like that and what model of cruise control would be best for my boat.

And has anyone seen seadek in a 1994 sport nautique?

[kylem03]

Hey John, I have a '94 sport as well that I snagged from Austin and brought back to northern Wisconsin a few years ago. I don't know that I'll be much help with the stereo but I can try. I just put standard components in (not marine) and they have lasted 6+ years, but I keep the boat covered religously. I have a cheaper Jvc head unit (in case if water damage) going to a California (don't remember the power) 4 channel amp pushing 4 in boat Polk db651's. The speakers get plenty loud to overcome the engine noise but since they aren't on the tower, I can't hear them riding. Unless you go with HLCDs or similar, you will have a tough time getting quality sound out of tower speakers. I also have a Polk DB 12" sub under the passenger seat being pushed by a 600 watt pioneer amplifier. All in all it sounds really good for a low budget in boat stereo. Space will be your biggest challenge - both for sub box('s) and amps. You might be able to get away with only 2 amps if you can combine in-boat and tower speakers on to a single, 6-8 channel amp,, then have a dedicated sub amp. My concern would be that if you want to hear things when you ride, you may blow out your passengers ear drums since the tower speakers will need to be real hot. Of course you dont want your in boats getting the same power as the tower speakers so that's why a bunch of ppl have gone with separate eq's when putting up wetsounds.

As as far as cruise, I jumped on to the Hydrophase bus and have been completely satisfied. Install was simple, operation is simple, and it can hold speed very well. Depending on how fast your river is flowing, I think I'd stick to a GPS based system rather than one that works from a paddle wheel.

Hope this helps!

also show us some pics! Love your tower choice. Get the OEM mounts if you can swing it. Looks very clean and not hokey like monster tower feet.

Kyle

[swatguy]

You're concern is music to 80ft and to a rider. An HLCD type speaker is the way to go here if you want to hear the music behind the boat. If not Wetsounds , why not go with Exile. Their astetics where much more appealing to me. They're also just a little less in price. They sound great tho. More and more people have opted out of using a head unit for their stereo and are using a Bluetooth device straight into their amp or into a Wetsounds 420Sq. http://exileaudio.com/store/index.ph...ies/exmc1.html
https://wetsounds.com/pages/products/WW-VC-BT

Wetsounds also has a 420 with the built in Bluetooth but it has gotten mixed reviews on clarity. Either combo will give you the optimal sound clarity and adjustment over your system.

Depending on what you want to run the most efficient cost wise would probably be a nice 2 amp solution. One amp for the inboats and a nice big 12 sub, another for the towers. This way everything gets powered right. There are a million ways to get this done so you need to narrow somethings down. Start with a budget for instance. Then we could get you some good gear to match your budget. You can adjust components Ina a budget and we can get you better info on where you want to be. At this point it's almost to wide open to narrow anything down for your specific situation.

[John Bell]

My budget is very flexible, I'm a single guy and enjoy being out on the water more than anything else I have ever done. Barefooting, or at least attempting to barefoot was one of the greatest adrenaline rush's I've ever had, and the feeling of being on top of the water with nothing on your feet is beyond words. I'm new to the sports besides tubing behind an old fish and ski. But so far I've managed to learn how to get up and carve a little bit wakeskating, and haven't been able to find a wakeboard I like at a reasonable price. I mean i'm a beginner and spending 300 - 400 on a board right now just isn't a major priority. My priority is the boat because I enjoy driving around the lake by myself and taking a swim or two in the summer time on the weekends and chilling out in a party cove. Things i don't like right now is that the radio that's installed is currently cutting out at around half volume and with the motor running your lucky to hear it on the swim platform. with the motor off you can barely hear it when your hanging out in the water at the swim platform. I make decent money and with winter coming up spending around $2000 for awesome tune's is no big deal. I could even swing $2500 but as always cheaper would be nice, but i dont want to sacrifice quality. I've been looking at the Neptune 8.0 from roswell and may consider buying them, yet i haven't really heard anyone talk about them, and those two speakers alone with a amp and wiring kit is $2000, but if i went that route,I'd step down to some decent enough in boat's and focus more on the tower speakers. I believe the Roswell's even include the new Cybox bluetooth box, to get rid of the head unit need. I'm not concerned with the driver's ears or mine for that matter when i'm driving to provide the rider with tunes. Most of the time when I will be riding, Itll just be a few of us on the boat who all like loud music, other day's ill just turn it down lol.

And what about the JL audio Subwoofers, that don't need an enclosure (JL audio's words) to deal with space issues on the boat. i think a 12" runs $699 on their site, but again no reviews on to how well it actually sounds, i might have to youtube the serial number and see if i can find anything on it.

kylem03 Thanks about the tower, I stumbled upon it in one of the forums on here, and when i saw it i knew i had to have it.

[MLA]

why not go with Exile. They're also just a little less in price

MSRP to MSRP theres only a $100 difference between the xm9 and the Wet Sounds Rev-8, yet the Rev-8 has a far superior swivel clamp setup IMO. Locking collar for safety and stability, removes all the load of the pods weight away from the speaker and LED leads. Clamp allows for single color or RGB LEDs to be added and retain the swivel and removal option.

Hang height on the Rev-8 is less than the xm9, yet they are both 8" speakers.

For wake range, I would certainly go with a single pair of HLCD rather than a conventional coaxial. Bridged on a Wet Sounds HTX-4 is solid

A single 12" woofer over 2 8" for sure. An infinite-baffle woofer, whether 10" or 12" is a viable option, IF the boat allows for it. IB woofers do need an enclosure, and typically use the boat cavity as the enclosure. Most of the same principals you apply to a "regular" woofer, still need to be applied to an IB woofer.

The Clarion M303 is a heck of a value head unit. USB, rear AUX and BT.

The Wet Sounds HTX-6 would drive 2-3 pair of in-boats and mild 10 or 12 inch woofer. The Syn-DX6 would be a step up to a more commanding woofer. Depends on how much bass you want.

[xlair]

Check out this deal http://exileaudio.com/store/index.ph.../surfpak3.html


Sent from my iPhone using PLT Nautique

[MLA]

Check out this deal http://exileaudio.com/store/index.ph.../surfpak3.html


Sent from my iPhone using PLT Nautique

To start with, the coaxial sxt will not get the job done based on the OP's goals. 2nd, thats ABSOLUTELY not the most ideal amp. Not sure if its based on over or under inventory as to why they paired up a pair of speaker with that 4 chnl amp or what! The most ideal amp for those speakers would be their 2 chnl.

IMO, thats not really a deal.

[xlair]

I think it's a decent deal. Agree the amp is not ideal. You could bridge it and run as a 2 channel but it may be a bit overkill.

As for speakers you really need to decide how important going to HLCD speakers is. I have REV10s and they are great but honestly we rarely crank them up even halfway. Some surf speakers are probably more useful for most people.

[Blamey]

Can't help on the sound system as what you want to do is far beyond anything I've ever done. I have a simple 4 channel amp and 4 in boat speakers.

I will definitely second the OEM mount on the aviator tower, makes it look much more like a factory tower. I have a 95 sport which is the same hull and deck that you have and Roswell have confirmed the OEM mount fits our boat.