Music on board

I've seen some discussion of music and entertainment systems, but have not really figured out what I want to do on a new build.

I'm a bit of a Luddite regarding stereo's and a bit tone deaf - so speaker quality is not a big issue for me. I don't listen to anything under way, but at sometimes anchor I like a little background noise. I don't listen to much music. Unless it's unusually good music, I'm more inclined to listen to NPR on FM radio than a local music station.

So I think my choices are an installed stereo that lets me plug in a thumbdrive or SD card, or run stored music off of my phone but still have FM capability. OR, some type of portable speaker with FM and bluetooth that allows me to do essentially the same as the installed stereo - but with more hassle storing it and keeping batteries charged, but less hassle replacing it when it eventually stops working or technology leaves it behind. Probably a portable system will be lower cost as well.

Any thoughts on installed stereo vs. portable? I should add, it's a small boat so having speakers wired throughout is not a requirement for me.

Something like these portables are the low and high end range of what I'm considering:

https://www.amazon.com/Sbode-Blueto...uetooth+radio&qid=1553779237&s=gateway&sr=8-2

https://www.amazon.com/Fusion-Enter...N=B01LXDANCR#HLCXComparisonWidget_feature_div

Thanks.

Ever thought of Bluetooth earbuds such as the Bose? That way you can enjoy the music without inflicting it on your neighbors in the anchorage.

You might also want to consider a streaming only subscription to Sirius. Much cheaper than their satellite broadcast, more channels, and available where you have cell reception.

I wouldn't use earbuds. I don't really inflict damage on neighbors (I'm too old to play things loud) and I usually want to hear whats going on around me more than listening to music.

I do need to figure out what services and subscriptions are out there. Even though I hate paying for subscriptions and don't like using too much cell data. I'll check that one out.

Thanks,

I have a Fusion unit which has bluetooth, 3 separate speaker zones, is controllable via hardwire controller, wireless controller and my chartplotters via NMEA2K. It gets FM, AM, and Sirius. I usually use Sirius or sometimes bluetooth from my phone or iPad. That way I can listen to my usual stations wherever I go. Yes its a subscription service but at $16 a month its not too bad. Its a "black box" style unit so I put it where I wanted and no holes to make in woodwork or dashboard. Works great for me.


Ken

If you have battery tools onboard and they happen to be Ryobi, then you could use their Bluetooth speakers and keep the same rechargeable batteries.

When we upgrade phones we keep the old ones without SIM cards as media players. I fill them with music and downloaded Netflix and TV off of WiFi for use later. You can also use them to stream SiriusXM if you have a hotspot or a WiFi connection.

I use my old IPod loaded up with music and for amplification I put it in a metal bowl or in the powered speaker when plugged in. I also have the Tune-in Radio app to listen to hundreds of stations from around the world. An old smart phone as pointed out would do the same. I do have an onboard stereo but don't use it that much.

We have a Jensen Marine # MS2013BT With all the Wifi, Blue tooth bells and whistles. We generally just stream Pandora or Tune-in at no cost and it works great. Not Expensive when I got it ($160) but is one of their marine units. Been very happy with it..

We are in Alaska and BC during the summer. Sirius satellite service is always available, music and all their other channels. It's a good fit for us.

Another Fusion fan, an older unit so I retrofit bluetooth into the system. It has my iPod inside the unit, and streams from iPhone, iPad, Powerbook, or anyone else's unit with bluetooth. Watching movies on the Powerbook I stream the sound over the speakers to enhance the movie experience.

I have been so satisfied with it that I wouldn't really consider any other brand to replace it, the new units are even nicer and I considered an upgrade even though the older unit works perfectly.

I also am in the Coastal British Columbia area. I am installing a new Clarion 4 zone head unit and using 3 Fusion panel speakers that can be flush mounted, one for the V birth/galley area, one for the cabin location, and one for the cockpit. I'm 71 so loud listening isn't my thing. I will be subscribing to Sirius Satellite service as I'm not into ipod type devices and the satellite service offers me a decent range of music, from soft jazz to humour, from news to soft electronic (spa) music, also so contemporary dance music with a great beat.

After hearing the same songs for years on the radio, I''m tired of just about any song I hear. Youtube is offerning a service on a 3 month demo where you set up your own sound from available Youtube videos. If I'm happy with that, I'll use it in conjunction with a small portable bluetooth speaker I have. I have Serius in my car and I usually love it or hate it, the signal does get blocked easily so I'm not too sure how well I will be able to pick up signals in Desolation and Broughton areas.

Bkay said:

Any thoughts on installed stereo vs. portable? I should add, it's a small boat so having speakers wired throughout is not a requirement for me.

Click to expand...

We have both portable speakers and installed stereos. Both is a good option, in my opinion, but if you're only going to do one, get an installed stereo with bluetooth (if not Sirius itself).

The bluetooth option will allow your phone (and any guests as well) to easily stream any content through your boat's speakers.

The portable option is ok, but we have found on many occasions that when we actually want to use the portable speakers the battery is dead and needs to be recharged.

We have a pair of waterproof, buoyant, portable bluetooth speakers that can sync to our phones. They work really well and we can take the tunes with us around the boat, on the dingy, to a beach, to docktails (by request of course) etc. Generally we use Spotify for everything related to tunage. My wife has created some playlists just for boating "Fortitunes", "On-the-hook", etc.

At home we use Sonos. If and when we ever liveaboard that system will come with us. Amazing integration and sound quality.

JBL GO 2 Bluetooth speaker and mobile phone loaded with tunes
Surprisingly good sound from a small package. (JBL is an offshoot of Harmon Khardon)
Water resistant and we have ran it continually for 5 hours off a single charge.
Get them for around $20

We have car stereo upstairs and down and media centre with 5 speaker surround sound but rarely use either anymore.

Hmmm...sounds like several pieces of good advice. Thanks for your input!

Bkay said:

Hmmm...sounds like several pieces of good advice. Thanks for your input!

Click to expand...

I have an installed system with speakers in the salon and on the bridge. Seldom use them. I broke the habit because the bluff behind my marina blocks the Tacoma NPR station which I regard as one of the best jazz collections ever.

So I just stream through my NAV computer or my phone as appropriate and Bluetooth to a really nice portable BOSE speaker array. Also got Pandora.

Both Pandora and Spotify offer free streaming music if you don't mind an advertisement every once in a while.

Some cell phone providers don't count music streaming as data, so check your cell plan.

I use a blutooth speaker that is durable, cheap and sounds great that I got on Amazon ( link below ). I leave it plugged in and use it as my main "sound system" 75% of the time. When I want to take it with me, its always charged. You can actually get 2 of them and they will work as "left" and "right" if you wanted . I have dropped it off a 12 foot ladder a few times and its weatherproof.

If you go with a built in system, make sure it has an "audio in" option so you will be able to run your phone, ipad, whatever comes next into it.

https://www.amazon.com/OontZ-Angle-...onics&sprefix=angle+bluet,sporting,162&sr=1-3

+1 on the Fusion stereo with multiple zones.

There is a Fusion app for smartphone or tablet (or the NMEA2000 interface for late model MFDs) so you can control it from anywhere, and stream from phone, tablet or USB. We currently are doing satellite, but the stereo will support it if we decide to add it. I also found that my nav laptop can hook up via bluetooth and I can stream from there, too.

I really like that I can control zones independently. We have 4 speakers in the salon/aft cabin on one zone, and additional speakers on another zone for the flybridge. We can tailor the music level in each zone for the tastes of whoever is in that zone.

Ours is the Fusion MS-RA70N, and only does the two zones. Other Fusion models cost more but do more zones; I just didn't need that.

We coupled the stereo with a mid range 600w amplifier and some decent speakers - I'm a bit of a snob for how real my music sounds, and the combination works well for me. The boat isn't a place for blasting music, but having good quality at low to medium low sound levels is important, and the combination I have does great.

We like our Fusion multizone system. Have the 700Series. Set up 3 zones, controlled on ipad, raymarine mfd, wired remote on flybridge. Sirius radio and old cd collection ripped to usb flashdrives. Have small Fusion zone amp for third zone on the flybridge, it powers it self off when volume is 0. Set of speakers in Aft cabin another in forward cabin, 2 sets in salon, and final set on flybridge. Seems like a lot but


being able to play music just where you want is nice, without blasting everywhere,

Bose Bluetooth sound bar. Portable, sound quality is fine for our needs and way less expensive than an installed system of receivers, amps, speakers, etc. And when we sell the boat, it comes with us.

I have always thought the mini speaker "pods" mounted everywhere look like an ugly afterthought.

Fusion and ONLY Fusion. I had everything from car like marine stereo to portable speakers. You will never understand the value of Fusion multi zone system till you get one or play with one. That is properly installed on the boat.
https://assets.fusionentertainment....eo/Apollo-video-20mb.mp4?mtime=20180612100832

Another vote here for a portable bluetooth speaker and your phone. We have a bose system that came with the boat installed below, I guess it sounds good, but it is AC powered, and we are seldom below so we never use it. In the 6 years we have owned the boat I think I have turned it on maybe 4 times. No speakers on the FB and I have zero interest in cutting any more holes.



My brother has a complex multi zone, multi speaker, multi amp installed system on his Ocean. Darn thing never works and he's spent a fortune on trying to keep it running. Most of the time when I go over to his boat I bring over a little speaker and we listen to it as we sit in the cockpit and have a beer.



We have a family spotify subscription which we share with our two (16 and 20) sons. It's darn near free and you can either stream or download any song or "album" you want.


I'm kind of like you, I'm not much of a music fan really. At 50 years old I'm sick and tired of all of the music I listened to when I was younger, and I have trouble finding new stuff I like. If I hear another Buffett, Beatles or Billy Joel song I think I may poison the well, salt the fields and move to a distant land.


That said, Spotify is pretty good at suggesting music based on your likes. I've managed to pick up a few newer faves, like Old Dominion. The Bluetooth speakers sound really good. A friend gave me a cool little waterproof speaker called a barnacle, it has a suction cup attachment. It's great for the SUP or the beach. Sounds surprisingly good.

Off the shelf Sony car stereo that takes a USB stick. Five USB sticks with 1,000 songs each downloaded from Youtube.

I put in a full integrated system, the salon even has the new Dolby Atmos sourround sound. Its great for movies but bottom line is I haven’t used any of the zones for music since getting a Bose Revolve + Bluetooth Speaker. Its just brilliant, you can carry it around with you if you move locations, easy to sync and use, seems to be semi water proof and great sound quality. Now regretting the complex wired system other than the salon for the occasional rainy movie night.
I just got the Bose Micro Bluetooth Speaker for the new RIB, will be testing it out today.
AC

Cheap solution

I have an old car stereo without USB/aux inputs. It still works fine.


I bought a cheap 12 volt plugin car FM transmitter wireless audio adapter


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0778HJVQZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


I downloaded all my music unto a 32gb Micro SD card that slid into the side of the adapter (or you can use a USB stick)


I keep it on shuffle play and I don't hear the same song for days.

Arthurc said:

I put in a full integrated system, the salon even has the new Dolby Atmos sourround sound. Its great for movies but bottom line is I haven’t used any of the zones for music since getting a Bose Revolve + Bluetooth Speaker. Its just brilliant, you can carry it around with you if you move locations, easy to sync and use, seems to be semi water proof and great sound quality. Now regretting the complex wired system other than the salon for the occasional rainy movie night.
I just got the Bose Micro Bluetooth Speaker for the new RIB, will be testing it out today.
AC

Click to expand...

That Bose unit is just what I was looking for! Our boat came with 2 sound systems. Bridge and cabin. Amplifiers and speakers everywhere. Great sound. After first cocktail both are just way too complicated for an old guy.

Thanks for the input and experience. I'm leaning toward a Bluetooth speaker as well.

I love the comment "If I hear another Buffett, Beatles or Billy Joel song..." sums up my feelings exactly!

Benthic2 said:

Both Pandora and Spotify offer free streaming music if you don't mind an advertisement every once in a while.

Some cell phone providers don't count music streaming as data, so check your cell plan.

I use a blutooth speaker that is durable, cheap and sounds great that I got on Amazon ( link below ). I leave it plugged in and use it as my main "sound system" 75% of the time. When I want to take it with me, its always charged. You can actually get 2 of them and they will work as "left" and "right" if you wanted . I have dropped it off a 12 foot ladder a few times and its weatherproof.

If you go with a built in system, make sure it has an "audio in" option so you will be able to run your phone, ipad, whatever comes next into it.

https://www.amazon.com/OontZ-Angle-...onics&sprefix=angle+bluet,sporting,162&sr=1-3

Click to expand...

I just bought one of these and after using it a few times I love it. Small excellent sound, I plan on using it on my center console.

The PO installed a $3000 stereo with speakers all over the boat. As I get to them I am ripping it all out since we will never use it and my wife said she didn’t want the speakers all over. We have a Bluetooth speaker that we use with my iPhone for music. Works well enough for us.

Bkay said:

Any thoughts on installed stereo vs. portable? I should add, it's a small boat so having speakers wired throughout is not a requirement for me.

Something like these portables are the low and high end range of what I'm considering:

https://www.amazon.com/Sbode-Blueto...uetooth+radio&qid=1553779237&s=gateway&sr=8-2

https://www.amazon.com/Fusion-Enter...N=B01LXDANCR#HLCXComparisonWidget_feature_div

Thanks.

Click to expand...

I installed a Sony stereo years ago with 2 nice Bose/Alpine speaker systems but my TV sound is lacking. I tried tapping into the stereo via the aux but it's often occupied by the Echo Dot or my phone via BT to the stereo through that same aux channel. (It's an old pre-BT stereo!)

I saw this speaker in your post #1 and it looked like the solution to my problem. BT for the times I need to boost cellphone audio (like a dink ride) and an aux jack for my non-BT HDTV. Also, I'm losing my hearing in my elder years and it will provide great laptop audio as well.

It came today for $40 2-day shipping from Amazon. I'm very impressed with this speaker! Even fits in a cupholder.

Thanks much for the post!

FlyWright said:

It came today for $40 2-day shipping from Amazon. I'm very impressed with this speaker! Even fits in a cupholder.

Click to expand...

Glad it helped and thank you for the feedback!