Fusion stereo Vs Car

matt1

matt1

Well-Known Member
Joined
11 Feb 2005
Messages
1,259
Location
Hamble, UK
Visit site
Assuming I just want to listen to streamed music and the shipping forecast on radio 4, is there any reason to buy a marinised radio/music player? I won’t be linking it to instruments and it will be installed down below. I have a Bluetooth speaker which is fine tbh but want to be able to listen to the radio out of 3G range.

What am I missing if I just get one from Halfords?
 
Pre-Fusion etc. didn't everyone just install a car radio/cd, radio/cassette, wireless/8track (depending on era. And ok I'm just speculating on the last part)? If you're installing at the chart table / in the cabin it doesn't need to be "marinized": there's nothing to stop you hooking an internal car stereo to cockpit speakers happy with the wet. The newer fusion thingies will hook up to N2K and you can control them from your fancy new chartplotter, but then you can change track on your bluetooth-enabled phone. So my vote is that you don't lose much.

Update: On second thoughts the fusions do allow you to use multiple zones so you can control volume independently in cockpit, cabin and other cabin (possibly with additional amp depending on model). Not sure if car stereos do that but installing a cabin/cockpit switch shouldn't be hard
 
I used a JVC car radio between UK and Malta and back 2006 to 2010. It gave up the ghost on the last leg back to Glasson. I bought a Sony car radio in 2011 for our current boat and it failed a couple of years ago. The current Pioneer is going strong.
 
matt1 said:
What am I missing if I just get one from Halfords?
Click to expand...

Not a lot. My boat came with a Fusion system; it's OK, probably the best boaty-related bit is the waterproof remote control in the cockpit. Otherwise, a car audio system would do the same job for somewhat less.
 
Does the fusion maintain radio presets when turned off? most car units require a power feed when off to maintain that which is fine on a car being used nearly every day but not happy with a boat left off all week, How about car units? non volatile me
 
Who has the oldest car stereo in marine use?

I have had the same three waveband radio/cassette for the last 25 years, it still works ok but the speakers are a bit buggered.

I keep thinking of updating to CD - but naw I have a fine collection of tapes, no presets (praise the lord) and the device is rising in value.
 
chubby said:
Does the fusion maintain radio presets when turned off? most car units require a power feed when off to maintain that which is fine on a car being used nearly every day but not happy with a boat left off all week, How about car units? non volatile me
Click to expand...
I bought my boat stereo from ALDI, it does not need power for the memory, the Only down side is that the tuner is a little rubbish and it struggles to hold a channel.
 
I have owned a series of sony cd/radios, upgrading as technology improves. Three over the past 25 years, all reliable although some of the connections need a wiggle from time to time, especially the multi-pin front panel.
 
chubby said:
Does the fusion maintain radio presets when turned off? most car units require a power feed when off to maintain that which is fine on a car being used nearly every day but not happy with a boat left off all week
Click to expand...

I have one of the older ones (from the days you stuck an ipod into them) and they have a separate power wire for maintaining presets (which I haven't connected because I only ever listen to the radio for the shipping forecast when for some reason I'm out of mobile Internet range).
 
We have a mechless head unit, which is a radio with usb stick/SD card reader. It controls 4 speakers, cabin and deck, most cars have front/rear balance controls. Also takes a feed from anyone's phone via a 3.5mm lead. It was about £40 ten years ago and it's fine.
Also have a bluetooth speaker That's rechargeable and works anywhere, not weather proof but OK under the pram hood.

The permanent feed to car stereos is quite often not just a few mA to keep the memory alive, it's the wire which the main power is drawn from. The 'switched live' is just a control on many sets.
 
Hot Property said:
£60 JVC from Halfords works for me. It sits in the cabin and I just Bluetooth music to it. I have weather proof speakers in the cockpit. As long as the cabin remains dry during the winter there shouldn't be a problem...

JVC KD-R794BT CD receiver Bluetooth Wireless Music Streaming
Click to expand...

Associated question. When you connect a smartphone to these Bluetooth car radios for streaming music, can the radio's hands-free phone functionality be disabled?
 
chubby said:
Does the fusion maintain radio presets when turned off? most car units require a power feed when off to maintain that which is fine on a car being used nearly every day but not happy with a boat left off all week, How about car units? non volatile me
Click to expand...
It’s not only the radio presets it’s all your other settings and tone controls. I would never want to reset all of that every time.
 
I bought a lovely alpine unit from eBay. It came with 3 external amplifiers, a sub woofer and 4 decent speakers for under £200. The unit alone would have probably been double that. There are some good car unit bargains on eBay.

I have 2 warfdale diamond domestic speakers in the saloon, bought from richer sounds. fed via one amplifier and supplemented by the subwoofer fed by another amplifier. this sounds good and there is decent stereo imagery sat in the saloon.

The 3rd amplifier feeds the external speakers via a switch. The speakers are sat in my shed.

It sounds good inside, sounds as good as waterproof speakers with compromised locations can outside, and all in was less than £300.

Downside compared with fusion is lack of zone control. I have to go into a menu and adjust the fader to change the relative saloon/deck volume.
 
I have a 3-band car stereo in the cabin (can't remember what brand). Where I live and sail, the radio would have to have Long Wave, as that is the only way I can pick up Radio 4, for the Shipping Forecast, apart from Liverpool and Belfast Coastguard broadcasts. Generally we don't bother with any sounds while sailing, so don't have cockpit speakers.
 
A Philips car radio was fitted in my boat by previous owners, together with a six CD changer, the latter on the back of a cupboard door and the former panel mounted close by. I guess they were put in when the boat was new, and had seven years in charter use, plus another 13 years in my ownership, and both are still working fine. I see no reason to splash extra cash on a "marine" product if you are going to mount it in a dry place.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top