Sony is a household name and among the top giants in the electronics industry. Established in 1946 in Tokyo, Japan, it has since established itself as a renowned brand with diverse product lines ranging from consumer electronics to mobile technologies, gaming consoles, movies and music. Its products and services are all geared towards fulfilling your dreams and imaginations by pursuing innovative and ground-breaking technologies guaranteed to move and wow you in a unique manner. Its products boast the highest quality materials and are put together by the finest engineers and technicians from all walks of life. Your satisfaction is of utmost importance and for each product bought or service rendered, customers can be assured of unparalleled performance and support. It has a retinue of dedicated support staff that follow up on purchases thus rendering top notch after-sales services to ensure customer satisfaction.
The Sony Marine Boat Radio Receiver is a classic marine stereo built to give you the best sound ever while boating. It comes with Radio Data System (RDS) that enables you see data information of the music playing, like the artist’s name, album and song title. Its preset tri-band equalizer lets you adjust and balance the bass sounds for greater enjoyment of your songs and radio programs. It also features a wired remote control for added receiver control.
Other interesting features of this product include:
Kenwood is a household name in the consumer electronics and communication systems industry. Its products are synonymous with quality and are developed and designed to meet and exceed consumer expectations. It prides itself on the manufacture of electronic gadgets far ahead of the competition and the reliability of its products. With its manufacturing plant in Japan, its USA sales subsidiary office was founded in 1961 and has grown to become the largest sales subsidiary of the corporation. Its portable communication systems and two-way radios took the American market by storm and for over 30 years, have remained the benchmark for quality and performance when it comes to communication equipment for both personal and corporate use.
The Kenwood Marine CD Receiver unit comes with a marine receiver and a pair of 6.5 inch speakers. Its 3-band equalizer lets you customize and balance the bass sound for your music and the front-panel USB and auxiliary inputs allow for quick connection of your smartphone or any digital music player source like thumb drives or hard disks. The unit’s 50 watts x 4 maximum power is high enough to provide the speakers with enough power for maximum sound output.
Here are more features that make this marine receiver a great buy:
Founded as a car audio manufacturing brand in New Zealand in 1998, Fusion Entertainment Ltd has grown steadily to occupy one of the top spots in car audio and entertainment system production. Its products are manufactured with the highest quality materials geared towards giving you the best sound production ever. In a bid to expand on its innovative products, the company added marine stereos to its already well-established car audio offering. The brand is a home grown marine audio manufacturing company patronized by renowned boat manufacturers and owners all over the world, and with products centered on complete entertainment and class for the consumer, it’s poised to become a leading name in the boating industry.
The Fusion Entertainment Marine Stereo System is ergonomically designed and value-packed for the music lover on the sea. Its sleek, high-end and sturdy design combines style, performance, and quality in one product like no other, and ensures you get your money’s worth at every turn. What’s more, it's designed in a way that it can easily fit into a traditional car stereo cut-out, so you can install the unit in your vehicle and enjoy your favorite music.
Some of this marine stereo’s astounding features include:
A 1-year consumer warranty on this stereo gives you peace of mind while assuring you of the highest quality product
For almost a century, Clarion has been a brand with close ties to automobiles as far as in-car devices and solutions are concerned. It’s been associated with several groundbreaking and pioneering inventions in the industry which include but are not limited to Japan’s first car radio, Japan’s first car stereo system, the world’s first in-car “AutoPC” and the world’s first bird’s-eye view camera for car rear-view system. Having fully established itself as a world leader in the in-car devices industry, it now expands its product line to include marine stereos so you can take your music along with you while cruising in your boat. Applying the same level of expertise as it does in manufacturing its in-car devices, the brand’s marine stereos are top-notch and designed to give the consumer guaranteed satisfaction in performance and durability.
The Clarion Marine Watertight Remote Control is an innovative device from the Clarion stable that allows you access your marine stereo receiver in a unique way. Its LCD display gives you useful radio data information like the song title, artist’s name and album title. It has all the functions that let you control the music playing on your stereo. It comes in a round, sleek shape that is easily installed in any part of the boat. This unit makes it quite possible to install your marine stereo receiver in a safe compartment out of reach of adverse elements that might lead to its deterioration while you control it from any part of the boat where you have the remote mounted. Its screen is designed so it’s super easy to see the display even under the hottest sun glare.
This device is backed by a 1-year limited warranty
Here are more marine stereo options from Clarion:
Pyle was founded in the 1960s and is known for its high quality woofers and speakers built with advanced technology that put it ahead of other manufacturers on the market. Within a relatively short period after its establishment, the company expanded its product category along the audio line to include car stereo systems, home audio units, marine stereo units and professional musical equipment. Its products are a hallmark of quality and reliability and coupled with unequalled customer service, it remains little wonder why its customers are almost always satisfied. Its products are scientifically-tuned and innovative, with the primary aim of meeting and surpassing the needs of clients at all times. Go for the ultimate acoustic experience with one of Pyle’s products in your car, home, studio or boat.
The Pyle Bluetooth Marine Stereo Receiver is a versatile receiver that works well in an automobile, on a boat or in other marine crafts. It has a powerful 75 watts x 4 amplifier maximum output capable of powering a pair of speakers and discrete rear RCA L/R output jacks. Its LCD digital display has an ID3 tag display system that shows the name of the song, title of the album and the artist’s name.
Here are more interesting features of this marine stereo that you should know:
Boating is a fun pastime enjoyed by many people. It’s also a well-known fact that music is an activity enjoyed by all and sundry for its numerous benefits ranging from soothing a troubled soul, to jazzing up a dull moment. When these two elements are combined, the reward is often intoxicating, especially when the music is coming from a source well-suited to the open-air atmosphere of the boat.
Of course, you can listen to music on your boat through your smartphone or iPod’s headphones, but these gadgets are not equipped to withstand the elements or even to produce sound that’ll be heard above the prevalent wind and engine noise. So, to fully enjoy your music while boating and also spare your other gadgets from rapid deterioration from saltwater, you’ll need a specialized or marine stereo system specifically designed for use on the boat.
A marine stereo is equipped and designed with features that allow you the pleasure of combining good music and boating. The marine stereo is quite different from the car stereo which is designed to be used in the safe confinement of a car interior. You may be able to manage your music-enabled gadgets in the cabins although you’ll still have to combat the noise from the boat engine and the wind; but what happens when you’re on deck? How do you enjoy your music or listen to your favorite radio program when the rushing winds make it impossible to hear? Not to mention the detrimental effect of water and sunlight on electronic gadgets exposed to the elements.
The only solution to the above problems is the installation of a high quality marine stereo on your boat. The marine stereo’s components are water-resistant or waterproofed so they can withstand being drenched by rain or submerged in seawater and include high-powered amplifiers, speakers and subwoofers so you can enjoy your music clearly.
Before you invest in a marine stereo, it’s necessary to check it meets certain vital specifications like waterproofed or at least water-resistant components, corrosion-resistant cables and wires and UV protection. You should also check for things like remote controls, design, extra features and the price. We will be talking about these points shortly.
Marine stereos are a special category of stereos and have several features that distinguish them from the normal car stereo. These special features also mean that their prices are much higher than that of the car stereo. Thus, you’ll be seeing good quality marine stereos with prices ranging from as low as $90 to as high as $250. The pricier high-end stereos are likely to be more feature-laden than the lower priced marine stereos but this does not necessarily mean the low-end products are of low quality.
The products we reviewed here fall within the price range stated above which means we have both high-end and budget-friendly marine stereos so whatever your budget, you’re sure to find a reliable model that fits nicely into your boat and gives you the highest possible value for every cent spent on it.
In the course of our research, we came across some rather cheap marine stereos but we ignored them because they were either made with materials that’ll not stand the strength of the elements or their components have low power ratings.
Once you’re shopping for a suitable marine stereo for your boat, you should keep some factors in mind that affect the overall performance and durability. These factors include:
There are marine stereos that accept musical input from android, iPhones, iPods and other Bluetooth enabled devices and then there are the marine stereos that also have in-built CD players. If you’re one of those who wouldn’t leave their CD collection behind for the world, then you’ll do well to make sure the marine stereo you’re looking to purchase comes with a CD player.
The protective features of a great marine stereo are what make them different from car stereo systems. There are 3 basic and extremely vital protective features that you should look out for when shopping for a marine stereo for your boat. They are – water-resistant / waterproof components, UV-protection and anti-corrosion parts. Because the marine stereo components are situated mostly on open deck or other places where they’re exposed to seawater and rainfall, they ought to be fully waterproofed or at least, water-resistant.
The next important protective feature to look out for is to check whether the marine stereo is UV protected against sunlight damage. Due to the exposure of some of its components like the speaker cones and receiver faceplate to long hours of sunlight, it becomes necessary for such components to be UV protected to reduce the adverse effect of sunlight on the stereo system thereby extending its life span.
Because of their exposure to saltwater which is an extremely corrosive medium, it’s recommended to go for marine stereos with wires and cables made from tin instead of copper. Tin is known to be highly resistant to corrosion from saltwater as opposed to copper, which easily corrodes when exposed to water – either salty or fresh. The circuit boards should also be coated with corrosion-resistant materials.
If you have a large boat, then you’ll most likely be looking for a marine stereo to effectively service the entire boat. Such devices have the provision of several preamp sets and outputs so you can connect multiple amplifiers, speakers and subwoofers easily. This feature helps you create the marine stereo system tailored to your specific needs and desires and ensure all nooks and crannies of your boat enjoy music.
You’ll have to decide where’s best to mount your marine stereo. Consider the space and power limitations of your boat and also the best location that affords the most protection against the elements. Once you’ve successfully installed your stereo, you can go right ahead and have a ball on your boat.
There are four basic components of a marine stereo: the stereo receiver, speakers, amplifiers, and subwoofers. The stereo receiver is the central control unit and coordinates the general operation. It ought to be kept away from the elements always and as such, better mounted in a location safe from both water splashes and sunlight. The stereo receiver features the display unit, ports for USB attachments, amplifier outputs, charging ports and CD player if available.
Stereo speakers are for the most part placed at strategic locations on the deck for better sound production and thus are highly exposed to water. This means they should ideally be waterproofed with rubber cones coupled with a corrosion-resistant mounting hardware.
The stereo amplifier serves to amplify the stereo sound above external noise levels while maintaining the sound quality and integrity. It’s important, however, to ensure the receiver, amplifier and speaker systems all have matching power ratings so they can work well together.
The last component is the subwoofer which reproduces the ultra-low bass frequencies. It’s not essential, but certainly a desirable component. Subwoofers are speakers and ought to be waterproof in the same manner as the stereo speakers.
A key feature that makes the marine stereo easy to operate is the remote control. This device doesn’t come in all marine stereos so you should be on the lookout for it if you want more versatile control for your marine stereo. The remote control allows you mount your stereo receiver in a safe place like inside the cabin and operate it from a reasonable distance.
Some marine stereos also come with a satellite radio with FM and AM options that allow you listen to and stay in touch with your favorite radio programs while at sea.
You may also want to check if the marine stereo system has a hands-free call option so you can receive or make calls while navigating your boat. A marine stereo with backlit controls has an added advantage of being easy to operate even in the dark and may also be bright enough to be used as a source of muted illumination.