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Paully33's avatar
Paully33
Explorer
Dec 30, 2017

Keystone Cougar audio upgrade

Hello all,

Not sure if this is right place to post but thought I would stRt here since its my first post.

I am a part time rv'er but this year will change that as I will be spending more time and trips in 5th wheel. So looking to upgrade OEM stereo and speakers to more quality and features. Right now it has a ESTone 8550ex radio dvd combo. Basically its a POS, horrible sound and functionality, but i get it, its OEM stuff no biggie.

So looking to see what folks have done, been reading through posts but not finding definitive on replacements. Speakers pretty5 easy, I have 4 ceiling ones in main coach, 2 in bedroom, 2 outside.

I am looking for a radio upgrade that has bluetooth, external/front inputs HD/satellite radio. Searching the net, this will put me in of course car audio category, so is this a big issue? Don't care if it plays dvd/bluray or not as I have already added a stand alone bluray player. Just good audio and possibly passive subwoofer output. With one of my A/C units directly overhead of entertainment system need so sort of balance.

Is it a pain to rip these OEM's out and replace with good quality car stereo or is there a medium/high end RV audio place to buy better units?

Thanks in advance.....
  • Paully33's avatar
    Paully33
    Explorer
    Dec 30, 2017
    Thanks for the replies! Mine is a standard double DIN stereo....so hopefully if I pick a good quality one this will be a big difference....just not 100% on which way to go...
  • ScottG's avatar
    ScottG
    Nomad
    Dec 30, 2017
    I have the same dilemma, my stereo is beyond bad. Seriously ridiculous.
    I've wondered if installing much better car audio speakers would do much good.
  • RobWNY's avatar
    RobWNY
    Explorer
    Dec 30, 2017
    Not knowing exactly what your OEM radio looks like or the size of it, I imagine some fabrication of the mounting location will be necessary. As for wiring, the OEM will likely have a wiring harness (plug and play) like most car stereos have today. Each wire should have a tag on it for what it's for so if you do buy a car stereo to replace the radio you have it won't be too difficult to wire it up. I replaced all of my speakers with Polk speakers and the sound difference was dramatic. I had a crappy Jensen OEM radio and replaced it with a different crappy Jensen radio but at least now I have bluetooth and it was the same footprint so I had no fabrication to do. I also got rid of the silly FM antenna that's provided and now have it hooked up to the rooftop TV antenna. If you do anything like that, just make sure you turn the antenna toward the city the station is located to get good reception.

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