Most people go boating because they want to enjoy the calming nature of the sea or to cruise around with the sun shining down on them. Whatever your reason is going out in the open sea, the experience is never the same without having proper speakers on your vessel. Having a set of marine speakers can really make a big difference in how much of a good time you can have on water.
The reason why you should get marine-grade speakers and not just any speakers is because they are made to withstand salt water, strong winds and UV rays as well as to produce powerful enough sound that won't be silenced by the engine or waves crashing.
What Matters in Marine Speakers
Sound
The sound quality of boat speakers should be one of the first things you check. Make sure that there's plenty of power and also no distortion. The latter will depend on the materials used to make the speaker and the former will make a quality marine speaker either with or without an amplifier. If there are not enough watts then an amplifier will definitely accompany your new marine speakers.
Durability
A good-sounding set of speakers isn't the main goal of marine speakers, their durability is also an important factor. Mainly marine boat speakers are made of aluminium since it's a corrosion-resistant material but you can also find speakers made of Nylas. This is a combination of fibreglass and nylon that makes both a lightweight and rigid design.
Single vs Double Barrel
The difference between single and double-barrel speakers is that the latter comes with a swivel mount. This helps you direct the speakers in whatever area of your boat you want in order to improve the listening experience. You can also have a double-barrel speaker set to have each speaker facing a different direction.
Anodised
In order for the speaker cans or the chamber as it's also called, to be safe from rust it should be anodized. No matter the material it's made of, an anodized marine boat speaker is not going to be as vulnerable to oxidation and it will thus last longer. Also, anodizing materials is an environmentally friendly way of making a long-lasting product.
Frequency
The audio quality of a speaker is going to be affected by another factor and that is its frequency response range. This range is what determines the number of frequencies the speakers are able to produce and the wider it is the better the sound quality of the speakers is going to be. Typically, a range between 60 Hz and 20 kHz is okay but if you want something better, a speaker set with a range between 40 Hz and 20 kHz is what you should consider getting.
Power
The peak power of a marine speaker is going to determine the loudness of the sound it can produce. The higher this measurement is the louder the speakers are going to be. For instance, a marine boat speaker with 150 watts of output is going to be a standard option while those with 200 or 250 watts of peak power are going to be the more capable solutions.
Size
The size of the speakers will also tell you how powerful they're going to be. The bigger the speakers, usually, the louder they can get and the heavier they are. Heavier speakers are also often able to produce better-quality sound since they have bigger magnets. Unless they use neodymium magnets.
Numbers
Numbers aren't just important when it comes to peak power and speaker size. They also matter when it comes to the number of speakers you want to have on your boat. The more there are the better sound you'll get throughout the whole vessel. But keep in mind that having multiple speakers is going to make it a lot more difficult to set up your sound system and sort out all the wiring.
Types of Marine Speakers
Three-Way
Also known as coaxial speakers, these marine speakers have a separate tweeter. The tweeter is found in the woofer and it's used to handle high frequencies and deliver them adequately within the range of the music being played.
Two-Way
Often called a triaxial speaker, a three-way speaker has a midrange driver added to a separate woofer and tweeter. This helps them reproduce sounds fully and with as much clarity as possible.
Dual Cone
If you want a low-cost solution for your vessel then look no further than dual cone speakers. These have a small high-frequency cone in the centre of the woofer. This makes them have only one coil which doesn't make them as good at producing good sound quality as any of the above speakers. Unlike coaxial speakers, dual cone boat speakers have the voice coil convert electrical signals coming from the receiver into mechanical vibrations that then drive the cone of each speaker.
