time for some tunes

shrpshtr

all,

amidst all the planning on golf cart mods i am thinking about, (too much beer at the beach isn't necessarily good for the wallet.) i think i am going to add an accessory battery for lights, radio, and 12v CLA charging capability. question for you all is radio selection. now, i don't need 2 12" subs and a 1000w amp to blast tunes but i'd like something that sounds decent while rolling down the blacktop. i'm a bose man myself. what radio/speaker combo is reasonable to get decent sound that will run off a 12v battery? thanks in advance....my wife is going to hate y'all. :)

shrp

BGW

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720Deere

I used an old Pioneer head unit that I had laying around the basement along with a 4 channel amp. I four JBL 6.5" marine speakers at a decent price on Amazon. Radio reception isn't the greatest on my setup so I usually just use my iPod for tunes. If you have a digital music source such as an iPod or phone, I would skip the head unit and invest in a good amp. The sound quality is much better than most radios.

shrpshtr

Definitely will be using the iPhone (wife is an iTunes freak). would rather not have a separate amp unless i have to. would that be a requirement?

kojo

shrpshtr, I have a pioneer head unit that's bluetooth capable so I can add songs to my phone(with bluetooth) and play them through my unit. To me, that was the best way to go. You can put a buttload of songs on a phone, then you can give the phone to your wife while your driving and make song requests. You won't need an amp unless you put a sub in or a bazooka tube like I did. The watts coming from your unit will be ample enough to push 2 or 4 good speakers if you just want a good sound. Just make sure how many watts your unit has before buying it. As mentioned, JBL makes some good ones along with JL Audio, MB Quart and Polk Audio just to name a few. But if you do go with a sub of some sort, get a Rockford Fosgate amp to push it. JMO.

skuhleman1524

I am using a radio like this one, only mine is a model older. http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...H-X5600HD.html

paired with these speakers http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...TS-MR2040.html

I am very happy with the sound. The HD radio seems to pick up FM stations better. Sound quality is good without having a external amp. The 8" speakers help add a bit of bass and warmth to the overall sound.

jimmykid4657

I skipped the radio and attached a Bluetooth speaker to the roof of the cart. Paired it with my IPhone, not a perfect car radio sound but it sounds decent enough to blast some tunes at the campsite and it doesn't require an additional 12V battery because it runs on AA's.

shrpshtr

great info so far. jimmy, that is a fantastic idea. i have a bose portable speaker that we use all of the time now. i might have to look more into this if i can't find what i'm looking for.

kojo, what model pioneer are you using? definitely will want bluetooth functionality.

any other recommendation on 2 speaker setup (set or individual) that has good, clear sound?

also, how does the "watt" rating play into the accessory battery equation? generally speaking, how long can i expect a stereo running 100w output (2 - 50w speakers) to run on a single 12v battery? (all factors considered)

TravisHauch

I would just do a head unit and a pair of speakers. That would be the least amount of power consumption.

If you want a small amp, at work we use an alpine ktp-445u which has a very small footprint and draws about 3-5 amps max. It gives you a true 45x4 or 90x2 bridged.

kojo

shrpshtr, I've got a Pioneer DEH-X6500BT, with rockford fosgate 6.75" in the front and a 8" bazooka tube in the back w/ a Rockford Fosgate Punch 200 amp. Infinity makes a great set of 6" or 6.5" speakers. My radio is 50wx4, that's plenty enough power to push a couple of 6" or 6.5" speakers. Hope this helps ya' out some.

kojo

shrpshtr, with what I have, I've rode at night with the headlights going and sometimes the foglights to, and a radio with the amp on and off(it's according what song comes on) for usually a couple of hrs. and I've never had a problem. Most of the time I ride at night and never had a problem. Now mind you, I don't run the amp ALL the time, but I do turn it on from time to time if it's gonna be a long ride. If it's gonna be a 30-45 min. ride, I'll leave it on the whole time.