Boat Stereo

W

wjmarks

Active Member
Joined
28 Apr 2009
Messages
50
Visit site
My boat stereo has given up the ghost and i was wondering what other people use. Is it still the done thing just to stick in another car stereo or are there alternaties out there on the market that are better suited to the marine environment, but still relatively cheap.

I have found the following on eBay - never heard of the make Pyle before and was wondering is it any good or is it a pyle of ****! Has anyone else out there heard of this brand - is it reliable or not?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-Pyle-...ssories_SM&hash=item5648b00778#ht_2052wt_1004

It looks like it has all that I need - mp3/sd card and usb connections along with an fm tuner, I dont really use CD's or cassettes so dont mind that they are not included. For £40 it is certainly in my price range and I have also seen other slightly more expensive ones from the same maker with weather band frequency built into them - is there any mileage in having this feature and if these are American would the WB work over here?

I would appreciate any comments or recommendations that anyone has on this.

Many thanks..
 
wjmarks said:
Might be better waiting and getting a Lidl special

http://www.lidl-ni.co.uk/cps/rde/xchg/lidl_ni_ie/hs.xsl/index_19192.htm

3 years warranty - hard to beat for 60 sheets!

Anyone try these?
Click to expand...

Personally, I think you can do a lot better for 60 quid. Audio quality of these 'unknown' brands is patchy at best.
Sony car head units (available for the same money) aren't bad but once again their built in audio amps aren't the best.

Pay a little extra for a Pioneer or Alpine (both available under £100) and the built-in audio quality is night and day, even with average speakers.

(I've fitted a fair number in my time)
 
I have a phase linear amplifier (not head unit), which I plug my laptop (or phone) directly in to.

You'll get a lot more bang for your buck doing that. Head units, even good ones, tend to have fairly low powered and pathetic amplification circuits. They have to due to the size and heat dissipation. A dedicated amp will sounds miles better.

Something like below, though you'll get something way cheaper is you shop around.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Phase-Lin...2?pt=UK_In_Car_Technology&hash=item58835fb052
 
nathanlee said:
I have a phase linear amplifier (not head unit), which I plug my laptop (or phone) directly in to.

You'll get a lot more bang for your buck doing that. Head units, even good ones, tend to have fairly low powered and pathetic amplification circuits. They have to due to the size and heat dissipation. A dedicated amp will sounds miles better.

Something like below, though you'll get something way cheaper is you shop around.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Phase-Lin...2?pt=UK_In_Car_Technology&hash=item58835fb052
Click to expand...

Bit fussy if you just want a built in head unit IMO.

And as much as internal amps in head units are ultimately limited, in no way would I say they are all 'pathetic'
I've had excellent results (in a multitude of cars and up to medium sized boats) with the likes of pioneer and half decent speakers.
Ok we're not talking competition subs and 'Saturday night car-park' levels of bass but very decent output at all frequencies.
 
I currently use a JVC DAB radio / 4-channel car stereo on board, 40 W per channel, with JBL waterproof cockpit speakers, a pair of B&W 4-ohm bookshelf speakers in the cabin, and a 100W Sub in the lazarette - it sounds great, the only problem I've found is that the cd deck keeps jamming up and refusing to return the slot-loaded discs - I also get this problem with the LIDL stereo in my van, and other people I have spoken to have had similar problems with slot-loading CD decks. However, these days, my main sound source is an MP3 player plugged into the 3.5mm 'AUX' jack on the JVC unit's front panel so I don't bother with CDs any more.
 
In a particularly stupid moment I invested in a good marine hi-fi system a few years ago, without doing my sums.

All very impressive, hard wired remote in the cockpit, pairs of w/p speakers in cabin & cockpit, CD changer etc...

For a start it was all more physically heavy than I'd have liked for my 22' boat, but the main snag was the power draw; I didn't know it but had a failing battery at the time, but I reckon the sound system was the last straw !

I think only for boats with good alternators etc; however it was a lesson and I now have a good battery & 2 monitors on it.

Anyone want to buy a Clarion system ?:)
 
I bought some creative (the brand) computer speakers that I use with mp3.

Amazing sound even though maximum volume is not that high.

No holes to cut and great simplicity, runs at 12 volts.
 
IMO Fusion marine audio make the best marine headunits for boats. I've got two of them, and they are sealed properly from the marine environment, not like these other so called marine radios that seem to fail on a yearly basis.
 
wjmarks said:
My boat stereo has given up the ghost and i was wondering what other people use. Is it still the done thing just to stick in another car stereo or are there alternaties out there on the market that are better suited to the marine environment, but still relatively cheap.

I have found the following on eBay - never heard of the make Pyle before and was wondering is it any good or is it a pyle of ****! Has anyone else out there heard of this brand - is it reliable or not?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-Pyle-...ssories_SM&hash=item5648b00778#ht_2052wt_1004

It looks like it has all that I need - mp3/sd card and usb connections along with an fm tuner, I dont really use CD's or cassettes so dont mind that they are not included. For £40 it is certainly in my price range and I have also seen other slightly more expensive ones from the same maker with weather band frequency built into them - is there any mileage in having this feature and if these are American would the WB work over here?

I would appreciate any comments or recommendations that anyone has on this.

Many thanks..
Click to expand...

i like the look of it and the price. £5 more with a weather channel facility would seem the better choice.
should be ok for the test match. i like the fact there is no cd. big plus. sd card is the way to go for a personal music library.
i see they also sell waterproof bookshelf speakers.
looks like its your turn to wear the guinipig outfit!
 
pyle, legacy, lanzar etc are all the same company sound around inc, who buy chinese goods and stick a label on them, if it doesnt break in the first few months it will last ok, 1 in 8 returned faulty out of the box. that number might sound high, but is not too bad for cheap chinese electronic goods.
 
stevensuf

I had that feeling about the Pyle stuff as when you suddenly hear of a "brand" that I havent heard of in my 38 years on this planet, you can almost bet that its a bluechip, sticker on the front organisation - and why not as that's only to be expected nowadays.

I think I may just end up going to my local Lidl and getting their Silvercrest car stereo (now to be a trusted brand as it has been on the scene for more than 2 weeks) with a 3 year warranty, hopefully if it does break Lidl wont be out of business within the next 3 years (again this is another gimmie for the 21st century - here today Lidl who tomorrow) and I can take it back - well contact their customer services, take a picture of it, supply the serial no. and send them an email with all above attached and wait 2 weeks for courier to bring out a new one!

Easy to tell its a Monday morning and i've got the MM Blues :)

I will let you know how I get on anyway!
 
Ours came with a Simrad Sonic Hub audio server fitted and it is very good. Also very expensive - not sure I would have been able to justify it if I were adding something myself.
 
aluijten said:
Another vote for the Fusion Marine Radio. Modestly priced and very nice feature set including an excellent iPod integration
See: http://www.fusionelectronics.com/marine/products/head-units-200-series/MS-RA200

It's the one I have with a separate cabinet for the the iPod to prevent the amps to heat up the iPod.

No relations to the company other then being a customer
Click to expand...

The Simrad is a rebadged Fusion product and certainly good, but more expensive than a basic car radio.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Other threads that may be of interest

MikeBz
Salty plywood
Replies
7
Views
302
Graham376
Graham376
Hoist
Replacement or repair of Stowe speed transducer
Replies
1
Views
106
Hoist
Hoist

Share this page

Top