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Old 07-28-2014, 07:40 AM   #1
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TV/Stereo Upgrades Questions and Comments

Hey Gang,

I am just wondering what some of you have done with your TV/stereo units in your In your trailers. I am quite un-impressed with the quality and for-thought regarding our stereo and TV. First our speakers are ver "tinny" with not a great sound at all. I thought I have read previously before that some of you have replaced speakers with a bit better quality and that made a big difference. I am not looking for Dolby Digital 5.1 or even close to it, just something better than what is there. Have any of you done this modification?

Secondly, for some odd reason the had the great idea to have a swivel TV set that can twist from living area to bedroom, great idea right? Well, there are four speakers in the living area and the two closest to the bedroom are facing away from the TV. Tis become more problematic when you want the kids to watch a movie later in the evening and they go to the queen bedroom and the sound so out in the living area. Hmmm, I tried to disconnect the audio from the speakers but the audio and the video are all one cord. Just wondering what some of you have done in this situation? Come up with a different way to run video and just use speaker from TV or mount bedroom speakers in the bedroom. Thanks for any help or ideas you may have.
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Old 07-30-2014, 08:08 PM   #2
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Greetings,
I upgraded the original stereo in my TT and installed a car Kenwood AM/FM CD player and it made a world of difference on the quality of the sound, with that said the original speakers leave a lot to be desired (sound quality). I will be upgrading to better speakers later. To your second question, I have six speakers all together, 2 in the living dining room areas, 2 in the bedroom and lastly 2 outside of the TT (weatherproof). the original installation basically had all speakers playing all at once. I isolated all of the speakers by zones. Bedroom, living room/dining room, and bedroom. Simply by a throw of a switch I can chose to shut off or on one or 2 zones, and you can select any zone you want to listen to or have off. The options of audio are AM/FM stereo, CD, VIDEO or AUX (I can connect I Phone Music). and lastly I installed a night light option that luminates the stereo console (LED Blue strip lights 12 V) this helps when everyone is resting so the overhead lights don't need to be turned on, it also works as a mood light. I hope this helps and I will post pictures later. Hector
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Old 07-30-2014, 08:22 PM   #3
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Thanks Hector... I waited a while for someone to post. I too have 3 zones. 1 set outside... the other 2 sets inside in living room area. Do you think just changing the speakers would help sound quality?

As well, is there a way to get the video from my DVD/ video player and just use the speaker from my tv?
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Old 07-30-2014, 08:32 PM   #4
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Definitely changing the speakers will improve the quality of the sound, however assuming you have the original sound unit, these systems usually are not the best. The TT OEMs just install the bare bone cheap systems. this is why I chose to upgrade to a car Stereo system. For your bedroom option if you want to add speakers would be nice if not some TV's allow you to add a sound bar with the source in the back of course. this is a better option than the original TV speakers. Assuming you can select to turn off your other zones completely. I hope this makes sense.
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Old 07-30-2014, 09:10 PM   #5
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Our 5th wheel came with a "5.1 surround sound" system. What a pile of garbage that Genesis/Concertone system is. I removed the stereo (GT 3.0), and installed a home receiver. I also replaced the factory "subwoofer" with a Bose Bass Module. I retained the other factory speakers and the system sounds great for movies and background music. I couldn't be happier.
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Old 07-30-2014, 09:34 PM   #6
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My trailer had 8 speakers, 4 in the living room on channel 'A', two in the bedroom on channel 'B' and 2 outside on channel 'C'. My Brother In Law's trailer was setup similar to yours. 4 in the living room, 2 of them on 'A' and 2 of them on 'B', 2 outside on 'C', no bedroom. After seeing mine, he plans to see if he can add speakers in the bedroom, then rewiring all 4 in his living room to 'A' and the two ones he adds to 'B'. He hasn't done that project yet though.
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Old 07-30-2014, 09:45 PM   #7
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That sounds like the way it should have been from factory... oh well...oversights
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Old 07-30-2014, 10:06 PM   #8
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Pictures of my system

Here are pics of my new system as I explained. I also included a pic of the old unit and of course the LED lights.
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Old 07-31-2014, 06:11 AM   #9
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Nice job...Does one of those switches control the disco light coming down from the ceiling? Keep me posted when you change your speakers. Will you be upgrading the wiring or would that be too much of a headache?
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Old 07-31-2014, 06:59 AM   #10
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Here are pics of my new system as I explained. I also included a pic of the old unit and of course the LED lights.
Looks like a nice job.

I would like to add / enhance the stereo in my Work And Play.

Add ouside speakers and some in the bedroom.

Mine was built with just (4) speakers, (2) in dining / living area and (2) in the garage. All on (1) channel.
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Old 07-31-2014, 07:23 AM   #11
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If you are looking for sound quality, change speakers first, followed by the headunit, and if you still want more, some companies (Alpine for example) make an 'in-dash' amplifier that runs off the same power connection as the radio and will give you 45w per channel (typically radio output is 12w-18w per channel). My XLR came with nice Kicker speakers but a cheap Dual headunit. I replaced the headunit with an Alpine UTE-52BT digital media headunit (no CD player, just BT, USB, IPOD, etc) and added the UTP-445U universal in-dash amp. But, since I didn't need a ton of power to the inside speakers, I ran those directly off the front channel of the radio and then bridged the amp to the outside (rear) speakers so I was able to get 90watts per channel on the outside speakers. With the front vs rear configuration, I can change how much sound is going to the inside speakers vs the outside speakers. When I have it all on the outside speakers and have the volume turned up, it screams. Definitely makes for a great party atmosphere when it's appropriate (obviously not going to be that a$$hole that cranks it up all hours of the night)
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Old 07-31-2014, 07:27 AM   #12
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Nice job...Does one of those switches control the disco light coming down from the ceiling? Keep me posted when you change your speakers. Will you be upgrading the wiring or would that be too much of a headache?
There really is no need to upgrade wiring. Going from an 18awg to a 12awg or even 10awg will only net you roughly .5dB (if I remember correctly) which is not noticeable to the human ear. I'm not sure what your particular trailer has for speaker wires, but mine were already 14awg... so you definitely wouldn't ever notice a difference.
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Old 07-31-2014, 08:11 AM   #13
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mmm...we have the Genesis 3.0 system and have not had any issues with sound quality or electronics - I guess we got lucky.

If your sound quality is bad and your unit is new make the dealer repair or replace stuff IMO. If you are curious, get on a ladder and check your speakers. Make sure there is no vibration at the mounts. check the baffles as well and perhaps install upgraded ones.

I have checked the wiring on our Genisis to TV. Decent cables (not monster of course, but gold plugs)

The one nice upgrade I did was to install a Apple TV and a Segate 1TB wireless Mediaserver. All we need is a decent WIFI signal and we have tons of viewing options such that I am not so sure we will need to get a tailgater. Time will tell though.

I am also impressed with the "Stock" Antenna that came with our unit. I really pulls in HD! First thing I do when we setup is raise the antenna, turn on the TV, hit autotune and finish setup. Invariably, the TV will find at least 6-8 Channels, half of which are HD.
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Old 07-31-2014, 08:31 AM   #14
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The one nice upgrade I did was to install a Apple TV and a Segate 1TB wireless Mediaserver. All we need is a decent WIFI signal and we have tons of viewing options such that I am not so sure we will need to get a tailgater. Time will tell though.
Going off topic here for a second, but I thought most of those mediaservers had built in ad-hoc wifi? It least most the ones that work with ipads did anyways.

Otherwise, I've had good experience using my Airport Express (Apple (Canada) - Mac - AirPort Express) to create wifi zones in hotel rooms, etc. and I've even run it off the inverter in my truck a few times. There's a ton of these little portable wifi routers out there, but the Airport is the only one I have experience with and can speak to.

Ok, back on topic now...

To the OP, if I was going to be doing an upgrade, one of the first things I'd look at is swapping out the radio for a decent car head unit with dual zones. One of the pet peeves I've had with the Genesis system has been that it can only play 1 source over the three zones. There's no way to say, put a movie on for the kids inside and pipe the music from the ipod to the parents sitting outside. But yet that's a feature almost any car head unit that's capable of playing DVDs can do.

Replacing the speakers would be a nice upgrade, but I've generally found that there's so much other ambient noise, like the AC running that trying to get 'good' sound is almost pointless. I'm just happy when I can get 'I can hear it' sound. So first I'd worry about the source, then if it still sounds terrible I'd see what I can do with the speakers.
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Old 07-31-2014, 09:20 AM   #15
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Going off topic here for a second, but I thought most of those mediaservers had built in ad-hoc wifi? It least most the ones that work with ipads did anyways.
Ah, a fellow Mac-O-Phile

Exactly, that is how the mediaserver interface works (which is G*R*E*A*T when you have no WIFI/TV signal) Mediaserver then provides us (via iPad airplay to Apple TV) lots of video options (we have @ 300 movies @ 500 TV shows & @ 175 music videos on the darn drive)


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Otherwise, I've had good experience using my Airport Express (Apple (Canada) - Mac - AirPort Express) to create wifi zones in hotel rooms, etc. and I've even run it off the inverter in my truck a few times. There's a ton of these little portable wifi routers out there, but the Airport is the only one I have experience with and can speak to.
OK you may need to reply to this and it is actually on-topic because a good WIFI signal is often critical to a good A/V experience these days!

I have always wondered what to use to boost WIFI signals. I thought perhaps a Airport Express would work. Is that what you are using it for?

I am trying to move post-PC (at least in our RV) and really don't want to lug my MacBook Pro when our iPads are more than adequate for our RV needs. Problem is, most WIFI extenders expect you to have a notebook computer...

I have been eyeing this:
Amazon.com: CC X Mile Long Range Outdoor USB WiFi Antenna (for MAC or PC): Computers & Accessories

For a post PC solution I have been looking at this, since it does not seem to need a PC to workbut I think it is pretty pricy!

Amazon.com: AllPro RV Hotspot & WiFi Amplifier - Long Range WiFi up to 25 Miles: Computers & Accessories

Let's compare notes at Goshen Kaadk!

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Ok, back on topic now...

To the OP, if I was going to be doing an upgrade, one of the first things I'd look at is swapping out the radio for a decent car head unit with dual zones. One of the pet peeves I've had with the Genesis system has been that it can only play 1 source over the three zones. There's no way to say, put a movie on for the kids inside and pipe the music from the ipod to the parents sitting outside. But yet that's a feature almost any car head unit that's capable of playing DVDs can do.

Replacing the speakers would be a nice upgrade, but I've generally found that there's so much other ambient noise, like the AC running that trying to get 'good' sound is almost pointless. I'm just happy when I can get 'I can hear it' sound. So first I'd worry about the source, then if it still sounds terrible I'd see what I can do with the speakers.
Good Point! So much ambiant noise that installing, say Bose speakers would probably not net you much! (Although a good subwoofer IS a good idea....hmmm must think Wireless solutions. Looking forward to the Factory tour because in our unit at least, there sounds like there is a LOT of empty space behind the A/V paneling...might be a good place to put a efficient subwoofer!

Let's discuss head units! I would like to find a replacement because there are limitations tothe Genisis unit I have noted:
  • Does Not have a sleep timer (this sucks - we like to go to sleep listening to relaxation music..um..maybe rock n roll if it is one of THOSE nights )
  • Cannot play different sources to different speakers it is, as you say, all or none
  • Weather Radio does not have a Emergency alert (which is fatally DUMB IMO!)
  • DVD is not BluRay compatable
  • User Interface SUCKS! (I am very technically competent and it took me over a day of futzing to learn how to use the system!)
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Old 07-31-2014, 09:35 AM   #16
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...I have always wondered what to use to boost WIFI signals. I thought perhaps a Airport Express would work. Is that what you are using it for?...
Oh, boost! Yeah, I missed that point. I thought you just meant you wanted a local wifi to hook the mediaserver up to the appleTV.

The Express is capable of boosting, but only from other airport routers. So I can use it at home with my time capsule, but not on the road. On the other hand though it is PC-less because I can set it up via an app on the iPad or iPhone.

So, if I understand correctly, you're looking for something that would work as easily as the AE, with the ability to extend wifi signals but be setup by a portable device, but to also be compatible with most of the wifi's at whatever park you end up at?
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Old 07-31-2014, 09:53 AM   #17
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<SNIP>
On the other hand though it is PC-less because I can set it up via an app on the iPad or iPhone.
That's RIGHT! I forgot that iPad/Phone now has the Airport utility *DOH*

OK, now I am starting to cogitate...

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So, if I understand correctly, you're looking for something that would work as easily as the AE, with the ability to extend wifi signals but be setup by a portable device, but to also be compatible with most of the wifi's at whatever park you end up at?
In a word, Yes. I am also looking at a antenna solution as well.

Real World Scenario: We stayed at a KOA whose WIFI was down for repair. Their suggestion was that we drive @ a mile down the road to the city park where there was free public WIFI.

Instead, wouldn't it be cool to have a antenna on your rig that could pull in signals from 1-2 miles away? (the links to the antennas I gave in my last post claim to do that).

You are coming to Goshen, aren't you?
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Old 07-31-2014, 09:59 AM   #18
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Addendum to above post: Kaadk, I just realized that Airplay on the AE might be a solution as well.

BTW, I have successfully linked my iPhone5 with the Genisis. Not only can I stream my music, I can make phone calls over the Genisis as well (there is a Mic built into the Genisis)
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Old 07-31-2014, 10:20 AM   #19
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1) Yep, going to Goshen. We leave this Saturday. Just brought the TT home from the storage lot last night to get 'er ready.

2) I know the Genesis can link with the phone, but I already have enough trouble hearing on the phone with the kids in the background, why would I subject my callers to that too?
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Old 07-31-2014, 11:53 AM   #20
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I would even be happy if could watch a movie and use the TV speaker but that does not even seem possible as the player is my sound source and it can not be turned off or switched to TV. I guess there's always closed captioned!
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