I plan on installing a new marine radio on my 1998 170cc Osprey.
I'm relatively knowledgeable as far as wiring electronics, but not so much regarding audio/performance.
I've looked at a couple of marine receivers, and their outputs vary. Some are 45watts x 4 channels, others are 60watts x 4 channels.
Marine grade speakers i've looked are range from 180watts max output to 225watts max output.
I'm not looking to sink a ton of money into the system, so I'd like to avoid an amplifier if possible (unless it's highly recommended).
Not sure if I'm understanding everything correctly, but if the receiver can only put out 45 watts, is the speaker only using 45watts of it's Max Output? Only putting out 45 watts out of a potential 180 or 225? And in order to take advantage of its full output, I would need an amp?
So if I want to avoid the cost of an amp, is it accurate to say I would want to look for a receiver that has a higher output, such as the 60watts x 4 channels (4 speakers - Front Left, Front Right, Rear Left, Rear Right)? If this methodology is correct, will this cause the sound to be distorted at higher volumes?
Any input is greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Mike
