2. tech-talk
  3. 1135541764

bass problem in a sailboat

Hi!

I have a sailboat with a nice marine-grade stereo, built by Poly-Planar. There are four speakers, powered by a 4 X 45 (180 watts total) head unit. The speakers each have a 5 1/4" "woofer". I generally like the sound. The not-so-low bass is great, but I'd like to boost the really low frequencies just a little. I listen to mostly classical music, and I miss a few very low notes that I hear clearly on my home system. I'm NOT talking about great volume. I just want to boost the very low bass a little. I did this once years ago in a Camaro by simply adding an equalizer to the factory system. I DON'T want to add an amplifier and subwoofer because I don't need the extra magnetic field nor the additional power drain. An equalizer also seems inappropriate because, in this case, it would be a "set it and forget it" thing that I would hide somewhere. Is there a simple way to boost just the very low notes a little with the existing speakers and head unit?

Regards,
Troy Scott
tscott1217d0eb

Showing 3 responses by elevick

elevick
2,636 posts
 
Remember how power hungry bass is. Even if I were looking for "subtle", I would want enough power for headroom without any distortion. Getting that note at 25hz requires a heck of a lot more power than a note at 15khz, especially if you want clean, tight and fast.
Happy Listening.
elevick
2,636 posts
 
I'll second theo. New speakers may make a world of difference.
180 watts is not a "ton" of power either. Consider more efficient speakers. There are some 2 ohm jobs out there that will sound a lot louder (produce more bass with less volume).
The drawback is that many speakers are that are rated at lower impedance are less efficient.
Finally, are the speakers in good enclosures? You may consider better enclosures or even speakers with baffles or enclosures attached. Look at Niles or Sonance for ideas with in-walls.
elevick
2,636 posts
 
With an open boat, the bass will simply dissipate into "thin air". Cars are enclosed and very small which enables the bass to resonate like mad.

First thing may be to find a spectrum analyzer to see what frequencies are missing. It may be quite surprising...

You may want to consider something like a "bass shaker". These little devices can be mounted either on you seat or in a boat, on the floor. You will need some sort of sub crossover which will send all of the signals below 60-80 to the bass shakers. Check out partsexpress.com for sub amps/crossovers. You may be able to run 2 of your channels to the amp/crossover and then to the speakers. The amp will divide the signal, amplify it, and send the bass to the shakers.
More to discover