Stereo system with BT, NFC et al

[vas]

hi all,

trying to find what stereo I'll fit in MiToS. Will be in the lower helm, fully weather protected with speakers on the salon and the aft deck (thick proper stereo wiring already in place, new two way polypropylene cone speakers bought, waiting installation, ah, looking for a second pair for the aft deck ceiling but need to be very shallow...).
Decided against having a third set of speakers for the f/b as I'm not sure how I'd control them, but let's not discuss that.

So, with all four members of the family having Sony xperia android smartphones, all having their own playlists, (I'm not allowing any apple devices, that's democracy for you!) it seems that a Bluetooth car stereo would fit the bill nicely. NFC (you know the thing that you touch the phone on the stereo to pair them) is also a handy feature. Check this video, not quite what you'll need in a boat (unless garmin teams up with sony ) but gives a good idea of the features.
Which more or less means I'll have to go for a sony car stereo, something like the 110euro Sony MEX-N4000BT (or the even cheaper BT3100U). Also feature a usb port to connect stream music and charge phone as well if you wish.
Happy with all these features, happy with the price BUT I have one only issue (apart possible objections from the panel which will be happily received as always):

How well would that feature run from say the aft deck?
When I leave my phone in the boat in the chart table (where the stereo lives) and work around wearing my bt handsfree, things are more or less OK on plain sound (unless I go silly and work on the hull or inside the lazarette...) BUT MUSIC??? would the bandwidth be "greater" making possible cuts and misses?
The point of sitting in the aft deck and choosing music from my xperia, sorting out volume levels, equalization, etc is brilliant, but will it work or I'll end up keeping the phone in the chart table by the stereo? Distance from chart table to aft deck seating is approx. 5-6m with a glass door in between (which will be open anyway)
Should I do it?

cheers

V.

 

[MarieK]

I have the BT3100U on the boat and it works flawlessly. BT range is perfect from anywhere in the boat with no interruption. It doesnt have the touch pairing but once you pair a device it reconnects automatically when you come in range. Might be a problem with all your devices trying to compete for connection so just enable bluetooth on the device you want to use at the time.

You asked about how to control from FB, just bring the phone up there with you and you have full control of volume play/pause etc through whatever player you are using on the phone. Added bonus of music being muted once you get a call so less likely to miss calls when underway.

Probably the cheapest bit of electronics on the boat but it just works everytime without complaint.

I use if for a few other things as well. When on a long passage I have an app on my phone called Xmotion GPS which announces trip data (distance covered,time to destination etc all configurable) Got the idea from a video JennyWren Mike put up a few years ago. The app just interrupts music briefly to make its announcement then goes away for 10 mins. I also have my laptop paired with it so when watching a movie I get surround sound

 

[Keith-i]

Have you checked out Fusion Marine stereos? They have outputs for speakers in different 'zones' in the boat and can be controlled from certain chart plotters. They also MP3's from iPods and the like.

 

[vas]

Have you checked out Fusion Marine stereos? They have outputs for speakers in different 'zones' in the boat and can be controlled from certain chart plotters. They also MP3's from iPods and the like.

Keith,

Fusion to my understanding are mainly IPa_lot specced, v. expensive machinery focusing on i devices (which I hate with a passion) and I'm not happy paying for features i'm not going to use. System is going to be in a completely dry place so I rather pay 100 than 300 for my stereo. Shape also wont fit/match the orthogonal upholstered panel next to the 70s Sailor VHF

I have the BT3100U on the boat and it works flawlessly. BT range is perfect from anywhere in the boat with no interruption. It doesnt have the touch pairing but once you pair a device it reconnects automatically when you come in range. Might be a problem with all your devices trying to compete for connection so just enable bluetooth on the device you want to use at the time.

You asked about how to control from FB, just bring the phone up there with you and you have full control of volume play/pause etc through whatever player you are using on the phone. Added bonus of music being muted once you get a call so less likely to miss calls when underway.

Probably the cheapest bit of electronics on the boat but it just works everytime without complaint.

I use if for a few other things as well. When on a long passage I have an app on my phone called Xmotion GPS which announces trip data (distance covered,time to destination etc all configurable) Got the idea from a video JennyWren Mike put up a few years ago. The app just interrupts music briefly to make its announcement then goes away for 10 mins. I also have my laptop paired with it so when watching a movie I get surround sound

thanks MK, that's what I wanted to hear. Sony MEX-N4000BT it is then (I'll be able to use B/T on my handsfree while daughter is streaming music to the stereo )
Hope it features a green lighting that will match the Sailor RT next to it

cheers

V.

 

[Nick_H]

I have, well had, a Sony BT stereo at the upper helm in a weatherproof locker, but I can't remember which model.

It's a faff to get the BT to work, I have to pair the devices again each time. I'm at the extent of its range if lying on the sunbed at the back, about 4m away, and at this range the sound gets interrupted if people walk directly between the phone and the head unit.

Having said that, it's an old unit, I have an iphone, and it's housed in a locker, so you may get different results with a newer unit. I need to replace it as it stopped altogether last year, so thanks for the advice on models numbers.

 

[scubaman]

I have an Alpine IVE-W530BT and regularly use BT with an iPad. I works very well, usually it pairs automatically when I walk into the boat. Sometimes I need to do the pairing from the menu to establish a connection but that happens so rarely I haven't experienced that as a problem. The head unit is located by the saloon door so it is very centrally located and thus I haven't had any range issues. As a side note, for me the location by the door works well as it's an easy reach from most socialising places in the boat.

 

[U4]

This thread is perfect timing as I have been looking at replacing the old head unit that came with my boat for a BT version!

The Sony ones look really good (the Alpine version is a bit big and I don’t want to start cutting bigger holes to accommodate) although does anyone know if supports DVD play back as well as CD's as the current one that I have plays DVD's on to the boats TV screen so I don’t want to lose that functionality? I have looked through the product specs and I cant see any reference to supported formats?

 

[Robg71]

I fitted the Clarion dvd head unit. Sounds great, but no bluetooth, so maybe not what your looking for. It does have a remote, also a wired panel mount remote, and plays dvd to the nav screens/TV. I plug my iPod or a flash card reader in to the USB port, so its good for that.

I am impressed with the spec sheet on the new Garmin unit, Everything controllable through n2k... And it plays FLAC files... rather than just compressed to death mp3