I installed a fairly basic Sony. It supports aux inputs, and so you should be
able to connect an iPod to it. I connect a DVD player. I put a small connector
that ends with the 1/8" minjack from Westmarine. Seems to work well.
As for speakers, I went with small speakers mounted under the overhead
shelf. They are mounted such that they do not block my vision. I
prefer them up front as vs. the dinette area so they do not blast into
the ear of anyone sitting in the rear dinette seat. Also, we were afraid
someone sitting in that seat could hit their head on the speaker.
The speakers are from West Marine. Also, running wire to the
speakers is easy
The ones I have in my album make OK sound. No real bass. However,
I installed a pair of Poly-Planar MA-800s in the gunnels. They make
better bass which reflects into the cabin.
The Audio Source LS-200/400 speakers are nice. But, they are too
large to hang from the forward shelf IMO, and they do not fit in
a 2002 CD-22 gunnel. I ended up selling mine on Ebay.
This is not a setup for an audiophile, but it works OK, is not obtrusive,
and uses mostly dead space.
As the for stereo itself: hard to say. I wonder if spending lots of money
on a head unit is worth it. Will it last? My previous experience with
"marine" stereos has been that they do not last long. The analog
volume control on the DVD player already failed and the DVD player
gets stored in a nice bag.
Mike