Recently acquired a 2003 Beneteau 331. Need to replace the stereo system, not sure about the speakers yet. Looking for suggestions?
Stereo system
- Thread starter Phil W
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Phil,
I recently replaced the Sony stereo on by 343 with a new Sony CDX-M30. It was an upgrade from the Sony installed by Beneteau. The nice thing was that it fit in the existing cutout of the old Sony and used the same wiring harness & mounting hardware. Very quick installation I purchased the new Sony on Ebay for about $80! Quite a bargain compared to the major marine outlets. It has an auxillary input for ipods, iphones etc. May not be the latest and greatest; however, it works for me at a bargain price.
I recently replaced the Sony stereo on by 343 with a new Sony CDX-M30. It was an upgrade from the Sony installed by Beneteau. The nice thing was that it fit in the existing cutout of the old Sony and used the same wiring harness & mounting hardware. Very quick installation I purchased the new Sony on Ebay for about $80! Quite a bargain compared to the major marine outlets. It has an auxillary input for ipods, iphones etc. May not be the latest and greatest; however, it works for me at a bargain price.
The existing stereo is JVC, but don't know that it's original equipment. Thanks for the suggestion. I was looking at some Sony units today.
We have the Sony CDX-M60UI. I like the fact it has a USB port which makes it easy to play music off my ipod or iPhone. Works really well. Just put in some new speakers Fusion MS-FR4021) which have a hard plastic grill and they sound great. Bought the speakers on Amazon.
Hey Phil,
Just did the same on my 331. Removed JVC w/6disk changerand put in an Alpine,
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_500UTE42BT/Alpine-UTE-42BT.html?tp=5684
(Like the bluetooth option on this unit.)
Good news is the car stereo business standardized the wiring colors some time ago and I was able to match up the JVC wires to the wiring harness for the Alpine exactly.
Only thing I did different was switch hot wires (red and yellow) from the instrument circuit onto my 12 v outlet circuit.
Just did the same on my 331. Removed JVC w/6disk changerand put in an Alpine,
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_500UTE42BT/Alpine-UTE-42BT.html?tp=5684
(Like the bluetooth option on this unit.)
Good news is the car stereo business standardized the wiring colors some time ago and I was able to match up the JVC wires to the wiring harness for the Alpine exactly.
Only thing I did different was switch hot wires (red and yellow) from the instrument circuit onto my 12 v outlet circuit.
I like the CDX-M60UI as well for a radio for the points mentioned. Know it will also read music from a thumb drive. You can store a lot of tunes on a 16-gig thumb drive!
I have used Sony radios in my boats for several years and have never had an issue.
Tell us more. Do you have cockpit speakers that you need to replace? If so what size? What about cabin speakers?
I had a JVC and replaced it with a Sony CDX-GT56UI to get the USB port. Both had great sound, but are power hogs. I guess newer radios have so many bells and whistles that require more electricity. With 4 speakers at normal volume I am drawing 1.5 amps. With the tunes cranked up, about 2.5 amps. No big deal for a daysailer, but for a weekend cruiser like me, the stereo takes a hefty bite out of my batteries.
Man, it is funny how relative things can be... It is all about perspective...
Donnybrook, I routinely work with marine audio systems that have 300A main fuses and 1/0 primary power cable. These guys look for performance on the order of hours and never days...
To read your post about 2.5 amps taking a hefty bite out of your batteries just made me smile...
Thanks for the chuckle...
And I don't mean that in any sarcastic manner, it is a refreshing insight!
Donnybrook, I routinely work with marine audio systems that have 300A main fuses and 1/0 primary power cable. These guys look for performance on the order of hours and never days...
To read your post about 2.5 amps taking a hefty bite out of your batteries just made me smile...
Thanks for the chuckle...
And I don't mean that in any sarcastic manner, it is a refreshing insight!The stereo apparently does not work so I'm not able to test the speakers. I am interested in sat compatibility.
I second JRacer. Fusion Marine. I installed the AV700 last summer on my 331, added the iPod dock later that summer. Over the winter, tapped it into the N2K network so it displays on my Raymarine chartplotter, although I find I don't use that feature often. I have their remote mounted on the side of the pedestal for quick access to the volume while at the helm. The dock takes usb drives, but I use an iPod that holds 40,000 songs. All guests immediately want to plug in their iphones or ipods, and they always fit in the dock and/or the usb cable that I leave dangling from the electrical panel. The AV700 is set up for Sirius satellite radio, you just have to add the tuner.
Do they make automotive stereos with Bluetooth yet? I was looking at a home receiver that had Bluetooth so I could play music from my Blackberry, with a 16 GB card without all the USB or Aux cords etc. etc. Also would then give me remote volume and song selection etc.
If your stereo is located down below in the cabin, why use a marine unit at twice the cost.
Exposure to liquid water is but one concern. While many "marine" radios are no more than car stereos painted white, the better ones will provide conformal coating and other protections that will prolong the life of even electronics that stay "dry".
Consider condensation. What is the relative humidity inside your boat? Does the bilge stay wet with any water? Are you in a fresh water environment or salt? How often do you find that the boat interior goes below the dewpoint of the relatively wet boat interior?
It is the exposure to environmental moisture that is often the bigger culprit. Think salt air condensation sitting on an unprotected copper circuit board trace... It is for this reason that many marine electronics manufacturers will design to exceed testing that mimics fog, mist, and otherwise just damp conditions. ASTM B-117 is one such test, and it specifically is a test that mimics fog on a salt-water coast.
While many sailors can get away with it for one reason or another, (my last boat was completely dry and I am a fresh water sailor) many others will benefit from the extra protection that a quality electronics company will build into their marine radio.
I have used car radios and have done so with good luck, given my parameters. As Stu would say, your boat, your choice.
I will add briefly that installation practice can improve your odds for all electronics installations, be they marine radios or not. This rule should apply to any electronics you install on your boat. Look at the wires going into the unit. I am talking power wire, antenna wire, iPod cables, all wires. Each wire is a potential point of moisture ingress. If your wires come downhill to the electronics, water can and will run down the wire and into the electronics. Use drip loops: If for every piece of electronics you install you routed the wire so that along its path it had a low point lower than the electronics, you will prevent a lot of water from ever having a chance to get in.
The more fully flushed out Bluetooth designs will allow control of track selection and volume as well as Play/Pause from both the Bluetooth device AND the radio or its remote controls. Some will even display artist and song title information on the radio display screen.
Bluetooth has been around for a long time as a technology but it is finally emerging, (after 15 years or so) to be sort of the standard in wireless media payback. I am slowly moving that way and have already done so in my truck, my shop, and the boat will soon have Bluetooth capability.
Phil, very good points. I knew you were in this field, hence my question. I just discovered Bluetooth for the stereo, so thought it would be great for the boat.
Hunter ship their boats with auto grade units. Our boat is 8 yrs. old and I'm looking to install unit no. 3 due to technology rather than elements.
I see you're in FLA. Up here the frozen north of Canada, our temps go from -40C to + 40C. In the middle of winter my truck is frozen solid and I jump in and fire up the heat. I can only imagine the temp / humidity swings the stereo unit goes through.
Hunter ship their boats with auto grade units. Our boat is 8 yrs. old and I'm looking to install unit no. 3 due to technology rather than elements.
I see you're in FLA. Up here the frozen north of Canada, our temps go from -40C to + 40C. In the middle of winter my truck is frozen solid and I jump in and fire up the heat. I can only imagine the temp / humidity swings the stereo unit goes through.
Phil mailed it and explained the advantages and disadvantages of regular vs. conformed units.
Sony is very good, in my experience.
www.crutchfield.com
THE place to go for information about stereos.
www.panbo.com for marine stuff.
This is NOT a new subject, as you might understand. You could do a search on this website on "stereo" and read for years.
Enjoy whatever it is you decide to buy. Wiring is the simplest thing to do.
The other issue is speakers. We have a powered subwoofer. Cranked up it uses all of 1.8 amps. Power is NOT an issue in my mind.
Good luck.
Sony is very good, in my experience.
www.crutchfield.com
THE place to go for information about stereos.
www.panbo.com for marine stuff.
This is NOT a new subject, as you might understand. You could do a search on this website on "stereo" and read for years.
Enjoy whatever it is you decide to buy. Wiring is the simplest thing to do.
The other issue is speakers. We have a powered subwoofer. Cranked up it uses all of 1.8 amps. Power is NOT an issue in my mind.
Good luck.
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