Trying to decide what brand of stereo system.

[99-28zx]

Hello, i am trying to figure out what stereo to put in my 1999 Donzi 28 ZX. I am thinking 4 component speakers in the cockpit and two sub woofers. Inside i am just going to do two coaxial speakers. I need a head unit that will play CD's and Ipod that i will mount in my cabin but still want a marine one. Two marine amps and a control for my head unit that i can mount on the dash. I was thinking Alpine for everything. I was also looking at JL but price does become a factor. Has anyone heard anything good about Audio pipe because one of my distributors can get me a good deal on them but i did not know about the quality. If anyone has any other ideas of brands that would work better than Alpine but still be in the same price range let me know thank you

[Mckillop]

Nothing can beat Alpine for the price in my opinion, but I have always been an Alpine fan. JL is great but pricey, however deals can be found on eBay. Wet Sounds is also good stuff.

[99-28zx]

I will check into Wetsounds that's the only one i forgot about. I had Alpine on my last boat and it went over pretty well. Thanx

[BUIZILLA]

I just bought a couple Fusions for 2 different boats, REAL easy to use, and sound awesome, 100W/channel and a choice of internal hidden iPod, or CD frames ...

might help to check out this link > www.rocktheboataudio.com

[99-28zx]

I will check out that website. Has anyone heard anything good with AudioPipe. One of my distributors can get me a very good deal on them. I called someone at the company and they said they are comparable to rockford, JL, Alpine. The ones i would get are 8inch holes so i do not want to make a mistake because nobody else makes a speaker to fill that spot.

[99-28zx]

I think i am going to go with all Alpine marine equipment. I can do the install and wiring but i am not a sound expert. I am thinking 2 10inch subs under the back seat. Replace the cabin speakers with (2) 7 inch coaxial's. Then replace the cockpit speakers with (2) 7 inch coaxial's. That is the easy part now i need to know the best place to squeeze in (4) 7 inch component speakers ( they also have the separate tweeter). I was thinking of putting one under the helm and one under the passenger seat front and then the tweeters on the dash on both sides. I just did not know if the "bass" part of the speaker aiming down will mess up the quality or if it should be ok because the tweets are blasting right at everyone. And for the last two i am a little lost because i really do not want to put them so low to the floor but i also have limited space even if i cut into my fabric on the sides. Any ideas would help thank you and its a 1999 Donzi 28 zx. I can figure out where to put the amp but if you have any ideas or experience with jobs you did that also would be helpful. I just got the boat last fall so i am still learning the ins and outs of it.

[VetteLT193]

I like the clarion marine waterproof head units. In my experience they actually last. I had one in my Minx with only two cheapie JBL speakers and it sounded great.

[JimG]

+1 on the Clarions, especially the CMD's. All polished stainless under the hood...

[99-28zx]

I will look into that head unit thank you. What about the speaker placement does anyone have any ideas ? I just added a 3rd battery it is a 27 series just for the stereo. I also added a 3 bank charger with a shore power system to keep them topped off. I should have enough juice to run anything. I also was wondering if anyone has had any experience with the amps mounted in the engine compartment or if it would get to hot in there. Thank you

[glashole]

i would think the subs will be fine and sound good as long as you have enough power going into them

i would just use the 4 component speakers upstairs
2 by the back bench
2 by the driver and passenger

keep the tweeters as high as possible (physical height) maybe hide them on the dash? or just above the 7" for a cleaner look

if you don't have holes upfront (driver area) then keep the speaker as high as you can - if they are too low, the wind may block them out a bit

if it were mine i would be hooking an amp to the component speakers as well

use the extra 7" coaxial somewhere downstairs and just run them off the deck because it will be more than enough and it will help with extra sound when running if you open the hatch

just my ideas

and as far as manufacturer, go with what you like they will all work just fine, i am also an alpine guy too but am not against anything that is reasonably priced for a headunit if it has the options you want

except i really like the sony remote for the driver - controls everything, waterproof big buttons for fat fingers which you will appreciate if you run any sort of big water

don't put the amp in the engine compartment and find somewhere it will get a bot of airflow so it stays cool

i really don't know the layout of you boat but i would maybe try to get the amp into the side compartment - dry and cool and easy to wire

[ROADTOYS]

I cut out the cupholders on either side of the dash at the cabin entrance and put 2-10" coax, also 1" JL tweeters 1 above the throttle controls, the other in the same place on the dash on other side, 2-12" JL subs in the rear seat bottoms on either side of the storage area, kept the factory head unit so the remote on the dash works, replaced all 6 of the factory co-ax's added 3 amps, sounds good now, just remember when your running you can't hear the cabin at all.....

[atisvt99]

I'm having my 2000 Scorpion outfitted on Monday... I went with a local stereo shop that has done little things for me over the years. I'm perfectly capable of doing it myself since I did car stereo and other 12v work for many years, but just couldn't find the TIME to do it. So since time is money, I'm paying a little premium to have it done and warrantied be the pros.

I went Kenwood and JL Audio for my system... Kenwood KMR-700U with their KCA-RC107MR remote (also a nice big display with big rubber buttons) for the helm. I have the option later on down the road of putting up to 2 more of the remotes elsewhere on the boat, so I might put one back near the swim pad. I did two amps from JL - MHD600/4 (for mids and highs) and MHD750/1 for the sub. Speakers are also JL - 7.7" components in the cockpit, and one 10" free air sub mounted into the rear bench seat on the port side. The front speakers we are actually going to mount into the INsides of the front dash boards... so the flat area that you pass by as you're walking down into the cuddy. The right speaker will face the passenger and the left speaker will face the driver. Looking forward to seeing how that turns out... The rear component set is going where the last owner had put some non-marine components... just back from the rear cup holders in that little cut-out that runs along each side of the cockpit.

The amps are going into the very front storage area in the cuddy... the hinged spot that I just discovered late last season. Dude said that I shouldn't have any heat dissipation problems in that area of space, with as efficient as those amps run. We shall see...

- justin

[tnc110]

check this product out. I will definitely investing in one! If you are interested you might want to select a head unit that is compatable.

http://remotesthatfloat.com/zencart/

I just got done with a full JL system in my zx. I put 2 subs under the rear bench...in the corners so that I didnt have to cut into the underbench storage. put a pair of 7.7 components next to the subs. Another pair in the factory holes beside the driver/passenger seats, and stuck the tweets for that set on the dash beside the cabin entry. Also put a sub in the cabin in front of portapotty location. A set of 7.7 components in the cabin in place of the factory 6.5s.

Check out http://www.website-unavailable.com/?...conkeptz%2Ecom for wire, dont skimp on the wire! More is better in this case...over wire now just in case you decide to add more speakers/amps later. I had over $400 just in wires.

Also, don't run any speakers off the head unit...amp everything.

[Team Jefe]

I'm in the same boat (pardon the pun). Complete new system going onto The Revenge. I want to do the work myself, but will be needing some advice on the hook-up's. Mounting everything is pretty easy. I'll get the particulars and start my own thread so I don't jump over Agent 99 here. Good Luck Amigo!!!