Boat stereo reviews

[bouttime007]

Anybody know of a good site to read up on boat stereo equipment?

Ive been searching high and low for boat stereo equipment and Ive found limited in-depth reviews on stuff. I just want to find halfway decent stuff at a reasonable price. The price I can find, and I can hunt around to find deals if Im sure the item is going to be worth considering. Im having a hard time finding reviews on some stuff, and would like to be able to make an informed choice by completing my homework.

Im looking for a decent CD player and one pair of speakers. I have one set of speakers already, but they are only 4 inch and Id like to find one more set of bigger ones to put under the dash. Also, Im not looking to go epic here, just a CD head unit with some EQ options and 2 speakers with decent sensitivity (91 or higher).

Thanks for any help.

 

[bouttime007]

Re: Boat stereo reviews

Odd, my post isnt showing up on the board?

 

[bouttime007]

Re: Boat stereo reviews

Or maybe someone could suggest/discourage one brand over others?

 

[slia67]

Re: Boat stereo reviews

http://www.crutchfield.com/c_20/Marine-Audio.html?tp=419 or http://www.sonicelectronix.com/cat_i131_marine-audio---video.html

Reviews are written by the customers who buy the equipment.

 

[Expidia]

Re: Boat stereo reviews

Look up a member here called "PondTunes". He set me up with all my stereo stuff. I went with Kenwood Sirius ready CD and AM/FM unit. Kenwood makes really nice speakers (and that's the most important part) and the audio unit is great too.


I had a minor issue a few months after I received it and they shipped me a brand new one within days. Sean's prices were very good, so I didn't have to shop around.

He put together a package deal for me. I got two speakers, the stereo (came with a remote), a remote station control, an Ipod adapter cable and a splash shield.

They say water resistant so you still need the splash shield face.

I'd stay away from the store brand stuff like Dual which West Marinee sells. Kenwood has always had a good rep.

I use my small Sirius unit that I transfer from my car to the boat. It plays through the unit beautifully. Once you go Sirius, you will never play another CD or listen to the AM FM on the stereo again.

But I have to be real careful or find some type over enclosure for the Sirius cause this model is not waterproof. I know this cause it's my 2nd one. All it took was a splash to toast it. I was lucky to find this older model used on Ebay, so I didn't have to replace all my accessories like the 4 antennas I have etc.

 

[bouttime007]

Re: Boat stereo reviews

Yeah Ive been all through sites like Crutchfield, Sonic Elec, Rock the Boat and such.

Im looking for the lower end stuff though, and theres not much "in depth" to any reviews out there for that. Im sure having to settle on a Pyle or Dual wont be all world, but thats whats in my price range at the moment. I would love to have the good stuff, but I can get by with cheaper right now. Actually, thats why I wanted to find a place that tells it like it is on the lower end components so I can at least get some of the features I want.

 

[scca vette]

Re: Boat stereo reviews

Yeah Ive been all through sites like Crutchfield, Sonic Elec, Rock the Boat and such.

Im looking for the lower end stuff though, and theres not much "in depth" to any reviews out there for that. Im sure having to settle on a Pyle or Dual wont be all world, but thats whats in my price range at the moment. I would love to have the good stuff, but I can get by with cheaper right now. Actually, thats why I wanted to find a place that tells it like it is on the lower end components so I can at least get some of the features I want.

AMAZON.com has some really good deals on boat stereo equipment. If you want a decent system without spending a fortune then go with PYLE. I have used a lot of PYLE stuff in the past for car audio also and always had good luck.

 

[bouttime007]

Re: Boat stereo reviews

Thanks Vette.

I was looking at some of the Pyle combo deals (head-speakers-spray cover) and they are pretty reasonable price-wise. Im sure they arent all world, but hey as long as it sounds decent.

Some of the Dual and Boss stuff is cheap enough, but I dont know how much better it would be than Pyle. Like I said, I cant find much for info out there to compare them right down to the wire.

 

[scca vette]

Re: Boat stereo reviews

Thanks Vette.

I was looking at some of the Pyle combo deals (head-speakers-spray cover) and they are pretty reasonable price-wise. Im sure they arent all world, but hey as long as it sounds decent.

Some of the Dual and Boss stuff is cheap enough, but I dont know how much better it would be than Pyle. Like I said, I cant find much for info out there to compare them right down to the wire.

I am running a PYLE amp and subs in my Corvette and had a lot of friends order pyle items from me when we owned the sign shop (had a business account with a stereo vendor) and they all had good luck with their items.

 

[bouttime007]

Re: Boat stereo reviews

Ok, thanks.

Looks like its either Pyle, Boss or Dual with 2 speakers.

 

[RickJ6956]

Re: Boat stereo reviews

You said you wanted halfway decent stuff at an affordable price and IMO that's exactly what you found. Pyle, Boss, and Dual are the cheapest on the market. Not saying that's a bad thing. After all, it's a boat, not a critical listening room.

I know a guy who just spent more than $4,000 on a system for his boat. He shoves his iPod into it to play lossy-sounding MP3's.

 

[bouttime007]

Re: Boat stereo reviews

You said you wanted halfway decent stuff at an affordable price and IMO that's exactly what you found. Pyle, Boss, and Dual are the cheapest on the market. Not saying that's a bad thing. After all, it's a boat, not a critical listening room.

I know a guy who just spent more than $4,000 on a system for his boat. He shoves his iPod into it to play lossy-sounding MP3's.

Well Im not putting a $4,000 system into my $600 boat thats for sure. LOL

Yeah the prices are fine with those and I have found a bunch that are easily affordable, but I wanted to find out more info on them. Pyle doesnt really go into depth with its products and Crutchfield doesnt sell them (or Dual or Boss marine) otherwise I would just use their description and review for info.


Im interested in which has the best EQ adjustability, and Pyle never seems to explain what exactly theirs consists of. I mean, is it preset EQ parameters or simply a bass/mid/treble rotary or what? They dont say what it is. Boss seems to have a decent EQ offering and slightly higher output wattage, so that is a plus for them. Dual appears to be overpriced for what they actually are offering (pretty much the same as Boss), but they do have some options.

 

[RickJ6956]

Re: Boat stereo reviews

You seem to have your heart set on those three brands, but I have always found Pioneer to have the best feature set for the price. I've put the Pioneer DEH-P4100UB into two of my boats with no issues.

 

[bouttime007]

Re: Boat stereo reviews

Its not that my heart is set on those brands, its my wallet that is becoming fast friends with them. If I had a nice fat budget I would be looking to go JBL or some such, but that isnt a realistic scenerio right now.

Im looking into Pioneer to possibly upgrade my truck system though because that needs tending to as well. (its not helping my wallet trying to do 2 systems at once) I wouldbe worried that deck wouldnt last too long in my boat due to moisture and rain with my mounting spot being right on my open dash. I will be getting a splash cover for any head unit I get though, but I want a head unit with the conformal coated circuit board for sure. I used to do conformal coating in a previous job and that stuff is simply a must have in wet environments.

 

[bouttime007]

Re: Boat stereo reviews

One other thing to note is that I have limited space to install a boat system, and I have to scale down my previous plan of attack as far as speakers go. I was planning on just putting a couple 6x9s under the dash to go with the new head, but Ive come to the conclusion that putting them there would be too low and the sound quality would suffer bigtime. Kinda defeats the purpose to put in speakers that would offer a fatter sound if they are under the dash serenading my kneecaps.

Ive got the dashboard consoles and bow seats out to put in fresh carpet and re-vinyl the bow seats, so now is the time to put in a stereo that will need some customizing. (there was never a stereo in this boat so everything will be a first time deal) I also will be redoing my 2 dashboards with new hardwood faces and can customize them to accept 6.5 speakers in the design. I was going to just put 5.25 speakers in, but might as well try to get as much bang as I can while Im elbow deep in restoration.

 

[slia67]

Re: Boat stereo reviews

I think we all want to help. It would be helpful to know, how much is your budget? And a picture of where you would like to install the stereo and speakers would be helpfuol too. (but budget first)

 

[bouttime007]

Re: Boat stereo reviews

Well my budget for a head unit is anywhere between $75-$110, although Ive found plenty in my price range.

What I am looking for is a spot to look up the specs and reviews of the Pyle/Boss/Dual head units so I can pick one that Im most satisfied with. I also want to know what ones have had issues and have been returned due to being a peice of junk. In the realm of low budget stereo equipment, its a small group to pick from. If there are others that Im missing, feel free to throw out a name or model.

As for pictures, I will have to get some taken but I think I can describe the placement well enough so you understand. My 4 inch Pyramid speakers (I got for $7.77 on ebay) will mount through the small piece of plywood in the bow, where the bow seats stop. This will be covered by a chunk of the new seat vinyl instead of the now horrid looking rug, and isnt really a "backrest" that anyone would ever use. I dont want to cut into the trim or bow seat bases to mount speakers. I originally was going to go this route, but felt the small plywood piece would be higher and pretty easy. If any changes are planned down the road, well, its just a 8inch x 2 foot piece of plywood so Im not out much.

The other bigger speakers will be flush mounted on my new custom made 8 inch x 2 foot dash fronts. I will probably use oak and seal them with poly or bartap. Since I do alot of woodworking (much more than stereo installation) this wont be a problem.

 

[slia67]

Re: Boat stereo reviews

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to come up with any relative specs for any of the stereos that you have listed. You might try to PM AudioGreg, he may have sources that I'm not aware of.

Overtons.com has reviews from people who have purchased some of the stereos that you have mentioned, but not any useful specs.

One thing that I would do (and most other boaters, for that matter) is to buy an automotive stereo and put it a splash-proof face cover on it. That's what I've done with my boats. You can pick up a decent Pioneer, Sony, or Kenwood for much less than $100. Buy some cheap speakers now and as your budget allows put some better marine speakers in.

Sorry I counldn't have been any more help.

 

[jafo9]

Re: Boat stereo reviews

I know a guy who just spent more than $4,000 on a system for his boat. He shoves his iPod into it to play lossy-sounding MP3's.

You are right, most folks use highly compressed music without knowing it. I'm guilty of that sometimes too. Although he could be using Apple's lossless codec.

I'll second Overton's. I bought my sony headunit there. It's basically a car model with some waterproofing on the circuit boards.

 

[bouttime007]

Re: Boat stereo reviews

Hey thanks for the Overtons mention guys. I hadnt checked there. There are actually some customer reviews on these head units there, among a ton of other things.

Much appreciated.