Looking for a good, but low cost Marine grade AMP

[Dave LeGear]

In a perfect world, I would just have a Skiff built to my exact needs and one of the things I would skip... Onboard sound systems, they all just seem to need a lot of maintenance for what little actual work or use, they receive. And never fails, anytime I have gone to enjoy some tunage it was "Dead Jim"

Be that as it may the new Skiff has a nice set of JL Audio speakers that seem pretty sound considering how exposed they are. The AMP though was some huge automotive unit and we all know what Salt Water does to non marine grade stuff worse yet, when not washed off



That puppy is in garbage can where it belongs and yes, I had to cut the majority of those wires off (big shock there) since those screws were rusted big time!

Oh it had made a royal mess of rust stains in the whole rear hatch area between it laying there on the deck, and somebody who forgot to use a funnel to refill the Power Pole pump

So I pulled everything out, cleaned up all the oil off the deck, wiring connections, pulled the battery and box also. And then used 409 cleaner (Seadek approved) along with soft brush and a hose on misting, to add just enough water to make good suds... Fast forward a few hours later and one last pass with my tiny shop vac to pull up the water and loose crud, and I have to admit, it looks almost factory new now



Now back to the AMP... So looking for a decent low budget and much smaller Marine grade AMP to drive the two speakers that are mounted on the forward bulkhead


With built in Bluetooth, this so I can just stream my collection of decompression tank music from my I Phone

What have you guys used and just as important, would buy again This since they all seem to fail within a few years, no matter how well you take care of them

Thanks!
Dave

 

[Dave LeGear]

So I wound up selecting the little Pyle Hydra AMP with its built in Bluetooth connectivity.

https://www.pyleaudio.com/sku/PLMRM...r-Kit,-2-Ch-Waterproof-Audio-Power-Amp-System

And it has plenty of power to drive those two JL MX650-CCX speakers and works very well for my needs. Very happy with the sound quality, and the small size of the unit which for my application (Flats Skiff) one is always looking for ways to save on both space and weight So much so, that I just used the volume control one time to turn it all the way up, and then disconnected it, and now I use the volume on my I Phone to control the entire system.

Very happy that I do not have to worry about yet another radio / audio head unit to fail. Or even having to install another extra component just for Bluetooth connectivity since I just stream all my tunes from my I Phone. This unit though, is small enough to use on a Motorcycle (gives you a idea on the footprint / size of the AMP) so even the smallest of Skiffs can have some nice sounds to put your feet up and watch the Sunset go down with

Now MSRP for this unit on the Pyle site is like $105.00, but I was able to find it on Amazon for $49.95

Enjoy!
Dave

 

[Dave LeGear]

Oh and one last little tip to really help you unleash the quality of sound going to your speakers from your phone. The stock I Tunes player leaves something to be desired in this area. And I suspect the reason that some may feel the need to also install a separate radio receiver / audio unit to get some basic EQ functions.

Not the case, and there are plenty of music players (many of them free) so you can fine tune the streaming music going to your speakers. Here is a list and review of some of the best ones for the I Phone: https://www.igeeksblog.com/best-equalizer-apps-for-iphone-ipad/ and I have tried a few of them, and I like Boom which is #8 on the list as the best one for my taste thus far

Enjoy!
Dave

 

[Dave LeGear]

Yep, this little App for your I Phone (The Boom Audio App) works very well and save me a ton in wiring, installing a head extra unit, and having to worry about it's access, etc. on the Skiff.

This all of the low cost of just a few bucks to get all the functions and no Ads And works with Android also from what I see on the link below:

https://www.globaldelight.com/boomformobile/

Just put the phone up on a good mount, and instant Skiff Radar, Back up Marine Charts, and Sunset Music Concert all in one

Enjoy!
Dave

 

[Offshoreman]

You can come set up the sound system on my boat anytime!