JL Audio Mediamaster £499.99 MX Amplifier - £219.99
www.jlaudio.co.uk JL Audio produce a range of top-end stereos, speakers and accoutrements – and we chose the Mediamaster control head and a basic MX series, 4-channel 280W Amplifier.
Connection was via USB and Bluetooth, and you can also connect a Sirius satellite radio (US only) and an AUX input for devices that can’t be connected by USB.
You can set up four separate zones and adjust the levels in each one individually.
You can control the Mediamaster by NMEA2000, and you can wire in a permanent remote control if required. This was one of the best to use, on a par with the top Fusion, but with a bigger screen and intuitive functions, and a clear, quality screen that can display your album art – a nice touch. There were on-screen prompts and instructions that really simplified connecting, using and customising the menus and functions.
The sound was the nicest by far: it was punchy, crisp and clear no matter the genre of music, with just the right emphasis, and it sounded great both down below and when underway on deck, where the mix was well engineered to be heard over the noise of wind and water. This was with our entry level speakers, and performance is likely to be even better with a higher-end pair. This model has since been superseded by a newer version, which offers more zone and volume controls, a tidier installation and a wireless remote control option.