Article by Capt. Steve Katz
Over the last few weeks, we have discussed important safety and communication topics. This week it’s time to have some fun. For most boaters, listening to music while cruising or fishing adds to the enjoyment of being on the water. Our methods of listening to music have evolved and increased over the years and so have marine stereos.
Whether you have music on a CD, memory stick, hard drive, iPhone, iPod, phone, MP3 player or stream music on-line, the modern marine stereo has a solution to fit your needs.
While there are many good stereos (marine entertainment systems) on the market, Fusion has become the leader with sophisticated but easy to use marine stereos systems. Fusion recently launched new products which we will review.
The Fusion products are purpose built for the marine environment. They are not a car stereo painted white and labeled as “marine”. Their new products are the flagship 750 series and the entry level 650 series; these are substantial improvements over the previous models they replace. All units have a three year warranty and an IPX5 water-resistant chassis meaning that this unit was deigned to be on a boat. The 750 series is available in two configurations, the MS-UD750 with internal UNI-Dock, and the MS-AV750 marine DVD/CD player. An industry first, the MS-AV750 offers HDMI video connection support. Sporting a color widescreen LCD, the 750 Series screen is optically bonded to improve durability, eliminate the possibility of condensation or fogging and resist extreme temperatures even in direct sunlight. The new FUSION 650 series is also available in a choice of internal UNI-Dock or DVD/CD. The 650 series features a grayscale, daylight-viewable, optically-bonded, widescreen LCD display. These new models, the 750, 650 and BB300 all have internal Bluetooth capability, no external module needed, a much welcomed and popular feature.
To decode the above description, the internal UNI-Dock is a watertight storage compartment inside the radio, large enough for an iPhone 6, with a USB port to charge any compatible Apple iOS or MTP Android/Windows device. While the device is inside the stereo, you can still enjoy your favorite soundtrack, operating the device with the Fusion front controls or a Fusion remote control.
The UD750 can play music from many sources such as: AM, FM, VHF, Bluetooth, USB x 2, AUX x 2, iPod, iPhone, MTP (Media Transfer Protocol) and Sirius-XM with optional tuner. These sources now include Pandora radio support with “Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down” voting.
There are numerous methods to operate these new stereos. The traditional way is to access the front of the display and operate the controls from there. While Fusion does not have its own handheld remote, they do have an app, called the “Fusion-Link Remote Control App” that runs on both iPhone and Android. This app turns your compatible phone into a remote control. Currently this is only available through the use of a Wi-Fi router, but it will soon will be available using Bluetooth.
A second way to control the stereo is by using a wired remote control head that is not much larger than a business card, connected to the main stereo using the industry NMEA2000 network. This means that a simple and readily available wire and connectors are all that is needed to connect the remote. You don’t even need a power wire!
A third way to control the stereo is through the use of a modern chartplotter. Manufacturers including, Garmin, Furuno, Simrad, Raymarine, B&G, Lowrance and Hummingbird have integrated the Fusion Link software into their products. While each manufacturers system is different, the chartplotters can act as a remote to control the stereo.
With these varied methods to operate the main unit, you may not even have a need to access the main unit. If that is the case, Fusion has a stereo that may be a good fit for you. The Fusion BB300 is a black box stereo system with a small wired remote. There are no controls or displays on the main unit, just wires. If space is at a premium on the helm or you just decided that you do not need a central display, the compact, full function BB300 is a good choice. This unit includes most of the features from the traditional Fusion stereos, including Bluetooth audio streaming and Multi-Zone™ technology. This unit can also be controlled from a chartplotter using the NMEA2000 network.
For those of you who are familiar with Simrad’s Sonic Hub or Garmin’s Meteor, they were both built by Fusion and this BB300 is Fusion’s unit that can be used with any Fusion-Link enabled brand of hardware.
While the above models are the most common, Fusion also has varieties in the 650 and 750 series that eliminate the internal dock and replace it with a CD/DVD player. The AV750 model now includes the option to output the DVD video with a HDMI connector. This makes getting a quality video signal to your TV much easier.
If a smaller, less expensive radio is desired, Fusion has the 205 series, with many of the above features in a smaller format.
Since these units are designed for boats, one of the most popular features is the ability to control the volume in different zones with ease. These stereos have either 3 or four independent volume zones which allows you to turn the volume up in one zone while turning the volume down or off in another zone. This is great for boats with speakers inside and outside or bridge and helm areas. The user friendly, large volume knob easily controls zone volume with a simple push to select the zone to adjust. These zones can be named by the user to make operating the unit even easier.
No mater how you listen to your music, Fusion has a stereo that will accommodate your needs and provide reliable operation on the water.
Captain Steve Katz is the owner of Steve’s Marine Service and holds NMEA, AMEI and NMEA2000 certificates along with ABYC Master Technician certification and factory training from many manufacturers.
