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Hertz Marine Portofino, Italian sound becomes part of yacht design

Hertz Marine Portofino brings together sound quality, marine durability and discreet Italian design for audio installations aboard yachts

Flush-mount speakers, magnetic grilles and marine-engineered components define Portofino, the Hertz Marine range developed for yachts

On a yacht, music is rarely confined to a single room. It can accompany breakfast in the cockpit, a day at anchor, time relaxing on the sun deck or dinner as the lights begin to appear around the harbour. An onboard audio system therefore needs to be heard, while also coexisting with spaces where design, materials and visual continuity play an important role.

This is what makes the Hertz Marine Portofino range particularly interesting. Developed by Elettromedia for premium marine installations and unveiled at the Genoa International Boat Show, it approaches yacht audio with two objectives: delivering high-quality sound while allowing the speakers to become as discreet as possible within the architecture of the yacht.

When a speaker also has to work with the design

The most immediately recognisable feature of Portofino is its flush-mount architecture. The speakers are designed to sit with an extremely low profile and feature a fine magnetic grille that reduces their visual impact.

This is far from a minor consideration on a contemporary yacht. Interior and exterior areas are increasingly conceived as continuous environments where lighting, furniture, materials and technology need to coexist without any element appearing to have been added as an afterthought.

Audio therefore takes on a different role. It is no longer simply equipment to install; it becomes part of the design of the space. The technology remains present while its physical appearance becomes more discreet.

Designed for the sea rather than simply adapted to it

Behind the aesthetics lies a very practical requirement. A speaker installed on board faces conditions very different from those encountered by a domestic audio system. Sunlight, moisture, salt, vibration and temperature changes are all part of normal life at sea.

Hertz Marine develops the Portofino range around its Pure Marine approach, with components specifically intended for the marine environment. Products are tested for resistance to UV exposure and salt fog as well as the demanding conditions associated with use on the water.

Environmental durability is therefore not an addition to the acoustic design but part of the product itself. On a yacht, quality also means maintaining performance and appearance over time in a particularly demanding environment.

Two coaxial speakers shape the onboard soundscape

The range includes 6.5-inch and 7.7-inch coaxial speakers. The Portofino 65 is a 165 mm model with a stated peak power of 150 W, while the larger Portofino 77 measures 196 mm and reaches 200 W peak power.

Beyond the figures, the two sizes allow different spaces to be addressed while preserving the same visual identity. A yacht audio system may extend through the saloon, cockpit, beach area and exterior decks, each with different geometries and acoustic requirements.

Maintaining a consistent design language becomes particularly relevant on larger installations, where the listening experience needs to move naturally from one area to another without making each space feel disconnected.

Bass without dominating the space

The Portofino range is completed by 10-inch subwoofers, offered in different impedance configurations and with a stated peak power of 500 W.

Here too, flush mounting and an ultra-low-profile grille are intended to minimise the visual presence of the component. The subwoofers are also designed for infinite-baffle applications, allowing installation without a conventional dedicated enclosure where the yacht’s structure and installation conditions permit.

On a boat, where every volume is carefully managed, this approach can provide designers and installers with additional flexibility.

An audio story that reached the water in 2014

Behind Hertz Marine is Elettromedia, the Italian company founded in 1987 in the Marche region and established internationally in audio through brands including Audison and Hertz.

Its dedicated move into boating came in 2014, when Hertz officially launched the Marine programme and transferred part of its mobile-audio expertise into an environment with very different requirements.

More than a decade later, Portofino represents an interesting evolution of that journey. It is aimed specifically at yachts and premium marine installations, but it also reflects the way marine audio is increasingly becoming connected with interior design and architectural integration.

Portofino, a name that already evokes the Mediterranean

The choice of name is difficult to overlook. Portofino immediately recalls one of the symbolic destinations of Mediterranean yachting and suggests a form of elegance that does not need to be ostentatious.

It is an appropriate association for the product. The technology is not intended to dominate the yacht visually, and music does not necessarily have to turn the boat into a concert venue. It can simply accompany life on board.

A playlist during a slow coastal passage, music while preparing an aperitif at anchor or something more energetic when friends arrive are different moments within the same way of experiencing a yacht.

Sound becomes part of the onboard experience

On contemporary yachts, much of the technology is increasingly disappearing behind surfaces. Lighting, climate control, automation and entertainment systems are becoming more sophisticated while their physical presence becomes less obvious.

Portofino follows this direction. Its speakers remain technical components, but they are designed to integrate rather than impose themselves.

And perhaps that is the most interesting aspect of the Hertz Marine approach: a reminder that the experience of a yacht is not created only by what we see. There is the movement of the boat, the light, the sound of the water and, whenever we choose, a soundtrack as well.

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Elettromedia Hertz Marine

26 August 2026
© MED Yachting Editorial Team
Hertz Marine Portofino, Italian sound becomes part of yacht design
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