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Old 03-15-2015, 03:54 PM   #1
Winnie-Wise
 
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Sound bar

Getting ready for the upcoming season!

Just installed a Samsung HW-H450 sound bar in my Adventurer. Pretty easy installation. It is held to the black plexiglass panel above the TV with Scotch plastic fasteners, then has strapping that goes above the black plexiglass and is attached to the wood which holds the TV mount. It works great. Very easy to pair with blue tooth devices and sounds way better than the stock quasi surround system. My wife never liked the way the quasi surround sound system anyway. The wireless sub woofer paired straight out of the box. I actually replaced components in my quasi surround system just so I could listen to the radio. It was a nice exercise, but unnecessary now with the sound bar.

Here's a picture.

Scott
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Old 03-15-2015, 04:13 PM   #2
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Nice install! Could you give some more details, such as brand and model of the sound bar, and how do you get bluetooth from the TV to the sound bar? Are you using a surround sound system to power it?

Details please. I did my TV a couple years ago. Now I want to upgrade the sound system.

P.S. My TV install looks just like yours.

Thanks.
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Old 03-15-2015, 05:04 PM   #3
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Sure thing!

The brand and model of the sound bar is: Samsung HW-H450. It has a wireless subwoofer. I got it on-sale at Best Buy a couple of weeks ago.

The sound bar has several input modes. I am using the digital fiber optic port (TosLink) to get line out sound from the TV. No surround system is necessary. In fact, the stock "quasi surround system" is not even hooked to the TV anymore. I could also use the line out fiber optic port in the Dish Network Hopper I use for satellite TV, but the Hopper is only installed when using the motor home. For bluetooth pairing, you simply use either the input selector on the sound bar (not reachable with this installation) or use the remote to select the bluetooth input. Once it says "BT Ready" on the soundbar's display, I pair it with my iPhone 6. From there, you just select what you want to listen to. In my case, SiriusXM, Pandora, Apple Radio, or music stored in the cloud or on my iPhone. The cool thing about the sound bar remote: Once the pairing is done, you can use the remote for the soundbar to skip to the next song, or go back! I'll be using some velcro on the remote and on the steering wheel to hold the remote while driving, that way, I can adjust volume while driving.

If you have a higher end Samsung TV, you can pair your TV with the soundbar and wirelessly transmit sound to it. It could not be simpler, but my TV is a year old so it did not have that feature.

The soundbar has a number of different sound mode presets. In one mode, it literally sounded like sound was coming from everywhere in the motorhome--which was very cool! I'm still playing with the modes and I did not not have movie content available so that will have to wait until I get the hopper in or get my hotspot in before travel.

Oh, yeah... if you like loud music, this thing can pump!

I hope that helps!

Scott
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Old 03-15-2015, 05:59 PM   #4
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Scott, Thanks for the information.

I'm going to investigate this setup for my coach. My TV is a Samsung 32", and it has the digital optical out.

This would be a great improvement.
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Old 03-16-2015, 04:41 AM   #5
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You're welcome, Don. It is a great improvement, especially for music. Like I wrote, I really have not had the ability to assess the improvement for movies, etc, but will soon. Let me know how you make out, sir! On my end, I can't wait to get back in the motor home and rock out!

Scott
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Old 03-18-2015, 05:48 PM   #6
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Sound bars are a great addition. I have installed in my coach and it amazing how much better the sound is. My sub is wireless and that really made the installation easy. I do not use the OEM speakers any more. Anyone who has a keen ear for music should investigate one. Mine is a Vizio 32" with blue tooth sub ~$160.00.
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Old 03-19-2015, 10:53 AM   #7
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Some things:

1. If you have a quasi surround sound system (stock from Winnebago), the sound bar is a great addition or replacement!

2. If you have no surround system (quasi or discreet), the sound bar is a HUGE improvement!

3. If you have a properly installed and properly calibrated discreet surround system (5.1, 7.1, etc.), and you're happy with it, stick with it! You will be disappointed with a 2.1 sound bar. A Bose sound bar or super high end sound bar might be a different story.

Scott
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Old 03-19-2015, 05:57 PM   #8
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Great post. What an easy way to add good sound to your flat screen TV.

The older surround sound systems in the OEM coaches we own (mine's a 2007) just don't cut it.

Looking forward to my upgrade.
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Old 03-20-2015, 05:03 AM   #9
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The thing I found completely amazing was the mode where I could not discern where the sound originated. It was equally loud at every location in the front of the motor home. It was really something to hear. Granted, I had the front slide out retracted, but still it was really impressive. A lighthearted caveat might be this: With the sound bar at the top of the TV, the sound does travel well so I will likely have to turn the volume down when my wife is asleep! This was not a concern when using the OEM quasi surround system or the TV speaker!

Some recommendations.

1. Attempt to pair your bluetooth device with each sound bar you audition. If you can't get your bluetooth device to pair at the store, don't expect it to be any easier if you buy the device. All bluetooth capable devices that are powered on should show up in your list of devices when you activate bluetooth on your device. Pairing should be as easy as selecting the target sound bar from your device.

2. Listen to each potential candidate. Cycle through the available sound modes on the auditioned device. You should be able to hear a difference in each mode. If you can't hear a difference or do not like the sound qualilty, move on.

3. Think about where you want to mount the device. Initially, I thought I would be able to install the sound bar I bought under the TV, but found it would be a head hazzard and might obstruct my vision while driving. If you install yours as I installed mine, make sure the cabinets to either side of the TV open. I am always in and out of the cabinets so this was a major concern.

4. Make sure the device will not fall. My sound bar came with wall mounts and a template for installing the sound bar to a wall. I did not use that method as I did not think it would be suitable when driving. I did use plastic, mushroom head Scotch Fasteners. I also used metal strapping which was attached to the sound bar's wall mount points then pulled very tight and screwed to the wood backing for the TV mount. It is extremely tight and will not go anywhere.

Scott
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