Yacht Charter Ibiza With Sound: Funktion-One, JBL, and the New Quiet Yachts

On a charter yacht in Ibiza, the sound system is the third-most-asked-about specification after the master cabin and the toys. It is also the most exaggerated. "Sound system" on the broker brochure can mean a pair of ceiling Bose, a full Sonos house, a deck-mounted JBL ProAudio rack, or — on a handful of boats — a genuine Funktion-One setup with sub bass and a DJ booth.

Here is what is actually carried on which boats, and what to ask for when the brief says "we want music".

Tier 1 — Sonos / Bose / built-in

Most flybridges of 18 – 25 metres ship with a Sonos installation: 6 – 12 zones, ceiling and deck speakers, control by phone. Sufficient for background music at a long lunch, dinner aboard, sundowners. Not loud enough for sustained group dance.

Volume tops out around 88 – 92 dB at the dance area — fine on anchor in open water, not enough at a Formentera beach club where the marina is already at 95 dB.

Tier 2 — JBL ProAudio + sub

Sport boats designed for party charters carry a dedicated JBL ProAudio or QSC rack on the aft deck — typically a 12" or 15" line array with a single sub. Reaches 100 – 105 dB sustained. The aft deck becomes the dance floor; the captain stays at the helm with separate headphones.

Tier 3 — Funktion-One with DJ booth

A small number of yachts — typically owners with a nightclub or label connection — carry a permanent Funktion-One. Sub bass mounted under the aft deck, mid-tops on the flybridge railings, dedicated power amp room. Comes with a Pioneer CDJ-3000 booth or equivalent. Dark Knight is the one we've placed most often for DJ charter days.

If you bring your own DJ, the captain will need a load-in window — usually 90 minutes before guest boarding. Bring a USB and a backup; the boat's house DJ pool covers all major Ibiza residents and is bookable through our concierge desk.

The marina rules nobody mentions

• Marina Ibiza, Marina Botafoc, Santa Eulària and San Antonio enforce a 22:00 noise curfew at the dock. Anything over 70 dB after that triggers a warning, then a fine.
• Formentera marinas (La Savina) enforce 21:00 in residential periods. Move to anchor before the cut-off.
• Cala Bassa, Cala Conta, Cala Saona — coastguard patrols measure shoreline-facing decibel levels. 95 dB at the anchor is the typical ceiling.

What to spec on the brief

When you ask us for a quote, the right phrasing is: "mid-day at anchor, dinner aboard, late-night ashore — we want background and dinner volume, not club volume" OR "we want a DJ on board, 100+ guests across the day, club-grade rig." Two different boats; two different days. Send us either at the enquiry desk.