Stereo amplifier

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fourreins
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Stereo amplifier

Post by fourreins »

Just curious if anyone has ever installed an amplifier on their trojan international ? If so, where did you mount the amplifier and how far was the run to the battery? With the boats having so many speakers (8) how did you handle that?
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BobCT
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Re: Stereo amplifier

Post by BobCT »

What model do you have? On my 10m mid cabin , I mounted it inside the locker next to the stairs. I installed a 10" subwoofer behind the "L" bench which is on the Stb side on my boat.

Bob
1988 10m mid cabin
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RWS
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Re: Stereo amplifier

Post by RWS »

On my 1983 10m Express Cruiser it is located directly below the receiver, in the stbd side closet of the fwd cabin

not a mid cabin

RWS
1983 10 Meter SOLD after 21 years of adventures
Yanmar diesels
Solid Glass Hull
Woodless Stringers
Full Hull Liner
Survived Andrew Cat 5,Eye of Charley Cat 4, & Irma Cat 2
Trojan International Website: http://trojanboat.com/

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jhalb
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Re: Stereo amplifier

Post by jhalb »

I have 2 speakers in my cabin and 6 mounted on my deck. I also have a small powered sub under my rear seat just to fill out the bottom end. I use the 4 outputs on my stereo to power the 5" speakers and the 4 outputs on my power amp for the 6x9 speakers. I mounted the power amp to the right of my stereo, behind my helm seat. I probably have a 10' fused run to the battery for the power amp. Sound pretty good for not having a ton of money in it.
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John
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1983 10 Meter Express
fourreins
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Re: Stereo amplifier

Post by fourreins »

Mine is a 10.8 Sedan (bridge). Curious to how far you had to run the power from the amp to battery. Do most of you run the power for amp to the batteries?
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Big D
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Re: Stereo amplifier

Post by Big D »

fourreins wrote:.....Do most of you run the power for amp to the batteries?
Always better to connect to the DC distribution panel or bus bars. The less wiring direct to the batteries the better. Should only have battery cables to engines for example or main feeds to bus bars and distribution panels hooked up to the batteries.
She was a 1969 36 ft wooden beauty with big blue 440s that we'll miss forever.
And thanks to the gang, 2012 Trojan Boater Of The Year
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BarryL
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Re: Stereo amplifier

Post by BarryL »

On my 10 meter Mid Cabin the amp(S) are mounted in the closet just to the port of the stairs leading down to the salon.

In the rear of that closet are two 1000 watt amps to run the 8 speakers in the cockpit. Two permanently mounted in the arch facing down and two more on the arch on articulating brackets that can be faced forward or aft depending on if we are swimming out back or cruising, (Polk White outdoor speakers) two more at ankle height as you approach the stairs and two more at base of arch facing inward and then of course some eye ball tweeters here and there to balance the frequency response in the cock pit.

On the forward side of that compartment is a 3000 watt amp to run the four 10 inch sub woofers in the cockpit that are mounted in the side storage compartments just aft of the Side steps.

On the bottom of that compartment is a 400 watt amp to run run the 6 speakers in the salon, forward cabin and mid cabin.

The Amplifiers have two 12 volt dedicated deep cycle batteries they connect directly to (Fused of course) and all amplifiers are mounted on fresh water cooled aluminum plates to keep the heat they produce from robbing power. (Think heat exchanger)

The Sub woofer amp has what is called a "Stiffening Capacitor" in parallel with the battery feed to fill in the power when the subs hit a really low base note and need extra power. It might be a little over kill but with the price of gas its nice to have some clean, clear, and concise sound to enjoy while on the hook.

It's funny but my kids can follow me on the Supra Ski boat and listen to whatever I am listening to.

OK I know what you are thinking. Damn kids and the loud music... I turned 50 last year and some of the best boating days we have had are when we are out at anchor on a warm night with the moon just starting to rise and I have brought the flat screen up from downstairs and attached to to the Radar Arch and connected it to the stereo. Then we play Jimmy Buffet Live at Wriglrey field on DVD or Blue Ray and draw a crowd. I call it a "COUCH CONCERT" night. I've made a lot of new friends this way and I'll admit a few enemies because of how sound travels on the water but I have also made a lot of great memories.

The key to a great sounding stereo is not always more power but setting the system up limit the frequency each speaker is asked to reproduce with the right crossover networks and efficient speakers/ I can run my system as loud as I want for 12 hours on the two batteries I have dedicated to it without an issue while at anchor. If I have the engines running and recharging the batteries I am unlimited on how long it will run other than my ear drum capacity for punishment.

Barry
I love my boat! It takes all of my money and doesn't bitch.
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Big D
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Re: Stereo amplifier

Post by Big D »

Sounds like quite the setup Barry. Any pics of some of the hardware? It may also help others if you explained how you charge the stereo's dedicated batteries while maintaining isolation from the others. Which type of product did you use; battery isolator with diodes, ACR, etc.?
She was a 1969 36 ft wooden beauty with big blue 440s that we'll miss forever.
And thanks to the gang, 2012 Trojan Boater Of The Year
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BarryL
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Re: Stereo amplifier

Post by BarryL »

Dig D,

the batteries are isolated with a battery switch. The boats is in storage for the long cold Chicago winter so no pictures available right now.

I used 00 gauge battery cable to run from the main battery box to the switch and then again to a buss bar used to power the amplifiers. These cables are fused right where they initially connect for fire safety. The cooling system I use is a 1/2"x 24"x 30" aluminum plate that has water channels through it. The amplifiers are mounted to the plate with machine screws with conduction paste sandwiched in between to increase the heat transfer. I have a temp sensor (Thermo couple) attached to the plate that closes when the plate reaches 110 degrees Fahrenheit which closes the circuit to supply a small 12 volt water pump to circulate lake water through the plate. If you look in the bilge you will find a few extra through hull fittings under the salon floor right near the head door I re-purposed one of these for a cool water supply. The discharge is in parallel with the central bilge pump but on a loop with check valve so I don't sink the boat while the cooling circuit is running. I also have an L.E.D voltage indicator surface mounted on that cabinet so I can monitor battery voltage. The amplifiers have built in protection circuits that turn them off automatically when the voltage drops below 10.5 volts. The Sub amps are always the first to go into protect mode..

Where did I get the plate? It was used in a Radiation Therapy department at a local hospital and was used to quickly cool special blocks used to reduce radiation to healthy tissue when a patient is receiving therapeutic radiation therapy. I am an electrical engineer and support Radiation therapy equipment so I was able to rescue the plate from the recycle bin when modern technology made it obsolete. The Cable is from a local electrical supply store, and the pump is from an on line provider. Very low current draw and only 0.8 gallon per minute flow rate which is more than enough most days. I added a small filter capacitor to the water pump so the electrical noise wouldn't make it to the stereo system.

For the Cockpit speakers I use MB Quartz 6.5" round speakers Great sound, made in the USA, and come with built in crossover's for the eye ball tweeters. The Sub Woofers are run of the mill Kicker automotive subs. They are not water proof but they have held up well over the last 4 seasons. If they die they are relatively inexpensive so it would be an easy swap to replace them.

Spring is right around the corner so when the shrink wrap gets removed I will post some pictures.

Barry
I love my boat! It takes all of my money and doesn't bitch.
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srokag44
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Re: Stereo amplifier

Post by srokag44 »

I have the stereo head unit installed in the corner behind the dinette. Amplifier is in the locker in that same corner. This was maybe a 15 ft run from the batteries in the engine room. I've got two speakers in the salon, two on the bridge, and a sub in the cockpit. I don't have the amp running off a separate or isolated battery but I have 4 group 31 batteries in the boat so I don't worry about draining them.

The amp in the closet does give me trouble with overheating when I push it hard. I am going to install a couple 12V fans and an aluminum finned heat sink. I don't have nearly as much power as Barry, so I doubt I will need a liquid cooled system.
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1985 Trojan 10 Meter International Sedan
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Big D
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Re: Stereo amplifier

Post by Big D »

Impressive
BarryL wrote:....the batteries are isolated with a battery switch....
Just so everyone understands, you switch off to isolate from other banks while discharging, and switch on to parallel to another bank for charging purposes?
She was a 1969 36 ft wooden beauty with big blue 440s that we'll miss forever.
And thanks to the gang, 2012 Trojan Boater Of The Year
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