Force 4 Compact Bluetooth Marine Stereo

£99.95

www.force4.co.uk

This circular stereo head is designed to be similar in size to standard marine gauges and instruments. At only 105mm in diameter, it mounts in an 80mm hole – quick and easy to do with a holesaw. It’s got a built-in AM/FM radio, a USB input to connect an iPod or flash drive with mp3 files, and Bluetooth connectivity. Max power is 4x40W, and there is a line out connection should you wish to connect an external amplifier.

However, we found it worked perfectly well without an amplifier – while it didn’t have quite the power of some of the larger units, it went loud enough to be heard over wind, water and engine noise – an amplifier would add power if you want extra volume.

In fact, this was the surprise of the test. Its sound was good, with clear vocals and a nice tone, and a particularly good bottom end. It was simple to use, with good, big buttons, and waterproof, so can be mounted in the cockpit, with the iPod or phone safely down below in the dry.

Settings are limited – you can’t, for instance, adjust the fader and thus switch from cockpit to cabin – but you could install a switch to enable you to disable the cockpit speakers if required.