When you are looking to sell a boat, installing a quality marine stereo system can definitely up the curb appeal. The typical lifespan of a marine stereo is about 5 years, so that is something to keep in mind. Speaker cones will get brittle and start to break down, affecting the sound quality of your system. Plus, advancements in technology have simply made many of the older stereos obsolete. Ever try connecting your iPod to an old cassette receiver? Yeah, it doesn’t work so well.

To make the system most appealing to a potential buyer, consider a stereo that will play music from many different sources. You may not listen to CDs much anymore, but your buyer may have a massive collection that he will want to play on his boat. A 3.5 mm audio input jack is must. That assures that any device with a headphone jack can patch the audio directly into the stereo. That having been said, iPhone 7 does not have a traditional head phone jack so don’t expect all devices to be able to connect that way. Wireless Bluetooth connectivity is very popular and will be a big plus for buyers. But all devices need to recharge, so it is a good idea to have a USB port on the stereo as well.

Another important factor to consider are the conditions that the marine stereo will be exposed to when it is installed on the boat. Will it be subjected to rain and splash? If so, you will either want to make sure the model you are purchasing is completely waterproof, or you will want to get a splash cover to protect it. Even if your head unit will be in the cabin, a marine stereo is a good idea because it will have plasticoted circuit boards to prevent corrosion in a salt air and humid environment.