Review of Marine Stereo repair and upgrade by NW Marine Industries

[jeffk]

I was having trouble with my boat (bow rider) stereo system. The bow speakers worked but the cockpit speakers, intermittently, did not.

I have a 7 speaker system; 2 bow, 4 cockpit, 1 subwoofer. There was one amp powering the cockpit and subwoofer and the head unit directly powered the bow speakers.

I had seen Nick of NW Marine Industries, LLC (Downeast on this forum) mentioned on the forum and gave him a call. Nick is a true craftsman. He understands how these things function and doesn’t just hook things up. He makes suggestions of what fits with what and the proper way to set things up. He is meticulous in his work and things are neat and tidy when he finishes. His philosophy is to “get it right the first time”.

Nick started by tracing wiring and checking voltage levels, which were NOT up to snuff. This was not an easy task because the wires were all bundled together and in very tight spaces. They also were intermingled with other wiring and combined duty circuit breakers. The wiring was WAY undersized to the amplifier and should have had a direct feed to the battery instead of hitchhiking on other wires. Undersized wires put strain on electrical components and generate extra heat. It turns out that my amp was fried. It’s 22 years old so maybe it was due to wear out but I suspect that the undersized wiring didn’t help. Also, the amp was only 4 channel and two channels were bridged to power the subwoofer.

The first pass was to upgrade wiring (marine grade) to proper gauges for the amp, run direct, fused lines to the battery for power, and replace the amp with a 5 channel amp to power the 4 cockpit speakers and the subwoofer. The outcome was MUCH better sound and a proper installation. I also added a bass fader (an option for the amp I got) for easy bass adjustment.

The second pass (which I intended to do before I found the stereo was busted) was to replace my head unit with a new unit that supports Bluetooth from my phone and USB flash drives. In addition, I decided to add a 2 channel amp for the bow speakers and a couple faders to allow easy balancing of the amps. The outcome was another improvement in overall sound and much more flexibility in music sources (I could have Pandora and Sirius XM as well if I wanted).

As I picked components Nick was available via email to provide information and review my choices for compatibility. At Nick’s suggestion, I did quite a bit of shopping on eBay and saved $200+.

The last phase (for now :)) will be to replace my subwoofer, which is at end of life (cone is dried out and tearing), and to add a hidden antenna to boost FM reception a bit.

Also, my horn had died and Nick replaced that as well.

On top of all this knowledge and excellent work, Nick works at very reasonable rates and he is MOBILE; he came to me. The marina where I store my boat was very accommodating and let Nick work there.

As others have noted, Nick exceeded my expectations, was pleasure to work with, and a really nice guy.

Nick does all sorts of marine electronics work, trailer wiring, boat lift system repair, and some small engine work. Check out his web site or give him a call if you have questions.

[thinkxingu]

I was having trouble with my boat (bow rider) stereo system. The bow speakers worked but the cockpit speakers, intermittently, did not.

I have a 7 speaker system; 2 bow, 4 cockpit, 1 subwoofer. There was one amp powering the cockpit and subwoofer and the head unit directly powered the bow speakers.

I had seen Nick of NW Marine Industries, LLC (Downeast on this forum) mentioned on the forum and gave him a call. Nick is a true craftsman. He understands how these things function and doesn’t just hook things up. He makes suggestions of what fits with what and the proper way to set things up. He is meticulous in his work and things are neat and tidy when he finishes. His philosophy is to “get it right the first time”.

Nick started by tracing wiring and checking voltage levels, which were NOT up to snuff. This was not an easy task because the wires were all bundled together and in very tight spaces. They also were intermingled with other wiring and combined duty circuit breakers. The wiring was WAY undersized to the amplifier and should have had a direct feed to the battery instead of hitchhiking on other wires. Undersized wires put strain on electrical components and generate extra heat. It turns out that my amp was fried. It’s 22 years old so maybe it was due to wear out but I suspect that the undersized wiring didn’t help. Also, the amp was only 4 channel and two channels were bridged to power the subwoofer.

The first pass was to upgrade wiring (marine grade) to proper gauges for the amp, run direct, fused lines to the battery for power, and replace the amp with a 5 channel amp to power the 4 cockpit speakers and the subwoofer. The outcome was MUCH better sound and a proper installation. I also added a bass fader (an option for the amp I got) for easy bass adjustment.

The second pass (which I intended to do before I found the stereo was busted) was to replace my head unit with a new unit that supports Bluetooth from my phone and USB flash drives. In addition, I decided to add a 2 channel amp for the bow speakers and a couple faders to allow easy balancing of the amps. The outcome was another improvement in overall sound and much more flexibility in music sources (I could have Pandora and Sirius XM as well if I wanted).

As I picked components Nick was available via email to provide information and review my choices for compatibility. At Nick’s suggestion, I did quite a bit of shopping on eBay and saved $200+.

The last phase (for now :)) will be to replace my subwoofer, which is at end of life (cone is dried out and tearing), and to add a hidden antenna to boost FM reception a bit.

Also, my horn had died and Nick replaced that as well.

On top of all this knowledge and excellent work, Nick works at very reasonable rates and he is MOBILE; he came to me. The marina where I store my boat was very accommodating and let Nick work there.

As others have noted, Nick exceeded my expectations, was pleasure to work with, and a really nice guy.

Nick does all sorts of marine electronics work, trailer wiring, boat lift system repair, and some small engine work. Check out his web site or give him a call if you have questions.
Great to know this resource exists--thanks for the write-up!

Sent from my XT1528 using Tapatalk

[Winnisquamer]

Curious as to who set the boat up with the incorrect stuff, did it come from the factory like that or someone else? New boat or old boat? A stereo done correctly makes a world of difference than one just slapped together to my ears! I love having Pandora and XM on my boat, never listen to commercials, static, or anything except for what I want to hear, you'll love it!

[Dave R]

what did you get for an amp? Shopping for one right now...

[jeffk]

Curious as to who set the boat up with the incorrect stuff, did it come from the factory like that or someone else? New boat or old boat? A stereo done correctly makes a world of difference than one just slapped together to my ears! I love having Pandora and XM on my boat, never listen to commercials, static, or anything except for what I want to hear, you'll love it!

Came from the factory this way. The boat is a 1994 SeaRay. I love the boat and I wasn't aware that anything was "incorrect" with the stereo. Other aspects of the boat have been excellent. Now the stereo is as well.

[jeffk]

what did you get for an amp? Shopping for one right now...

JL AudioM700/5 http://www.jlaudio.com/m700-5-marine-audio-m-series-amplifiers-98274
It ain't cheap and they are seldom discounted. It's a Class D amp which means it runs cooler by design. Great for closed boat compartments. 75 watts RMS per each of 4 speakers @ 4 ohms and 180 watts RMS for a 4 ohm subwoofer. Lots of adjustments for crossover, etc. There is an option for a subwoofer fader to allow quick and easy bass adjustment. I love the sound. Nick has told me that my speakers, about the only original equipment left, are a little "tired", hardly surprising after 22 years, but they still sound great. I may upgrade them next year. :D

[Downeast]

Hey thanks so much Jeff! That's quite the thorough review!! It was great working with you. Clearly evident you take perfect care of your stuff. For its age, I was very impressed with how clean and stock everything is. I enjoyed installing the units and keeping everything neat as it should be! Very nice older boat indeed!

Thanks again for the kind words :)

[BroadHopper]

Like the Sea Ray, 4 Winns uses 16 gauge wiring for OEM audio wiring. Minimum requirement often found in OEM auto applications

Formulas uses 14 gauge wiring. Good for low end audio. The amp power wires are 10 gauge. Instead of a common ground for the four speakers, each speakers have respective ground wire. This was good to know when I upgraded the Babb speakers to DC Gold and the Blaupunkt audio (8 watts) was upgraded to JBL at 40 watts per channel.

Someone gave me a 1200 watts amp to add to the mix. After reading the manual, the speaker wires and the power wires meet the minimum requirements to handle the new amp. The speakers can handle the 300 watts per channel.

I'm thinking of upgrading the speaker wires to 12 and the power wires to 8 to be safe. The wiring harness will not allow me to just replace the old wires with the new by pulling the old wires out with the wires attached. I would need to run new wires. A PITA.

I read online about wireless audio speaker setups. Anyone has any experience?

[thinkxingu]

Like the Sea Ray, 4 Winns uses 16 gauge wiring for OEM audio wiring. Minimum requirement often found in OEM auto applications

Formulas uses 14 gauge wiring. Good for low end audio. The amp power wires are 10 gauge. Instead of a common ground for the four speakers, each speakers have respective ground wire. This was good to know when I upgraded the Babb speakers to DC Gold and the Blaupunkt audio (8 watts) was upgraded to JBL at 40 watts per channel.

Someone gave me a 1200 watts amp to add to the mix. After reading the manual, the speaker wires and the power wires meet the minimum requirements to handle the new amp. The speakers can handle the 300 watts per channel.

I'm thinking of upgrading the speaker wires to 12 and the power wires to 8 to be safe. The wiring harness will not allow me to just replace the old wires with the new by pulling the old wires out with the wires attached. I would need to run new wires. A PITA.

I read online about wireless audio speaker setups. Anyone has any experience?
Wireless is usually harder to set up as they need individual power supplies for the enclosed amps. If you have a central area for amps that has power, and sufficient speaker wire run to your locations, I would keep it as is.

What kind of amp is the 1,200 watt? I ask because the wattage game is an old one. A good quality 50 watts with the right speakers will blow your hair back. I remember one of my first home systems was an HK 45-watt stereo receiver and Cerwin Vega 120's and it would rock my parents' house. Absolutely demolished a JVC "120 watt" receiver.

One last thing: if your speaker wire runs are longer than 20 or 30 feet, and you wanna be bangin', it might be worth upgrading to 12, but if it's a good quality 16, you'll be fine. For power, 8 gauge is probably fine unless you're powering serious subs. Boat runs tend to be pretty short.

[jeffk]

Like the Sea Ray, 4 Winns uses 16 gauge wiring for OEM audio wiring. Minimum requirement often found in OEM auto applications

Formulas uses 14 gauge wiring. Good for low end audio. The amp power wires are 10 gauge. Instead of a common ground for the four speakers, each speakers have respective ground wire. This was good to know when I upgraded the Babb speakers to DC Gold and the Blaupunkt audio (8 watts) was upgraded to JBL at 40 watts per channel.

Someone gave me a 1200 watts amp to add to the mix. After reading the manual, the speaker wires and the power wires meet the minimum requirements to handle the new amp. The speakers can handle the 300 watts per channel.

I'm thinking of upgrading the speaker wires to 12 and the power wires to 8 to be safe. The wiring harness will not allow me to just replace the old wires with the new by pulling the old wires out with the wires attached. I would need to run new wires. A PITA.

I read online about wireless audio speaker setups. Anyone has any experience?

We went to 6 gauge power wires on my boat. I ended up with 2 amps and the 6 gauge is fine to deliver power for both. The 5 channel amp installation instructions actually suggested 4 gauge wire but Nick said for the short run length in my boat 6 gauge was more than sufficient. However, I am only putting out 75 watts per channel x4 plus 180 watts for subwoofer. If you are putting out 300 watts per channel (number of channels? subwoofer?) you may want a heavier power feed?

No change on the original speaker wire but Nick said it was OK and no significant corrosion.

In my opinion, wireless audio is always a compromise. Its convenience is a plus but there is always a drop in sound quality. How much of that drop you can hear, especially in an outdoor boat environment (wind, water, engine noises) is questionable? People walk around listening to music on their phones that is significantly degraded from CD quality sound and seem perfectly happy. The purist will say the sound quality is lessened and is correct. The average person?????

[TiltonBB]

I used Nick of NW Marine Industries last week to update the stereo and lighting on a small pontoon boat. He did a great job, made many helpful suggestions, and corrected problems with the existing wiring, speakers and amplifiers.

He clearly has a lot of knowledge and his work is first class. I would recommend him to anyone for electrical and stereo work on their boat. Great quality work at a fair price.

[Downeast]

I'm thinking of upgrading the speaker wires to 12 and the power wires to 8 to be safe. The wiring harness will not allow me to just replace the old wires with the new by pulling the old wires out with the wires attached. I would need to run new wires. A PITA.

I read online about wireless audio speaker setups. Anyone has any experience?[/QUOTE]

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Yes upgrading speaker wires can be a hassle. The job can be made more friendly when all compartments are empty and other non bolted items are taken off the boat. Sail boat owners are the worst. Stuffing their vessel like a Christmas turkey poses a headache to any installer.

The amount of tools needed to complete a large job can be overwhelming when any room is occupied by boat stuff.

I've seen boats come back for service/refit from 10 year live aboard.. Bloated like a beat up battery. There have been hours unloading gear to access the areas seldom seen by the owner.

Working out of the direct sun help tremendously, being organized as you go lowers the frustration levels..

As for old wires, lots of times they can't be removed completely however if labeled and secured they can be left in place and provide great spare wires for future gadget expansion. Labels labels labels even stating where the other end is helps so much for the next tech.

[ishoot308]

Another shout out and thumbs up for Nick at NW Marine Services!

Nick came out to the island this morning to reroute some wiring so my boat head unit would retain its memory setting when power was killed. Nick was meticulous and did a neat and clean job. While under the helm he noticed the stereo / amp wiring harness wasnt supported enough so he fixed that as well!

Nick does excellent work at a very fair price and I can't recommend him enough!

Dan