If you're a boat owner, you already know that adding a head unit is a good way to have an even better time when sailing. Finding and buying a marine head unit can be a complex task (as opposed to finding one for your car. Marine stereos should be able to withstand tremendous amounts of abuse compared to car stereos, simply because of their location. Marine head units have to withstand the elements, UV sun rays, water and salt. One of the most common choices nowadays is a marine stereo Bluetooth that allows you to use it without removing your hands from the steering wheel.
How Are Marine Radios Different?
Marine radios must be able to endure an open climate, even in cases when the boat is in the marina. Salt, sun and water can easily wreak havoc on the boat's electrical components. If your gear isn't suitable, it won't last a season. The following are the three most important keys to consider when searching for your boat audio equipment:
• Water resistance - if your gear is "water resistant," that means it can endure splashes and light rain, but it won't handle submersion. Levels of resistance vary by manufacturer; waterproof products can be fully submerged without damage.
• UV resistance - quality marine gear should withstand sun damage. This is an important key feature to look for on receiver faceplates, speaker cones and remote controls.
• Anti-corrosion protection - salt water can damage great gear in no time. Your marine audio gear should be able to resist rust and corrosion, with coated circuit boards, plated connections, and rust-resistant chassis components.
What to Look for in a Marine Radio?
Bluetooth
Bluetooth-enabled head units are compatible with most Bluetooth devices and permit wireless streaming and hands-free talk. Today marine stereo Bluetooth gadgets are as powerful and feature-packed as their automotive cousins. The marine head unit has the same features as the head unit in your car. You'd be able to do anything from AM/FM radio and CD player (keep in mind that CDs will often have to skip problems in rough water) to an MP3/USB digital media player with satellite radio.
Most Bluetooth marine stereo units have a single DIN design; custom DIN head units have a wide range of shapes and sizes. Many newer boats come with stock stereos; if you want to add a head unit to an older boat without any sound system in it, you'll probably need to cut open some panelling and run wiring for the components.
Any marine-grade audio equipment should be designed to withstand water. When looking for water resistance ratings don't forget to look for IPX ratings. IPX ratings range from IPX-0, which offers no protection against water. IPX-7, which provides protection from complete submersion up to 1 meter for at least half an hour. There's also an IPX-8 rating which provides protection from entire submersion better than IPX-7 in any way the manufacturer states.
Instalment
Chances are your head unit will be installed in a place where it'll be exposed to UV rays from the sun. This is potentially problematic because extended exposure to the sun can lead to cracked, bleached or overheated equipment. High-quality marine audio equipment should be able to withstand damaging UV. Be mindful that there is no such thing as ‘UV-Proof’, so try and install your head unit in a place where it won’t see be directly exposed to the sun.
What About Corrosion?
This is another enemy that can harm marine audio gear. The marine environment isn't a friendly place for electronics. Rust and corrosion are common in marine environments, especially if your boat is out on the sea. Marine-grade gear is designed to withstand rust and corrosion with conformal coated circuit boards, plated connections and rust-resistant chassis components. So, place your head unit in an area with as little exposure as possible.
AM/FM Radio
Other receivers have incorporated super tuners for boosted AM/FM reception. Supertuners integrate the best of digital and analog tuner technology which significantly reduces distortion and improves stereo separation and sensitivity. Supertuners are excellent for low reception areas and also enhance reception in downtown areas where tall buildings can add interference.
High power
Since you'll be listening to your music in the open air, you'll need high power for clean sound on a boat. Most marine receivers have built-in 4-way amplifiers, but if you like to listen to the sounds loudly or simply want to drown out the nautical background noise, consider adding an external marine amplifier to your system. Check a marine-rated amp and marine-rated amp wiring kit to bring the best in your new speakers.
Expandability
For larger systems, choose a marine received with several sets of preamp outputs. It would make it easier to connect and control external amplifiers and subwoofers as you create your ultimate boat audio system.
Many marine radios have waterproof, wired remote controls that allow you to mount the radio inside a watertight compartment, and also give you and your passengers convenient control over what's playing from different spots on the boat. Choose a subwoofer to boost your boat's bass.
