Looking for cockpit speakers to mount on the stern rail or stuff in the cubbies in the cockpit combing. Checked out other threads on the subject, but couldn't find these Boss Audio MR10's mentioned anywhere. They look decent and have decent paper specs.
Does anyone have experience with them? There are no real reviews of them on the general internet that I can find. Yes, google was my friend.
DrB...Boss is best known for car audio amplification and is probably just importing and branding these speakers which appear to be knockoffs of some JBL Pro Series speakers. They are probably reasonably marinized though mtal painted grills tend NOT to hold up very well. I would expect sound quality to be mediocre but perhaps that will suit your needs as not every application needs to be high fidelity.
If you want an alternative...consider these Polks: Polk Atrium 45 Indoor/outdoor speakers at Crutchfield.com
I've never heard of Boss speakers. That being said, I took a look at them via your link and have an observation or two. The first is, they don't tell you how big the speakers are physically. I'm guessing they're probably no more than 5 inches. Kinda puny. No weight on the magnets, either, which is an indication of how much quality is there.
Finally, and most telling, was the frequency response. 100-20K. That means just about no bass at all. (Are you listening Bose? Where's the bass?!)
If you're looking for quality sound while you're underway, I don't think those things will cut it, unless you aren't a fanatic.
Personally, I'd be more likely to try Poly-Planar or Clarion marine grade speakers. I helped some of my captain friends install systems on their big Vikings, Betrams and Hatteras fishing boats, and I honestly liked the Poly Planar speakers, and I am a fanatic. (I have a set of Altec-Lansing Voice of the Theaters with 15" woofers, 511 horns that are 24" wide, etc.)
Speakers are one of the places where, to a greater degree, you really do get what you pay for. If you like your tunes, you're going to pay to hear them properly.
Well, he did confuse BOSS and BOSE in his post too.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gary1
Dr. B.
I've never heard of Boss speakers. That being said, I took a look at them via your link and have an observation or two. The first is, they don't tell you how big the speakers are physically. I'm guessing they're probably no more than 5 inches. Kinda puny. No weight on the magnets, either, which is an indication of how much quality is there.
Finally, and most telling, was the frequency response. 100-20K. That means just about no bass at all. (Are you listening Bose? Where's the bass?!)
If you're looking for quality sound while you're underway, I don't think those things will cut it, unless you aren't a fanatic.
Personally, I'd be more likely to try Poly-Planar or Clarion marine grade speakers. I helped some of my captain friends install systems on their big Vikings, Betrams and Hatteras fishing boats, and I honestly liked the Poly Planar speakers, and I am a fanatic. (I have a set of Altec-Lansing Voice of the Theaters with 15" woofers, 511 horns that are 24" wide, etc.)
Speakers are one of the places where, to a greater degree, you really do get what you pay for. If you like your tunes, you're going to pay to hear them properly.
but stay away from the pyramids. They universally have a tinny sound.
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OK, life is not always fair. When I was young, I had good ears and loved the stage and some harmonics pitchig of many high-end sound systems I had a chance to hear. Today I can afford installing a good system to my boat (I have Bose and B&W mix), but my ears can't tell me that difference anymore
Anyway, here Boss brand is very popular, and considered "D" class audio, but very cheap. Not sure about their marine line, but you don't need "A" either, I'd go for something in between like Clarion.
I wouldn't put poly-planars on my boat, because no, I don't like the sound. That being said, have you ever spent any time with the guys in the big fishing boats? They have their systems blaring at just-below-painful levels, and I'll give the devil (poly-planar) their due. They hold up to that kind of abuse. Are they what I'd listen to at home? Nope.
The other thing is they stand up to getting wet. As in turn the hose on them while you're washing the boat soaking wet. Not many speakers will put up with that for very long.
(I knew someone would shoot me for saying poly-planar. Now someone can shoot at me for saying Clarion, and get it over with. )
Once more: No I wouldn't personally buy either one for use at home, but they can be played loud, they don't care if they get wet, and they're better than some of the even worse junk that's out there! (Like Pyle, Pyramid, Bose) If you want a real sound system, put it in the cabin. If you want to rock out while you're doing a power reach in 20 kts, Clarion, Poly-Planar, Pioneer and some of the others will do fine.
Those BOSS speakers won't give you any bass out side. They look like a typical 3.5" or 4" driver and that is utterly pathetic for outdoor use.. Cam's right about the company too. They are re-badgers and they rate at the bottom of the car audio world next to brands like Pyramid..
Look into these Jensen boxes (Link Here). I replaced a pair of Poly Planars on my last boat with them and they sounded better. Granted they still sound fairly poor but they will certainly blow away those BOSS speakers. The key to these Jensen's (Link Here) is that they have a 6.5" driver, have decent efficiency and are 4ohm.. You'll get livable bass out of them too.. For the price I could not find a 4ohm box speaker that could even come close to comparing for outdoor use as most are now 8ohm.. You can use 8ohm speakers on a car deck but will loose efficiency thus requiring higher amp consumption for the same net volume as a 4ohm pair..
If you want really, really good sound JL Audio is the brand to beat right now in a quality, great sounding, marine speaker..
Calrion, Sony, Kenwood, Alpine, Pioneer etc. are all about the same quality and some, NOT ALL, Poly Planar equipment is solid a notch bellow on the sound quality spectrum but they do stand up ok.
I currently have a set of Poly Planar cockpit speakers but only because I needed as "flush" a mount as I could get due to the location the P.O. mounted them in.. They sound like SH%T...
Oh...I was just trying to provide a reasonably priced BOX speaker alternative to the BOSS. If kick butt loudness and abuse tolerance is the criteria, then I submit the Polk Moma System: MMC6500 Car Audio System from Polk Audio
If the best sounding non-component flush mount system is the goal...the Infinity 6.5" coax is tough to beat at $150.
I have a set of these that I hang on my compaionway doors. $39 from best buy.
They are not like my Bose system at home, but they work fine for some background music while out for a sail. If they fall overboard, no big loss.
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