Stereo Volume

[weekendboater]

Does anyone have an autmatic volume control on their stereo (so that the volume goes up when the boat is moving and down when you slow down, to pick up a skiier for example)? If so, what system do you have? Does it work well? I have seen the "Watersports Innovations Boost Box - Automatic Volume Control" online but have not seen any reviews.

Also, I have a 22I and would like to add a sub. Would I also need to add another amp (I just have the stock amp)? Where is the best place to install a sub?

Many thanks.

[chpthril]

There are two primary aftermarket volume controls. One the HSE Revolution and the other is the Boost Box.

Both get good reviews. If i was going to go with one, I would go with the one that does not need to be hooked into the engines tach circuit.

As another option, there are Apps for the Iphones and such that will do the same thing when you are using the MP3 as your source unit. These Apps run $.99 to a couple bucks and seem to work. I would though, not recommend the ones that use engine noise level increases to up the volume. They tend to try and overcome your voices when you and you passengers are talking while under way. The ones that most like are the ones that use th phones GPS to sense movement and increase the volume level.

Sub and amp: Depends on what amp you currently have, how many speakers it's currently powering, and how much thump you want to add. Answer this for us and we can get you steered in the right direction. Install location will also be determined by the sub. Large, powerful subs tend to need space for the enclosure, so this needs to be taken into account. Many people put them in the drivers footwell. Either build the enclosure there, which tends to take up leg room, or mount the sub in the helm wall and have the enclosure (or no enclosure if you go with an Infinite-Baffle sub)

[Paublo]

I can give a quick review of the Boost Box. I bought one late this summer. (Some friends have nick-named me Radio Shack as I seem to always have some kind of new gadget) The install was very easy- it probably took all of 20 minutes. You buy the model specific for your head unit. There is a cord that plugs into the remote outlet on the back of the head unit and the remote then plugs into this cord. Hook into a 12V power source, and mount the box with velcro and you are done.

If I remember the things works off of acceleration/decelleration and boat angle in the water. There is about a 2 to 3 second lag as it picks up or drops off the volume. You can adjust the amount of automatic volume increase and you can over-ride the volume at any time with your regular remote. I stuck it in the storage in front of the passenger seat, out of the way.

After I got use to it, I love it. At first the short delay bugged me, but it reacts faster and better than I did. And my driving is not being distacted. Everyone in the boat likes it. It was going to be an off-season upgrade, but they went on sale for around $160, so I went ahead. With all the integrated electronics I can see where auto volume control is easy to incorporate as part of the new boats, but if you don't buy the newest model every year, I consider this a no-brainer.