Drill a hole for stereo speaker or not?

[riven1950]

I've got a Aerolite 718fd. I want to add an outdoor speaker for the stereo because we spend a lot of time outside and would like to avoid having another stereo to keep up with that would just be used outdoors. ( no we are not going to blast out the neighbors, just a little music )

I think I can go in behind the OE stereo and hard wire a speaker on the outside wall directly behind the stereo. Of course this would require drilling a hole in the exterior and a stereo that would stay where mounted on the outside. I look at a TT kind of like my boat..the least number of holes in the " hull " the better so I am wondering about alternatives.

Can't think of another idea except wireless speakers, which I have no experience with. The OE stereo is a cheap one so I am not looking for great sound just good sound considering the source.

Any suggestions?

[APT]

What is your source for the music? If it's a smartphone for example, then bluetooth streaming absolutely rocks. Pick your price point. Something like this speaker would be great. And you can even take it to the beach on battery for a few hours.

[wmoses]

My outdoor speakers (the little I have heard them so far) are adequate for outside listening. My inside system is a 5.1 surround sound system that is far better than anything I have heard in an RV and again (thumping sub-woofer if I need it), is more than adequate for inside listening. Clearly the fidelity bias is for the inside setup, and so it should be.

That said, and along the thinking that some have intimated above, what should be expected from outside speakers? I would suggest that most of us do not care to listen to others' outside speakers. For me, unless my neighbors manage to play exactly what I want to hear and when I want to hear it, I would rather have no neighbours let alone their speakers and the noise emanating therefrom. Don't mean to sound harsh but I would wager that I am merely voicing what many might be thinking. 😉

That said, the factory speakers are just fine for me to listen to softly piped music or maybe some interesting talk radio or similar, which would not disturb the ambience while enjoying the outdoors (by all).

[dodge_guy]

My trailer came with outdoor speakers. If i had to do it again i would go with terminal plates and a couple of good boxed speakers. The plates could easily be mounted inside a storage compartment or under the trailer. As it is now my outdoor speakers sound terrible. It will be time to upgrade them next year!

[riven1950]

That's what I was looking for, some different ideas. Will remove stereo from its "box" see what kind of hookup it has built in for additional speakers and go from there. I think there is a control on the front of it that will switch between speakers which should solve the indoor / outdoor volume difference. Also, will allow muting of either in or out. That is my next project to finish as soon as I get my new back splash installed around the cooktop. 🙂

[Bumpyroad]

I have seen speakers in fiberglass "rocks" that would be sort of neat sitting out on the patio. don't remember if they were wireless or not.
bumpy

[robsouth]

what bumpy said.

[MitchF150]

I just leave the door open (using the screen door of course) and can hear my music just fine sitting under the awning... If I also open the side window, it's even louder and I can hear it to the picnic table and beyond, so your music sound does travel, even without having outside speakers...

I was entertained by a neighbors choice of music about 3 sites down and guess what they had.... Outside speakers.... Yes, it sounded good and I'm sure they were enjoying their choice of music, as was everyone else within a good 4 site radius... 😉

At least it was good ol' classic rock and oldies that I listen to anyway, but still.... They were a group of about 10+ people and enjoying their time in their camp site, playing Corn Hole and throwing a football, etc...

No, I didn't say anything to them, nor did anyone else.. It was their camp site and they were not breaking the 'quiet hours' rule, so there you go... 😉

When I turned mine up a bit more, I could hear my music, so I was good..

I have no problem with what you do in your own camp site.. Just know that sometimes, it does 'leak out' beyond your site and into others, so do what you feel is right.... 😉

Mitch

[wmoses]

Agree with bumpy.

[Bumpyroad]

use wireless speakers.
bumpy

[westend]

RoyB wrote:
This is what my two outdoor speakers looks like with their drilled-in hole mounts. This will penetrate both inside and outside of the thin trailer walls unless you drill thru the storage door only.


Altho the speakers come with a pretty heavy duty and weatherproof cone this will give a possible hole thru the trailer wall that may result in a temperature change thing. My two stereo speaker can be seen inside one of my cabinet doors.

I really like the idea of having a OUTDOOR SPEAKER PANEL and plug in your separate stereo speakers or go with wireless stereo speakers that you can find at WALMART or order from AMAZION.

If I installed an outside stereo speaker setup I would most likely do this inside the storage room area and run the speaker cables from that area to hook up to outside stereo speakers. You could also just mount the stereo speakers in the storage bay area and just raise the storage door when you wanted to listen to outside speakers.

A weatherproof outside DUAL RCA PHONO Connector might look something like this which shows using standard RG F-TYPE TV connections but you can also get RCA phono connections to use here as well. Installing this outside box only requires two small holes to penetrate the thin trailer wall and three small self tapping screws.


We also like NOT to have things sitting outside that might grow feet and wander off when we leave the area for a short time...

Just food for thought
Roy Ken

Thanks Roy! Yeah, as you found out, finding a decent sized and quality speaker means the basket is going to penetrate both the exterior and interior walls. As Gdetrailer says, it won't sound as good as a boxed speaker. I know most folks aren't aiming for audiophile quality, just something that sounds decent and brings music outside.
An added benefit of a boxed speaker is that you have variety in placement and can direct the sound to your listening location. Therefore, should be able to have less volume to the rest of the CG, should you be parked there.

I mess around with audio stuff, here is a boxed boombox contraption built for my Daughter to use in Parades. The bike was used to represent the college radio station she worked for.

Parade bike:

[RoyB]

This is what my two outdoor speakers looks like with their drilled-in hole mounts. This will penetrate both inside and outside of the thin trailer walls unless you drill thru the storage door only.


Altho the speakers come with a pretty heavy duty and weatherproof cone this will give a possible hole thru the trailer wall that may result in a temperature change thing. My two stereo speaker can be seen inside one of my cabinet doors.

I really like the idea of having a OUTDOOR SPEAKER PANEL and plug in your separate stereo speakers or go with wireless stereo speakers that you can find at WALMART or order from AMAZION.

If I installed an outside stereo speaker setup I would most likely do this inside the storage room area and run the speaker cables from that area to hook up to outside stereo speakers. You could also just mount the stereo speakers in the storage bay area and just raise the storage door when you wanted to listen to outside speakers.

A weatherproof outside DUAL RCA PHONO Connector might look something like this which shows using standard RG F-TYPE TV connections but you can also get RCA phono connections to use here as well. Installing this outside box only requires two small holes to penetrate the thin trailer wall and three small self tapping screws.


We also like NOT to have things sitting outside that might grow feet and wander off when we leave the area for a short time...

Just food for thought
Roy Ken

[Gdetrailer]

westend wrote:
Use boxed speakers and terminal plates: Terminal plates

X2!

I am not a fan of adding extra places for leaks so adding speaker jacks and using an extra pair of speakers is a great alternative. Besides, most "marine" type speakers simply do not sound all that great (no proper speaker "box" or baffle behind them) and the weather will beat them up in a few years.

You can buy really decent indoor/outdoor speakers which will knock you socks off for sound quality (you won't get this with speakers you put in the side of your trailer nor with "wireless" speakers.

Just one example HERE at a resonable price.

Granted most indoor/outdoor speakers like the one I linked above are 8 Ohm, this WILL NOT HURT, DAMAGE NOR HARM your stereo in any way shape or form. What you might notice however if your other speakers inside are 4 Ohm that these will not be as "loud" (you might have to crank up the volume a bit if you keep internal speakers on).

To fix the volume difference you can switch the internal ones off (if equipped with a switch) or change the balance level (if equipped with 4way front to back balance) to favor the outdoor.

No switch or balance? No problem, add a speaker switch to select between indoor and outdoor (you might want that any way so you can turn off the external speakers). You will need a switch which has 4 poles and is double throw (AKA 4PDT), should be able to find one at a car stereo shop.

[wrenchbender]

I use a wireless setup off the satelite radio, Keeps the noise level to a minimum.My main goal is not to anger another camper if by chance there happens to be one nearby.

[westend]

Use boxed speakers and terminal plates: Terminal plates