Your stereo is the backbone of an on-board entertainment system, so choose one wisely. Here's a look at some of the new units.
By Glenn Law
The basic entertainment unit at the helm of a modern cruising boat is an AM/FM radio that's satellite-ready and equipped with a CD player. It's an essential piece of gear for any person who spends a lot of time on the water, whether using those hours to run through the 5,000 songs on a playlist or scanning the low end of the FM dial for National Public Radio.
"The basic system," says Clarion's product manager, Mike Fukuda, "has Sirius radio and iPod capability, in conjunction with a wired remote." Clarion, the marine stereo of choice for some 23 boat manufacturers and one of the most widely installed brands on the market, claims to have been the first marine stereo to offer a DVD player and connectivity to an iPod and iPhone. The Clarion CMD6 ($499) also is compatible with MP3 (generic audio files), WMA (Windows) and AAC (iPod) and comes with a sealed stainless-steel chassis with a watertight, flip-down control panel.
The next step up in the Clarion line is the CMV1 ($799), which adds DVD capability to the mix, providing video feed that can be directed to multiple locations on the boat. "You can take the output through a video amplifier and shoot the video to multiple screens," Fukuda says.
AM/FM and satellite radio functions are standard issue; the connection for the digital music player or flash drive is a pigtail on the back of the head unit. The digital music player control is transferred to a control head or remote. "Most boats have compartments at the helm or down below for the radio," Fukuda says. "Or you can store it away in a glove box, where it is safe, and control it from the waterproof head or a remote."
Alpine has been in the mobile stereo business for a long, long time. "Think eighttrack players," says Steve Brown, product manager for the company. However, Alpine got into the marine stereo market a little later than most companies. "We are the last to bring a waterproof stereo to market," Brown says. "We didn't want to repeat what everybody had already done. We designed a unit around what boat owners are using — iPod and satellite radio — and we engineered a deck to control those functions that's better than anyone else's."
A big difference between the auto and marine audio markets, Brown says, is the demographic. For car stereos, the typical consumer is male, 18 to 25 years old. For boats, it's a male over 40, which means reading glasses. Alpine has specifically designed a big-button intuitive interface, along with a big display that most people will be able to see without reaching for their readers. Alpine's CDA-118M ($450) has a two-line LCD display with large text that is easy to see, even in bright sunlight. Four large backlit buttons provide one-touch access to the audio sources: iPod/USB, satellite radio, CD and tuner. The large rotary knob controls volume and also is used to quickly search for songs. Dual-zone control adjusts volume in independent listening areas and keeps the sound from each speaker proportional as volume level is adjusted. "This is the first year that we have had complete systems, including fully waterproof speakers, marine-rated amplifiers and subwoofers," Brown says.
The cost of refitting a cruising boat with a new Alpine system is highly variable. For starters, a basic system with a couple of different zones and speakers and a control head starts at about $1,500. "Start adding additional zones, amplifiers, subwoofers and you can get into the $5,000 to $10,000 range," he says.
Fusion marine stereos have no terrestrial ancestors; the company started life as a marine stereo manufacturer. The heart of the Fusion flagship system is the MS-CD600G, an AM/FM and Sirius tuner with a CD drive ($345). Two options allow integration of an iPod: a cable from the rear, as is used by other systems, or integration with the MS-IPDOCK ($49), a waterproof module that transfers control of iPod and iPhone to the main head. "The user interface actually emulates the Apple interface so the end result is you don't have to learn anything new to operate the system," says Todd Crocker, Fusion USA's regional director. All iPod and iPhone docking takes place behind the fold-down, waterproof front of the control head. Each head comes with a complete set of tooled adapters specifically machined for iPod Touch, iPod Nano (Gen2, Gen3 and Gen4) and iPod Classic (Gen5 and Gen6), as well as all new iPhones.
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Headlining Fusion's lineup is the MS-AV600G ($499) with a skipprotected DVD player. It offers AM/FM, is Sirius-ready and networks with the MS-IPDOCK. iPhone integration simplifies a complex set of steps. Audio files stored on the iPhone can be accessed and played through the system. Should the phone ring, you have the option of answering the call with a Bluetooth remote headset.
Fusion's most popular control head bypasses the disc player altogether and eliminates the need to install a separate docking slot. The MS-IP600G ($299) offers AM/FM, Sirius and internal iPod docking for all of the aforementioned models.
How you choose to configure the audio platform on your boat is open to interpretation, but one thing is certain: You won't be hampered by a lack of options.
Other New Electronics featured this month:
- More Electronics from past issues.
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