I am getting ready to put in a sound system in the cruiser. Having never had a radio in her im ready to hear something different than the engine noise and the wind. I am going to go with a stereo in a Tuffy center console, and put speakers in the dash. I was thinking of an amp underneath the seat and building a speaker box with a couple of subwoofers in the back. Anyway, I was originally thinking of going marine speakers for there waterproof aspect but I was wondering if there was a way to waterproof regular car speakers, maybe put some kind of screen or something up? Also, what should I look for for some good off-road worthy speakers, subs, and amp. Thanks.
stereo
- Thread starter ScarboDP
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as long as you go with good poly speakers instead of paper theyall take as much water as you can give em.what model cruiser are you putting these in?
Scott68FJ40
SILVER Star
I recently installed a CD player in the CCOT console I installed. I went with Pioneer surface mount speakers mounted on my rollbar. The nice thing is that they are covered by my bikini top. While I will still get wet, the speakers should stay nice and dry if I get caught out in the rain.
i widened the stock hole in the dash, installed an Alpine revolving face cd unit, XM and cd changer compatible. I have two Boston waterproof outdoor speakers in the back, and a VERY moldy and mildewed sub box right behind the front seats 12" MTX Thunderform on a Optima 200w amp. Sounds good, I've gotten the cd unit soaked several times, still works, I've had the amp pretty much underwater, and the sub gets regurly soaked, I am going to build a new sub box out of marine plywood and maybe rhinoline it, I'm sick of this nasty mildew. pictures and more in depth description when i get home this afternoon. 
Oh yeah, if the sub box is big enough, I am planning on mounting the amp inside the sub box, and then using waterproof quick disconnects so that I can remove the sub and amp in one unit easily when I go wheelin.
Oh yeah, if the sub box is big enough, I am planning on mounting the amp inside the sub box, and then using waterproof quick disconnects so that I can remove the sub and amp in one unit easily when I go wheelin.
The PO of my truck installed an expensive radio and amp and speakers and all it does is add to the din of rattles and thunks and pops from the dual exhaust. I would gladly trade all that $$ for some quiet!
Paul
Paul
Ok here goes-I would def. go with waterproof outdoor speakers, and just bolt them to the rollbar like I did, works great, they are nice and clear, and are pretty much submersible, also do not require building/buying a box, and are very easy to mount.
Car speakers, as stated earlier, when not the paper cone type, are pretty much waterproof from the front, the rear however needs to be protected. If you figure out some way to get speakers in the dash, tell us, I've been trying to figure something out for speakers up front for awhile.
In terms of a sub and amp, go with something not too expensive, especially the amp. It is nice knowing that if something gets wet or muddy, you aren't going to wet your pants worrying its busted. I am planning on mounting my amp inside the sub box and completely sealing and waterproofing the box. As you can see in the pics, its pretty nasty, the box is crap itself, a friend made it for a different friend as a truck box, it just happened to work pretty well in my cruiser.
I got the headunit at Circuit City for $200, $50 less than list cause it was an in store model and one year out of date. I would have gotten a cheaper one, but I wanted one that had a subwoofer preamp, this is very nice so you can really adjust the sound output of all the speakers at the head, just leave the amp gain on all the way and use the subwoofer preamp control on the head.
I really like where this box goes, and its reversible, I have the sub facing back in the wintertime when the hardtop is on, it makes the sound richer bouncing off the rear of the top, and its better for throwing some tunes out the back in the parking lot. In the topless months, I turn it around and it provides a nice thumb right in the back of the seats.
Cost list-
$200 head unit
$50 for MTX Thunderform 4000 12" MSRP ~150-200 (from friend)
$0 for box/200w 2 channel Optima amp (from friend) MSRP~150 I think
$0 for Boston Acoustics Weatherproof patio speakers MSRP $350 a pair (traded baseball equip to friend, I blew out my rotator cuff)
Total $250 plus a baseball bag, bat, and glove.
You could probably do a 2 waterproof rear speaker w 200w amp and 12" sub with decent cd head for about $600, it really doesn't take much to fill up a 40 with sound, especially one with a hard top. Included are some pics of the temp. stereo setup.
Oh yeah, a friend has a headunit in a tuffy, I personally really prefer it in the dash, mine's gotten soaked 3 or 4 times, it normally just quits working for a few days and then when it dries out it starts working again. :dunno:
To get it in the dash all you need is a pair of pliers and a die grinder. It fits perfectly between the dash pads, the face revolves out with 1/4" clearance on each side.
Car speakers, as stated earlier, when not the paper cone type, are pretty much waterproof from the front, the rear however needs to be protected. If you figure out some way to get speakers in the dash, tell us, I've been trying to figure something out for speakers up front for awhile.
In terms of a sub and amp, go with something not too expensive, especially the amp. It is nice knowing that if something gets wet or muddy, you aren't going to wet your pants worrying its busted. I am planning on mounting my amp inside the sub box and completely sealing and waterproofing the box. As you can see in the pics, its pretty nasty, the box is crap itself, a friend made it for a different friend as a truck box, it just happened to work pretty well in my cruiser.
I got the headunit at Circuit City for $200, $50 less than list cause it was an in store model and one year out of date. I would have gotten a cheaper one, but I wanted one that had a subwoofer preamp, this is very nice so you can really adjust the sound output of all the speakers at the head, just leave the amp gain on all the way and use the subwoofer preamp control on the head.
I really like where this box goes, and its reversible, I have the sub facing back in the wintertime when the hardtop is on, it makes the sound richer bouncing off the rear of the top, and its better for throwing some tunes out the back in the parking lot
. In the topless months, I turn it around and it provides a nice thumb right in the back of the seats. Cost list-
$200 head unit
$50 for MTX Thunderform 4000 12" MSRP ~150-200 (from friend)
$0 for box/200w 2 channel Optima amp (from friend) MSRP~150 I think
$0 for Boston Acoustics Weatherproof patio speakers MSRP $350 a pair (traded baseball equip to friend, I blew out my rotator cuff)
Total $250 plus a baseball bag, bat, and glove.
You could probably do a 2 waterproof rear speaker w 200w amp and 12" sub with decent cd head for about $600, it really doesn't take much to fill up a 40 with sound, especially one with a hard top. Included are some pics of the temp. stereo setup.
Oh yeah, a friend has a headunit in a tuffy, I personally really prefer it in the dash, mine's gotten soaked 3 or 4 times, it normally just quits working for a few days and then when it dries out it starts working again. :dunno:
To get it in the dash all you need is a pair of pliers and a die grinder. It fits perfectly between the dash pads, the face revolves out with 1/4" clearance on each side.
Those cheesy computer speakers are no longer there, that was a very temporary solution.
Closeup on the bracket just shoved into the whole in the dash.
The sub box doesn't look that bad in real life I swear....
Heres the installed head unit as of tonight....
Here's the Boston Acoustics speaker mounted in the back
Closeup on the bracket just shoved into the whole in the dash.
The sub box doesn't look that bad in real life I swear....
Heres the installed head unit as of tonight....
Here's the Boston Acoustics speaker mounted in the back
Here are my speaker mounts, right by the ear and can blast down the freeway and still hear everything 
You may not be able to hear the rear speakers goin down the highway, but you sure as hell can feel that sub pounding into the back of the seats.Here are my speaker mounts, right by the ear and can blast down the freeway and still hear everything
BTW I probably wouldn't even have a sub and amp if it wasn't for the fact that I got both for a total of $50 I'd rather spend the money on the cruiser itself.
Go with MArine Radio equipment. If your not sure ut will sound good go to a water ski boat shop ie Mastercraft of Ski NAtique dealer. The stereos available for boats are getting really good.