Polk audio quality / Sub woofer

[turk123]

Owning my previous International signature with the Clarion audio, one of the first things I did was replace all four speakers with Polk audio speakers. I also replaced the pathetic buzzy unknown subwoofer with a Bazooka sub. Much much better audio (even though the speakers are facing straight down).

I kept the sub and we are now transitioning to our new Classic 30. Of course, we do not have the classic yet. Before I haul the Bazooka down to Florida for the pickup, I have a few questions.

How is the quality of the sound system? Did Airstream add a Polk audio sub? Are the existing speakers Polk? Should I keep the Bazooka to replace the one that comes with the Classic?

Desperately seeking audio nirvana.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

The speakers in the Classic are pretty good. Simply replacing this speaker with that one isn't going to make things any better. You still have a tin can and all it's resonance issues to deal with.

Simple answer - it's plenty good enough for the drive back home.

Bob

[turk123]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi

The speakers in the Classic are pretty good. Simply replacing this speaker with that one isn't going to make things any better. You still have a tin can and all it's resonance issues to deal with.

Simple answer - it's plenty good enough for the drive back home.

Bob

The subwoofer in my 27' was quite the joke. Triangular shaped box with a $10 speaker. Distortion was horrible. I'm just trying to determine whether to bring the other and if is needed.

Oh, by the way, the trip home is taking three months!! . We are headed west young man!

[Airhead2018]

I like the sound of our Polk speakers and sub. Like Uncle_Bob said the resonance is the issue. You may have to tighten some items up so they don't vibrate. Our sub is under the couch and it actually makes the frame sing. My only issue is when you turn battery power on the radio comes on by itself. I talked to ASA Electronics (manufacturer of the head and amp) and they will replace it so maybe yours won't do this. ROCK ON!

[uncle_bob]

Hi

The sound system in the Classic is very different than what you normally get in the other trailers. Try it for a while and see how it does for you.

Bob

[Rob Cope]

First thing I did was to disconnect the sub woofer on my FC 25, RB, 2016. Distortion was terrible. AS can do better.

[Zybane]

I ripped out all the stock audio junk in my 2016 Classic. The sub-woofer literally looked like Airstream got it at a Chinese flea market for $10.

I installed $7K worth of custom audio gear and it sounds a million times better.

[mojoe7009]

Originally Posted by Zybane

I ripped out all the stock audio junk in my 2016 Classic. The sub-woofer literally looked like Airstream got it at a Chinese flea market for $10.

I installed $7K worth of custom audio gear and it sounds a million times better.

For $7K it ought to! But for those of us without the extra $7K laying around, the sound system in our 2017 Classic pretty good, IMO. I wouldn’t change the system unless it dies at this point.

[paiceman]

Originally Posted by mojoe7009

For $7K it ought to! But for those of us without the extra $7K laying around, the sound system in our 2017 Classic pretty good, IMO. I wouldn’t change the system unless it dies at this point.

Totally agree, outstanding sound in an aluminum tube almost seems like an oxymoron. The term "it's good enough", in this case sure works for us. Sounds nice watching a movie in the evening. If it dies, will consider something else.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

If you *are* going to make it better, don't forget to haul along a good audio spectrum analyzer and signal generator. That way you can program the custom delay and equalization profiles into each of your correction modules. Then you can check results and start installing the damping panels to correct things a bit further ... and of course re-program all the modules. Maybe at this point you bump up or down on this or that speaker. You can laugh all you want at this, it's how a lot of vehicles get done these days.

Lots of fun ...

Bob

[mbrownao24]

Where is the subwoofer located and how hard is it to just eliminate it so the battery current drain is not an issue? I don't even use the Polk stereo system, I think it sucks.

[Gsmblue]

in our 2015 FC25RB I installed a Fusion DV3100 stereo and Infinity Refernce speakers. I replaced the sub with a bazooka (marine grade) with remote volume knob. Small upgrades, huge difference in sound. prob cost $600 or so for everything.

So, I would say, take that bazooka with you!

[MWBishop]

While the sub in our 26U is probably a joke, it sounds good enough for me.
However, it was getting quite a bit of feedback and sounded terrible.
I later found that the Gain was dialed to full and turning it down solved the feedback.
This dial was not immediately noticeable until I removed the sub for examination.
That was the "a-ha" moment.

[AboutPOPS]

Our 2018 23D Serenity was broken into. They took the TV and the subwoofer. Plus a number of other items. The subwoofer wasn't great but it was something. In my AS bag full of papers I can't find anything on the subwoofer: brand, specs, etc. Anyone have that info?

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by AboutPOPS

Our 2018 23D Serenity was broken into. They took the TV and the subwoofer. Plus a number of other items. The subwoofer wasn't great but it was something. In my AS bag full of papers I can't find anything on the subwoofer: brand, specs, etc. Anyone have that info?

Hi

Since this is the tail end of a year old thread about the sub in a 30' Classic, it might be better to start a new thread. The other alternative would be to give JC a call and get the info from them. If the sub is like the one in the Classic, there is a mounting structure as well as the sub it's self. They are all buried under the sofa so it's not easy to get at any of it.

Bob

[skyguyscott]

Headphones.

Cheaper, better, louder for you, quieter for everyone else. Heaven!

No bone rattling lows from a sub, true, but you can always add that.

Alas me ears ain't what they were forty years ago, so theres that, too.

[boogiemon]

In our 19' AS Christopher Deam, I installed a 10" 300W in-wall subwoofer from Monoprice with carbon composite driver ($103.) under the banquette seat on the street side (next to water tanks). Easy install with jigsaw to cut 11" square hole. This makes for a very clean, flush installation that does not impinge into the foot space under the table and, thereby, completely pleases the better half.
To drive it I purchased a Rockford Fosgate Prime 750 Watt Class-D Mono Amplifier R750-1D ($225. on Amazon). This may seem like overkill, but it provides ~150W rms of clean audio into an 8 ohm load -- thus matching the sub's specs. It sounds absolutely clean in the AS, and can "pressurize the cabin" with lows if you really want that. I find no undue resonances in the AS, but when I crank it way up (just to see what happens) I can induce a plethora of buzzes and rattles... most things I addressed simply, tacking them down better, etc.
I like very clean audio (no discernible distortion) and (of course) this must be replete with faithful reproduction of the low-lows. This particular sub/amp combo was easy to install, not a lot of weight or money, and acoustically satisfies me greatly. BTW, to help "calibrate" my comments, I have two 18" subs each driven with >1kW amps in my home audio which, similarly, are driven only to a small fraction of their capabilities for 95% of the time . The logic here is that for the 5% of the time when you really need the clean headroom to avoid distortion at the low end, it is there on tap for ya.

[jmitchell]

Hi Turk123,
I upgraded only the amp/sub on the Classic, described in the below linked post below. One thing I forgot to mention in that post is that the Arc Audio amp uses a frequency extension design which decreases power consumption significantly. This is due to to its intended use to run on a motorcycle, but works well for boondocking and still using the sub (I have 630ah of AGM though). From experience, the under-seat dimensions where this is installed are the same between the 2019 and 2020 Classic. I may replace the speakers at some point as well, but am thinking that I should run new wire from the head unit at that point, so will wait until another project makes this more convienient. What did you end up deciding?

https://www.airforums.com/forums/f45...er-194603.html

[Froglips]

Hi-fidelity in a trailer is like hi-fidelity in a boat...an oxymoron. The Polk system has blue tooth as well as a 1/4" output. Buy yourself a really good set of headphones for critical listening. The weak link is the DVD player. So out comes the factory Samsung DVD player and in goes an Oppo. Maybe a top ten player. Frankly, sending it through the Polk is kinda criminal but the is always the front output jack!

[Gsmblue]

Install these baffles behind the 6.5 inch speakers.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0039Z3SRA..._rSTxEbPRVZRMH

I chose infinity reference speakers as I like their brightness. Newer version is available, this is what i got, great price .

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DSIKGJA..._ZXTxEbZKBFKES

Set the crossover on your stereo so bass does not get to the 6.5 inch speakers. HPF set to 80Hz is a good starting point, go higher or lower depending on your own taste.

Replace that stock sub with a better unit. This was enough for my application, may not be enough for some.

Bazooka MBTA8100 8-Inch 100-Watt Marine Amplified Tube Subwoofer
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001JT14JC..._lVTxEb8W152DD

These are easy and relatively cheap upgrades and make a marked improvement on sound quality.