Stereo head unit really needed with an mp3 player

[walter]

Ok, so I asked this question in another post and thought I'd move it to it's own topic to see what the peeps have to say.

Last year my stereo shot craps, so I wired my mp3 player directly to my amp, seems to work great and sounds good, I realize you don't have control over fading/balance or other fine tuning of the front/rear/left/right speakers like you would with a stereo. So my question is, what's the purpose of an actual stereo head anymore? Except I guess you really don't get the full "stereo" effect? Does the stereo up the amps or something? Or is it not really needed?

[babock]

Fader, balance, treble, bass control. If you are just feeding your MP3 player in through an aux input and you don't need the functions I just mentioned, then wiring it to the amp is fine.

[jrolin1]

Also remote capabilities and radio.

[Bamby]

A good head unit will allow you to bypass your mp3 players built-in digital-to-analog converter. The digital-to-analog converter, or DAC, has the job of converting digital information — 0's and 1's — into analog music signals. A mp3's built-in DAC usually does a decent enough job for casual listening with earbud headphones, but it doesn't measure up and deliver the same level of performance you can get from the more advanced DACs found in many of today's top receivers. With a quality sound system comparison the difference real and can be heard, but if you're satisfied with with what's working for you now this explanation doesn't really matter.

[MH Hawker]

Or you can make it simpler and go to a SD card head unit.

[walter]

ok, I figured the quality had to be compromised some how, and knew the features mentioned were lost. I was previously thinking about the newer Bluetooth stereos, maybe I'll replace it with one of those some day soon.

[babock]

For the sound quality you will have on a pontoon boat, you will NOT hear any difference bypassing the analog output of the mp3 player, especially if it's a phone.

[Bamby]

For the sound quality you will have on a pontoon boat, you will NOT hear any difference bypassing the analog output of the mp3 player, especially if it's a phone.

Why do people accept music mediocrity as acceptable on a pontoon boat? It doesn't haft to be so, fact is some of the best sounding systems in my boating area are actually on pontoon boats. Actual music quality is given to what's acceptable to the individual boat owner not really related to the platform of the boat it's installed in.

PS there's even apps that claim they improve playback Make Music Playback Sound Better on iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch with 2 Settings though I haven't played with them myself as of yet.

[tommyz]

There are head units available that are "digital media receivers" which are units without a CD player. They have USB, iPOD, and tuner connections, in addition to getting all your usual audio adjustments and have some internal amplification.

Some don't want a lot of power via external amps, so a powered head unit is very convenient for those normal situations.

I run head unit power to 4 full range drivers and an external amp on a sub. It's more than loud enough.

[Drago]

I'm sure most here know this but if you want quality music to listen to, do not play from a compressed source like an mp3. And I agree with Babock that folks on a pontoon trying to hear music are severely compromised by the surroundings and environment. Hearing music to its fullest requires the correct sphere which cannot be found on a pontoon boat outside. Yes, you can spend tons of money on super fine electronics, speakers and source from aac files or get really nuts and use original studio aif files (where a typical song is 50-80 megs). It just ain't going to ever sound like coming from your Klipsch speakers in your living room or through your Stax SR-Lambda Professional headphones. Sorry about that. Just hook it up any way you want within your budget.

[babock]

Why do people accept music mediocrity as acceptable on a pontoon boat? It doesn't haft to be so, fact is some of the best sounding systems in my boating area are actually on pontoon boats. Actual music quality is given to what's acceptable to the individual boat owner not really related to the platform of the boat it's installed in.

PS there's even apps that claim they improve playback Make Music Playback Sound Better on iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch with 2 Settings though I haven't played with them myself as of yet.

All you have to do is do a simple A B test. Listen out the analog output and listen out the digital output. I actually believe the DAC in the phone will be better than the DAC in the receiver you will be plugging into.

I am sure you still don't believe me so let's have someone who actually ran some tests:
http://www.kenrockwell.com/apple/iphone ... uality.htm

[Drago]

Babock, I've always liked Ken's take on stuff. I really trust his photo equipment reviews and it's nice to read some of his audio stuff test also.

[ishoot]

Ok, so I asked this question in another post and thought I'd move it to it's own topic to see what the peeps have to say.

Last year my stereo shot craps, so I wired my mp3 player directly to my amp, seems to work great and sounds good, I realize you don't have control over fading/balance or other fine tuning of the front/rear/left/right speakers like you would with a stereo. So my question is, what's the purpose of an actual stereo head anymore? Except I guess you really don't get the full "stereo" effect? Does the stereo up the amps or something? Or is it not really needed?

Check out the "Fusion" line. http://www.fusionelectronics.com/marine ... 700-series

They pretty much make the best head units in the industry. I just had a Fusion 700 series (MS-IP700) installed in my new Premier and its awesome.

Good Luck!

Dan