Outside speaker questions

RodneynDawnT · 08-04-2018, 02:05 PM

As background, our 28RBDS Winnebago Instinct has a Jensen JWN9A (pictured below) as the heart of the camper’s entertainment system. Among other things, it controls 3 sets of speakers: living area, bedroom and outside speakers. At the unit or with the phone app, you can choose any combo of these 3 sets as output. The two outside speakers are pictured below as well.

I have two issues with the outside speakers. First, sometimes, the outside speakers won’t initially play after they haven’t been used for a bit. So far, you can always make them play by turning the volume up high. One may come on at a lower volume, then you’ll have to turn the volume even higher to get the other to come on. It varies a bit. Regardless, once they’re on, they seem to function normally and you can reduce the volume to the desired level. I have pulled the unit out and replaced the scotchlok crimp connectors for the outside speakers with better connectors but that didn’t fix the issue. It’s almost like the speakers have some sort of electrical switch that requires X amount of amps to flip... Any ideas? Right now it’s mainly an annoyance but I’d prefer they work without the extra effort.

The second annoyance is that the outside speakers aren’t as loud as the indoor speakers. If I have the outdoor speakers at a comfortable volume and I have one or both sets of indoor speakers on, the indoor speakers are too loud. The indoor speakers are about 20% louder per volume setting selected than the outdoor speakers. So basically if we’re in and out of the camper and want to listen to music, we find it best to just leave the indoor speakers off, or at least only turn the bedroom speakers on. No doubt outside ambient noise has something to do with it but it’s a bit more than that. Still, I hoped someone might have an idea of how to equalize the volume.

powercat_ras · 08-04-2018, 02:45 PM

You might want to replace the speakers with better ones. There is a specialty store in Ohio called Parts Express. You can get exact fit water proof speakers that are much better than cheap OEM ones. Get at least co-axial and maybe tri-axial. If you can get to the back side you can also box in the back of the speakers with trimmed down 6 x 6 cardboard boxes adhered to the inside sidewall to improve the sound.

One final thing, once you find speakers on Parts Express search for same speakers on Amazon. Parts Express sells thru Amazon and if your speakers are more than $ 25 you can get the shipping free by buying from them thru Amazon vs. buying from Parts Express direct.

NYBobbo · 08-04-2018, 03:00 PM

maybe they designed the sound system for your neighbors

RodneynDawnT · 08-04-2018, 05:02 PM

Thanks for the link, powercat.

Funny, Bob.

bobbyd1655 · 08-05-2018, 05:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by powercat_ras

You might want to replace the speakers with better ones. There is a specialty store in Ohio called Parts Express. You can get exact fit water proof speakers that are much better than cheap OEM ones. Get at least co-axial and maybe tri-axial. If you can get to the back side you can also box in the back of the speakers with trimmed down 6 x 6 cardboard boxes adhered to the inside sidewall to improve the sound.

One final thing, once you find speakers on Parts Express search for same speakers on Amazon. Parts Express sells thru Amazon and if your speakers are more than $ 25 you can get the shipping free by buying from them thru Amazon vs. buying from Parts Express direct.

Thanks...
but please advise... just searched website without any results for speakers you mentioned; can you provide linkage?

old_engineer · 08-05-2018, 07:24 AM

I don't have any suggestions without seeing/hearing the need to turn the volume up just to get sound from the speakers.

All settings being equal your speakers outside are not going to sound as loud as those inside. When inside the walls, floors and ceiling focus the sound waves and keep them contained to the space. When you are outside they disperse losing energy over a larger area so will not appear as loud. This loss of volume will be more noticeable for low frequencies which are non-directional. It will be less noticeable for directional high frequencies assuming you are within the line of transmission.

There are ways to overcome this but are not necessarily cost efficient. Increasing speaker area or the size of the amplifier will allow for more air to be pushed increasing the sound pressure level. Probably the best way to do this with an RV it to replace 1-way outdoor speakers with 2-way or 3-way systems. This effectively increases speaker area and allows for improved efficiency of how the various frequency ranges are handled. In conjunction with this I would replace the tuner/amplifier with one that allows for individual volume settings on each zone. This will allow you to compensate for the physics of sound outdoors by sending more power to the outdoor speakers. If I had to choose only one I would replace the tuner/amplifier with one that has zoned volume control.

BobC · 08-05-2018, 08:34 AM

I'd find an easily removable inside speaker to switch with one of the outside speakers. If there's no change then old_engineer is probably right.

If it makes a difference, then something's wrong with your outside speakers or it's possible they're the wrong impedance.

old_engineer · 08-05-2018, 08:53 AM

If those are the same speakers as we have on our 2106FBS they cannot swapped with the indoor speaker as the outdoor aren't recessed in the wall nor the same width. This would leave the indoor speaker in the free air.

bobbyd1655 · 08-05-2018, 09:14 AM

I just want better quality sound via speaker; NOT really volume; inside speaker swap is done already & great improvement... but please advise... after searched Parts Express website without any results for speakers mentioned for outside....; can you provide linkage?OR any other website?

TDPerry · 08-06-2018, 08:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by old_engineer

If those are the same speakers as we have on our 2106FBS they cannot swapped with the indoor speaker as the outdoor aren't recessed in the wall nor the same width. This would leave the indoor speaker in the free air.

Are they surface mounted? Looks like a 2-3" speaker should fit in them. I'll have to check our 1709 as they look like the same speakers.

If surface mount, something like this should work fine - https://www.amazon.com/Jensen-HDS300.../dp/B005XRSS54. Depends on how big the hole is through the wall - it may have to be filled.

RV Parts Nation has the same speakers as above but a little cheaper it looks like.

old_engineer · 08-06-2018, 10:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TDPerry

Are they surface mounted? Looks like a 2-3" speaker should fit in them. I'll have to check our 1709 as they look like the same speakers.

If surface mount, something like this should work fine - https://www.amazon.com/Jensen-HDS300.../dp/B005XRSS54. Depends on how big the hole is through the wall - it may have to be filled.

RV Parts Nation has the same speakers as above but a little cheaper it looks like.

I have not removed them but they appear to be surface mounted as there are no boxed in areas in the cabinets where they would have cut through the walls. I'm satisfied with what Winnebago has installed. We rarely use the outdoor speakers and if we do I don't expect high fidelity. I might upgrade the inside speakers and head unit because we do listen to music inside fairly regularly. Then again I might not. After all we are camping so should have to rough it a little bit.

bsluss · 08-12-2018, 08:18 AM

I have a thought on this. Speakers have mechanical components - that is the action of moving the diaphragm to move the air to create the sound. I would suspect if a mechanical item sits unused for too long then it might stick. That could explain why turning the volume restores it. But, the exterior speakers on my unit also do not produce quality sound. My solution was to buy a UE Boom and connect it via bluetooth.

RodneynDawnT · 08-12-2018, 09:46 AM

Thanks. Yeah it must be something like that. It certainly seems mechanical.

As to the volume issue, I talked to some other people with different campers and sound systems. They were unanimous in that if their outside speakers are at a comfortable level then the insides are blasting. As I mentioned and someone else did, at least part of that is due to ambient noise.

MainelyScott · 11-10-2018, 11:03 AM

The second annoyance is that the outside speakers aren’t as loud as the indoor speakers. If I have the outdoor speakers at a comfortable volume and I have one or both sets of indoor speakers on, the indoor speakers are too loud. The indoor speakers are about 20% louder per volume setting selected than the outdoor speakers. So basically if we’re in and out of the camper and want to listen to music, we find it best to just leave the indoor speakers off, or at least only turn the bedroom speakers on. No doubt outside ambient noise has something to do with it but it’s a bit more than that. Still, I hoped someone might have an idea of how to equalize the volume.[/QUOTE]

I have the same problem with mine, the indoor speakers seem to be much louder than the outdoor ones. I don't know for sure, but I wonder if its possible that the outdoor speakers could be 8 ohm and indoor 4 ohm? Per the specifications the sound system will work with either. I think that the difference in ohms would account for the volume difference. Maybe someone else on here could say for sure?