www.iFourWinns.com :: View topic - West Marine WM7000 Head Unit?

Made by Dual ???? You would be better off buying a 70's vintage Kraco car stereo from a garage sale than that abomination. :wink:

Dual is very low end stuff. That price for those features, plus WM's markup, tells me it's very cheaply made. If you just want sound, and don't care about the quality or how long it lasts then it may be a good decision for you. Personally, I would spend a little bit more for a marine rated Sony, Kenwood or Clarion.

I put a Sony MEX-M100BT in my last boat, and intend to put another one in my new boat. It has all the good features, plus it has a built-in 40x4 RMS amplifier. This gives you great sound without the need for an external amplifier (unless you intend to add a subwoofer). A little pricey, but totally worth it.

https://www.westmarine.com/buy/sony--mex-m100bt-marine-cd-receiver-with-bluetooth-and-songpal--17051269

That Dual will be more like 18x4 RMS. The most I've ever seen is around 22x4 and that's on the higher end units. If this is the WM branded Dual AM615BT, which it looks to be, page 24 of the owner's manual states 18x4 RMS. Additionally, the Sony is going to have higher voltage preamps, should you choose to add a subwoofer or more speakers down the road.

Lets start by tossing aside any advertised peak and rms wattage by the sony or the dual/west marine units. End of the day, they all are bout the same, in the 15-20 real watts rms...

You could go with the non-marine rated one and just have a sealed lid over it. I know plenty of guys who do that. Of course, we're not around salt water here in South Dakota.

I can't even remember the last time I played a CD

I put all my mp3's on a flash drive that I plug in the front of the unit, and of course stream Spotify from my phone.

Author:	rpengr [ Thu Jun 01, 2017 7:34 am ]
Post subject:	West Marine WM7000 Head Unit?
Has anyone used the West Marine WM7000 Head unit? Currently $169.88 with free shipping on clearance. https://www.westmarine.com/buy/west-marine--wm7000-marine-cd-receiver-with-bluetooth--15004476# Seams to be made by Dual (like the Dual AM615BT on http://www.dualav.com/marineaudio/am615bt.php) Ray edit: I just noticed the RF remote is on clearance for $9.77 (better than the Line-of-Sight IR remote that it comes with) https://www.westmarine.com/buy/west-marine--rf30-wireless-rf-remote-control-kit--14286819

Author:	Cap'n Morgan [ Thu Jun 01, 2017 8:55 am ]
Post subject:	Re: West Marine WM7000 Head Unit?
Made by Dual ???? You would be better off buying a 70's vintage Kraco car stereo from a garage sale than that abomination.

Author:	rpengr [ Thu Jun 01, 2017 10:59 am ]
Post subject:	Re: West Marine WM7000 Head Unit?
Cap'n Morgan wrote: Made by Dual ???? You would be better off buying a 70's vintage Kraco car stereo from a garage sale than that abomination. Yes, I see that Dual is not the German made products such as the fine Turntable I had in the 70's. It is now a Korean company selling their products under the brand. I hardly think it should be compared to the old Kraco's though. This stereo actually has quite good reviews on the West Marine website. Wondering if anyone has one.

Author:	1baddoggy [ Thu Jun 01, 2017 11:27 am ]
Post subject:	Re: West Marine WM7000 Head Unit?
Dual is very low end stuff. That price for those features, plus WM's markup, tells me it's very cheaply made. If you just want sound, and don't care about the quality or how long it lasts then it may be a good decision for you. Personally, I would spend a little bit more for a marine rated Sony, Kenwood or Clarion. I put a Sony MEX-M100BT in my last boat, and intend to put another one in my new boat. It has all the good features, plus it has a built-in 40x4 RMS amplifier. This gives you great sound without the need for an external amplifier (unless you intend to add a subwoofer). A little pricey, but totally worth it. https://www.westmarine.com/buy/sony--mex-m100bt-marine-cd-receiver-with-bluetooth-and-songpal--17051269

Author:	rpengr [ Thu Jun 01, 2017 12:07 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: West Marine WM7000 Head Unit?
1baddoggy wrote: Dual is very low end stuff. That price for those features, plus WM's markup, tells me it's very cheaply made. If you just want sound, and don't care about the quality or how long it lasts then it may be a good decision for you. Personally, I would spend a little bit more for a marine rated Sony, Kenwood or Clarion. I put a Sony MEX-M100BT in my last boat, and intend to put another one in my new boat. It has all the good features, plus it has a built-in 40x4 RMS amplifier. This gives you great sound without the need for an external amplifier (unless you intend to add a subwoofer). A little pricey, but totally worth it. https://www.westmarine.com/buy/sony--mex-m100bt-marine-cd-receiver-with-bluetooth-and-songpal--17051269 That looks like a nice one. I read the reviews and like that my Android phone can act as a full featured remote that works well. Sony is rated 40wX4 continuous and Dual is rated 60wX4 peak. (I would think 60w peak is equal to about 30w continuous) Question: I see it has button for "phone" which I assume works like BT phone controls in your car. Do you make calls through the head unit? Does it allow an external microphone?

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Author:	1baddoggy [ Thu Jun 01, 2017 1:48 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: West Marine WM7000 Head Unit?
I used the app on my phone to control it sometimes, but it also comes with its own wireless remote and I found that easier than using my phone. The app does come in nice for adjusting settings on the unit. That Dual will be more like 18x4 RMS. The most I've ever seen is around 22x4 and that's on the higher end units. If this is the WM branded Dual AM615BT, which it looks to be, page 24 of the owner's manual states 18x4 RMS. Additionally, the Sony is going to have higher voltage preamps, should you choose to add a subwoofer or more speakers down the road. Yes, you can do bluetooth calling through the unit like in a car. I never hooked up the external mic to mine, but it does come with one.

Author:	rpengr [ Thu Jun 01, 2017 3:37 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: West Marine WM7000 Head Unit?
1baddoggy wrote: That Dual will be more like 18x4 RMS. The most I've ever seen is around 22x4 and that's on the higher end units. If this is the WM branded Dual AM615BT, which it looks to be, page 24 of the owner's manual states 18x4 RMS. Additionally, the Sony is going to have higher voltage preamps, should you choose to add a subwoofer or more speakers down the road. Yes, the WM7000 seems to be the Dual AM615BT but with a different remote. Both manuals say 18x 4 RMS. The Sony MEX-M100BT looks impressive. $269.99 The equivalent non marine radio is MEX-XB100BT which is only $149.99

Author:	Wylie_Tunes [ Thu Jun 01, 2017 7:44 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: West Marine WM7000 Head Unit?
Lets start by tossing aside any advertised peak and rms wattage by the sony or the dual/west marine units. End of the day, they all are bout the same, in the 15-20 real watts rms. Theres no audible difference in volume, so it a moot point. Like they say Pyle is a pile and dual is twice the pile. For that money, you can get a proven Clarion M303. It supports two wired LCD remotes, integrated blue tooth, rear USB and AUX.

Author:	rpengr [ Fri Jun 02, 2017 7:07 am ]
Post subject:	Re: West Marine WM7000 Head Unit?
Wylie_Tunes wrote: Lets start by tossing aside any advertised peak and rms wattage by the sony or the dual/west marine units. End of the day, they all are bout the same, in the 15-20 real watts rms... Actually the Sony MEX-XB100BT (the same as MEX-M100BT but not Marine version) bench tested at 41-42 RMS at <1% distortion. Sony's claim is 40RMS/100Peak X4 That's pretty impressive for a built in amp. See the bench test here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zkLwQVHxfI

Author:	1baddoggy [ Fri Jun 02, 2017 8:33 am ]
Post subject:	Re: West Marine WM7000 Head Unit?
You could go with the non-marine rated one and just have a sealed lid over it. I know plenty of guys who do that. Of course, we're not around salt water here in South Dakota.

Author:	Wylie_Tunes [ Fri Jun 02, 2017 8:37 am ]
Post subject:	Re: West Marine WM7000 Head Unit?
There are some exceptions to the rule these days. We are seeing traditional head units with amp wattage measured by CEA-2006 methods that most external amps are rated at. This makes it a little easier to compare them. Fusion has a model or two that offer more wattage than a typical "50x4 PEAK" head unit does. We are even seeing 2 ohm stable units like the Kicker and some Fusion units. This makes driving larger system with more than 2 pair of 4 ohm speakers, possible without an external amp. In the end, im still not ready to take the word of the marketing dept from companies like pyle, dual, boss, etc, that have a history of using unrealistic number just for marketing hype.

Author:	rpengr [ Fri Jun 02, 2017 10:17 am ]
Post subject:	Re: West Marine WM7000 Head Unit?
1baddoggy wrote: You could go with the non-marine rated one and just have a sealed lid over it. I know plenty of guys who do that. Of course, we're not around salt water here in South Dakota. I'm thinking about that. Non-Marine = $150 / Marine = $270 I do have a sealed lid and keep my boat as dry as possible, but even salt air is bad. I can't imagine that they can do much to "Marinize" the CD player?

Author:	1baddoggy [ Fri Jun 02, 2017 10:57 am ]
Post subject:	Re: West Marine WM7000 Head Unit?
I can't even remember the last time I played a CD I put all my mp3's on a flash drive that I plug in the front of the unit, and of course stream Spotify from my phone.

Author:	rpengr [ Fri Jun 02, 2017 12:21 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: West Marine WM7000 Head Unit?
1baddoggy wrote: I can't even remember the last time I played a CD I put all my mp3's on a flash drive that I plug in the front of the unit, and of course stream Spotify from my phone. True. I've never had a CD on the boat. Mostly use Pandora and Memory Card mp3's. Current radio requires 3.5mm audio cable...that's why I want to upgrade to Bluetooth.

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Author:	BrentC5Z [ Fri Jun 09, 2017 10:49 am ]
Post subject:	Re: West Marine WM7000 Head Unit?
Bluetooth is a $45 add to any head unit that has RCA inputs. Just something to keep in mind while shopping. I imagine most new units have it built in now if they are of any quality though.