JVC Stereo Upgrade

[sailcapt340]

On my 2000 Hunter 340, since I recently upgraded my VHF Radio, I now want to move on to upgrading my Stereo. I have its original JVC KD-S550 Detachable face AM/FM stereo/cd player. Its works perfectly but there‘s no radio stations to listen to anymore. And I have a pile of CD’s (and Yes, cassettes as well). And all those songs are imbedded in my brain……So it‘s time to move on.
I have Sirius Radio in my car, its okay.
What have others done to upgrade their AM/FM/CD needs.
I need ideas.

 

[dlochner]

We have kept it very simple, a JBL Flip 6 waterproof blue tooth speaker and an iPhone streaming Pandora. The Flip also works well when we watch movies on the laptop and we can listen to our home NPR station by streaming it. Sound quality is pretty good and we're all in for about $100.

 

[jssailem]

There are so many choices for radios. I found Fusion a good option for my boat. They can range from this one at $159

Fusion MS-RA60 and EL Classic Stereo and Speaker Kit | The GPS Store

The Fusion MS-RA60 and EL Classic Stereo and Speaker Kit is an affordable and complete marine entertainment solution. Available now at The GPS Store.

www.thegpsstore.com

to over $1000, depending on the bells and whistles you desire. They have one that has a SiriusXM Bundle for about $350.

If you want to slip it into the space of your JVC, you will need to check the measurements.

 

[dLj]

I have a similar stereo system on my boat. It has an AUX input. I bought about a $20 bluetooth puck that plugs into it. That way I can put the AUX input on and any bluetooth capable device I can now play through that same system. Works a charm.

dh

 

[Johann]

Well since you have CDs, a simple Pioneer CD receiver, single din with BT and USB. I like being able to stream from the phone or iPad, but lately I just use a USB stick.

this one is $90 at Walmart

Pioneer DEH-S31BT Single Din Bluetooth Car Stereo CD Receiver, Android & iOS Compatibility

Robot or human?

 

[sailcapt340]

It has an AUX input.

I would love to be able to use that option, but my radio doesn’t have the AUX port. So much easier.
I’m not opposed to modifying the space for a new unit, but I don’t have a heck of a lot of space there or behind there.
We used to have a great Jazz FM Station at 99.3 FM right in Newport, RI. But they just couldn’t make it, probably only had a dozen of listeners at any one time.
That JBL Flip Speaker sounds promising.
I’ll keep reading all your recommendations. Thank you.

 

[dLj]

Does it have a cassette player? They also make a cassette you insert and has a cable you can then plug things into. Almost an AUX input.

dj

 

[Tally Ho]

My boat came with a Sirius radio receiver buried in a locker. I use Sirius in my car, so was excited when I plugged the little portable receiver in, hooked up the satellite antennae and I could listen to my favorite Sirius channels on the boat, and without static, etc.

I have no idea how the monthly bill was paid for…I heard Sirius offered lifetime subscriptions back in the day…I don’t know. But then one day, it quit working. And I called Sirius and they said it was no longer supported and I would need a new device and new subscription. I didn’t do that. It is an interesting device, and I think you can also get weather forecasts through Sirius XM.

But instead, I bought a little FM transmitter from Amazon. Plug it into a 12-volt outlet, pair your cell phone to it, and pick an FM channel for it to broadcast on. Then tune your old FM radio to that channel, and you can play everything from your phone (Spotify, SiriusXM, your favorite music you saved to your phone, whatever… over the speakers connected to your stereo. One nice feature is that you can control the volume on your phone instead of having to run below to change the volume.

Greg

 

[Stu Jackson]

But instead, I bought a little FM transmitter from Amazon.

Those gadgets were great. remember using one on the boat back in the day. Then my son introduced me to Bluetooth, but it took my old stereo rig time to die before I got a BT stereo!

 

[Tally Ho]

My stereo doesn’t have Bluetooth, hence the little gizmo that my phone connects to via Bluetooth, and then the radio can play it…

 

[Stu Jackson]

When I had the same questions I went to www.crutchfield.com. Great website for answering "What's Out There?" questions. Fusion is waaaaay overpriced, just get a good car stereo. Mine have all outlasted the technology: FM, cassettes, CDs, MP3, BlueTooth...

 

[dlochner]

My boat came with a Sirius radio receiver buried in a locker. I use Sirius in my car, so was excited when I plugged the little portable receiver in, hooked up the satellite antennae and I could listen to my favorite Sirius channels on the boat, and without static, etc.

I have no idea how the monthly bill was paid for…I heard Sirius offered lifetime subscriptions back in the day…I don’t know. But then one day, it quit working. And I called Sirius and they said it was no longer supported and I would need a new device and new subscription. I didn’t do that. It is an interesting device, and I think you can also get weather forecasts through Sirius XM.

But instead, I bought a little FM transmitter from Amazon. Plug it into a 12-volt outlet, pair your cell phone to it, and pick an FM channel for it to broadcast on. Then tune your old FM radio to that channel, and you can play everything from your phone (Spotify, SiriusXM, your favorite music you saved to your phone, whatever… over the speakers connected to your stereo. One nice feature is that you can control the volume on your phone instead of having to run below to change the volume.

Greg

Years ago I built one of those low powered FM transmitters from a kit and would stream audio from my computer to the radio and over the airwaves so I could listen to Radio Margaritaville.

 

[walt]

Low power may not be important to you but it generally is for a smaller boat.

Class D amplifiers such as Fusion uses Garmin Fusion® MS-RA60 Marine Stereo | Head Unit will consume less power than most car or boat stereos. I have been using the MSRA60 for a few years now and saw somewhere around a third less 12V power used compared to the car stereo it replaced. Just going by memory and watching a current meter but seems about 1 amp 12V current is common even at fairly high volume.

The lower power use is due to the class D amplifiers "switched nature", some might find it interesting to search on something like "why do class d amplifiers use less power"

And.. the sound quality is as good as any other high quality boat 12V amplifier. Class D amplifiers are slightly more sensitive to power supply noise so I added a 10K uf cap on the 12V supply but probably didnt need to do this.

As mentioned, this may only be important for example to a trailer sailor where low power details like this are important. But you dont make any compromises in amplifier sound quality for getting the lower power.