New Speakers for the Salon

[waterdog]

Just finished a new set of speakers for the salon.   The West Marine speakers I had leaved a lot be desired in terms of sound quality.

These use a an Alpair M6 full range metal driver.    They are currently burning in in my living room.  After about 100 hours they'll end up on the bulkhead in the salon under a bookshelf and entertainment unit I have mounted there now.   

Their constructed out of some salvaged tight grain douglas fir.   It's all planed down to 1" thickness and designed to allow them to expand and contract with varying humidity without cracking or falling apart.    I did buy some nice black grill cloth to cover them up, but the drivers looked so nice I decided to add a little walnut accent and leave them naked.   

These are ported and stuffed.   I am listening to them now and can't believe that these little speakers produce the range of sound that they do.   Wonderful.   

Cost was ~$100.

[DarthOccam]

...they'll end up on the bulkhead in the salon under a bookshelf and entertainment unit I have mounted there now.   

Very nice indeed.  Would love to see a picture once you have them mounted in the boat.

Michael

[Ken Juul]

Nice workwork....opposite pattern to the floorboards for some contrast? Other than the floor tiles, no visual clues to how big they are.  Guessing about 8"long x 5"tall x 3"deep?

[lazybone]

...they'll end up on the bulkhead in the salon under a bookshelf and entertainment unit I have mounted there now.    

Very nice indeed.  Would love to see a picture once you have them mounted in the boat.

Michael

Very Art Deco, very nice, look forward to seeing how they look mounted.
Lots of pics when your done, please.

(edit) It's hard to tell the scale.  What size speakers did you use?

[efhughes3]

I was just telling my wife we need new speakers for the salon. I put a new stereo in a couple of weeks ago, and a set of new marine speakers that I had laying around for the cockpit. But, the interior sounds like hell. My guess is mine won't be as nice as yours!

[Brad Young]

Very Very nice. Any thoughts on what would be a decent (stock) set of speakers?

[waterdog]

The speaker is 15.5" wide, 6.5" tall, and 4.5" deep.   The driver itself is 4.5" diameter with a 2.5" diameter cone.  

The problem I have with audio on board is that I like to listen to music.   I want to hear the fingers grate up the strings on chord changes.  Crisp vocals.   So I end up turning the music up.    Tracey is happy hearing a familiar melody in the background and likes to be able to carry on a conversation.    She doesn't care if the details are all muddy.   She always makes me turn the music down.

So my design goal for these speakers is no less lofty than marital harmony.  

Failing that, I am going to make mounting cleats that will allow me to pop them off the bulkhead and move them to the foredeck where I love to enjoy a cocktail in my deck chair and watch the sunset...    

[waterdog]

Very Very nice. Any thoughts on what would be a decent (stock) set of speakers?

Not sure I want to know the answer to that question now...    But I am sure there are lot's out there.   

[waterdog]

Just for giggles.  

Here is the amplifier that is burning in the speakers.   It started life as a General Electric JK-96 console model radio.   It was destined for the landfill.   A few dozen coats of fresh lacquer, a new tube amplifier, and some custom speakers and it has a new life.   The dial glass was long broken, so there is just a clear window with glowing tubes popping out some left over hatch acrylic.  What looks like push buttons on the top is actually a slide-out tray with an iPod.  

They can't all be boat projects you know...

[waterdog]

Installed.

[DarthOccam]

Steve,

Those look great!  From your previous post, the entertainment unit is contained in the wooden box above the right speaker?

Michael

[waterdog]

The wooden thing above the speaker is a fold down leather padded laptop shelf.   There is space behind where we once had a Wii system for our onboard Mexican bowling alley - very popular with other cruisers.  Also room for a media drive   There are audio connections that link back to the amp so the sound was good on movie nights.

[Rick Johnson]

And is the thing hanging from the mast what I think it is????

[scotty]

What do you think it is??

[Mike and Joanne Stimmler]

It's obviously an inclinometer, if it hits the sides, you have to reef.