Questions about the Jayco Swift SLX 184bh - speaker size/removal & roof wiring path

[yuppiejr]

Hi,

I'm working on some mods to my 184bh trailer and found a couple of items that did not turn up results via search.. hoping someone else might have some insight?

1) Any idea how to remove the speakers mounted in the ceiling? They sound like pretty much every other "whizzer cone" style cheap car speaker I've ever heard and I'm wondering if replacing them with some higher quality aftermarket units might improve things enough that I can skip a more obvious change involving installing some. I tried twisting the round metal grill assembly and it just spins, I also attempted to gently coerce the perforated grill out by hooking through and pulling down with no luck... stumped for the moment...

2) I've got two 100 watt solar panels I am going to mount on the roof and am looking for the best option to run wires to my battery charge controller. Right now it looks like directly above the bunks or couch area on the right side (opposite the door) seems to be a pretty prime roof location for the panels to avoid shadows but I'm trying to figure out where a convenient spot to run wires from here into the trailer. There's some sort of vent right in the front/right corner of the roof that seems like it has promise but I haven't figured out how to get inside to see if it's an option for getting wires through. I plan to mount the charge controller inside the front left or right compartments (under the dinette/queen size bed) to keep the wire run to the batteries as short as possible and depending on where I am able to bring the wires from the panels into the unit. Anyone done any wiring from the roof into the trailer that has insights to share?

Thanks! -- J

[BrettSLC]

Originally Posted by yuppiejr

Any idea how to remove the speakers mounted in the ceiling? They sound like pretty much every other "whizzer cone" style cheap car speaker I've ever heard and I'm wondering if replacing them with some higher quality aftermarket units might improve things enough that I can skip a more obvious change involving installing some. I tried twisting the round metal grill assembly and it just spins, I also attempted to gently coerce the perforated grill out by hooking through and pulling down with no luck... stumped for the moment...

I had to do some speaker work in my 2013 184bh. The grill that covers the speaker did not come off easy. I had to put quit a but of pull with a slight twist to get it off. It is not threaded but there are metal tabs that are very tight holding it in place.

You have to be careful as there were only 3 small screws holding the situation speaker in the ceiling. Once I did one I was a bit more comfortable getting the grill off the other one. I tried to hold the ceiling up with one hand for extra support while pulling down and a slight twist with the other one.

[yuppiejr]

Thanks for the info, I spent a bit more time and energy this weekend and pulled the grills off (the entire grill assembly is friction fit to the speaker frame, as Brett mentioned twist/pull while holding up the ceiling and it comes right out). The speaker frame itself is simply drilled via 3 screws right to the ceiling panel and appears to be a standard 6.5", 4-ohm size that can be easily upgraded with most aftermarket 6.5" automotive speakers. Note that the grill appears to be specific to the OEM speaker so if you replace the stock speakers with something aftermarket you probably won't be able to reuse the original white grills.

I'll tackle the cable run from the roof to the front storage benches when my trailer is back from the dealership having a gutter installed under the AC unit and having one of the table legs repaired (it's about 1/4" shorter than the rest giving the works a nice wobble).

[LBL 1206]

would like to see a pix of the dealer installed gutter to compare against my home made.
thnx...

[Threebutchers]

Do you have the Dual Tuner / Head?

If so - have you tried the "LOUDNESS" setting (or so I think it's called) from the menu? Forget about "Rock, Jazz, Talk" EQ settings, you have to dig for the "LOUDNESS" feature in the set-up. It dramatically changes the crossover and clips the mids.

The problem may not be the speakers as much as the tuner settings. The system actually sounds pretty good when you use the LOUDNESS feature....

[yuppiejr]

I do have the Dual tuner/head unit and have tried both the loudness and EQ options. While I agree the loudness option sounds the best of the lot it is still missing the frequency response capability of a full range coax or component speaker that I am after.

I am not a big fan of the Dual 4115 head unit's glacially slow response to the tuner buttons on the faceplate and really want the option of Bluetooth audio streaming from our iPhones which is where we stream most of our music. It will get replaced when time and budget permit along with speakers.

[Threebutchers]

When I was pulling wire for a 5 speed fan for the bathroom, I found that Jayco uses fiber glass insulation in the roof...

Another thing we found is that things start "buzzing" in the ceiling once you add bass and volume through the speakers. There are wires and connectors laying all over the ceiling panels for lights smoke detectors, etc....not the best place to use for a sound chamber. So If you want full range sound, you'll probably want to consider alternative locations like the TT cabinetry or your own cabinetry design. You'll probably find it easier to get decent speaker wire to alternative locations as well.

BTW - I hear you on the tuner / receiver controls....very slow.

I can live with the system tone (after I tweak it for 5 minutes)....the most frustrating thing for me is that nothing is saved to flash in the tuner....every setting has to be reprogrammed once the battery is disconnected.

I would be interested to follow your upgrades - keep us posted....

[yuppiejr]

Originally Posted by Threebutchers

Another thing we found is that things start "buzzing" in the ceiling once you add bass and volume through the speakers. There are wires and connectors laying all over the ceiling panels for lights smoke detectors, etc....not the best place to use for a sound chamber. So If you want full range sound, you'll probably want to consider alternative locations like the TT cabinetry or your own cabinetry design. You'll probably find it easier to get decent speaker wire to alternative locations as well.

I did notice some electrical wiring sitting up in the ceiling cavity behind the speaker and gave some thought to installing baffles like these: http://www.amazon.com/DEI-050330-Rou.../dp/B0039Z3SRA ... to decouple/dampen the bass resonance in the roof that might cause things both seen and unseen from rattling around. I was scoping out possible alternative speaker locations after having a similar thought on ignoring the existing ceiling speaker locations.. the cavity above the tuner head-end unit is a slam dunk, a second speaker would require losing cabinet space and was a non starter with my wife. The baffles seem like a cheap compromise to limit rattling things in the ceiling from the stock speaker locations while avoiding a reduction in precious cargo space. The other "problem" I'm hoping to solve is how to get audio from the undermount TV/DVD player location from the above fridge location to the audio system which would require either running a cable between the two locations or using one of these 3.5mm line level->Bluetooth adapters: http://www.amazon.com/Wireless-Porta...dp/B00BTIM8FC/ .. which will accept power via a 5v USB port <which charges a small internal battery on the unit>.

Hopefully I'll get some time on the roof of my RV this weekend to nail down the second question of what a safe cable routing location will be to run the cables from my solar charge array and then I should be able to get rolling on installation once the humidity drops to a sane level. I'll document the design, where I purchased the various components and some photos of the solar and AV upgrade installs once I get rolling (along with stories of the inevitable "doh-I forgot x, broke y, etc..). Thanks for your insights!

[Threebutchers]

Originally Posted by yuppiejr

..... and gave some thought to installing baffles like these: http://www.amazon.com/DEI-050330-Rou.../dp/B0039Z3SRA ... to decouple/dampen the bass resonance in the roof that might cause things both seen and unseen from rattling around.

Thanks for the tip....the price is right...just might give them a try. We play DVDs and HDTV while pumping the sound through through the TT tuners 3.5mm Input Jack. (note that all our entertainment devices are grouped together on the 154BH)....but again - the fuller range sounds on DVDs can create some buzz when the volume is up a little....those dampening mats might just help.

Dont rule out using cabinets to hide wires and crossing underneath the chassis to run cables....it was natural for installing my cable TV hook-up....and it could work for other cables as well...

[ATTACH][/ATTACH]

[Makavas]

Originally Posted by yuppiejr

Hi,

I'm working on some mods to my 184bh trailer and found a couple of items that did not turn up results via search.. hoping someone else might have some insight?

1) Any idea how to remove the speakers mounted in the ceiling? They sound like pretty much every other "whizzer cone" style cheap car speaker I've ever heard and I'm wondering if replacing them with some higher quality aftermarket units might improve things enough that I can skip a more obvious change involving installing some. I tried twisting the round metal grill assembly and it just spins, I also attempted to gently coerce the perforated grill out by hooking through and pulling down with no luck... stumped for the moment...

2) I've got two 100 watt solar panels I am going to mount on the roof and am looking for the best option to run wires to my battery charge controller. Right now it looks like directly above the bunks or couch area on the right side (opposite the door) seems to be a pretty prime roof location for the panels to avoid shadows but I'm trying to figure out where a convenient spot to run wires from here into the trailer. There's some sort of vent right in the front/right corner of the roof that seems like it has promise but I haven't figured out how to get inside to see if it's an option for getting wires through. I plan to mount the charge controller inside the front left or right compartments (under the dinette/queen size bed) to keep the wire run to the batteries as short as possible and depending on where I am able to bring the wires from the panels into the unit. Anyone done any wiring from the roof into the trailer that has insights to share?

Thanks! -- J

Did you ever get the solar installed? I have the same unit and want to see if you got it done Thanks

[rangerdoc]

Originally Posted by Threebutchers

When I was pulling wire for a 5 speed fan for the bathroom, I found that Jayco uses fiber glass insulation in the roof...

Total hijack here...where did you find the wires for this? I want to add a fan to the bathroom in our 184BH. I was thinking of splicing off the light.

Funny, of all the mods I've done or thought about, the speakers never occurred to me. I hate how you really only hear one at a time. There is no true "stereo" sound unless you stand directly between them. They seem to only shoot the sound straight down. I think putting one on the wall dividing the bunks and another on the panel of the front overhead cabinets would help push the sound across. That would also prevent the ceiling sucking in the chambered sound and rattling the odds and ends up there. You could actually build a little box in both of those locations, or at least isolate the speaker, to get better sound.

[Makavas]

Originally Posted by rangerdoc

Total hijack here...where did you find the wires for this? I want to add a fan to the bathroom in our 184BH. I was thinking of splicing off the light.

Funny, of all the mods I've done or thought about, the speakers never occurred to me. I hate how you really only hear one at a time. There is no true "stereo" sound unless you stand directly between them. They seem to only shoot the sound straight down. I think putting one on the wall dividing the bunks and another on the panel of the front overhead cabinets would help push the sound across. That would also prevent the ceiling sucking in the chambered sound and rattling the odds and ends up there. You could actually build a little box in both of those locations, or at least isolate the speaker, to get better sound.

What kind of speakers do you have? I just changed my stereo and put in 2 new kickers instead of stock speakers I am more than happy with the sound i don't even think I'll be adding more speakers to it. Also I'm not experiencing rattling etc...