Music Onboard

Yesterday I acquired a new stereo unit from WM to replace the 1990 cassette based stereo onboard Budds' Outlet.* This thing appears to be a leap forward in technology in the magnitude of light years.

I picked out this particular unit because it has an RF remote that does not require line of site.* How many times have you been settling in to watch the sunset and realized that Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata was just a little too loud?* Problem solved, just tap the remote from anywhere within 30 or so feet of the stereo.

In addition to CD, these things now accept and control iPhone and iPad music from the remote.* It also has an SD slot in addition to a USB slot.* I'm looking forward to*the comming*3 day weekend to install this puppy!

What do you use and why did you choose it?

That sounds identical to the new system we installed last summer. Ours is an automotive unit (Kenyon I think) that has more bells and whistles than I'll ever understand but that's why we have kids, right?

Ours is strictly inside the main cabin, no exposure to weather.

Is yours automotive or marine?

Yes, the remote feature is great!

Budds Outlet wrote:

What do you use and why did you choose it?

Click to expand...

Our boat has a stereo system in it but we use a Bose Sound Dock.* Best sound quality I have ever heard from a small system--- beats every car stereo-type system I've ever heard, and we can put it wherever we want, inside, outside, whatever.

Being a live aboard we have a 100 watt Pioneer full entertainment surround sound, CD/DVD/TV and a separate 100 watt Pioneer sound system for the external speakers of the boat.* When we watch moves like Jurassic Park *hat whole boat will shack, and we can drown out any boat with in 100 ft.*
*
When we moored on Lake Union for the 4^th of July fireworks it was coordinated with music, and out a self preservation of the many young yuppie hip hop, *so*we could drown them out, so they quickly got the idea to turn down their music/bass as we listen to Country and/or Christian. **Nothing puts a damper on a wild party like Amazing Grace or Achy Breaky Heart.******

I have a pioneer car sterio but only have speakers on the deck.

I gotta hear the motor running.

SD


-- Edited by skipperdude on Friday 17th of February 2012 01:23:33 PM

I bought a Sony automotive stereo with CD player about ten years ago. It is inside a very dry cabin, and works great. I also have a Monster cable which allows me to play my ipod through the stereo.

We have a Sony I put in about 3 years ago plays radio, cds and controls an Ipod, also a satellite XM radio dock just below it, it which plugs into the Aux. input. It is all hardwired to a Sony wired remote controller on the flying bridge so we can control it from up there, works great. There is a sat. radio dock in the car also, I so can use the reciever in the car and boat with the same subscription.
We carry a portable Sony Ipod dock, a/c or battery power, for music on shore BBQs etc.
Steve W.

Conrad wrote:
That sounds identical to the new system we installed last summer. Ours is an automotive unit (Kenyon I think) that has more bells and whistles than I'll ever understand but that's why we have kids, right?

Ours is strictly inside the main cabin, no exposure to weather.

Is yours automotive or marine?

Yes, the remote feature is great!

Click to expand...

*WM calls it marine grade and the box refers to it as a marine unit.* It comes with little rubber plugs to cover the inputs when not in use.* So I am assuming its a marine unit.* Like your's, our's is inside*not subject to exposure.

From my own experience, and that of others, the water tight units are only necessary on the fly bridge, or a very damp old wood boat.

Since I love music, I went all out for my setup. Two identical Dual radios (one inside and one on the flybridge). They can be linked together to play the same music on the entire boat or play different tunes. I have 10 speakers plus a subwoofer for that deep bass sound that I like. I also hooked up a small bluetooth receiver so I can play music from my ipad wirelessly.

I went with the Fusion IP600 and Fusion speakers. The features that sold me: 1) I can read the display without reading glasses (good for old farts); 2) has three zones for independent volume control - in my case, saloon, deck/flybridge, and master stateroom; 3) by all accounts from sportfishers, charter boats, etc. down here, superior weather and moisture sealing; 4) takes virtually any ipod as a source as well as Sirius.

+1 for the Fusion. I just installed one for exactly the same reasons as above and love it. I also added the remote to the flybridge and can control everything from there.

+2 for Fusion. Fusion MS-BX402 120 watt Box Speakers and a 4 channel amp to be delivered tomorrow. I also wanted "Zones"

+3 for Fusion 600CD with Ipod connector also works with the Ipad. Gigs of songs.....love it!

OK,
I got my rig in. A set of Fusion MS- BX402 120 watt box speakers mounted under the "brow", pushed by a new marine grade Poly Planer ME-60 marine amp. I kept my original West Marine set of round flybridge speakers and another smaller pair in the saloon wired original to my Clarion stereo which has a port to run my iPod, iPad or iPhone through.
My hope was to "zone" my volumes, and the new 4 channel amp had a remote wired volume control.
Problem was, after installed, the only way to "push" my new Fusion speakers was to bring the original stereo volume, and unfortunately the flybridge speakers up much more than I wanted. It seems the new 60 watt booster couldn't push the Fusion speakers any louder than my original set up. That's when I found out my original Clarion stereo was 200 watts. I went back in- set up my flybridge speakers to run through the new 60 watt amp this gave me a dedicated volume control at the controller that came with the amp. I then set up the new speakers on the "rear" channel of the original 200 watt Clarion stereo, and kept the saloon speakers on the "front" channel- where they were to begin with. Next I set "fader", which adjusts front/ back, much higher on the new Fusion speakers- resulting in a great sounding system.
Next- I might add a Bazooka subwoofer to the remaining free channel on my 60 watt amp:biggrin:

10+ years ago we put a Pioneer auto stereo and 6 CD changer in console above in the pilot house with a remote. It is line of site remote but we deal with it. recently, I took the CD changer out and was able to plug an ipod dock in the Aux input wilth a Pioneer cable. I am glad I used a DIN and a half radio box so it does not really look like a car stereo. Looks more boaty. It all runs 4 medium sized Bose house hold speakers.

We have a local radio station that carries all the LSU football games in Baton Rouge. The problem is that we can barely pull it in at the slip about 50 miles out of BR. Yesterday AM while listen to Walton and Johnson on the station while working they mentioned an email from a fan in Australia. She listened on her computer.
:lightbulb: A little research and I downloaded an app called Tunein Radio on my iPhone and guess what?? I will be able to "share" the LSU game with anyone around using the boat stereo! And the best part is that I can do this on Ship Island, on Lake Ponchatrain or the slip. Technology!