Improvement #3

[Chandler]

I was never happy with the sound of our TV in the front. Two teeny little speakers just didn't cut it especially when the A/C was on. I wanted to install a surround sound but didn't want the hassle of mounting and rewiring the unit. I already had a DVD and video tape player so what to do? I had done business with a company called Cambridge Soundworks before and knew they made great sounding speakers. As a matter of fact I had bought a small system for my mother-in-law for her TV. I consisited of two small speakers and a powered sub woofer. The sound was amazing. The best part was it operated on 12 volts or 120. Even better it was only $80.
multimedia system
My plan was to install a jack in the back of the TV and run the wires to the sub...simple. Well I mounted the speakers up front, ran the wires and power to the sub and really wanted to hear it but the Tv was still out. I happened to be listening to my radio and I remembered that it had a preamp out on the back. I found a pair of connectors and joined them to the input wires to the system. Big mistake! When I turned the radio on, I was blown away! What a great sound. Now I was in trouble. How to make the system work with both the TV and the stereo? I asked the guys in the technology section of the Open Roads forum and someone told me of a device that automatically switches inputs depending on what is on. Perfect! It's called the LL One by SpeakerCraftspeakercraft
It runs on 12 volts and uses the output signal from each device to switch from one to another. Now I had the best of both worlds.
I ran all the wires inside the front cabinets so nothing is visible. The project took me 8 weeks working off and on but that's what I love to do in the off season.
Here are a few pictures of the finished project.
First the subwoofer.

The speakers

Finally the big picture.

[Chandler]

I was never happy with the sound of our TV in the front. Two teeny little speakers just didn't cut it especially when the A/C was on. I wanted to install a surround sound but didn't want the hassle of mounting and rewiring the unit. I already had a DVD and video tape player so what to do? I had done business with a company called Cambridge Soundworks before and knew they made great sounding speakers. As a matter of fact I had bought a small system for my mother-in-law for her TV. I consisited of two small speakers and a powered sub woofer. The sound was amazing. The best part was it operated on 12 volts or 120. Even better it was only $80.
multimedia system
My plan was to install a jack in the back of the TV and run the wires to the sub...simple. Well I mounted the speakers up front, ran the wires and power to the sub and really wanted to hear it but the Tv was still out. I happened to be listening to my radio and I remembered that it had a preamp out on the back. I found a pair of connectors and joined them to the input wires to the system. Big mistake! When I turned the radio on, I was blown away! What a great sound. Now I was in trouble. How to make the system work with both the TV and the stereo? I asked the guys in the technology section of the Open Roads forum and someone told me of a device that automatically switches inputs depending on what is on. Perfect! It's called the LL One by SpeakerCraftspeakercraft
It runs on 12 volts and uses the output signal from each device to switch from one to another. Now I had the best of both worlds.
I ran all the wires inside the front cabinets so nothing is visible. The project took me 8 weeks working off and on but that's what I love to do in the off season.
Here are a few pictures of the finished project.
First the subwoofer.

The speakers

Finally the big picture.

[W&D+3]

Looks like snow out the front window its getting warmer here in texas hehe

[E Z Livin]

Chandler, you really have me thinking on this one. I have a multisystem in one of the bays outside to run my MP3 as well as a portable DVD radio player. I have a TV in my front bay and this in the second bay and love it.

I changed the speakers for the dash radio but they still sound sick compared to the bay system. My TV is mounted in an entainment center behind the passenger seat and I have inverter power also there.

Question, did you use the RCA cables to connect the radio to the LL One? Mine also has a place for an amplifier and I like your idea and set up. I would enjoy listening to a good sounding radio while traveling and better sound when watching TV. Knowing me, I will probably want to join my outside TV to the one I have in the bay.

Thanks for all your ideas.

[Chandler]

EZ Livin, In a nutshell..yes. <G> The LL One has a mini stereo plug for the inputs. The radio was two RCA plugs. I made a cable that had the two RCA plugs on one end and a mini stereo jack on the other.. The only downside to this installation, and it's a small one, is the output from the stereo is out of a preamp and the output from the TV is amplified. When switching from one to the other, the volume is much louder from the TV. The Soundworks system has an input level control and I have to turn it down when running the TV..no big deal. (I mounted it on the side of the Tv cabinet) Well worth it.
The LL One has adjustments that vary the delay between inputs and also how much of a signal causes it to switch over. It took a few tries before I got it right but the results are impressive. Hey, at $80 you could buy two!