Stereo Mod Ideas

[Paulm235]

We picked up our 327RES in mid march which is replacing our 2010 Heartland Sundance, and have been trying to use everything possible to weed out the bugs before our first trip. So far everthing seems to be fine. My big beef is the sound system :(. Why can't the put decent sound systems in these rigs? This so called "surround sound" system sounds like the AM radio I used to listed to baseball games on when I was a kid (70's). It's not like it would shoot up the cost much if at all. In comparison, the people we camp with have a 31' Skyline Nomad (not a very high end unit) and their stereo sounds great. It's really nothing more than a system you would put in your car (aftermarket not factory). I'm not a stereo system snob but it would be nice to have something that sounds acceptable.
Has anyone done any mods to your stereos or made any improvements that have worked well?

Thanks

[CincyGus]

Hi Paulm235,

I'm actually pretty happy with the sound system in my passport. What kind of equipment did yours come with? Is there a model number or something in the paperwork or on the unit?

Ours came with 2 speakers inside and 2 outside and sounds at least as good as my nice boombox. Don't get me wrong, no one is going to confuse it for high fidelity equipment by it's not bad at all.

Usually the biggest bang for the buck is replacing speakers rather than the head unit so you might look at that option if it's something you just can't live with. Have you talked to the dealer since it's a fairly new unit? Maybe they can switch out the head unit or speakers and get it sounding decent? Never hurts to let them know your not happy with it and ask.

Another option might be to get a pair of decent computer speakers or a sound bar like are attached to big screen TV's but I think I would try the dealer option first and hope that they want to take care of an unhappy customer in hopes of retaining your business next time your trade in and up on a camper.

[2011 keystone]

Our stereo does not pick up stations very well at all and yes I already checked the antenna wire. So now we just take our IPOD with us and play it through the head unit all is good now.

[jsmith948]

Our Jensen stereo/dvd has great sound
The Toshiba t.v. has very tiny, low quality sound
The problem is that in order to listen to the t.v. using the Jensen (coach's) speakers the Toshiba has only digital sound output and the Jensen only has input jacks for analog.
I don't know if your issue is with the actual stereo/radio sound or the t.v. sound
I'm told that one can buy a digital to analog converter from Best Buy
Just food for thought:)

[MyCoug243]

I agree 100% that the sound sucks, so I installed a HarmonKardon deck with a 720w amp, a 10" custom sub and a set of 4 6" Infinity Kappa speakers. Now it sound like a concert hall, Im not so concerned about volume, but sound quality. Love watching movies in there now!

[johnnyrose]

I did something similar. The coach that we bought was "new to us" and didn't come with a sound system. The coach was hard wired with antenna and speakers but no head unit. I bought a great turn of the millenium home stereo head unit and wired everything through it. I get great reception in there and the speakers that came in the coach are great! I think maybe you just need a tweaking on your unit. The systems that come in these things now are so nice I can't believe that it is the head unit. Either speakers or something else need to change. Is it bad reception that you are getting or does the sound quality just suck?

[JRTJH]

I agree 100% that the sound sucks, so I installed a HarmonKardon deck with a 720w amp, a 10" custom sub and a set of 4 6" Infinity Kappa speakers. Now it sound like a concert hall, Im not so concerned about volume, but sound quality. Love watching movies in there now!

While sound systems are more important to some campers than to others, and I certainly respect the decisions made by anyone who wants to improve their RV, I sometimes wonder about the innovations done by some.

We use the sound system mainly as a way to get current news, weather alerts and to break the boredom on rainy days. Since most of our camping is "off the grid" in wilderness areas, I shudder when I imagine the battery loving appetite of a system like the one above and can see the lights fading to dim far too quickly while trying to listen to the evening news in a lakeside campground where the only other sounds are crickets and crows.....

The 1.5amp drain of the factory system doesn't affect the batteries "that much" and since we're not running the A/C and competing with the campers next door to drown out their noise (sound systems and kids) it produces more than adequate sound both in clarity and volume.

Then again, maybe it's just my "old ears" can't tell the difference any more ?????

[allentx1]

We have a similar crappy system in the Avalanche. The problem is the missing subwoofer. Even a crappy subwoofer would have helped to fill in the gaps. Get a cheap powered subwoofer and look for ahiding place. That will give you the most bang for the least buck. Or swap out with all automotive gear for super loud... just don't camp near me. :)

[WaitingToRetire]

I started with the default suggestion of replacing the speakers. I got mixed results.

For the outside speakers I used some marine grade replacements, and they sound great. They will go plenty loud, although I don't out of common courtesy to others. However, they just sound sooooo much better at normal volume, which is what I was hoping for. IIRC, they cost around $75 for the pair.

The indoor speakers. Sony's from Wmt, $50/pair, 2pairs, so $100 for indoor speakers. The sound is better than the old paper-cone $4 specials (literally - $4, google the part #), but I don't think it is $84 better.

Overall, I'm happy with it, but I had money to burn at the time. If I were to do it over, I'd go the same route again on the outdoor speakers. But for the indoor I think I would follow the suggestion above and go with a small subwoofer add-on (think high-quality computer subwoofer).

If I really cared THAT much about it (which I don't, not when I'm RV'ing), I would build/buy some custom enclosures for the indoor speakers (or buy a sub/satellite system). The RV manufacturers just shove them in the ceiling anywhere they can (which has to be a horrible acoustic environment), with no regard to sound production. The use of a $4 speaker hints at their concern for sound quality.

My thoughts,
Chad