Congratulations on the sailboat getaway.
Preferably go for a sealed box design which will be much easier to accommodate. It is, on a boat, quite acceptable to lay the speaker over on its side and not concern yourself with imaging or soundstage. Even with a speaker on its side it will still be difficult to find one no more than 145mm wide. With a sub helping out you get an immersive sound.
A sealed box will provide less bass but have a low frequency roll-off response that will work in your favour. Remember there will be significant room gain providing a bass lift. It is for this reason sealed is better.
Seriously consider a sub from the get go, it makes a huge differece and you mention you have space for one.
You also mention the auto side which I recommend for amplification. 3-channel car sound amps will do the job very nicely. A number of posts express concern with a marine environment which you can handily ignore.
Wondering about this advice? : Well I lived on my 40ft steel Peter Strong for 32 years and at times during change of watch had waves over the poop and into the main saloon of my center cockpit layout. The speakers, a pair of Boston car units mounted up high and an Xtant amp mounted in a locker never failed and had no problem with rust. The chassis of the amp was well connected to the steel hull to inhibit electrolysis. I assume you have a fibreglass hull which means you should run a cable to your nearest sacrificial anode from the amp even though you said you will be sailing in fresh water.
I can describe how to join or connect the power cables etc. that can survive being permanently submerged in salt water as in bilge pumps. Won't go into details here but you can PM me for info. Happy to help.
The performance I got from mine was some of the best I have heard. Just a lot of fun. Running the genny or using an inverter is complicating things, so I suggest hooking up directly to 12V battery. Run from the common terminal on your battery change-over switch.
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It would seem fitting that whatever speakers you settle on, have,........wait for it.....Seas Drivers.
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I suppose if I were going to live on a sailboat, perhaps driven by battery/solar power/engine, I would want a low power consumption amp and easy to drive speakers, sealed box or designed to work close to a wall like perhaps Dali Oberon 1, etc. Wouldn't spend a great deal as the salt air would advance corrosion. Also, the risk of sinking due to weather, accident, etc. Invest in a nice raft and flotation devices.
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After reading about all of the speakers recommended here, and then considering the size and placement. I think I’m going to put the Genelec G Three with the 7040A sub at the top of my list. You can put them anywhere and they sell wall and ceiling mounts which opens up a few other places I could place them without major surgery on the boat. I’ll probably hold off on the sub, but eventually, there is room in the storage space directly behind the listening position.
I also have an open inquiry in to Magnepan for the Mini Maggie System, but I think the Genelec system will probably be more appropriate.
Thanks for all of the great input!
@james633 , thanks for the recommendation!
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....your soundstage may vary....
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The OP mentioned he is sailing on freshwater…
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Epi M50... or one of the smaller Human Speakers models.
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As previously pointed out, a marine environment is harsh, even when berthed, so I would get outdoor/marine speakers.
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If its only a temp move I'd recommend used and specifically used A/D/S Speakers they had a few smaller sealed designs that are quite good and well under $1000 ( under $500 really) on the used market. like the L300, L410. As a long time hi end guy I discovered ADS a few years ago when dabbling in vintage and now have a few sets. All impress me for the money, they punch way above their price on the used markets. you can probably find a mint set of L300 for a couple hundred bucks for example.
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Cheap used disposable speakers. Marine amp/source.
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Sonus Faber Minima Amator II
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That’s a pretty modest Audio system , if you are going to be around constant
moisture this could for sure be an issue for a standard Audiophile system.
if on a lake and out of the elements maybe ok , but salt water is another issue altogether.
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The under 6” height is a real limitation. Find a pair of ADS L300E or 300CCs and drive them with a Rotel Tribute A11. There are several pairs on eBay right now.
Focus on the music and enjoy the year of freedom from audiophilia nervosa.
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Sounds fun- I’m a sailor as well (Beneteau 411). I have been extremely happy with the original Kef LS50W in a small room (10 x 11) with Isoacoustics Aparta stands (stands take performance up an entire level). Not sure if in your smaller space how they would sound, but my experience in the room noted above is a sound quality matching or exceeding much larger and more expensive systems. You would just have to find a way to secure the speakers for your day sails and really secure them for any potential rough weather (or stow away). I’d recommend the stands which could be added perhaps for your serious(ly fun) listening. KEF has done the work of component matching for you and eliminates securing and storing components. This assumes you have a Wi-Fi connection at the dock.
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Congrats on the Sailing trip, safe travels. There are lots of choices that are front ported designs. I would stay away from anything rear ported since it will need more space.
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Now, I am very familiar with the modern car audio world. I have a Sony XAV-9500ES, Helix DSP.3S, Biketronics BT4180 (N-Core amp), and Audible Physics NZ3 speakers in my Cayenne
OK, between taking a year off on a boat and this system in a Porsche is now just pissing me off with ur 1st-world “problems.” Kidding Truth is I’m uber jealous of ur situation Enjoy!!! And best of luck finding a good solution to ur speaker “problem.”
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@charliech 😂 I wish!
Actually, it’s a Gulfstream 37-footer. My previous post in this thread mentions my current car system. I’m open to that, but I can do much, much better than marine speakers. The high-end car audio speakers available these days are something to behold. Audible Physics white-labels for a lot of name brands around the world and I’ve been very happy with their product in my car.
I’m also considering building a pair of LX-Minis into the bookshelf. The mid-woofer lives at the top of a 36” x 6” tube, so the bass response is pretty good. It’s also similar to my LX521s that have to go into storage. I found out I can re-direct the tube 90-degrees and maintain the proper fidelity, so I might just build them into the shelf and hide the tube underneath the shelf behind the bench. If I need a sub, there are plenty of places to hide one in all of the various cubby-holes.
Lots of good recommendations so far. Thanks everyone!
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You may want to look into car/mobile audio speakers that are specifically designed for a marine environment. You are going to compromise the sound quality, but they will at least have a fighting chance (and won't be terribly expensive). Plus, they are installed into the bulkhead which will make them less likely to be stolen when you are out eating dinner.
My thought is to get the best marine-grade speakers you can, but plan on headphones for "serious" listening.
But I am also assuming you are going to be on something like a 30-foot sailboat. If you have Jeff Bezos money and are on a mega yacht, then you should have plenty of air-conditioned space for whatever you want.
https://youtu.be/pY2R7aOeBLU (30 foot sailboat tour)
vs
https://youtu.be/cm40e1ChozE (mega yacht tour)
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Good luck to you what an adventure ! As a side note the salt air (I presume it’s the ocean or gulf you’ll be on) will really wreak havoc with the electronics in your system. Nevertheless, having a great audio system with you will certain add to the experience.
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ROKSAN Caspian integrated amp driving SPENDOR D1’s might stir your drink.
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Easy! Get Closer Acoustics OGY. They’re front ported. Are built for SET (but any amp will power these speakers). They use single drivers so vertical / horizontal directivity don’t suffer much from placement.
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+1 bkeske
The Vandersteen VLR woods/CT. Designed for exactly that purpose. The 60 hi current watts made by the amp you mentioned should be enough to drive them. I have the older version of this speaker at my mountain house and am driving them with an older Sonos amp. The one thing I'll say about any bookshelf that's made to live on a shelf is that the bass will be a little thin. Without a port there's only so much that can be done. If you want full range down to deeper bass you'll likely need a sub.
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It would be great if your amplifier could be run from DC rather than an AC signal coming out of an inverter. Worth looking into.
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mjelo,
If you walk in the store and ask to listen to what I described
I am sure you will be pointed in the right direction.
Sorry for the hijack.
JBL and Focal may offer marine grade speakers.
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Watkins Stereo Generation 4. I did not see a budget listed, but these are around $2,500. Watkins Stereo Store is in my hometown of Kingsport, TN, and have been building speakers since 1974. Bill Watkins, Sr., founded the company and developed and patented the Dual Bass Driver that was leased and sold to Infinity. The original WS-1 bookshelf speakers are Holy Grail discoveries in East TN, Western NC, SW Virginia, etc. The Gen 4 punch WAY ABOVE their price -- blow speakers that are $10,000 out of the room.
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Your options are extremely limited given the dimensions of the bookshelf. The Gallo Strada 2 seems like it might withstand a marine environment, and I am hard pressed to think of anything better given the limited height of the bookshelf.
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Vandersteen VLR with Van Alstine SET 120 control amplifier would be excellent — I have the VLR-CT paired with same Van Alstine in den system — unfortunate that it won’t fit in your bookshelf. Used front ported Aerial 5T, used sealed ATC, or a standard MoFi edition sealed Falcon Acoustics LS3/5a ($1995 new) would likely be a good match in your budget. Happy sailing!!!
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Check out the Usher mini-x with the Diamond tweeter and 7” mid/woofer or a cheaper usher, you could get the x-719 or the s-250, I still have some of these and sold some.
a nice integrated amp that has the power to power any of these speakers and many others like my smaller Revel’s, is the ps audio sprout 100.
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@jeffseight - What speakers are you referring to? I'm a GHA customer so am curious what they would offer for $1,000. I was thinking the Dragster or Speedster speakers, but both are quite a bit more expensive from what I've seen.
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Fresh water, and I’ll mostly be at the dock except for day sails and overnights with my sons.
I got the measurements today. 5 3/4" (146mm) high by 14 1/8" (360mm) wide by 11 3/4" (300mm) deep is what will fit inside the bookshelf area I identified. Otherwise, I could fit slightly bigger speakers that are wall mounted.
The Gallo Acoustics Strada 2 would fit.
The Vandersteen VLR Wood is in my budget (less than $2K) but would require wall mount. They won’t fit inside the bookshelf.
The Spendor A1 is 12.1" x 6.5" x 7.3" (308 x 165 x 186 mm) and that might be the ticket if they sound ok on their sides. I seem to remember a pair of Advents I had in high school that sounded good with the tweeters on the inside and the woofers on the outside while lying on their side. Oh, wait.. they are 3/4 inch too wide. Dang. They'd have to be wall mounted.
The hard part is I know that no matter what, I’m going to loose a lot of soundstage and imaging compared to my incredible LX521 based system. I’m trying to minimize the pain.
Now, I am very familiar with the modern car audio world. I have a Sony XAV-9500ES, Helix DSP.3S, Biketronics BT4180 (N-Core amp), and Audible Physics NZ3 speakers in my Cayenne and it sounds much, much better than any car system I’ve ever heard. However, it’s not in the same league as my current home system. I wonder if I used the Helix/Biketronics for amp/dsp and find a nice analog pre-amp to mate to my Ayre........ You think that would be better than the Audio by Van Alstine integrated? I’ve always been anti-EQ in my home system, preferring location and treatments. I don’t know..... I’m in the in-between world here.
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Good headphones and an iPhone will be just fine and you can multitask and not wary about ruining your equipment. Good luck sailer. Be safe. Bon Voyage!
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On second thought, considering the destructive nature of salt air, I’d go Bose cubes. :)
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Beware any electronic equipment you get will likely be ruined after a year of sailing if you sail on salt water.
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I would buy powered speakers with room correction. Genelec or something like the JBL 4329P, and many others.
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Vandersteen VLR Wood or CT’s. Richard designed these specifically for bookshelf placement. He doesn’t really hype them as they are for that singular purpose, which is pretty limited, but those that I have them and heard comment, they are very nice.
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Not sure if you have considered the marine environment's effect
on speakers? There are brands designed for tougher conditions
as you will be experiencing.
That was my thoughts too. The salt air is hard on everything, especially home appliances not really designed for the humid/salt in the air there. I'm afraid I'd go with whatever was most likely to survive.
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Ever think about powered speaker with dsp? I hear the KEF Wireless is way better than the passive version. I’m assuming but don’t know for sure that the dsp can fix most issues you would have with the bookshelf placement.
the new Buchart looks awesome as well. Maybe too big though.
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Ohh and congrats on your 1 year sail boat excursion! Sounds amazing.
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I never heard the LS50 Meta but have heard the older one. They were ok. Not very good for rock IMO. The Guru won’t be as detailed but I feel more natural sounding. Best thing is it’s more or less made to be right up against the wall. The bass is surprising!
Thing is IMO any speaker made to be out in the room a bit is going to be boomy.
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Get a bigger boat and solar panels, take it with you. No really be safe and I am green…with envy I love being on the water.
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Headphones and seasickness tablets?
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Mark,
If you happen to live in the NW, visit Gig Harbor Audio.
For $1,000 they offer a pair of bookshelf speakers that
beat anything I have heard suitable for bookshelf.
They actually have a pair mounted in a bookshelf.
Not sure if you have considered the marine environment's effect
on speakers? There are brands designed for tougher conditions
as you will be experiencing.
Keep us posted on your outcome!
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+1 Spendor
There is the Spendor A1 listed here for $1500. Same sealed design like the 4/5 and can be placed on a bookshelf. I’ve owned many Spendors including the A1s and the 3/5r2s ( pre 4/5s ). BTW, any LS3/5A type of design should do the trick! The Harbeth P3ESR was my favorite of that type of speaker!
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Its been over a decade ago. I installed a Gallo Acoustics system on a Newport 30. He would leave the little sub in his dock locker on race days.
https://galloacoustics.com/usa/
A wide beam tub with a tiller, glorified day sailer. The Newport 30's would blow right past the big Islanders even in the shade. Fun times.
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I am interested in opinions on great bookshelf speakers that actually need to live in a bookshelf.
I get seasick just reading this.
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