Concertone

Ehlendt · 03-22-2010, 09:59 PM

So I am very unhappy with the zx50(?) unit that came factory in my new 2010 Salem 26TBUD. I was going to replace it with a nicer model Concertone with DVD, but have decided against it. For the same price, maybe even a little cheaper, I can get a car unit(2DIN size) that has a a 5-7" touch screen that has HD radio, tv tuner(not needed due to the new 26" LCD having a built-in tuner), XM ready, Bluetooth, Navigation(surely won't need that!), iPOD friendly.....too much to list. It has video output that will plug right into the TV. And since I only have a depth of 7 10/16" to work with in the entertainment nook, it wil fit flush and not need much effort to fill in and trim out the old hole that the Concertone was in. I couldn't beleive how cheap the thing was when I pulled it out. My empty wallet is thicker than this piece of junk....no wonder it sounds terrible!!
I'm still researching the best unit to get, but I am leaning towards the Pioneer AVH-P3200BT. It's a pretty sweet unit! I'll be sure to post pictures after I'm all done with the mod.

miatared · 03-23-2010, 06:33 AM

You'll need some sort of bezel as a DoubleDIN radio is smaller (approx 7" x 4", 180mm x 100mm) and I think the Concertone hole is 7.625" x 6.75" - but that should be pretty easy to work out.

What a great idea - there has been many advancements in the car audio/video market over the last few years and lots of competition.

Please keep us in the loop on your progress and good luck.

Denis

Ehlendt · 03-23-2010, 12:36 PM

Thanks Denis. I hope to pull the trigger on an order by the weekend. I know I will have to do some crafty wood working to make it look clean. Nothing a little wood, glue, screws, nails, router, stain, etc can't fix!!

There are a TON of cheaper units you can get online from China/Japan, but I'd rather not go that route if I have problems down the road. Pioneer is a trusted brand IMO and has a decent price to boot....although I wouldn't buy it direct from them.

I'll post the pictures when I do the deed!!

fivecodys · 03-23-2010, 03:04 PM

I agree.
It really aggrivated me that Forest River puts this junk in our trailers.
How much more could it cost to put decent systems in these trailers? 100 bucks maybe?
Like you, I chucked mine out in the driveway and replaced it.
Please post some pictures when you are done so we can see how it turned out.

Bill

Ehlendt · 03-28-2010, 06:01 PM

I need to retract the statement that I made about the Concertone(zx50) stereo system that came in my 2010 TT being a piece of junk. It's actually a zx25 and is still a piece of junk!!!!!

The good news is that I pulled the trigger and ordered a replacement. I ended up going with a CLARION VX409 6.5" Touch Screen Car DVD/CD/MP3 Player. It only set me back $290 and will far exceed anything I could get out of a Concertone. It will hopefully areive before next weekend so that I can attempt the install over the weekend.

Wish me luck! Pictures will be posted.

shineysideup · 03-28-2010, 06:21 PM

I can't blame you one bit. I have had my concertcrap replaced already. It still sucks. This one has a noticeable hum on low volume, enough that I don't want to listen to it. I have given up about having it replaced again, concertcrap is just that. I will be buying a car stereo to replace to "joke" radio that came with my trailer!

Don't forget to post some pics, are you replacing the speakers also?

Ehlendt · 03-28-2010, 08:20 PM

Shineysideup,
I figure that speakers will more than likely have to be replaced, but I will wait to see what the stock one's sound like after the head unit swap first. I'll go from there......
I wouldn't mind replacing the speakers, but if I ned to replace junky speaker wire I'm gonna be miffed!!

shineysideup · 03-28-2010, 08:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ehlendt

Shineysideup,
I figure that speakers will more than likely have to be replaced, but I will wait to see what the stock one's sound like after the head unit swap first. I'll go from there......
I wouldn't mind replacing the speakers, but if I ned to replace junky speaker wire I'm gonna be miffed!!

I tried to fix one of my speaker grill covers over the kids bunks. They had the grill pushed in. I could not figure out how to separate the cover from the speaker although I didn't spend a lot of time trying. I wonder if you could use the existing speaker wire to pull the new wire through. I can't remember what size the wire was... The speaker appeared to be quite cheap (and shallow).

acadianbob · 03-29-2010, 08:43 AM

Here was my solution.

acadianbob · 03-29-2010, 08:46 AM

Jensen AWM970. This photo is a little bigger. Also replaced the speakers with some 2-way Jensen speakers although there was a HUGE improvement in sound even with the stock speakers. This unit includes RV features like 3 channels of output, alarm clock, etc. Only downside is it doesn't have NOAA.

miatared · 03-29-2010, 08:08 PM

Very nice - good job.

To the NOAA issue: buy a Farmer's Almanach - that's what they use

Denis

Ehlendt · 03-30-2010, 10:35 AM

Very nice replace!!!

I did look at the Jensen units as well, but since I could get (IMO) a higher quality 2DIN unit for the same price, I opted to go with it. I may end up shooting myself for it, but what the heck....it's just money right? I really like electronics and figured there were a lot of extras on the unit that will keep me occupied figuring out while sitting around the campsite. Heck, I can even hook up a "security" camera to this unit to make sure nobody is getting into the beer cooler at night!! LOL

Matt_L · 03-31-2010, 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ehlendt

Wish me luck! Pictures will be posted.

Dang... I've got a 8317SS on order and didn't know about all the problems with the Concertone systems. I'm prepared to do the same thing you're doing if my unit is as crappy as the general consensus around here. I'm a carpenter by trade but no electrician. Mind if I bend your ear for a little advice if worse comes to worst?

Good luck, man.

Ehlendt · 04-02-2010, 03:29 PM

Sure Matt.

Got the new unit in and spent a few minutes taking out the old one this morning(day off). Cut all the wires to the old unit. Hooked up the wires to the new one. FYI.....the wiring diagram on my old radio was worthless. Not even close to being right with regards to the speaker wires(L/R, Zone A/B). Didn't take too long to figure out what was what. After hooking everything up, I had success!!! Eveything worked, even the DVD signal to the 26" flat screen

I just have it sitting in the open hole for the moment. Ended up having company come into town for the weekend, so I'll have to leave it like it is for now. Pictures to come.

Snivek · 04-05-2010, 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by acadianbob

Here was my solution.

So I was on the Jensen Rv direct website and was looking at there rv dvd player, I saw there was a review and to my surprise it was acadianbob... I guess the unit is pretty good. I am gonna try my luck getting a replacement but if that doesn't work this looks like a great alternative.

Ehlendt · 04-06-2010, 11:09 AM

Snivek,
I looked back at my older post; hope I didn't come across wrong to anybody. I do not see any reason why you should not go with a Jensen unit designed specifically for this application. It looks like a great option. I just liked all the bells and whistles that came with the unit(not designed for a TT) I finally decided on. Everything works thus far. I've too busy to get the full install done as of yet and don't see getting it done for at least a couple of weeks with the schedule I currently have! I'll provide picks of the finished install to let you see what this baby can do!!

acadianbob · 04-08-2010, 09:08 AM

No worries man! There are lots of potential solutions out there and it depends on your situation and needs. As for NOAA, we use 2-way radios for backing into sites (nice to avoid trees and posts!). We bought radios with NOAA in case things start looking a little rough weather-wise. Whatever one decides to replace the Concertone with, it is a huge difference in sound quality and the upgrade cost is relatively modest in the overall scheme of things.

tmmar · 04-08-2010, 09:13 AM

AcadianBob,
Nice install job. Do you have enough ventilation for the unit with this setup?

acadianbob · 04-08-2010, 09:31 AM

The unit is not quite a tall as the Concertone. While you can't see it in the photo very easily, there is (purposefully) a small gap at the bottom that is for ventilation. One could easily leave just a tiny gap at the top and bottom that nobody woud ever notice. I have just a small gap at the top which is covered by the trim piece (so not sure that really ventilates!). In retrospect, I wish I had lowered it just a tad but then the gap was noticeable at the top. You don't see the one at the bottom so much. I've also thought about installing a small vent on the left side where you would never see it; in the place for a TV to the left of the unit. Might do that yet. But have not encountered any problems to date with the way it currently is set up.

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