JBL and Harman Kardon Marine’s Kent shares speaker upgrades, sandbar etiquette and marine audio tech on Dock Talk, Wednesday 5 PM EST on Dock Side Live Radio.
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The soundtrack of your lifeFrom fish finders to speakersBuilt for salt, sun and pounding hullsThe one upgrade for new boat ownersBe a good neighbor at the sandbarLearn moreKent's first memory on the water goes back to age four or five, riding behind his dad's 1976 Chris-Craft ski boat. The boat was beat all to heck, but it got him hooked on tubing and on the water for good. His grandparents were music people, so music was always part of the family too.
Today Kent gets to combine both passions in his role with JBL and Harman Kardon Marine.
"You can't beat that," Kent told DSL Radio. "Music and the marine community."
The soundtrack of your life
Ask Kent what plays on his boat when he's off the clock and the answer depends on the mood. It might be '60s country like Tammy Wynette, then Frank Sinatra or Nat King Cole, then Billy Joel, Foo Fighters, or independent artists most people haven't heard yet.
"Music is the soundtrack of your life," Kent said. That's why sound quality matters to him. The goal is a system so faithful "it's like the artist is in your boat."
From fish finders to speakers
Kent's path to Harman started in marine electronics. Darrell Lowrance hired him out of college, and he went on to run R&D for Lowrance, Simrad and Navico. Since he was already working in underwater acoustics, someone asked whether he'd consider coming to Harman. He started in a different division, helped rebuild the marine business, and now leads planning, roadmap and technology for it. He's in his 11th year.
A household name, earned again on the water
JBL is everywhere on land. Kent says most people run into JBL products four or five times a day without knowing it: at home, in cars, at concerts and in movie theaters. Yet boaters who tow their boat with a JBL-equipped truck sometimes hesitate when it comes to putting JBL on the boat.
"We're still earning it," Kent said. "We earn it one transom at a time."
The difference, he explained, is where the technology comes from. Rather than starting with traditional marine audio, JBL Marine brings in proven technology from Harman's professional audio and automotive groups and applies it to the boat.
Built for salt, sun and pounding hulls
Saltwater, UV, spray and pounding hulls are brutal on electronics. Harman tests against a specification using machines that simulate salt, UV and day-after-day pounding. Kent notes that Harman's automotive standards already meet or exceed many marine conditions. When a product goes into a new type of environment, it can spend two or three years in real-world use before it's released.
The one upgrade for new boat owners
If you just bought your first boat, Kent's advice is simple: upgrade the speakers. "A speaker's an air pump," he said, and quality varies widely. Some JBL speakers have been in service for 20 years and still sound like new.
He proved the point on a neighbor's seven-year-old pontoon. They swapped in JBL Club 77 speakers and changed nothing else, not even the head unit. "It was just night and day."
Be a good neighbor at the sandbar
Kent is also a strong voice for audio etiquette. Music can be pleasing or annoying, and everyone around you wants to enjoy their day too. If your crew wants it loud, find like-minded boaters and head somewhere on your own. Around strangers, be conscientious.
He has called lake patrol himself on a boater who wouldn't turn it down. More lakes, including some in Florida, are adopting decibel limits. "It's all courtesy," he said.
Where the music meets the water
When Brian asked what DSL Radio's tagline means to him, Kent answered with two questions. What's the first thing you turn on when you get to your boat? The radio. What's the last thing you turn off after cleaning it? The music. A day on the water without music, he said, would be a totally different experience.
Learn more
JBL Marine products are sold through boat builders and at retail. Find them at jbl.com. Harman Kardon Marine is currently OE only, installed by boat builders on new boats.
Hear the full conversation with Kent on Dock Talk, Wednesday at 5 PM EST on Dock Side Live Radio. Listen free at DockSideLive.com.
