Bose Sound Bar

[CaptainGizmo]

Originally Posted by Dutch Star Don

We're on a shake down weekend where we can try everything while fully hooked up. I tried the outside sound bar with the dash radio. I faded the radio all the way to he rear and could still barely hear the outside radio via sound bar. Is this the best I'll get or is something else I need to do/switch. I thought I read somewhere that it may need an amp.

The issue is, with unless it’s the products are using latest Bluetooth firmware, the speaker volume WILL be affected by the input source’s, ie. Radio or phone, volume. I hate this, and am SO glad that the latest firmware and devices have cured this issue.

So, to make an example, it used to be that my iPhone volume would affect the level of volume on my truck’s Bluetooth sourced volume. This can be a real problem when your iPhone’s volume is super low, and then you force the volume to be louder using the car radio’s volume control. This can be harmful to the system components...ESPECIALLY when you switch sources and your volume is set so high!!

Now, with my latest iPhone, no matter what the volume is...it has NO affect on the receiving device volume! HURRAY!

HTH

[Dutch Star Don]

Thanks......It would have been nice to be able to turn the outside sound bar on and use the volume on the sound bar remote to SIMPLY turn up the volume. Doing gyrations with the inside radio to make it work, is not my idea of a properly working system. It was easier when they just put a radio outside.

I love my Newmar, but sometimes I just want to slap someone from Newmar. They improve one item and then cheapen another. The whole sound bar thing is a joke. It's not a huge issue, but if I were building again, ALL sound bars would be eliminated and I would special out additional cables for a home theater system to be installed later.

[CaptainGizmo]

Originally Posted by Dutch Star Don

Thanks......It would have been nice to be able to turn the outside sound bar on and use the volume on the sound bar remote to SIMPLY turn up the volume. Doing gyrations with the inside radio to make it work, is not my idea of a properly working system. It was easier when they just put a radio outside.

I love my Newmar, but sometimes I just want to slap someone from Newmar. They improve one item and then cheapen another. The whole sound bar thing is a joke. It's not a huge issue, but if I were building again, ALL sound bars would be eliminated and I would special out additional cables for a home theater system to be installed later.

Don,

One thing VERY nice about a BT speaker (or other device), is the ability to steam audio (video) from a source like an iPhone! Don’t underestimate the value of this; I absolute love doing this at home, although it’s over WiFi.

I have a sneaking suspicion that you ordered the EXITE radio...which is not my idea of a sophisticated head and is the sole reason I elected to omit it for the stock Sony. At a later date, I can install an Alpine unit that will blow anything else out of the water...and cost under $1k at the most.

Finally, as we’ve been waiting for my DS, my friend and I have been exploring this system for ways to make it the slick and seamless system we’ve come to enjoy in our home installs. A proper remote system can be your friend, but I’ll determine that part AFTER digging into the components.

Hang in there. You’ll have more info once Tom gets our’s and we start configuring!

FYI...My buddy lives in Simi and is a GENIUS with this stuff!

[Dutch Star Don]

I don't want to stream music....I want to play the Sirius/XM that I pay for via the main radio. I know a lot of people like to stream this, Bluetooth that, run an APP for that.....BUT....I'm a dinosaur and I just want my phone to be phone and everything else to work like it's suppose. I don't want to be using my phone to run my life. I know it works for many, but not for me.

Now with all that said, I did download Pandora to my phone, then connected to the sound bar. It worked and had good volume.....but again, not what I wanted.

[CaptainGizmo]

Originally Posted by Dutch Star Don

I don't want to stream music....I want to play the Sirius/XM that I pay for via the main radio. I know a lot of people like to stream this, Bluetooth that, run an APP for that.....BUT....I'm a dinosaur and I just want my phone to be phone and everything else to work like it's suppose. I don't want to be using my phone to run my life. I know it works for many, but not for me.

Now with all that said, I did download Pandora to my phone, then connected to the sound bar. It worked and had good volume.....but again, not what I wanted.

I get it. I know what you want to do. But your system is design to do more...just like many modern things including your phone that does a lot more than make calls.

Newmar is trying to allow one speaker (bar) to be used for multiple sources.

The solution to your problem is rather straight forward..or maybe not. If you want strictly a hardwired music source to play to a (non-amplified) speaker at your exterior TV bay...simple...just run a standard set of speakers from the main radio head. Won’t be much power though. You’ll then have to decide if you can live with the anemic TV speaker or whether you want to have a switch to send audio to the standard speakers; again, non-amplified.

Or, you can disconnect that bay altogether from the main radio and put a separate radio with Sirius out there and call it a day. But, of course, don’t expect Sirius to let you off the hook for another radio without paying! [emoji37]

[FlaRider]

Captain Gizmo, What head unit are you looking at? I have been looking for something to replace the stock Sony, that I could have a second zone (Outside speakers) and have that volume set different from inside dash (front) and bedroom (rear). I have been looking at Kenwood, but I do I see that option. Will have to look at Alpine.

[CaptainGizmo]

Marc,

The Alpine iLX-107 is at the TOP of our list; mainly because it has the newest WIRELESS CARPLAY for my iOS devices...SO nice!!

What you are asking for, is Multi-Zones, and is something that car audio is not know to have. THIS is why Newmar has used HDMI with BALUNS on each end, along with the BOSE SoundBars, which have independent volume controls and amplification...which is VERY important! Having this setup is actually smart in that it avoids costly multi-zone heads and/or multiple amplifiers with separate volume mixers.

You can find a lot of good info on Crutchfield:
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_500ILX...X-107&skipvs=T

Kenwood's are awesome, too, and are in the close 2nd but don't yet support wireless CarPlay.

[Winepress]

Originally Posted by Dutch Star Don

We're on a shake down weekend where we can try everything while fully hooked up. I tried the outside sound bar with the dash radio. I faded the radio all the way to he rear and could still barely hear the outside radio via sound bar. Is this the best I'll get or is something else I need to do/switch. I thought I read somewhere that it may need an amp.

Don, mine has very good volume outside. This is running the Sirius on the main radio and listening to the outside sound bar. Using the volume on the Bose remote, I can make it loud or soft.

[CaptainGizmo]

Originally Posted by Winepress

Don, mine has very good volume outside. This is running the Sirius on the main radio and listening to the outside sound bar. Using the volume on the Bose remote, I can make it loud or soft.

Hmmm, something just doesn't make sense.

I replaced the base model Sony with an Alpine. But I can't get any volume to the outside Soundbar. I wished I had really paid more attention before changing the radio. But, seeing how the Soundbar is connected, there is NO WAY for it to work properly without overdriving the head unit.

The reason being, Newmar has used the Pre-out connections at the head unit. These are intended to be fed INTO AN AMP, NOT DIRECTLY to a speaker as they have done.

No wonder why so many are having problems...how could this be overlooked?

P.S. Running the fader all the way to the rear and boosting the volume isn't a good solution. This puts a lot of work on the radio's internal amps, and a gross imbalance with the little speakers in the bedroom.

Something must be missing...Newmar can't be doing this way despite knowing it's wrong.

[Stuart W]

Originally Posted by Winepress

Don, mine has very good volume outside. This is running the Sirius on the main radio and listening to the outside sound bar. Using the volume on the Bose remote, I can make it loud or soft.

I agree mine is the same, plenty of volume

[CaptainGizmo]

Originally Posted by Stuart W

I agree mine is the same, plenty of volume

Shoot Stuart, so we will have to check mine out more then!

[CaptainGizmo]

I spent more time diagnosing and learning how the audio system is wired, and behaves. Fully confident, now, that all is well…even though it’s NOWHERE NEAR the way I’d do things!!! In all my years of audiophile installs, their way harkens back to the way I would have done it when I was 17 years and didn’t know better; or couldn’t afford to do it better!!

The FRONT channel is run from the speaker output of the radio, into an amplifier at the speaker level; not the preferred way to do things. From there, the amplifier passes signals to the front speakers, and also to the JBL Sub.

This makes for a VERY unbalanced system. One, a speaker level amp running the fronts. Two, baby speakers (with probably 30’ of wire) being run by the weak radio’s internal amp. Three, the outside Bose being run by the Pre-outs of the radio, with NO amplifier.

WOW…it’s no wonder there’s ANY sound coming out of this system at all.

Many are wondering about the JBL system and Sub. My DS was ordered with the BASE system; which comes with the SONY radio, along with the JBL speakers and subwoofer. I've shown a picture of the sub; located at the passenger dash panel.

Knowing all along that I'd like to have a nicer radio head with CarPlay, I've opted to go with the Alpine iLX-107 which is the FIRST unit to have WIRELESS CarPlay! I've now got it configured and can't wait to hit the road, despite some of the ridiculous lockout functions which I full intend to bypass in the near future.

That said, the balance has to be biased WAY to the rears since the Bedroom is NON-amplified, and the Bose is being run off of the REAR “Pre-outs” which are SUPER low output and designed to be run into an amplified, which the Bose’s AUX INPUT is not!!

[CaptainGizmo]

Guys,

Frankly, NEWMAR completely blew it on this config. The radio's "Pre-output" is miserable low, and the cable run is just TOO long.

As much as I'd like to "make it work" as installed, it's just beyond physics and would defy the basics of audio configuration.

What we need, is a line-level amplifier RIGHT AT THE RADIO'S OUTPUTS. It doesn't have to be much, and I've scoured Amazon and other sources and have come up with a couple that should work. Personally, I'd rather have one with hidden pots instead of an external knob that's begging to get turned when tucked away.

This unit is cheap at $35, small, and has hidden pots that you'd set and forget. Just wire in some power, connect the inputs into the box, and the existing outputs to the BOSE.

LGB-1
https://www.htd.com/LGB-1?gclid=CjwK...BoC8_oQAvD_BwE


Just for reference...here is a unit on Amazon, but is nearly twice the price, larger, and has an external volume pot.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CVDN2O0...v_ov_lig_dp_it

[ktnhog]

I have the same issue as DS Don, how do you make it play. Turned on the Bose and turned the switch to “dash radio,” and nothing... played either the remote, etc.