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Old 09-15-2014, 08:14 AM   #1
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Sony Surround Sound System....Somebody Missed the Mark!

I have seen a few threads on the absolutly lousy dash radios and speakers, but now I have to add the Sony Surround Sound System to the list. Whoever spec'd out this system, and approved it, needs hearing aides, more than I do. This thing sounds like they mounted 4 pocket transistor radios in the ceiling and tuned them to the same station. There is also supposed to be a sub-woofer involved, but I haven't found it yet. The speakers appear to be about 2 1/2 inch square, mounted in the ceiling. Does anyone have any experience with the systems that are mounted in the Bay Star's? I believe that the cloth covered speaker covers, are just a snap on type, that when removed, will expose the speaker (if you want to call it that) and the screws mounting it to the ceiling. I am just hesitant to start yanking on the speakers in fear of doing damage that can't easily be corrected.

Does anyone know for sure, where the sub-woofer would be mounted in a 2014 Bay Star 3103.

Again, I am no audiophile, but this system is an $850 bad joke.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!
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Old 09-15-2014, 08:22 AM   #2
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Hi Bill,

Subwoofers are sometimes mounted under a seat in a booth dinette, and they are also sometimes under the kitchen sink. I'm sure someone on here with your model will be able to steer you in the right direction.

Good Luck!!
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Old 09-15-2014, 08:29 AM   #3
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The sub is usually under the sink in the back of the cabinet.

If you have an all Sony system, there is still hope. For our tv the system works best by turning on the Stereo Amp in the electronics cabinet. Or select a FM station that has a "beat" and crank up the volume. You'll find the sub.

Go to any stereo store and buy the $10 Impedance Check CD. Run it. When I've done this I've found that some speakers are wired backwards.

Generally I've found that the speakers are either screwed or velcroed in. Either way they are removable.
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Old 09-15-2014, 12:27 PM   #4
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My plan is to start by verifying the wiring to the speakers, as a byproduct of that, I will also be able to verify the speaker size and ohms value. I don't want to make a massive project out of this. Hopefully, it's just crappy speakers, that is the main culprit. Does anyone know if the speaker covers just snap on?
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Old 09-16-2014, 04:43 AM   #5
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Is the Sony Surround sound system (equipment & speakers) the same in all models from the Canyon Star to the higher class models?
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Old 09-16-2014, 06:43 AM   #6
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Have you tried changing the setting on the Sony receiver? You should have approximately 6-7 different choices ranging from 2 channel stero, multi channel stero, dolby, sports, movie Etc.

While it is not the greatest of systems, I can hear the sound seperation of not only the 4 speakers in the ceiling but the woofer as well.
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Old 09-16-2014, 06:45 AM   #7
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I would hope not. It is a really poor audio system. The only way it qualifies as a surround sound system, in that it has 4 speakers, mounted in the ceiling,along with the yet unfound sub. Oh, and you can listen to the TV through it. I have had many amps and tuners over the years, and sorry to say, this one falls way short of the mark. That being said, I am going to dig throungh the case of manuals that we received with the Bay Star, and see if I'm missing something. At this point, I haven't even been able to figure out how to adjust the bass and treble yet. If you spend $850 on an option, you would think you would get something of reasonable quality. Top of the line, No. But in my mind, I paid about $650 too much.

It is the only thing that I have found, that I don't love about our Bay Star.
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Old 09-16-2014, 07:03 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BPoland View Post

If you spend $850 on an option, you would think you would get something of reasonable quality. Top of the line, No. But in my mind, I paid about $650 too much.

It is the only thing that I have found, that I don't love about our Bay Star.
That's about what the normal markup is for that option. Welcome to the world of RV's.

Hell, my Aqua-Hot option is listed at $11,500 on my sticker but you could buy it outright from Aqua-Hot at that time for under $6000 including everything to install it.

Thankfully there are many different surround sound systems available today so just pick one that meets your expectations and go for it. My OEM surround sound system was RCA which was replaced with a Sony which was finally replaced with a Samsung Blu-Ray. The Samsung is one of the best in my book so it's a keeper.

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Old 09-16-2014, 09:48 AM   #9
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I installed a soundbar to my current coach due to the bad surround setup it had. If I decide to order a Canyon Star I may not get the surround sound setup. But I will need to find out what is there in place of it.

Does anyone not have the surround sound system?
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Old 09-16-2014, 10:28 AM   #10
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If you have the same little square speakers that I had...then yea, I feel your pain.

I pulled them all and replaced with some 5 inch ceiling speakers that I had on hand, and it helped tremendously. I was able to cut bigger holes using a dremel and a cutting bit. Was easy.

I have replaced the Sony unit with a quality Marantz that was small enough to fit in the cabinet, and am going to install some good 6 or 8 inch ceiling speakers. Only thing I have not checked yet is if there are space issues for bigger speakers at any of the locations.
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Old 09-16-2014, 11:21 AM   #11
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If you have the same little square speakers that I had...then yea, I feel your pain.

I pulled them all and replaced with some 5 inch ceiling speakers that I had on hand, and it helped tremendously. I was able to cut bigger holes using a dremel and a cutting bit. Was easy.

I have replaced the Sony unit with a quality Marantz that was small enough to fit in the cabinet, and am going to install some good 6 or 8 inch ceiling speakers. Only thing I have not checked yet is if there are space issues for bigger speakers at any of the locations.
Did you have to upsize your speaker wire when you did this?
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Old 09-16-2014, 01:58 PM   #12
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The surround system in the Newmar non luxury motor homes (Dutch Star and below) are the same. The system contains a Sony STR-DH550 medium-low end receiver, a Sony SA-W2500 powered subwoofer and the real week link, 5 SP2500 4Ohm speakers. You can improve the system tremendously just by upgrading the ceiling speakers. Upgrading the receiver will not improve the sound quality significantly.
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Old 09-16-2014, 02:04 PM   #13
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Quote:
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Did you have to upsize your speaker wire when you did this?

Really should have, but didn't.

Probably will at some point, but may be pretty time consuming.
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Old 09-16-2014, 03:19 PM   #14
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Ours seems to work fine, maybe you need to set it up and re-set all the settings ect. The sub-woofer is under the kitchen sink in ours. We get great sound on the stereo as well as TV and Blu-ray/DVD player. We were really pleased with ours. The dash radiod leaves alot to be desired, works ok on CD's but everyting else not so good.
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