Marine stereo suggestions?

pepperfire · June 2011

Looking at getting a new marine stereo poss. with ipod docking capabilities or new stereo with Small depth to save space in my bay boat. also some speaker sugestions.

I already have a set of 5.25 on the console want to add 2 more in the front of the boat.

Gary S. Colecchio · June 2011

I just installed this. It's great.

INTREPID377 · June 2011

I've had good luck with Sony Marine products.
Bad luck with Clarion.
Poly Planer makes some pretty rugged speakers.

pepperfire · June 2011

Have any picks , and did u buy the seperate ipod dock for it?

Gary S. Colecchio · June 2011

I'll go take some.

I didn't have room for the dock so I just have a cable for an Ipod and one for my phone. I got a Sirius account for it so I don't use either much. the cool thing is that it does marine VHF too, so you can scan the marine radio and weather frequencies. I am using the Poly Planer Gunnel mount speakers :

31p-CtBQIOL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

and the Fusion Subwoofer:

31WfsrtPuNL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

pepperfire · June 2011

Very nice. I guess u can plug the ipod in the back of the radio which would be just as good. how does the subwoofer sound. alos what is the depth of the radio if u know. I have a tight spot that i want to put it.

Gary S. Colecchio · June 2011

The sub is killer. Almost too loud. Click on the images to enlarge.

The chasis is just under 4" and the entire unit is about 5" deep, which I needed to fit in the glove box.

pepperfire · June 2011

Thank u....also u said u plug your Ipod in the back into the USB port. how is that working.

Gary S. Colecchio · June 2011

I tried my nephew's. It sounds ok. It works like the old Ipod interface. You can access all the titles on screen through the contols. I was going to get a Nano, but I'm putting it off since I use the Sirius mostly.Go to West Marine and try it out. They usually have them on the wall to demo.

If you are going to surface mount it out in the weather, you'll need the Ipod dock, since the USB is on the back of the unit.

pepperfire · June 2011

Thanks for the help.

Gary S. Colecchio · June 2011

Good luck.

Boattronics · June 2011

INTREPID377 wrote: »

I've had good luck with Sony Marine products.
Bad luck with Clarion.
Poly Planer makes some pretty rugged speakers.

Sir, no offense, I really have no bias other than the fact that I want to see your products last as long as possible. ( I make a living with my hands)

I had to respond because my advice is exactly the opposite.
Stay the hell away from Sony marine products, they are worthless.
Clarion C series is the most time proven bullet proof marine stereo on the market.
Poly Planar products are crap unless you spend the money for the premium series, but I think there are better options for the money.

The Fusion Ra-200 Gary suggested is an excellent choice. You may even want to explore the option of a direct amp/I-pod interface, which the Fusion dig. zone amp is golden for.
Please call me with any questions you may have, I know all the intimate details and won't try to sell you anything. (904-545-1270)

Element · June 2011

I'm not big into stereos, although I have one that came with my boat, so can't really advise. I can tell you one thing for 100% sure though, if you ever need anything electronic related (including just advice), call Tony at Boattronics. Hard to say how long you've been on the forum with the new registrations and all, but Tony's been around for a long time and has a solid reputation of doing excellent work for alot of people around here. Like I said, my needs are too simple so have never used him, but if there ever comes a day that I need any electronic work done I can tell you without looking that I wouldn't call anyone else.

Boattronics · June 2011

Thank you very much for the kind words sir! You just made my evening, thank you very much!

The marine stereo game has recently changed. A few companies are marching forward with new technology, with full range class d amplifiers now availible from a few leading manufacturers. The RA-200 Fusion is an example, (with dig. power inside the head) and Fusion has a couple other full range digital amps as well as JL Audio taking the marine market by storm with thier incredible class D amps.
What does this mean to boaters? Suddenly, with the new tech., amps can be much smaller, generate zero heat, and use little to almost no power compared to the older class A/B amps. Soon class a/b, big, bulky, hot, power draining amps will be a thing of the past, and head units delivering a true 100 watts rms per channel are just around the corner. It's an exciting time for us audiophiles.
Chilling on the sanbar listening to your favorite tunes (quite loud too) all day long, without some fancy batt. system, is now a possibility for the first time in marine history. These things are flying off the shelf, I've installed 3 digital amps myself this week alone.

sarge · June 2011

Tonys the man thats for sure...

pepperfire · June 2011

Thank you Tony for the info. JL audio would be my first choice on any stereo equip. but to pricey for me currently. Do think im going to get the Fusion RA 200, It's 200$ at west marine. I also looked at the Kenwood 6.5's for the front drop down portion of the deck on my boat.

Marine stereo suggestions?

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