Exterior Speakers Buzzing?

[theHueg]

We own a 2018 Winnebago ERA. It has the typical Jensen sound system which includes two exterior speakers. Recently they played very softly and have a buzzing sound making them inaudible. I ordered direct factory OEM replacements. Installed and they’re producing the same sound. Connections at the speakers are tight. So I’m wondering if something may be loose at the back of the Jensen unit. It seems locked in somehow so I need to figure out how to pull it out of the cabinet. Suggestions to release it? Any other suggestions as to the poor sound?

[rvsprinterguy]

Seems like a short in the speaker wire somewhere. I think Jensen audio components are secured in place by four screws, two on either side that may be hidden by a bezel.

[avanti]

Is this a problem that developed over time, or did it always do it?
Speaker hum in vehicles is very often caused by ground loop issues, in which there are multiple return paths to ground. This is often caused by using shielded audio wire and grounding the shield on both ends, which should never be done. There is a lot of nonsense about grounding practices floating around the Net, and I doubt that upfitters are immune.

One easy way to address ground loop issues is to get an isolation transformer, such as this:



https://www.amazon.com/200W-15A-RCA-...s%2C159&sr=8-5

[mkguitar]

It will not be the "speakers" or the "speaker wires"


that's wasted effort and money


a power amplifier runs full out, amplifying any sound it gets at the input whether it is music or a hum or buzz such as from a ground loop


a filter as above might just be your fix




a low hum, almost always indicates a 60 cycle AC ground loop, and high pitched buzz can be a lack of ground or shielding problem


less likely is an internal fault in the amplifier


- this is tested by unplugging the input to the amplifier - if the noise goes away, it is in the lines connecting to the input.


if the noise persists it is in the power supplied to the amp ( super rare on battery power, no shore power, motor off) or an internal fault in the amp


or interference from a nearby device, something with a big transformer, such as an inverter






mike

[GaryG]

I've had similar issues with 12 volt amps. I resolved the issue by keeping the volume on the amp as low as possible and instead keeping the volume high on the input device, in my case an iPod wired through the earphone jack as well a running the tv headphone jack through the amp.

[KYRuss]

We never have used the outside speakers in our 2017 Era 70A. We don't want to annoy our camping neighbors with the noise as we get annoyed when others are blasting music nearby. However we never have noticed the hum or buzz you are referring to. AND we are so disappointed with the Jensen piece of junk installed in our unit. It was obsolete when it was installed as the Bluetooth and usb connection only works on an iphone 5 and lower. So we only use the unit for DVD playing. I specifically called Winnebago to complain on the issue and their response was to shrug so what? Also called Jensen and they admitted it is an older unit in our RV and wanted $450 for an undated model. Forget that! Not worth it.

[JohnnyFry]

When you get distortion through the speaker there are 2 possible sources: the speaker ( they lead a hard life in exterior mounts), or the amplifier is faulty. Both speakers are probably driven by a a single 2 channel integrated power amp module. These blow out for a variety of reasons: playing too loud, voltage spikes from the 12 volt supply, shorting out or grounding one or both speaker leads. Since you have replaced the speakers with new ones it points to the amplifier. You will have to remove the unit to get it checked out.

[theHueg]

I subsequently noticed the subwoofer, located inside the coach, is buzzing as well. I communicated with Jensen (ASA Electronics) and they quickly asked me to return the unit for diagnostic tests. It’s on the way so I’ll see.

[theHueg]

Jensen sent me a “no charge” replacement for my head unit. I replaced exterior speakers with new ones. No improvement and subwoofer inside RV in rear near floor buzzes when volume increased. What’s left-wiring?

So, what kind of an audio shop should I seek to diagnose my issue? RV dealers frankly don’t want to mess around with it.

[GeorgeRa]

You could get a spectrum frequency analyser app to see what is buzz frequency and if it is fixed. 60Hz would point to AC source.

Do you have any inexpensive modified sinewave inverter turned on?

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...hl=en_US&gl=US

[theHueg]

No inverters on.

[GeorgeRa]

How about inexpensive PWM (Pulse width modulation) battery charges?

[theHueg]

Nothing in the RV changed from when the Jensen worked.

[GeorgeRa]

Originally Posted by theHueg

Nothing in the RV changed from when the Jensen worked.

It is possible that a failure (change) of a device is causing buzzing, did you tried pulling fuses from control panel one at the time to see if buzzing stops.

[theHueg]

Which fuse(s)?

[GeorgeRa]

Originally Posted by theHueg

Which fuse(s)?

Find a fuse control panel, see mine, and start swithing of CBs or removing fuses one at the time.

[theHueg]

I’ll try that. Our RV has fuse monitoring system that will display status of each fuse, also. Can’t hurt to try.

[jakegw2]

I have the Jensen waterproof slim-profile outdoor speakers on my Winnebago as well. I agree with an Amazon reviewer who stated something along the lines of: "Winnebago uses these speakers on most of their small RVs... which I can only assume means that they hate their customers."

I replaced one of mine due to a suspected leak. It was a messy process and it turned out that the speaker was not the cause of the issue. The other speaker however had a shiny metallic decorative ring that was in the center of it break free. It now buzzes wildly whenever the speaker is used. Of course it means I need to replace it but I'm not looking forward to the job.

Probably not your issue, but might help someone else that experiences this.

[JohnnyFry]

Despite the old Eddie Rabbit song: you don’t get more mileage from a cheap set of speakers…and RV manufacturers go for the bottom of the barrel! IMHO.

[BillsPaseo]

Originally Posted by JohnnyFry

Despite the old Eddie Rabbit song: you don’t get more mileage from a cheap set of speakers…and RV manufacturers go for the bottom of the barrel! IMHO.

That's Billy Joel, "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me".

Don't waste your money on a new set of speakers,
You get more mileage from a cheap pair of sneakers.
Next phase, new wave, dance craze, anyways
It's still rock and roll to me