Spa Stereos??

[tstiffler]

We're considering a fully loaded 2005 Optima, including stereo.  The speakers are marine grade, not understanding what that meant, I was told they are the same kind of speakers installed on boats?  I called the Sundance dealer and the warranty is 2 yrs.  I'm nervous about the type of problems that may develop/and or the stereo lasting past the warranty.    For those of you that have spa stereos, have you had any problems?  what kind?  how long have you had the stereo?  Are they easy to work on?  Any help on this issue would be appreciated.

Therese

[Brewman]

I have the 2003 Optima with factory stereo.  Absolutely no problems with any part of the spa at all so far, including the stereo and speakers.  I think marine grade means that they are resistant to water splashes and moisture exposure.
I'm very glad we spent the extra money on the stereo.  It sounds great, and it's convenient no to have to take a portable out with us, especially in the winter.  Just pop up the speakers. I'd do it over again in a second.


Brewman

[hottubber]

I currently own an 05 Optima. The stereo system is like American Express, "Don't leave home without it". The stereo system in the spa is great. It's not that big of an additional upgrade once you figure out the duration of ownership divided by the overall cost of the system. I would say that 75 % of sales of our 850 and 880 series spas this year are sold WITH this feature included.
Do it once, do it right, and don't look back wondering, What if?

hottubber...

[leesweet]

'Marine grade' speaker theoretically means that the cardboard/paper of the speaker cones have been treated to withstand the high humidity/moisture/once-in-a-while splashes that 'near water' environments provide.

A normal speaker in this environment (spa or marine) would crumble, take it from a long time boater!  :-)  (The cones are just heavy paper, very flexible to react easily to sound waves.)

Now, I can't testify to what happens if the speakers are constantly soaked, as they aren't waterproof (the sound has to come out somehow!).

But you definitely want marine grade and the best warranty you can get.  I've read SD gives 2 years, and others are 1 year, but I've not verified that.

[hottubber]

Great analogy of "Marine Grade". You are correct. The warrantee on the speakers is 2 years and failure rate has been extremely low.
Nice job by Polyplaner for those.

hottubber...

[J._McD]

We sell far more stereos than I ever expected.  Considering that you are going to be sitting in the same tub for the next 15-20 years maybe, it is a nice touch.

My first comment to the shopper is to say, "I would rather have you buy a boom box at Sam's and take it to the beach in the summer than tie this kind of money up in a stereo." and I tell them it's a $995 option and it is truely their choice if they want it.

If anyone has ever had an issue with the stereo, it has always been reception and we will go out and relocate the antennae, problem solved.  Quality is exceptional.

On an occasion, we have had questionable issues with the sound radiating from the speaker, we might consider it "reception" but the consumer might think of it as "preception", one way or the other six ss screws and it pops out, we put a new one in and 5 minutes later were gone, problem solved.  Then we install the speaker in our spa on the floor and listen to the speakers flawless performance for the next 3-4 weeks.''

Some electronics, I have heard from other brand owners came with a tail-lights warranty, when the tail light are gone so is the waranty, most others have 90 days to 1 year and are "automotive" product, not marine grade.

Take your favorite CD into the dealers and wet test the ride, the body and the sound, go ahead "crank it up" and listen to the qualityand feel the performance.   (small promotional ad)

[ladeyday]

So, what you're saying is that if one is a music lover,  adding on a stereo is much better than bringing your boom box to the hot tub? I had thought of skipping that option (adding stereo).......

[Drifter]

Ok I'll buck the system. Why would you spend 1k on a stereo that would never sound as good or be as useful as one you could buy yourself. Also remember that the big spa companies build spas not stereos. All the ones I have seen and heard look and sound like they were added on as an afterthought. I'll take the 1k and buy the following.
1. Bose 251 Environmental speakers @299.00
2. Denon 1705 multichannel home theater receiver @275.00
3. Mounting brackets and wire @50.00
4. Sony 200 Disc jukebox @250.00
5. Niles "outdoor" volume controler 75.00
6. Couple of cases of cold ones!

There's your 1k and you now have a system that can run your home theater system inside and an awesome system inside. Infact you don't have to stick with the Dennon receiver, sony sells several Multi source room recievers for around 300. Then you can listen to the radio inside while playing CD's outside.  Those Bose 252's really sound nice when driven by a good amp. I know I have 6 of them outside on my deck and around my hot tub.  You could settle for poor sound in a limited installed system or you could get alot more sound and better quality stuff for less. It's your dollar!

[Gary1911]

Ok I'll buck the system. Why would you spend 1k on a stereo that would never sound as good or be as useful as one you could buy yourself. Also remember that the big spa companies build spas not stereos. All the ones I have seen and heard look and sound like they were added on as an afterthought. I'll take the 1k and buy the following.
1. Bose 251 Environmental speakers @299.00
2. Denon 1705 multichannel home theater receiver @275.00
3. Mounting brackets and wire @50.00
4. Sony 200 Disc jukebox @250.00
5. Niles "outdoor" volume controler 75.00
6. Couple of cases of cold ones!
 
There's your 1k and you now have a system that can run your home theater system inside and an awesome system inside. Infact you don't have to stick with the Dennon receiver, sony sells several Multi source room recievers for around 300. Then you can listen to the radio inside while playing CD's outside.  Those Bose 252's really sound nice when driven by a good amp. I know I have 6 of them outside on my deck and around my hot tub.  You could settle for poor sound in a limited installed system or you could get alot more sound and better quality stuff for less. It's your dollar!

I'll be right over!!

[SerjicalStrike]

A lot of people don''t know as much about home electronics as you do Drifter.  So it would be a hassle for them to try and piece it all together, do all wiring, and have to deal with all the different components.  One of the best parts of the spa stereo is that the speakers are usually right at ear level, close to you.  

If you are unsure of how the stereo sounds, wet test a tub with a stereo in it.  

[Drifter]

 One of the best parts of the spa stereo is that the speakers are usually right at ear level, close to you.  

I'll conceed your first point!   I can also see your point with regard to simplicity. I'd agree the in the spa units are easier.  But you also bring up a good argument against spa stereos. That is having speakers too close to you. In order to acheive "stereo imaging" you need to have sound from both speakers "cross over". This is usually accomplished by having the speakers pointed slightly  inward and then sitting at a distance proportiate to the height and distance apart of the speakers.  You will hear people talk about the "sweet spot" in a room where the sound is optimum. For that reason I'd suggest raising the speakers above the spa and setting them back a few feet so that you can enjoy stereo sound.

[windsurfdog]

I wouldn't buy spa w/sound-tv system from a spa manufacturer just as I wouldn't buy a sound-tv system w/spa from a sound-tv system manufacturer.......

[SerjicalStrike]

If you have the means and the know how, you could probably get a better, more versatile system.  But I wouldn't just discount the stereos in the spas soley because they come with the spa.  Give a listen before just dismissing it.  Thats all I'm saying.

[tstiffler]

Thanks for the debate on spa stereos and stereo reception in another post.  It definetly gives us more information than we had before.  After debating back and forth, husband and son really want the stereo and the simplicity of it.  I much prefer listening to the birds and nature sounds, but it's a nice option to have when friends are over.  We hope to order our Optima this weekend.

[J._McD]

Regardless of what it is or what it has, your gonna absolutely love it.  

But better yet, in this case, it's an Optima with polyplaynar, marine grade AM/FM electronics, w/CD, sub-woffer base imbedded in the making of the shell, accompanied with telescoping marine grade speakers designed by Bose engineers, and a hand held remote that also allow the interface to operate the pumps and equipment within the same remote.  WOW (small commercial)

Just in case someone needed to know.