upgrading clarion CMD 4

A

aerobat77

Active Member
Aug 12, 2014
816
germany
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hey gents !

i have on my 240 sundancer the clarion CMD4 stereo with clarion remote control in the cockpit and swimplatform.

since it bothers me that it does not has an USB port and cannot even play MP3 CD i consider replacing it.

there are sweet double DIN stereos from Kenwood or Sony - but will it work with my remotes or do i have to stay with clarion ???

if i stay with clarion - will the remotes work with the latest CMD8 which has USB and Mp3 ?

thanks for any hints !
 
why don't you just add a Bluetooth dongle to the CMD4 and stream music from your handheld/ tablet ? Fusion makes a great one; its $40 on Amazon. Your Clarion remotes will not work with even the newer head units from clarion ( 4 pin versus 6 I think) let alone a Kenwood or Sony.
 
there are sweet double DIN stereos from Kenwood or Sony
Click to expand...

Sony and Kenwood no longer produces an over sized faced marine unit although those old usnits can be still sourced from some online clearing houses. Just an FYI that may play into your decision. But know this, that Clarion uses a standard 2" x 7" cutout, so as long as the factory hole was not gobbed out at the factory, any single DIN will work. You will be left with the old mounting screw holes, but a simple ABS trim plate can be fab'd to cover.
 
I purchased a Miccus receiver for $35 off of eBay. Plugs into the aux jack and works perfect. Connects with iPhone, iPad, and transmitter purchased for TV. Great cheap improvement.

Bennett
 
thanks very much for your inputs ! so if a change the stereo i will in any case have to change the remotes - even in the case i buy a CMD8

one , hopefully not to stupid question : if i buy a simple female usb / aux in adapter and switch it into the aux in of my CMD4 - can music from an USB stick be played ?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-5mm-Male-...Converter-Cable-Cord-Car-MP3-HM-/281580625513

i talk such a device.

thanks !

edit : searched for it and it will not work since the aux in is a pure input without electrical supply for the USB stick . but like mentioned before a bluetooth receiver should work and i could play mp3 from e.g my smartphone via bluetooth ( when i understand it correctly)
 
Last edited:
aerobat77 said:
thanks very much for your inputs ! so if a change the stereo i will in any case have to change the remotes - even in the case i buy a CMD8

one , hopefully not to stupid question : if i buy a simple female usb / aux in adapter and switch it into the aux in of my CMD4 - can music from an USB stick be played ?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-5mm-Male-...Converter-Cable-Cord-Car-MP3-HM-/281580625513

i talk such a device.

thanks !

edit : searched for it and it will not work since the aux in is a pure input without electrical supply for the USB stick . but like mentioned before a bluetooth receiver should work and i could play mp3 from e.g my smartphone via bluetooth ( when i understand it correctly)
Click to expand...

Yes. With the bluetooth receiver plugged into the aux jack, it will sync with your smartphone and play away. I also bought the bluetooth transmitter and plug it into the headphone jack or the TV and listen to the TV through the stereo system. It all works amazingly well.

Bennett
 
bbwhitejr - you have the cmd4 on your 260 where it works well ? i could give it a try before changing the whole stereo system !
 
aerobat77 said:
bbwhitejr - you have the cmd4 on your 260 where it works well ? i could give it a try before changing the whole stereo system !
Click to expand...

Yes, I have the CMD4. The only problem that I have had is the cabin speakers were not working one time. Accessed the rear and worked the plug a little bit and everything started to work as it should. Likely a poor connection. At the advice of another member here, I purchased a Miccus Bluetooth Receiver and a Miccus Bluetooth Transmitter. Plugged the receiver into the aux jack on the CMD4, selected aux as the input, paired iphone/ipad with it, and listen to internet music, sports, news, or whatever. Paired the receiver with the transmitter with transmitter plugged into the TV headphone jack, and it works equally as good. I also installed USB ports beside the CMD4 and the TV to keep the devices charged up. I can change volume with the helm or transom remotes. I am sure that the day will come when I will have to change out the whole system, but for now and $75 it works for us. Hope this helps.

Bennett
 
other than a little increase in sound quality between the data port output and headphone output, I see little advantage to that USB to 3.5. On that note, no clue if it will work with a flash drive.
 
I have a CMD4 and it plays MP3 CD's so I am not sure why yours doesn't? I also have a blue tooth dongle that I use to stream audio to it via the AUX port. Not perfectly elegant, but it works for my purpose.
 
thank you very much for your very useful information and tips !!!

i will try out a bluetooth receiver on the aux input which might save the effort to change all the stereo system including the remotes.

best regards
 
I bought a Sony marine stereo and remote. The best purchase I've made. One, it's not a cd player which is never used. Two, it's bluetooth so anyone can play any phone/ipod without wiring anywhere in or around the boat. Three, sound quality is much better than the low end clarion. Four, user friendly controls and lights up to match the instruments.

And the Clarion is single din, so any unit will match up the space, minus the bolt holes from the clarion frame.
 
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