A question for the forum

[LiL Snoozy]

Ok,
Ya'll have been unbelievably helpful with your opinions and advise. Thank you.
I am an audiophile, I love music. One of my hobbies is tinkering with stereos, either in my vehicles or my house.
My question for ya'll is, if we where to offer a stereo system in the Lil Snoozy as an option, how many would be interested in it? How much would you be willing to budget for it? Would an inexpensive 2 speak setup be preferd over a high end, multi channel, high quality system?

Thanks
Nicholas

[HikeSticks]

Hi Nicholas,
I carry my mp3 player and headphones just in case i decide to listen to music. A stereo system played in the trailer would just be another source of noise I would be concerned would bother my camper neighbors. A stereo in the trailer would inevitably be turned up by many to be heard at the picnic table (and beyond). However, I am a minimalist camper and never hook to power or water when in a campground so I may be the exception.
Good luck with your new business. I like what I see and wish you well.
Barrie

[theresa p]

hi nicholas.... for me, i would find a stereo a nice addition...but not a high-end one. i would use it to listen to radio...and perhaps to play some cds...but i'd not want to spend a lot of extra $$$ on it.

[Ed Harris]

Nick
This is the business I am in.
I may be the only one with an actual "High End" system in an Egg although I certainly hope not?
We spoke at some length the other day as the Tornado sirens were sounding here.
Feel free to P.M. me if you want to talk about it,I may be able to help on a few levels.

The key here as always is to get good sound at low listening levels and the rest will always follow,every time.

Ed

Needless to say I am all over A/V in an Egg.

[Ken C]

My vote would be for inexpensive 2 speak setup.

I don't know about price point, but i do know A-liner charges about $428 for a Weatherproof AM/FM stereo with 2 in and 2 outdoor speakers and I-Pod Connection.

I see Escape charges 300 CAD for a Stereo/DVD Player.

[Byron Kinnaman]

There's enough noise in many campgrounds as it is. I vote for NO. I do have we carry our ipod but rarely use them. And as pointed out above somebody always thinks they know the kind of music everybody should listen to.

[Rvicsvol]

I for one like to listen to music and always respect those around regarding the level. I would find a stereo/cd combo a nice addition but a 2-speaker system would be more than adequate. Of course my truck has a 7 speaker system in much less space. I also am hooked on XM radio and it would be nice to have the capability to hook my portable unit up to it as well. Not a big deal as I carry a XM Radio boom box with me.

Great idea in my opinion. Even better than tv since I can go years without ever watching tv (or movies)

[Peter_Crowl]

It would be nice to have a system built in to save space on flat surfaces and to bury the wiring in the walls.
I'd make it a car type AM FM receiver with USB and MP3 player inputs.
It's up to the owner to be polite and tasteful when camping around others.
That said, I have little faith in humanity when it comes to repect for others as I observe it in the form of Harley riders and their obnoxiously loud pipes.

[Mike Magee]

To me, a cheap-o stereo is more of an irritation than entertainment. My current trailer came with one (runs off the battery, which is convenient), but it's not much fun to listen to. MP3 with headphones is more enjoyable.

You'll never please everyone if you offer just one stereo option, though. So why not have options for both a basic unit and a really good premium one? Eventually, anyway. No one expects you to do it all tomorrow.

[Greg H]

AM/FM CD and a input for XM, 2 speakers are good but 4 would be even better.

[mike_bc]

Hi Nicholas, as you might have expected when you asked the question we have diverse opinions and tastes.

Have you or would you consider a built in satellite radio option with a USB port to play and charge an Ipod/Ipad/iPhone?

Apple is reported to have sold 18 million iphones, 9 million iPods and 4 and a half million iPads in Q2 2011. Some of your potential customers are bound to have one of those in their travel kit!!

If you were to provide an old skool "stereo" option and I were your customer I'd want to see a leading brand name instead of the junk that seems so prevalent in the RV world.

Thanks for asking for our input, best of luck with your business.

[Jim_B]

I vote for offering two levels.

[Carol H]

I vote for a small two speaker system that has a radio and Ipod/iphone dock as I dont carry CD's anymore. Actually dont know a lot of people who still use CD's in their cars or trailers. Doesnt need a lot of power due to the small space but needs to sound good on low. A friend gave me a small Bose Sound Dock system for my trailer but its power was a bit wasted in the small trailer space so I ended up using it in the house and got a small system with less power for the trailer.

[Andrew GPSMapNut]

If you offer a stereo system option, I suggest one that has a universal MP3 player input. Alternately, you could offer a pre-wired setup for power and 4 speakers. Saves the hassle of running cables and lets customer install whatever system easily.

[cpaharley2008]

Jensen makes great rv products, I saw one of these- looks nice on the outside of a trailer and eliminates the need for an exterior electric outlet
OEC3010 - JENSEN Outside Entertainment Stereo System
and this one I just installed in my Egg- it has a weather radio, with SAME, a must for someone exposed to the weather as we are in a trailer
JHD910PKG - JENSEN Heavy Duty MINI Waterproof Radio Package

[Ed Harris]

Jensen is a company owned by Audiovox,a giant electronics Company gobbling up others.
They recently bought Klipsch as an example.

In the business they are not considered a Top Tier Manufacturer but rather a gimmicky value brand.
They also produce OEM equipment for a lot of industries including the RV industry.\They do offer some interesting niche products but are not that well made from my experience.

I will also say to the original posters comment about s/n ratio spec'd low.......not too relevant to how the unit will sound really.
All of these mobile radios sound more alike than different at a given price point.
The published Spec. is not reliable or important really.

As for AV Performance you really do get what you pay for as with most things.

[Greg H]

Audiovox, that's just above Kraco, but not by much.

[cpaharley2008]

All I know is that Jensen tv's are made for rv/marine use and are a step above Audiovox, Jensen seals their components in waterproof resin and use metal frames vs plastic for their rv/marine line. I assume their radio's have similar qualities. Similar to Airstream being part of Thor, sometimes the quality remain in mergers, but not always.

[Frederick L. Simson]

Originally Posted by Carol H

I vote for a small two speaker system that has a radio and Ipod/iphone dock as I dont carry CD's anymore. Actually dont know a lot of people who still use CD's in their cars or trailers.

Ahem.
I have an Audio Cassette Deck and a CD player in my Odyssey, and I still use both of them, especially on cross-country trips to augment when FM Radio isn't to my liking. I don't subscribe to Satellite Radio, and I don't have an iAnything.

I vote for a system with wireless headphones instead of speakers.

[Jim_B]

If you provide a head unit that also has a video output, there is an option for you or the customer to install a monitor for watching movies.