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Attention audiophiles . . .

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OJ
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4382 Posts

Initially Posted - 03/19/2010 : 18:59:54

We may well be the last people in SW Pennsylvania to a purchase a radio head that is MP3 compatible.

Was going to purchase this Sony model tomorrow at West Marine - but then we read the reviews

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/producte/10001/-1/10001/318229/377%20710/0/sony%20radio/Primary%20Search/mode%20matchallpartial/0/0?N=377 710&Ne=0&Ntt=sony radio&Ntk=Primary Search&Ntx=mode matchallpartial&Nao=0&Ns=0&keyword=sony radio&isLTokenURL=true&storeNum=434&subdeptNum=10877&classNum=10877

Can anyone recommend a quality unit that will hold up in a marine environment?

Anyone have experience with Bose marine speakers?

Edited by - on

Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5397 Posts

Response Posted - 03/19/2010 : 19:34:23

Exactly what did the reviews say about it?

Edited by - on

Nautiduck
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3704 Posts

Response Posted - 03/19/2010 : 21:29:28

We use this. It is simple and sounds great.

[url="http://www.tivoliaudio.com/product.php?productid=200"]iSongbook[/url]

Edited by - Nautiduck on 03/19/2010 21:33:00

OJ
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4382 Posts

Response Posted - 03/20/2010 : 05:33:04

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Voyager
 Exactly what did the reviews say about it?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Bruce, if you click on the above link - then click on "Read Reviews" you'll see what owners of this product have said.

Seems that "Marine" grade doesn't necessarily mean moisture proof.

Edited by - OJ on 03/20/2010 05:37:23

OJ
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4382 Posts

Response Posted - 03/20/2010 : 05:35:31

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Nautiduck
 We use this. It is simple and sounds great.

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Randy, yes, though it would be one more thing to lug to and from the boat, I'm wondering if something portable wouldn't be better.

Do you leave it on your boat all season?

Edited by - OJ on 03/20/2010 05:38:44

TCurran
Admiral

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USA
588 Posts

Response Posted - 03/20/2010 : 05:42:25

Check Clarion Models. I am very happy the po installed one.

http://www.clarion.com/us/en/products/2009/marine/source_units/index.html

tc

Edited by - on

OJ
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4382 Posts

Response Posted - 03/20/2010 : 06:03:48

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by TCurran
 Check Clarion Models. I am very happy the po installed one.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Tom, longevity seems to be an issue due to the operating environment - do you know how long your radio has been installed?

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 03/20/2010 : 09:26:49

I sure did like my little $40 boombox with detachable speakers. No installation, usable anywhere on the boat, usable at home as an emergency radio, and if it ever craps out, I'll throw another $50 for one with an iPod dock (just in case I get an iPod

). I feel like 2-3 years from now, you'll wish you didn't have those big holes in the boat.

Edited by - on

Nautiduck
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3704 Posts

Response Posted - 03/20/2010 : 12:12:44

Steve, we leave it on the boat. We also got the carrying case and we hang it from a cabin top winch for music in the cockpit. I like to keep things simple and this unit did not require any electric mods or cutting any holes. The radio part gets excellent reception and the iPod mount works fine too. Good battery life. When the batteries get low we re-charge either off of shore power or we take it home.

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 03/20/2010 : 12:31:40

Randy, if you can figure out the milliamp input voltage for that unit, you can probably get a car adapter at Radio Shack so you can play or charge it off a 12-v outlet.

Edited by - on

Jefffriday
Navigator

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USA
198 Posts

Response Posted - 03/20/2010 : 13:44:16

Be careful if you have limited power available, I have two Optima batteries, but the stereo I put in (cannot remember what it is right now) sucks lots of power, I think it has 150w output to four channels, but it uses even more than I would think necessary. If I have it on all day and evening it is a hit on the batteries (i have about 80% left)It's often hard to find power consumption numbers for these types of units, but if you can, get an efficient unit.

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 03/20/2010 : 14:07:14

My little boombox gives me an easy season on one set of six D-cells. But admittedly I don't use it for many long periods, and it's not a ghetto-thumper (which is nice for the other boats in an anchorage).

Oops--I just remembered the title of this thread... Sorry! I'm only an audiophile in my living room.

Edited by - Dave Bristle on 03/20/2010 14:11:01

jerlim
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1484 Posts

Response Posted - 03/20/2010 : 14:28:55

I created a 12 volt power cable for our boom box by soldering a cable to the power leads inside our boom box where the 8 - 1.5 volt batteries (wired in series)connected. With a car adapter on the other end, we have a hardwired power connection at the required 12 volts.

Edited by - on

islander
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4024 Posts

Response Posted - 03/20/2010 : 15:01:07

I have the same radio as Randy and he is correct in the great sound and simplicity. I loaded mine with rechargeable battery's( The radio has a charger built in) so at the end of the day I just plug it into the cigarette socket and it good to go the next time out. We keep it on the boat all the time and take it home at the end of the season. No holes to cut in the boat like Dave said. It fits in the coaming box when we sail and the coaming box acts like a speaker box and adds to the sound. If you overnight it fits on the little shelf in the cabin. Great radio.

Edited by - islander on 03/20/2010 15:27:17

dmpilc
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4593 Posts

Response Posted - 03/21/2010 : 05:29:21

DUAL marine stereo radios with MP3 capability for about $100. Several sources, among them Bass Pro. Check it out:

http://www.buycheapr.com/us/result.jsp?q=dual+marine+stereo

Edited by - on

Stu Jackson C34
Admiral

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844 Posts

Response Posted - 03/21/2010 : 08:24:09

So much to choose from, so little time...

Try Crutchfield (the obvious url), great car audio place. You don't need that "marine" nonsense unless you're on a PWC or under water all the time or everythign on your boat leaks.

Edited by - on

TCurran
Admiral

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USA
588 Posts

Response Posted - 03/21/2010 : 12:31:55

OJ, it's a 2006 model, so I'm assuming it's been in there for 3-4 years.

Edited by - on

panhead1948
Captain

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345 Posts

Response Posted - 03/21/2010 : 12:39:29

Well I'm not in a saltwater enviroment so I just went online a founf a car stereo from sony for about $50. I then bought an under dash insdtaslation kit at Best Buy and put it under the starboard cockpit seat. It is out of the weather and gas worked fine.

Edited by - on

panhead1948
Captain

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345 Posts

Response Posted - 03/21/2010 : 12:40:32

Boy I can't type.

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 03/21/2010 : 13:53:50

But you can edit what you typed by clicking

in the header.

Edited by - on

Turk
Admiral

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USA
736 Posts

Response Posted - 03/21/2010 : 16:58:29

I've mentioned this before, but I took an approach that really works well for me. I bought a XM satellite radio for my truck, but can move it to my sailboat. I bought the original Ski-fi II which has the FM transmitter. I "soft wired" it with the standard auto cigarette lighter plug and ran a satellite antenna to the deck. I have a mount for my truck and one for my sailboat. You can get a ski-fi II on ebay for $19. Of course you have to pay for the service each month. Satellite radio does not lose a signal as the boat turns as an FM radio would. I then added a "rounded" Sony boom box (6 D batteries and lasts all year.). You can tune in the satellite radio and carry the radio anywhere on the boat or even within 60 feet of the boat if you want to set it on the dock or shore. It will work with any FM radio that you might already have or you can buy a new one with Ipod capability.

Edited by - on

Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5397 Posts

Response Posted - 03/21/2010 : 19:04:33

This January I picked up a $99.00 West Marine radio that provides four speakers with 50W each (way more than enough for me), and a sub-woofer output.

I built a "holder" for the radio body out of some 3/8" solid teak that will hang under the starboard side light (window) and am building a pair of speaker boxes (3.5" x 6" x 8") out of teak laminated plywood that will fit on the shelves (they will have a velcro backing), and will be wired to the radio using 16 AWG cable with an RCA connector. Not sure about whether or where the subwoofer will go. Maybe under/inside the starboard settee?

The radio will be powered using a single twisted pair of 14 AWG cable running to a lighter plug installed in that general area. The lighter plug will be wired to the "deck light" switch on my C25 power panel.

This makes the installation "semi permanent" but without any holes in the fibreglass, and I can take the radio home at any time. If and when it craps out some day, no harm done. The radio holder will hold a different radio, I reckon.

The radio has an FM receiver (I have not checked it yet for sensitivity or selectivity), AM, CD (as the admiral demands) and an aux input for my Ipod and my XM radio.

If I crank it to 11, it will draw about 12A before it starts blowing out speakers. I expect it to idle around 1-2 Amps.

A boom box is a simple solution, and I admire Randy's and Scott's portable radios. I currently have a portable mono FM radio with excellent sensitivity, that also has AM, VHF Weather radio and FRS (family radio walkie talkie), it has rechargeable and alkaline batteries, and it even has a hand crank generator and a LED flashlight. It's touted as a survival radio.

But it doesn't "fill the boat with sound", so this being a thread about audiophiles, it doesn't have the "presence" or dynamic range that I need.

I'm hoping the WM radio will fill the bill a little better. Once installed and set up, I will supply photos.

Edited by - on

PCP777
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1225 Posts

Response Posted - 03/22/2010 : 12:39:40

I picked up this one, haven't installed it yet. It's the DUAL MXCP66 AM/FM/USB CD Stereo Package 200 watt. It got great reviews from the people who bought one.

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/producte/10001/-1/10001/362842/377%20710/0/mxcp66/Primary%20Search/mode%20matchallpartial/0/0?N=377%20710&Ne=0&Ntt=mxcp66&Ntk=Primary%20Search&Ntx=mode%20matchallpartial&Nao=0&Ns=0&keyword=mxcp66&isLTokenURL=true&storeNum=3&subdeptNum=434&classNum=10877

The PO already installed two speakers in the forward bulkhead and covered holder right by the I guess I'll build speaker enclosure for the other two speakers.

Edited by - on

Prospector
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
3159 Posts

Response Posted - 03/22/2010 : 12:54:13

Similar to th e others - I bought a radio but never installed, discovreed I usually like the quiet. When I do need tunes, I use something like this: http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.27384

At the cheap price, I cna replace it once per season, and I don't care if it gets ripped off. Sound isn't great, but that isn't what I go sailing for anyway.

As fo rth emusic, the guy who loads my USB stick seems to know what I like to listen to.

Edited by - on

Prospector
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
3159 Posts

Response Posted - 03/23/2010 : 05:47:24

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by islander
 It fits in the coaming box when we sail and the coaming box acts like a speaker box and adds to the sound. <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Its amazing how that works. I have found the same thing with my little cheapie radios.

Edited by - on

OJ
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4382 Posts

Response Posted - 03/23/2010 : 06:01:24

Someone wrote a review on Amazon.com commenting that their Sony marine grade speakers started rusting, and the rust eventually started running down the side of the cabin. Classic case of false advertising IMHO.

Edited by - on

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