Boat stereo setup

alahol2

alahol2

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Portchester, Solent
www.troppo.co.uk
Just in the process of adding a more modern stereo headset (USB/MP3/IPod etc) to replace the ancient tape unit. The new headsets seem to come with 4 x 50W outputs to the speakers.
We only have 2 speakers so can you feed both left hand channels (front/rear) into the same speaker? If you can, is there any benefit?
We are not audiophiles.
 
Make sure you consider getting a Bluetooth head unit - I wouldn't be without it on my Sony unit. Pretty sure I've just connected the two front speaker connections, and possibly selected only front speakers in the setup menu.

You should be able to download manuals of those that you short list, to see the finer details.
 
Richard10002 said:
Pretty sure I've just connected the two front speaker connections, and possibly selected only front speakers in the setup menu.
Click to expand...

Now you mention it, that rings a bell.

The only other thing I would mention is that something which can churn out a high volume is likely to use a fair amount of battery power. My Sony was very good on the boat, but we listen to the radio a lot and it just took too much out of the batteries. I ended up putting it in my car.
 
Rigger Mortice said:
The only other thing I would mention is that something which can churn out a high volume is likely to use a fair amount of battery power. My Sony was very good on the boat, but we listen to the radio a lot and it just took too much out of the batteries. I ended up putting it in my car.
Click to expand...
That is part of the reason for replacing the old unit. Even when listening to ipod type music via a tape adapter it was using a lot of power. I'm hoping a later model with USB and Aux will be more power efficient. We won't be using anything like 50 watts of power through the speakers.
I'll just use the front speaker outputs and leave the others unattached and insulated.
Thanks all.
 
alahol2 said:
That is part of the reason for replacing the old unit. Even when listening to ipod type music via a tape adapter it was using a lot of power. I'm hoping a later model with USB and Aux will be more power efficient.
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Would be interesting to find out if that assumption is correct. Designers of car stereos have no particular incentive to make them power-efficient, as there's plenty of juice available in a moving car.

Pete
 
prv said:
Would be interesting to find out if that assumption is correct. Designers of car stereos have no particular incentive to make them power-efficient, as there's plenty of juice available in a moving car.
Click to expand...
There is little to apply much power on with modern components and circuitry. My simple Alpine quotes ca. 2A using the CD function - which I do not use, preferring the USB input. No doubt the major power requirements are to drive the 50W audio section that is not fully utilised. That same audio chip, that in the final analysis dictates the output quality, is the same from the cheapest to the most expensive model in the range. It clearly has little commercial advantage to use different components being, as they all are, 'cheap as chips'.
 
My car type stereo is power hungry and drops out first as the house battery reduces.

As I like R4 extra I've got a DAB portable too- rubbish on batteries but runs on a USB 12v adapter for hardly any drain. Works in bed and cockpit without having to go into the saloon to turn off Though for today...

Just a thought( for today :rolleyes:) - why not use the spare outputs to put separately controllable speakers in the cockpit or fore peak?
 
NickRobinson said:
My car type stereo is power hungry and drops out first as the house battery reduces.
Click to expand...
It would help if you could cite some facts ... for example: actual power consumption rather than "power hungry": at what voltage reduction it "drops out". What battery capacity is available. It's hard to imagine a pesky car radio draining a ship's battery bank but I'm always willing to be educated.
 
alahol2 said:
....The new headsets seem to come with 4 x 50W outputs to the speakers.
We only have 2 speakers so can you feed both left hand channels (front/rear) into the same speaker? If you can, is there any benefit?
Click to expand...
No don't do that!
Don't connect the 'common' connections together either as this tends to carry an inverted signal ('cos they use bridge amplifiers.)
50 Watts is loads loud enough anyway. You'll probably never use 1 Watt.

Never used a bluetooth stereo. Does it work with your phone? Can it act as a speaker phone?
 
Barnac1e said:
It would help if you could cite some facts ... for example: actual power consumption rather than "power hungry": at what voltage reduction it "drops out". What battery capacity is available. It's hard to imagine a pesky car radio draining a ship's battery bank but I'm always willing to be educated.
Click to expand...

Oldish 85ah house battery- radio drops out at 12.3/4v not helped by skinny feed cables.
I remember it uses best part of an amp, not a lot less than ALL of my LED cabin lights together, so significant.
Main thrust of my post was to suggest possible uses of the spare outputs-
N
 
NickRobinson said:
My car type stereo is power hungry and drops out first as the house battery reduces.
...why not use the spare outputs to put separately controllable speakers in the cockpit or fore peak?
Click to expand...

Cockpit speakers may well be a future project now that I have the option.

Barnac1e said:
It's hard to imagine a pesky car radio draining a ship's battery bank but I'm always willing to be educated.
Click to expand...

This happened to me for the first time last season. We were sitting listening in the light of an oil lamp, no other electrics switched on and the radio stopped. It was the original reason I started thinking about a replacement head unit. Unfortunately I've got no figures to explain it.

Ruffles said:
No don't do that!
Don't connect the 'common' connections together either as this tends to carry an inverted signal ('cos they use bridge amplifiers.)
50 Watts is loads loud enough anyway. You'll probably never use 1 Watt.
Click to expand...

That answers my original question anyway thanks.
 
Barnac1e said:
It would help if you could cite some facts ... for example: actual power consumption rather than "power hungry": at what voltage reduction it "drops out". What battery capacity is available. It's hard to imagine a pesky car radio draining a ship's battery bank but I'm always willing to be educated.
Click to expand...
Probably not an issue for most people, but my car radio pulls about 0.6A, which eventually leaves it's mark living aboard not plugged in. One of these draws 0.1A if it registers on the meter at all with good sound. http://www.radioddity.com/uk/lepai-tripath-ta-2020-a-2-20w-hi-fi-amp-class-t-stereo-amplifier.html
With a degen 1103 proving the radio part, it acts as a charger as well for it's own batteries , but you need 8v from somewhere. I can have the radio on all day every day now with that setup.
 
NickRobinson said:
Oldish 85ah house battery- radio drops out at 12.3/4v not helped by skinny feed cables.
I remember it uses best part of an amp, not a lot less than ALL of my LED cabin lights together, so significant.
Click to expand...

One Amp is hardly "significant". If it is for you and you have an "oldish" single battery of only 85Ah - in other words unlikely to fit your requirements - you should consider getting some more capacity and an independent charging source. Solar cells are cheap these days.

alahol2 said:
Cockpit speakers may well be a future project now that I have the option.
Click to expand...
That is certainly an option ... providing you only use them well out to sea and not, as I have often suffered from, near neighbouring boats in an anchorage or marina.
 
My Sony CD/mp3 radio, with cockpit and saloon speakers, consumes 0.5A regardless of speaker volume. I expected that turning on the CD player would add a lot due to the motor but in fact it is almost undetectable on the ammeter.
 
Ruffles said:
Never used a bluetooth stereo. Does it work with your phone? Can it act as a speaker phone?
Click to expand...

yes and Yes... Every now and then I use mine by accident - If I'm playing music from my phone on the Sony car Stereo unit, and someone calls, its the sony speakers that do the ringing, and the voice comes out of the speakers. The music is automatically paused. I think I use the phone microphone... I think there is a facility to attach a microphone to the unit.

All abit spooky when not expecting it :)
 
Ruffles said:
They spent the evening down below listening to music and the following morning wondered why they were getting dirty looks from other marina residents!
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Heh.

My Fusion stereo has separate speakers for cockpit and cabin, and a remote control unit installed in the cockpit next to the AIS display. It's configured so that the cockpit volume knob controls the cockpit speakers and the main volume knob (in the cabin) controls the cabin speakers.

Pete
 
GHA said:
Probably not an issue for most people, but my car radio pulls about 0.6A, which eventually leaves it's mark living aboard not plugged in. One of these draws 0.1A if it registers on the meter at all with good sound. http://www.radioddity.com/uk/lepai-tripath-ta-2020-a-2-20w-hi-fi-amp-class-t-stereo-amplifier.html
With a degen 1103 proving the radio part, it acts as a charger as well for it's own batteries , but you need 8v from somewhere. I can have the radio on all day every day now with that setup.
Click to expand...

I have one of those amps fed by a laptop and driving some B&O speakers at home. The sound's very good (at to my tinnitus-ridden ears, though others have concurred) and more volume than you'll ever need. Great bit of kit.

To the OP, a couple of things to consider - A remote control is great. On a cold evening, snuggled up in bed, you don't have to get up to turn it off, and make sure you get long wave if you think you'll ever want the shipping forecast other than at Oh God twenty (which is another reason for the remote!)
 
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