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Best marine stereos under $500
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How to shop for Marine Stereos
Marine radios have to be able to endure the harsh environment of life on a boat, even when the boat is tied up in the marina. The water, salt, and sun that make boating so much fun for you can wreak havoc on your boat's electrical components. If your gear isn't made for this sort of abuse, it won't last a season.
These radios are built for the outdoor environment. They're designed to be water resistant, UV resistant, and have anti-corrosion protection. Just pick the features and form factor that you want. Read our Marine Radio Buying Guide for more tips on choosing the right stereo.
Popular questions customers ask
An aftermarket marine stereo will have features not found on basic factory radios — like increased power for high-fidelity sound and Bluetooth® wireless music and app streaming for easier access to your music. And if you want to add extra speakers or amplifiers, preamp outputs are a big help. Things like water-proof remote controls, muti-zone play, camera inputs, satellite radio compatibility, and GPS navigation connections round out the upgrades.
If your new marine receiver has a video display and can handle Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, you can use your favorite GPS app — like Apple Maps, Google Maps, or Waze. If you want GPS navigation without tying up your phone, you'll have to get a separate marine chartplotter or VHF radio with GPS.
A boat's stereo will usually be the size of a standard car stereo, fitting a rectangular 2" x 7" opening, or the size of an instrument panel gauge, fitting a circular 3" diameter cut-out. Installation will be easiest if your new stereo is the same body style. It will include mounting hardware for installation. If you buy it from Crutchfield, you’ll have access to our free technical support to help you deal with any problems.
If you only listen to quiet music and talk radio while docked or float fishing, you won't need an amplifier to go along with a new stereo. If you want to listen to music on the go and out in the open, you'll want plenty of amplifier power for each speaker in order to hear clean, clear sound over the background noises of wind and waves. A quality marine amp will feature weather-proof covers, conformal coated circuit boards, corrosion-resistant connectors, and plenty of power.
