On Board Stereos/Radios- Upgrade?

[m.hony]

They no longer make the regular DIN DVD with screen that motors out?

[m.hony]

I don't mind the current setup in which TV and DVD sound is routed through the car stereo.
Is is so much better than that generic garbage in my SOB trailer.
The Jensen resembles what is in SOB trailers.

[rodsterinfl]

M.hony, your AS should have an AV locker. Does it have a Blueray player? It that wired through the radio?

[m.hony]

Yes, that is correct

[rodsterinfl]

ew, fancy. I like it. I wonder why Airstream told me to go two directions then if they are still building them utilizing both AV systems together. Perhaps for DIY ease?

[m.hony]

I don't see a problem mixing home stereo and car stereo. If we were boondocking we couldn't play a CD, DVD, or watch TV, but we could listrn to iPod or radio.

[rodsterinfl]

I don't see a problem mixing home stereo and car stereo. If we were boondocking we couldn't play a CD, DVD, or watch TV, but we could listrn to iPod or radio.

I understand what you mean. Naturally your system works for you. When I got my AS it had a TV and a radio. Nothing was hooked up and there were loose wires under the sofa armrest. When I called AS they advised me to treat each system separately 12v/110v and I can understand from my limited knowledge that it makes it more difficult to go between two different systems. The 12v speakers would need an interface of sorts to accept sound from the TV for example, which they apparently have included in your package. My original Sony radio had a small electronic board attached to the back of the head unit that had RCA jacks which I assume went to something. Needless to say, I now do not listen to TV through the locker speakers but through the sound bar or through my bluetooth speaker that gets sound from wherever I plug in the bluetooth transmitter to an audio out jack. I can "do tv" while boon docking. That mass of wires sitting on top of my blueray player contains a cord that can hook into the inverter. I guess that if a person has a "hacked" system like I inherited going two ways is better for ease of product matching, etc. In your case, it is new and works and is all there to enjoy as is.

[Aage]

Originally Posted by aftermath

In 2006 they used RCA connectors and today most units come with S video out ports which would require some sort of adapter cable if they make such a thing. Otherwise, I am in trouble. Any suggestions?

I would suggest that you avoid any unit that uses S-video connectors. These were dropped by the mainstream Home Video hardware manufacturers some 5 years ago. Video signal degradation and additional audio signal wiring are not helpful.

Stick to HDMI: less space eaten by connectors, no losses, and removes the possibilities of connection errors.

[mstephens]

I think my trailer is a bit different than some mentioned here. My TV and BlueRay are 120V and not connected in any way to the Sony radio. The TV plays through the TV speakers, which is perfectly acceptable to me. The Sony radio plays through the four Chinese FR speakers mounted under the front and rear cabinets. By no conceivable stretch of my imagination would I call any of this "high fidelity." I have a very exotic high fidelity system for home, and have no intention or interest in building such inside a trailer!

My need is 100% functional. Ease of use, quick control and no hunting through manuals is my goal. I want to be able to walk in, punch ON, tune the dial to the news or ballgame and go take a nap. I ain't sitting around playing home theater and getting rocked by subwoofers and all that. No interest.

Here was the response from Jensen on the knobs. Not the answer I wanted to hear:
"Hello Mark,Thank you for contacting ASA Electronics Technical Service department. The tun/trk button will only turn right and left slightly but will not fully rotate and the volume knob will spin completely around when adjusting the volume. Please let us know if we can be of any further assistance."

e.g. No tuning knob! Blech!

I am also concerned about the Jensen reliability and so will probably pass on that brand after checking up on it. It's going to be a trickier project than I thought. I will have to find something made in the 90s, I think.

[HeadWest]

I'm happy with the receiver in my '13 International but would like to upgrade the speakers to ones with a bit better sound but in the factory locations. Does anyone have any suggestions on any speakers that are good physical and cosmetic fit with recent Airstreams?

[rodsterinfl]

I think my trailer is a bit different than some mentioned here. My TV and BlueRay are 120V and not connected in any way to the Sony radio.

Basically I am set up the same way. I said 110v. I could have just as easily have said 120v. My system is separate. I only shared some details for thought.

Pioneers use a single knob on the left side (at least the top five models for 2014) that are called M.C. they are used to tune in stations. The catch is to use the band selector button first (AM/FM).

[mstephens]

Well, a LOT of searching has turned up very little in the way of alternatives for the installed Sony. The Jensen was a near miss and beyond that there is a world of sameness that is really depressing. You could line up the top ten brands and they all look alike and have the same features. I did briefly consider using something like a 1990s Kenwood with cassette, but I definitely don't want to start a project of restoring/fixing an old radio if it proves to be busted in some way.

I have been using various portable radios and rarely turn on the Sony for the reasons already mentioned. Looks like that will continue.

[rodsterinfl]

As a correction to my post on the pioneers circa 2014s, the tuning of stations is done via the toggle wings on the sides of the knob rather than the knob itself. It is still a simple process clicking or holding and running through stations.

[slowmover]

I have more than once considered a 1970's DELCO AM/FM from a Cadillac (Wonderbar tuning) as todays radios have terrible AM reception. The rest of the complaints I wholly agree with. Quality antennas (separate AM and FM) would be icing on the cake if a receiver could be found accommodating both.

Thanks for the thread. Will be following (as my 1989 receiver is more than just "aging").

[mojo]

Originally Posted by mstephens

2012 FC with "Sony DSX" radio.

I have no use for this radio that came with the unit. The interface is not useable for us, and it doesn't have a WX band, and other things I like. I've been looking for a super-duper replacement. I am wondering if others have found great all-in-one products (heads, receivers) to recommend? Here's what I think are requisites and must haves:

-AM/FM/WX (weather) bands
-Volume and Tuning controlled by turning a knob
-On/Off switch that is hard wired. e.g. OFF means physically disconnected from power
- AUX input jack on front panel
- 4 speaker output with at least 12W
- CD player
- No manual needed for operation
- Can be bigger than the current radio, but must fit in that same panel.

So far, I have only found this Jensen JENSEN AM/FM/CD/DVD/USB/WB/iPOD Ready Wallmount Stereo with HDMI Video Output

Anyone?

I have installed this unit in my AS after the Sony changer died and got tired of the intricacies of the Sony radio. It is simple to use and has all the extra benefits of Ipod and weather band. It sounds great and was able to connect to existing sub woofer. It does require some modification for mounting. I wasn't looking for audiophile high end sound in a travel trailer.

[mayco]

If you google "Crutchfield" you will find about everything thats currently available in higher quality car audio. I just installed an alpine 42bt, tuner + bluetooth no cd player. I think cd's are going the way of cassettes and will soon be obsolete. Plus i dont want to dedicate space to in the rv for storage of cd. This unit will play all my downloaded music wirelessly from my iphone and ipad. There is definately a learning curve on how to operate some of this newer stuff but i think if you can operate a smart phone you can catch on pretty fast. The 42bt is discontinued but is still available at best buy and some other vendors. Less than a hundred bucks and synchs great to the phone and ipad. I paired it with some pioneer 6.5" speakers and am totally happy with the sound. Reception on the radio seems pretty good also.

[BeachHouse]

The Jensen unit seems close to what I am interested in. But I also want it to play Blu-ray and would prefer a bluetooth connection as well. Anybody know why they don't have blu-ray yet in these small units? The quality of blu-ray is not that important on the smallish screen in the trailer, but it limits playing existing disks that I or friends may have.

[mstephens]

Clearly one of the tectonic shifts is that "radio broadcast" is disappearing and being replaced with "digital music only". They are radically different ideas and different pastimes. If you travel into a new city and turn on the local radio, you can get some ideas of what is going on. Well, that was before all the stations were bought and consolidated into an office somewhere under one roof. But conceptually, a radio was a very entertaining means of learning local culture. No more. That's my takeaway here. 'Radio' is simply unimportant compared to dozens of ways to play digital music files. I suspect one has to be over 60 to fully appreciate what I am saying here.

These new things, like the Sony in my trailer, are just gadgets that bore me compared to a nice old Delco as mentioned in a previous post. I am reminded very much of the introduction of the digital watch. Putting a few digits behind a screen just wasn't even remotely close to a fine watch.

It's tough getting old! (just kidding)

[noreen&sal]

Originally Posted by mstephens

Clearly one of the tectonic shifts is that "radio broadcast" is disappearing and being replaced with "digital music only". They are radically different ideas and different pastimes. If you travel into a new city and turn on the local radio, you can get some ideas of what is going on. Well, that was before all the stations were bought and consolidated into an office somewhere under one roof. But conceptually, a radio was a very entertaining means of learning local culture. No more. That's my takeaway here. 'Radio' is simply unimportant compared to dozens of ways to play digital music files. I suspect one has to be over 60 to fully appreciate what I am saying here.

These new things, like the Sony in my trailer, are just gadgets that bore me compared to a nice old Delco as mentioned in a previous post. I am reminded very much of the introduction of the digital watch. Putting a few digits behind a screen just wasn't even remotely close to a fine watch.

It's tough getting old! (just kidding)

A couple of years ago my kids got together and got me a Bose radio for my birthday. It sounds great but one problem. I basically listen to talk radio or baseball games so it's kind of wasted on me. As far as being tough getting old, I guess its better than the alternative. Sal