Marine Decks ( head units )

hey guys i have been looking to get a new head unit for my boat but dont really know how much to spend since its only going in a wakeboat, or what to get with what features. can anyone throw out some names and models of a good marine head unit, and how much you would suggest i spend to get something worth my while?

i have a clarion xmd2, i have about 100hrs. so far so good, alot of nice preamp outs and the fact it can get wet without dying is good. that said i have heard some negatives on this board about the longevity of clarions so i hope i got a good one. i had pioneer,kenwood before and was very happy with both as i spent 250-325 on each but water ruined both so i went to the clarion. get a stereo that can grow with your system, 2 sets of rca out, rca sub outs, some good sound adjustment capability built into the stereo, preamp fader, high power outputs built in so u can run the spks. in the boat off that. use an amp for your tower spks. if you don't want waterproof, buy a above average car stereo and build your system.

i have a clarion xmd2, i have about 100hrs. so far so good, alot of nice preamp outs and the fact it can get wet without dying is good. that said i have heard some negatives on this board about the longevity of clarions so i hope i got a good one. i had pioneer,kenwood before and was very happy with both as i spent 250-325 on each but water ruined both so i went to the clarion. get a stereo that can grow with your system, 2 sets of rca out, rca sub outs, some good sound adjustment capability built into the stereo, preamp fader, high power outputs built in so u can run the spks. in the boat off that. use an amp for your tower spks. if you don't want waterproof, buy a above average car stereo and build your system.






yeh i will probly want to put a decent head unit in since im going to be runing 2 subs and 3 sets of speakers off amps in my boat.. my friend just got an alpine from circut city for 150 and it looks pretty bad ass but i dont know how its gona do in the long run or how many features it has, alpine makes damn nice head units though.

I had the Clarion and, it lasted one year. Now I have the MB Quart. It's on sale for $200 online. Awesome stereo. It has the wired remote (I think I paid $99 for it). It plays regular, CDR, CDRW, and even MP3 & WMA files. It has front and rear RCA's, and then Sub out. You can control the sub output level from the unit. I have the HU in the glove box, and the remote at the drivers console.

(Message edited by boarder_x on May 25, 2006)

I will second the mb quart deck. It is really cheap online right now, same with the remote. The thing is a beast, I don't think I have ever heard it skip, even through doubles. It also has the aux. in so you can plug in the mp3 player. Love the deck, can't say enough good things about it!

So far Im realy happy with the CMD-4 I have had XMD-1 XMD-3 and IMO this unit is much better. I like the rotery volume knob and the menu. The unit has 3 output's and 1 aux in.

Why are you only considering a marine unit? A regular car audio head unit will work and will have a ton more features not to mention there are a hundred times more units to choose from.

Robert, that is true, but depending on install location, the marine units have the wired remote. Mine came with a wireless remote too, but has never worked. I don't know if it's because it can't send data through the glove box. I have tried it with the door open, and new batteries and that didn't work either though. .... Maybe mine just doesn't work.

im going with a marine head unit beacause i dont wana spend 500 bucks on a car audio unit and get a drop of water on it and fry it.

but yeh i would agree there are way more options and features in a car head unit. i would like to go with one but dont wana chance it, unless there are numbers of people who use car audio in there boats.

My suggestions are to get a unit that you like. My preferernce is a volume knob that turs to control the volume. I had one stick and it blew one set of my tower speakers and fried an amp. Which leads me to my next suggestion put a toggle switch underneath off to the side where you can switch it off in the need to (see note above). Second thing, make sure it's an MP3 player, you can fit 120-200 songs on these rather than 20-30 on a regular cd. I'd also make sure it's XM/Sirus ready. You never know when you'll want to switch to this. I just did and have to admit it's great at the lake... Get one that has enough of an amp built in that you can run the speakers in your boat off of. If you run six tower speakers and four inside speakers, and a sub. This will save you from buying another amp to run the inside speakers or buying a huge amp to run all your mids (not recommended) Last and most important (for me anyway) make sure it has input for a marine remote!!! I've put a wired marine remote on the back right of my boat above the platform and out of the way. This allows me to control the headunit while I'm drinking a beer floating in the water. You can also switch channels on the XM radio through the unit. Lastly, I'm not familiar with marine units but there are covers that go on the outside of the radios to protect it from water. The boats I've had one didn't have it and I added it. I had to do some customization on it to make it fit my boat but it worked great, including the infrequent wall of water coming over the windshield. So with all this I have a Sony xplod not sure of the model but I've been really pleased with it. The sony x55m remote works great with it http://www.crutchfield.com/S-JXiLjxWIiDQ/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=225250&I=158RMX55M

Shop ebay and make sure the shop you plan on using is at least comparable to the prices you can get them on ebay for. The shop I use is always cheaper.

My two cents

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_6943.html


http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_5231.html



http://www.crutchfield.com/S-CJsfSH2UTKq/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=221050&I=020M455



how bout any of these, or do you have any links you could show me, i cant find any alpine, i really would like a alpine marine head unit.

I have car stereo head unit, amp and speakers in my boat. If you are responsible on the water and install everything in smart locations then you'll be fine. If you have a really nice expensive system then I'd consider marine audio parts just in case.

Bottom line: Be responsible with your stuff and you'll be fine. If you don't want to be responsible, then buy something more heavy duty.

i would also assume car audio is less expensive then marine so i would probly be getting a better unit for the price.

correction; i have the clarion CMD-4 like i said it's flexible and waterproof. as was stated if your location is favorable, the car stereos will work but still beware of the water issue. we had the aqua cover set ups but the water somehow found it's way into the head unit and cooked 2 in one summer. also the remote at back of boat is well worth it, very convienient and we luv it.

i just looked at the MB Quart link u had, thats a heck of a deal in my book. great price and value and u already have some input from ryan and rob, buy it. post pics and let us know your choice.

$500 for a head unit? You can buy DVD/LCD screens for that much. I have an Alpine w/3 sets of preamps and one wire for iPod hookup. The unit only cost $200 and was purchased at Best Buy. If you buy the warranty plan through Best Buy, they will replace it no questions asked if something goes wrong with it. Other than having a transom remote, I see no benefit in Marine audio equipment. Honestly, how often is your head unit exposed to water? Most are in the glove compartment.

As you can see I have no faith in marine audio equip. I had 3 separate pairs of Eclipse 6.5" marine speakers installed in my boat and they were powered by a JL amp. The reason I had 3 pair is because they kept blowing. The quality of marine is not up to car audio. Manufacturers spend A LOT more time testing their car audio gear rather than their marine audio gear. It's what they sell more of.

(Message edited by Thug_Hunter on May 26, 2006)

That MB quart head unit is made by Rockford Fosgate, it has problems. There are always cheap ones on Ebay because they are refurbed. I say this because several people I know bought them and none of them have them in their boats anymore due to them failing. Who knows, maybe they resolved the issues on the refurbed ones?

I have an Alpine in my boat, it gets water splashed on it all the time and works fine. Got caught in a downpour yesterday, in fact. No wired remote available for it yet.

Just my .02