Best stereo installer in Tac/Sea Area?
 

Anyone know of a good installer, wether it be a shop or just a friend who does it on the side? I don't trust alot of stereo shops working on my boat.

I'd help you out but I don't have time right now. I do trust this guy and have known him for a while. He's got a shop called Divine Marine out of kirkland, owners name is Shane and he'll come to you if you want.

http://www.divinemarine.com/service.php

+1 Divine Marine. Good guy. Does good work. He did a couple of the Malibu's in the Exile Gallery. He focuses on marine exclusively.

-Brian
Exile Audio

Anthony, there's also a place in woodinville called Rhodes rides I believe. I've never been there but i live in the area. I do all my own installs but I've heard they are good too. What are you trying to do on your project?

anthony,

Give Sandy at Rhodes Rides a call as Ryan mentioned. He does great work and has a full shop and does high end custom stuff like the Bentley on his site. http://www.rhodesrides.com/

Tim
Wet Sounds

Disclaimer: Shane used to sell Wetsounds but doesn't anymore. That might skew some of the advice you get on here.

nubu, not sure what you are refering to as skew'd? Shane used to be a Wet Sounds dealer but we decided to make some changes in that area and have Rhodes Rides now. Shane is a good guy and I have known him for years. He does good work. But as a company we went a different route as far as dealership in that market. So not sure why you posted what you did or what you are trying to say.

Tim
Wet Sounds

My point was exactly what you just said. He doesn't sell wetsounds anymore, if the OP wants wetsounds he needs to go elsewhere. The fact he no longer sells your product means you can no longer endorse his shop. He used to be "your guy" and now he's not "your guy". That's all. I've known him for years as well.

It seems to me that what one dealer used to sell or currently sells has absolutely zero bearing on the recommendation of the other dealer. And if the bias was true based only on the products they sell then the inverse bias is probably just as legit for the same reason. That's like someone who lives in a glass house throwing stones. A totally uncalled for and inflammatory comment.

Actually I have had some experience with both of these dealers. I was doing consulting for a boat owner in that area and he was dependent on someone locally to do the installation. He used one of these dealers. The workmanship was absolutely fantastic but the understanding of acoustics and boat system tuning was sub par so he took it to the other party for a resolution. I won't mention which was which but I can say that both did really awesome work and I would recommend either of them even though they may have slightly different strengths and represent different products.

David
Earmark Marine

well the OP never mentioned brands. Just said he was looking for a shop and doesnt trust a lot of shops working on his boat. So I added that Rhodes does some high end installs on some high end cars. So if someone leaves a Bentley with them, then they are used to taking care of high end rides and would be a safe bet to leave a boat.

Tim
Wet Sounds

Ya ok david LOL.

Thanks guys, what i'm trying to do is get my stereo to sound good, doesn't have to be the loudest on the lake but I want the sound to at least have pretty good highs and lows. I really can't afford a 3k system. I have Four 6 1/2 rounds in the boat and two tower speakers, plus a 10" sub. and only one amp. I don't even know if the amp is set up right or not. I was told I need seperate amps to run all these. Also they said I need a crossover, and I'm not sure what that is either. It looks like I might be able to afford mid range priced amps, and a new head unit. I'm sure if someone who knows what there doing can get my system to sound better then the way its set up now. I'm on the cusp of being layed off, so money is super tight. Probably asking alot, cause I know how expensive stereo equipment can be, but hey I really think I can get it to sound better then it is by adding just a few more components.

Anthony, list what equipment you have with brands and model #s if possible and what boat your putting it in. If money is super tight a install place would suck it up in a second. How much is your budget if any?

Holy politics thread.

After reading all this stuff it sounds like you don't need any if these guys. Ya just need Simone to help you out a bit. I'm i'n Seattle all the time. Hit me up with a pm, I'll have a look at your boat on the water or i'n your driveway and we can teach you how to tune it with the gear you got.

Better have a beer handy afterward though... This critical elite tuning is break a sweat type of stuff.

Sound like a plan?

- Brian

@ everyone!!! Thanks for the luv!

@anthonyv911, give me a ring (425.359.7603) or PM me anytime. I will come out to your boat and assess your stereo at no charge. I’m sure I can come up with a few ideas to get it sounding better or it could be as simple as just tuning it correctly for you.

Shane

Looks like you got it made! There are a lot of knowledgeable people on here that can help you out. Personally, I only recommend paying for install as a last resort or for extreme custom work! Good luck bro.

This assumes that the consumer has knowledge of installing the system properly. I recommend paying for a good job anytime you are not sure what you are doing. I have seen way to many people with a boat load of really good equipment and a system that sounded absolutely horrible, or had constant problems rooted in rocky instal mistakes such as wrong wire gauge, too little battery power, incorrect wiring of multiple speakers sharing a single channel on an amp. And the #1 problem doing it yourself if you lack knowledge is in the tune.

True story: I have a customer that swears he has the keenest ear ever. He told me not to bother tuning his system as he would know better then I/we did when it came to sound. So I put him to the challenge, he would tune his boat himself, I would tune another customer's boat with the exact same setup and he would judge which sounded better. As hard as it was for him to admit it he tuned his setup like crap, it was loud, but lacked a full body of sound.