Fusion MS UD750
£499.95
■ http://www.fusionentertainment.com
This, one of Fusion’s higher-end
stereos, has an internal water-
resistant dock for safe charging and
playback of your media player
(phone/iPod), as well as bluetooth
connectivity. It can also
communicate over NMEA2000
networks to chartplotters and
compatible devices.
The front of the unit folds down to
reveal a drawer, USB port and AUX
input so that you can keep your mediadevice dry and charged. This was an
improvement over the Aquatic AQ
products, which require you to remove
the panel entirely and thus cut the
power – on this unit you can keep the
unit running while you open the door.
Control was excellent, intuitive and
well thought out, with the same control
layout as the other Fusion products,
and your album art can be displayed
on the screen if connected by USB.
Four zones can be wired andcontrolled from the device. An external
DAB radio module can also be
connected if required.
The sound was excellent – crisp and
clear, with a good range and tone. It
was especially good at overcoming
the noise of wind and waves in the
cockpit, while maintaining a good,
balanced, undistorted sound, with
plenty of volume.
This was a particularly good, well
thought-out piece of kit.Fusion MS UD750
Fusion MS-RA55
£164.95
■ http://www.fusionentertainment.comRecently launched as a compact
entry-level unit, Fusion’s RA55 has an
AM-FM radio, RCA Aux input, USB
connection and Bluetooth connectivity.
There is no NMEA control. It takes up
very little space, and the control head
is waterproof to IPX5 (which means it
can withstand a 6.3mm jet of water for
3 minutes). You can control two
separate zones, with a nice interface
(press and scroll to adjust the volumeon each zone),
which can
be linked
if required.
The sound
was good,
with a nice
tone and
plenty of
volume and
power, and the
interface was intuitive,
with a rotary selector and easy-to-
use button controls.
This would make for a goodinstallation on a boat with limited
space thanks to the small faceplate
size and the minimal depth taken up
by the body of the unit.Fusion RA70N
£249.95
■ http://www.fusionentertainment.com
The interface on this stereo is exactly
the same as the RA55 above, but this
has been designed to replace a
standard car stereo. We tried it on my
boat, and it fi tted perfectly in the slot
vacated by the existing Kenwood car
radio, clamping in with a faceplate andbacking plate and requiring no extra
fi xing or screw holes to be securely
clamped. This version – the 70N – has
NMEA connectivity, and, connected to
the boat’s NMEA2000 network, can be
controlled via the boat’s chartplotter.
Audio inputs include compatible iPods,
Bluetooth, an AUX input and an
AM/FM radio.
Two separate zones can be named
and controlled – we named them
‘cockpit’ and ‘cabin’ – and the interface
was intuitive and easy to use.
The sound was identical to the RA55,
with a nice, even tone and a good
amount of power that made it audible
over the noise of wind and waves.The front folds down to reveal a
drawer to charge, connect and keep
your media device dryMARINE STEREOS