Replacement stereo for 1800SR - Interesting alternative

[fester]

Hi Everyone,

I was considering getting a decent sound system however I thought I would start small. Has anyone had any experience with a TPA3116D2 2x120W bluetooth receiver and amp? It's unbelievably cheap and could work in this instance. I have an IP rated box and some waterproof glands that I could store it in.. My question is.. do you think its suitable connected to a boat battery and voltage? Should I put a fuse and/or some sort of diode+surge protection? Any advice would be appreciated.

Side note:
I bought my boat with the stereo missing. It has two speakers one under the console and one under the storage box on the other side. Interestingly it has wiring for two more speakers at the back however they cables are just sitting there with a cable tie under the handle near the rear seating. Did anyone else manage to get additional speakers mounted?

Thanks!

[jrsick]

Fester, I have no experience with audio boards such as the one you mention. I am very much into high-end audio and looked at audio boards for my boat and decided against it. From my first impression, there is a lot of wiring and soldering involved and multiple power sources are required. The wire gauge also looks small to me, which will be a problem if you have to run a power wire a long distance.
In a traditional system, there is a receiver which essentially manages signals, and an external amp which enhances the signals. The amp gets its power from a large gauge wire connected directly to the battery.
Pls post pictures and give updates if you go the audio board route. It's an interesting project.

[fester]

Thank jrsick

Have a look at this

youtube

video.. It seems to pack quite a punch for such a small amp..

Don't have pictures at the moment but can get some at the weekend. All thats left is a wiring hardness for a sony car stereo that used to be there in the glove box (Shakes fist at previous owner )

My greater concern is if I can just hook this up to the previous wiring without damaging itself or any other components in the boat. I know that battery as part of engines can go from 12.4V idle up to 14V when the engine is running.. I'm guessing it shouldn't be a problem?

Thanks!

[jrsick]

The specs on the board will tell you the max voltage it will handle, I think most are 24V max.
The gauge of the wire is my concern. Amps = Watts / Volts. Your 12V board with 120 watt output draws 10 amps, and that's for one speaker. 12awg wire is needed to take 10 amps 15 feet. The wire I see in the video looks like 18, 16 at best.
There is probably something I'm missing here, just giving you the info as I understand it.

[fester]

Sorry forgot about this thread.. Its been a while.. I bought the bluetooth device.. and yes it works.. but horribly. I tried it on mains with two outdoor speakers I had lying around.. The amp gives a continuous pop on receipt of power which means one speaker is constantly convexed :-/

Bluetooth works.. but its pretty low volume. When you crank it you get distortion and I'm sure you need more than just the average when out on a lake.

Great idea.. but this was a fail.. Next up... Boss/Kenwood bluetooth marine amplifiers ;-) (insert evil laugh here)

[pnorsted]

Hi! just bought a 1900SR (year 2000) without a radio unit, just wondering if it's just plug and play with a modern radio unit, if you happen to know

regards Pål
Norway

[mmwjr]

Originally Posted by pnorsted

Hi! just bought a 1900SR (year 2000) without a radio unit, just wondering if it's just plug and play with a modern radio unit, if you happen to know

regards Pål
Norway

Most likely you’ll need to match up the wires to the boats harness. Power, return, memory and speakers. Power is red, return is black. Speakers you can remove them to see what color wire is at each and wire per the new radios diagram.

[jrsick]

You will need a multimeter to check for wire continuity to be certain. PO likely used whatever wire was available to them. First identify the wires going to the battery and the ground. Then check the wires going to the speakers and identify the positive and negative leads.
Remember to install a fuse on the power wire. I recommend using distribution blocks for positive and negative. I would install an on/off switch in line with the power wire.

[fester]

I got lucky with mine.. From googling I think it has a Sony Car/Marine Radio harness pre-installed. The last owner probably took his stereo with him.. (Pics Attached) Most of the colours on the cables are standardised. A quick google will tell you what each of them are. Good example attached

[fester]

Just finished installing a new Sony DSX-M80 with 2 x Sony 17cm 160W Marine speakers and I have to say....... I'm seriously impressed.

The Sony DSX is powerful! Adequate enough to drown out the sound of the engine at top speed with just 2 speakers.

Couple of reasons I picked this radio:

• Marine grade! aka water resistant
• Retains ALL settings after powerloss - Bluetooth pairing being the biggest advantage!
• Powerful class D amplifier at 4 x 100 Watt output
• Can hook up a subwoofer without the need for an additional AMP - Don't think I'll bother with this one!
• Removable control panel so hopefully it wont get nicked!
• Nice EQ.. App is pretty good too but would set it once and not bother using it again.

I love it!.. well worth the investment. Only hickup is it will reset if the volume is REALLY loud.. I'm not too worried as I don't listen to it that loud anyway.. Could be draw on the battery and might need to do a separate power run. Any other recommendations or questions please shout!