Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

Hey all,

I'm in the process of planning my pontoon build and trying to figure out what subwoofer setup. Curious if any of you have thoughts on the 2 below scenarios.

Scenario 1:10" Powered Subwoofer (about $230 total)
JBL 10" powered sub shown here (MPS1000) 250watt
http://www.amazon.com/JBL-MPS1000-10-In ... +subwoofer


Scenario 2:10" non-powere subwoofer with amp (about $220 total)
JBL 4 channel 60watt x 4 channel RMS Amp
http://www.amazon.com/JBL-MA6004-4-Chan ... +subwoofer

Rockford Fosgate 10" sub
http://www.amazon.com/Rockford-M210S4-M ... +subwoofer

Scenario 1 is nice due to the fact of no separate amp, but I also know that sometimes self powered subs aren't that great
Scenario 2 is nice due to future upgradeability if I decide I want to.

I don't want to shake the boat, but do want to be able to crank it up and feel it a little bit.

Does anyone have input on these?

Just say No, save other boaters and home owners on the lake

HandymanHerb wrote:Just say No, save other boaters and home owners on the lake

+1. I go to the lake for quiet.

DDriller wrote:

HandymanHerb wrote:Just say No, save other boaters and home owners on the lake

+1. I go to the lake for quiet.

I've got to agree. Far too many people blasting obnoxious music at the lake.

There was one group of college kids that brought a huge stereo (And I mean huge. They brought a separate generator to run it.) out ot the cove. They blared their (c)rap music for a couple hours.

Then something wonderful happened! They were on a double decker ponton, and they put too many people on the upper deck and flipped it!! The stereo is now at the bottom of the lake!!! (No lives were lost but someone sure had to pay a pretty penny on the rental ponton!)

OK, I should clarify as what I meant and what I actually typed are mis-leading. I did explain it like I was planning to be blaring the music all of the time.

I want to have depth to my music, which you won't get from just 6.5" speakers. I don't plan to be "that guy" at the lake with the obnoxious stereo. I do however want a setup that can handle whatever it is given.

Not saying it won't ever be turned up loud, but it would be done during appropriate times that would not affect others.

Sorry for the mis-lead.

I'm in the same boat but this link help me decide on fosgate hands down

http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/showt ... p?t=678609

There's nothing wrong with a loud system on a boat as long as you respect others. When your running at 40mph across the lake turn it up so you can hear it but when you stop around other ppl keep it to yourself. That is unless they want you to turn it up!

i went with the separate amp and 12" woofer. I wanted the whole sound from the music. I hate "tinny" sounding music. We go boating on a river that has very few people on it. We only crank it when to boys are tubing or skiing. When there's other people around we usually turn down the music and talk. But I am not 21 years old anymore. hahahahahaha.

I installed #1 in a boat I built last winter, and I am very impressed with it. I used to be in the audio industry years ago, so it was hard for me to come around to the pre-fab/powered sub boxes, but they are so far advanced now that they really are a great value. Like every thing though, it's a matter of opinion. What you ultimately want out of your system will determine what you need/want. I love the simplified install on the boat, any time there's less wire on board the better. An added plus, the JBL has low-voltage protection that shuts the unit down if the battery drops below a certain level.

As for the "neither" argument, I have to disagree. If every one banned some thing that irritated them at the lake there would be no boats allowed. The tooners don't like the loud music, the bass fisherman hate the jet skiers, the go-fast crown hates watching out for the wake boarders, and the property owners hate every one. Unfortunately there will always be jerks, every where you go. If every one can be just a little considerate of others we can all have a great day at the lake!

As for the "neither" argument, I have to disagree. If every one banned some thing that irritated them at the lake there would be no boats allowed. The tooners don't like the loud music, the bass fisherman hate the jet skiers, the go-fast crown hates watching out for the wake boarders, and the property owners hate every one. Unfortunately there will always be jerks, every where you go. If every one can be just a little considerate of others we can all have a great day at the lake![/quote]

Great answer Ty, why can't we all get along?

One thing I just realized is bridging a 4 channel amp to run a sub doesn't seem possible. I need to stick with a 2 channel to bridge or find a class D amp.

Not seeing a lot of amps out there for marine use that can can be setup to run 250Watt RMS at 4 ohm without spending a lot on name brand, or buying no name.

Anyone have suggestions for getting around 250watt RMS @ 4ohm?

These Infinity Basslinks do a nice job and a few people here have used them with success. Reasonably priced too.

http://www.amazon.com/Infinity-Basslink ... B000063TJY