DVD Player

[RKassl]

I may have to replace the original sound system/DVD player in the Monty, what have others used for replacement purposes? I would like to use the existing wiring if possible.

Thanks

[BB_TX]

The sound in mine died recently, picture but no sound. It is a no name system. By that I mean there was no manufacturer name on the unit, the speakers, the remote, or even the manual.
I just replaced mine with a Panasonic Blu-ray home theater system I got at Best Buy for $279. It has FM receiver, SD card, and an Ipod port also. They had non blu-ray systems for quite a bit less, but we have a number of blu-ray DVDs so I spent a little more to get it.
Sound is much better than the original. Only problem was the speaker size. The original speakers were 3" square. I chose the Panasonic because it had the smallest speakers I could find. But even on it, the center speaker was something like 3 1/4" x 6" and the others were 3 1/4" x 5". I had to do some modifications to the cabinet to get the front ones to fit.
And the rear speakers would not fit the brackets that hang down. The old speakers had threaded fittings in the back of the speakers. The new ones did not. So I had to fabricate some braces from some aluminum bar to attach the speakers to the existing brackets. Pretty simple brace.
Nothing overly difficult, just a little time consuming. But I did have all the tools I needed.
If the existing speakers are still good, and the ohms match up for the new system, you could use the existing speakers with the new system to save cabinet work. But I think the new speakers sound much better. I could not find a DVD/home theater system that did not include new speakers.
It seems to be well worth the effort.
If you replace it yourself, you will need to get a DVD/home theater system. Best Buy had several brands/models. A basic DVD player does not have the speaker outputs to drive the 5.1 speakers. And I could not find one at all that had the additional outputs to drive the bedroom speakers. If I decide I really want those to function, I will have to get a special A-B switch for them. But I did not use those except when using my Ipod, so I may not worry about it.

[ARJ]

I replaced mine with an RCA home theater system. If you just want a decent system, RCA has some nice inexpensive units.

I got mine a few years back and other than using the subwoofer, it drives the existing speakers very nicely. I bought it at Kmart and I would suggest doing a search on "RCA Home Theater Systems". Lots of results!

[alandaudrey]

I'm in the process of changing my unit out for a new one. Last trip we made, I turned on the DVD player to watch a movie and all I got was smoke billowing out of the unit. I figure that it is cheaper in the long run to replace the system.

I did find a couple of stand alone units that will do most of the functions but like BB TX, I cannot find a unit that will utilize the bedroom speakers. Also I am hampered by the size requirement of 3 3/4 inches high. I have found some Pyle receivers that have good specs but they are all over 5 inches high. If possible I would like a direct fit replacement

There are two DVD/receivers with 5.1 surround sound outputs and AM/FM tuner. (1) Microacoustics model M-400. It has most of what we need but the feedback on this unit is not too good. Amazon $139.98
(2) Coby Model DVD765 w/o AM/FM tuner and DVD938 w/ AM/FM tuner. Both are 5.1 surround sound. I have yet to see any feedback on these units but they retail on Amazon and Amazon Marketplace for under $100.00.

I may decide to do like BB TX did and just get an entire home theater system. It certainly give you a better selection.

If you find a different DVD/receiver that sounds good please share it with us.

[ARJ]

Here is a good site to do some research. Those things seem to get cheaper and better every day!

http://www.retrevo.com/

Here is another site:

http://www.testfreaks.com/

Also, http://www.tigerdirect.com/ sell refurbs.

[hookman]

We replaced ours with a Pioneer amp/receiver and up converting DVD. We also put in Bose Acoustimass 6 or 600 speakers we found on Ebay. We really enjoy our new system.

[alandaudrey]

ARJ, thanks for the additional search info. I'll check them out.

Hookman, I have considered doing what you did to modify your system. I'm going to try and stay within the confines of the room that I have. Besides the DVD player/receiver I also have my satellite receiver on that small shelf. If I went to an expanded system I would have to remove quite a bit of wood to give me enough room to install a modular system. I may have to go that route.

[exav8tr]

We replaced ours a couple years ago with a Yamaha 7.1 AV Receiver RX-V861, Sony BluRay/Hd DVD player BDP-S360 and the Bose speakers. We addded two speakers under the overhead cabinets over the back window and kept the two in the main slide. On the 3400, there is a little more room in the cabinet above the TV to house everything...Also have the DirecTV HD DVR in there also....And an exhaust fan....Gets a little warm in there.

[ExPatNW]

You might want to look at modals on this page from Jenson and then search around for a good price somewhere else if you want one of them.
http://www.jensenrvdirect.com/products/stereos.html

Our 2010 Mountaineer came with the AWM970 which has three speaker groups (Main, Outside and Bedroom).

Hope this helps.
Chris

[RKassl]

Do I need to be careful with the power of the new unit, like the Ohm's so that I can use the existing speakers and wires?

[ARJ]

quote:Originally posted by ARJ

Power is the output of the amplifier. Ohms is the impedance of the speakers and the amplifier output impedance generally is 4-8 ohms. Matching impedance with the existing speakers shouldn't be a concern unless you wind up the amplifier to max output.

Matching speaker impedance and amplifier output impedance generally is most important in high quality sound systems.

[BB_TX]

quote:Originally posted by RKassl

Do I need to be careful with the power of the new unit, like the Ohm's so that I can use the existing speakers and wires?

If you want the technical explanation, read about it here.

[KathyandDave]

That's a pretty technical explanation! If somebody hasn't said so already, make sure to get the polarity of the wires and terminals right. Pick a convention for yourself like, "(+) terminal on home theatre unit to copper-coloured wire to red terminal on speaker", and make it the same for all speakers. As long as they're all the same, the left/centre/right, the subwoofer and the surrounds will all blend correctly. If they're not, then you'll hear weird effects like no bass or inaudible voices or echoey sound, depending on the DVD or radio station or whatever you're listening to.