Are boat builders tone deaf?

[wonkywinch]

I'm spending the day cleaning, polishing and servicing the boat. As there's nobody around me in the marina, I cranked up the cockpit speakers listing to 1970s/80s stuff on the radio.

As I was stood midships cleaning the stern, I noticed the cockpit speakers are out of phase. Being an ex audio engineer, this is inexcusable and sounds awful. I noticed it on a couple of charter boats so far but first time I noticed it on our boat.

Moulded plugs so need to rejig the Molex plug or cut/resolder at one of the speakers once I work out the polarity vs the saloon speakers so I don't put the inside/outside out of phase.

Add it to the list of manufacturer created faults on the boat.

 

[bikedaft]

Can you not reverse the wires at the amp end of the cable of the affected speaker?

 

[[70521]]

Why anybody needs speakers on a boat is beyond my understanding.

While lazily heading down the western Solent the other day this boat passed and sounded like a 'party boat', with very, very heavy bass, and it was only 1500 hrs!

 

[wonkywinch]

Can you not reverse the wires at the amp end of the cable of the affected speaker?

I could, or also at the speaker end but since I know the ones in the saloon are correctly wired, I need to work out which one of the two cockpit speakers is the odd one out. Only a sound engineer would be concerned but it's important (to me) there is no phase error between upstairs and downstairs.

The (Fusion) sound system that came with the boat enables us to have "surround sound" when watching something on the tablet or to enjoy our "guess the artist/song" or karaoke night as the sun sets somewhere in the Solent.

Don't tend to play anything whilst under way which is why it's taken me this long to notice the fault.

 

[Daydream believer]

Why anybody needs speakers on a boat is beyond my understanding.

Why anybody needs background noise ANYWHERE is beyond me
My wife has to have crap on the radio or TV because she likes the noise. My daughter is the same. In our car I hate a radio on but my wife insists on it. So we end up with a buzz in the background that is just an irritating noise that neither of us can make head nor tail of.
If my wife gets up to leave the room I turn the TV off because she may be gone for 30 mins. When she come back she gets the right hump if she find she has to turn it back on
Some of my site staff would turn on radios on site & i had to have a site rule. NO RADIOS. It is annoying to neighbours & unsafe to surrounding people who are distracted

 

[wonkywinch]

I don't switch it on for background noise, it's a source of entertainment be it music from my favourite artists, a chat show or quiz.

Boat electronics shops are full of IBE (marine version of ICE?) since there is clearly a market.

I've got decent audio (hifi quality) in every main room in my house but maybe that's a hangover from my days in the recording studio and entertainment business?

 

[ashtead]

I don’t know which fusion head unit you have or how old but don’t be surprised if it unilaterally freezes in a few years - the screen just fails to change but if you have this issue and know of anyone who can fix a frozen unit do let us know.

 

[Dellquay13]

Are the speakers wired in series to hold the impedance high enough to protect the amp output stage? Many speakers used in cockpits are only 4ohm, and would overload most amps if wired in parallel.
As an installer of sound reinforcement systems, I have seen many people, who should know better, miswire phase in daisy chain series systems. Employees of Bose Pro Sound UK routinely check their own cabling with pulse testers against phase errors in series. If it can be done wrong by audio professionals, someone who bolts bits into a boat for a living could be excused.

 

[DangerousPirate]

Why anybody needs speakers on a boat is beyond my understanding.

While lazily heading down the western Solent the other day this boat passed and sounded like a 'party boat', with very, very heavy bass, and it was only 1500 hrs!

I like music, I don't like the quality of sound from my phone. What's wrong with music?

 

[wonkywinch]

Are the speakers wired in series to hold the impedance high enough to protect the amp output stage? Many speakers used in cockpits are only 4ohm, and would overload most amps if wired in parallel.
As an installer of sound reinforcement systems, I have seen many people, who should know better, miswire phase in daisy chain series systems. Employees of Bose Pro Sound UK routinely check their own cabling with pulse testers against phase errors in series. If it can be done wrong by audio professionals, someone who bolts bits into a boat for a living could be excused.

No because the Fusion is 4 channel (stereo to two zone outputs). I can swing the balance control in each zone so the speakers are wired independently.

 

[scozzy]

I'm a big fan of music and boats,I love both so like OP...why not?

Anyhoo my vhf had its own speaker wired to cockpit for all the obvious reasons, for all the tunes I have a bose Bluetooth speaker which had great sound quality and easily charged and portable ,importantly it takes care of those moments when only Dire straits will do on a late evening Sail into the sun on a beam reach.
Also useful for 5live sports on a Saturday with the cricket on!

 

[GEM43]

I'm a big fan of music and boats,I love both so like OP...why not?

Anyhoo my vhf had its own speaker wired to cockpit for all the obvious reasons, for all the tunes I have a bose Bluetooth speaker which had great sound quality and easily charged and portable ,importantly it takes care of those moments when only Dire straits will do on a late evening Sail into the sun on a beam reach.
Also useful for 5live sports on a Saturday with the cricket on!

It's wonderful that we're all different. In the sailing conditions that you describe all Ihat I want to hear is the sounds of the sea.....

 

[johnalison]

I like music, I don't like the quality of sound from my phone. What's wrong with music?

I pressed like by mistake. I like music too but it is highly unlikely that I like your music and far more likely that I would find it intensely irritating at whatever volume. I don’t inflict my music, which ranges from Binchois to Birtwistle, on others because I am a decent person who tries not to disturb others. Why people should think that a boat, of all environments, is a suitable place to parade their musical taste or lack of it is beyond me.

 

[Poignard]

What fresh hell is this?

Boat Lights That Dance To Music | Underwater-Lights USA

 

[DangerousPirate]

I pressed like by mistake. I like music too but it is highly unlikely that I like your music and far more likely that I would find it intensely irritating at whatever volume. I don’t inflict my music, which ranges from Binchois to Birtwistle, on others because I am a decent person who tries not to disturb others. Why people should think that a boat, of all environments, is a suitable place to parade their musical taste or lack of it is beyond me.

But you think I do that. Hm. Interesting.

 

[wonkywinch]

Forumites will be pleased to know I sorted it. Inside jobs today as it's a bit blowy on the 'amble.

The radio was connected with choc block (surely not by Beneteau but the UK agent?). The cable colours matched in and out except the zone 2 right channel wires were switched from the radio. Quick fix and we're rocking!

I'd better not admit I fitted a Pioneer in car sub under the chart table as the Fusion MS RA70 has a sub output that was just dangling there waiting to be hooked up

The Pioneer sub was £120 vs £500 Fusion wanted for their version and really adds depth to my disco nights on board.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Why anybody needs background noise ANYWHERE is beyond me
My wife has to have crap on the radio or TV because she likes the noise. My daughter is the same. In our car I hate a radio on but my wife insists on it. So we end up with a buzz in the background that is just an irritating noise that neither of us can make head nor tail of.
If my wife gets up to leave the room I turn the TV off because she may be gone for 30 mins. When she come back she gets the right hump if she find she has to turn it back on
Some of my site staff would turn on radios on site & i had to have a site rule. NO RADIOS. It is annoying to neighbours & unsafe to surrounding people who are distracted

For reasons I won't go into, my daughter has to have some form of distraction available whenever she's awake. This is for a recognised medical condition.

 

[[70521]]

I like music, I don't like the quality of sound from my phone. What's wrong with music?

There is nothing wrong with music, but I am not sure I like what other people like played from 2 NM away (distance by AIS).

Sadly, I did not bring my bagpipes on the trip. You do like the sound of a good pibroch?

 

[dgadee]

I like music, I don't like the quality of sound from my phone. What's wrong with music?

I like my music. Not everyone else's.

 

[john_morris_uk]

Some of the posters on here would HATE being in some places in the Caribbean. HUGE sound systems on some boats you can hear from miles away. Usually a reggae/pop loud bass sound. Not my taste but you learn to put up with it or move on. They usually quieten down by 0100.