Disappointing Entertainment system and other notes.

rrefects

Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2015
Messages
22
Location
Pleasant Grove, UT
I've owned my new Momentum 328M for just over a week now. I stayed in it over Thanksgiving in order to make room for guests staying in the house, and I want you to know that for the most part, I absolutely love it. I was completely comfortable inside, when it was 20 degrees outside. Staying in the trailer for the first week did allow me a chance to find what I like and dislike about the trailer.

1st, and foremost, I am extremely disappointed in the entertainment system.

The dvd player doesn't accept Blu Ray -

I don't know about your other customers, but I am 36. I don't own many dvd's, when I started my video library, blue ray was the hot new tech, and dvd's were a thing of the past. I don't actually buy either now, now I'm all digital, but I was excited to have a place to use my old blu rays when I purchased the trailer. For such a high end trailer, I was pretty surprised to find it only takes DVD.

The TV's don't accept USB video -

When I realized the player only accepts dvd's, I was disappointed, I only own like 2. But then I realized that I own an extensive video library in the digital format all stored on a small portable external hard drive for when I'm traveling. I tried plugging it into the Furrion deck, which has a usb port, but the deck didn't recognize it. I then tried plugging it into the TV directly, which also has a USB port. It could read the hard drive, but only the file names. It wasn't reading any of the actual shows. I worked for a while to figure out what was wrong, then called a tech friend in. The portable hard drive worked perfectly on every tv in my house, but none of the haier TV's in the trailer. We read the manuals, thinking maybe they didn't agree with the fat32 formatting of the external hard drive, and that's when we found the TV's don't accept any type of video format through the USB, they only accept music and picture files. Even the cheap tv i bought at Walmart a few years back will accept the portable hard drive. I also have an amazon fire stick which works through usb, I haven't tried that yet because I haven't got internet in the trailer yet, but I don't think that will work either based on what we read.

The outside TV isn't hooked up to the dvd player or external speakers.

- We had the trailer parked in the backyard for the holiday, my nieces being from Texas and never having seen snow, wanted to sit in the hot tub in the backyard as it was snowing. The position of the hot tub vs the trailer made it perfect for viewing the outside tv, so I thought I would put their dvd of Frozen in. I quickly found that the dvd player isn't linked, and the external speakers aren't linked to the external tv. This just seems silly to me. I ended up hooking up my laptop to the tv, and put it in a garbage bag to protect it from the weather. Unfortunately the laptop speakers couldn't be heard over the hot tub.

There is no cabinet space for items to attach to the living room tv.

- I tried hooking up the xbox to the living room tv so the kids could play out there, and not bother us in the house. I didn't see a good place to set the gaming consel when i go to mount it permanently. I'll also want to hook up a roku eventually as well. I understand space is tight. I thought maybe I could drill an access hole and mount them in the pantry. I'm reluctant to do so in a brand new high dollar trailer, maybe in the future you can install an access port of some sort?

I would seriously consider reconsidering the entertainment system. After spending the price for one of your well built, premium trailers, having such a cheap entertainment system makes the whole rig feel that much cheaper. The first thing I plan to do is replace the whole system, which is disappointing after just spending so much.

Other observations -

- After the first night, I went straight to bed bath and beyond and spent 700 on a memory foam and down pillow top. The stock mattress was pretty hard. I know you are trying to keep it low profile do to limited head-space, but personally I would prefer a larger mattress and less storage space underneath the bed.

- The garage space beds got pretty cold. With the thermostat set on automatic, the kids still ended up in the house on couches. Also, with the beds in position for being used as beds, I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to hook up the ladder to the top bunk, it seemed way too long.

- I know this is the holy grail of toy haulers, but I am absolute maximum size, 6'3, for the shower. Still, you have one of the bigger showers I've seen in a toy hauler, the only one I've seen better, and it was far better, was the Winnebago toy haulers. I would check them out and see if there's some design aspect you might change to get more on their scale.


All that being said, I love my new Momentum. This is going to be a trailer I will haul equipment in and live out of while on extended jobs working on location. I looked at just about every toy hauler out there, and yours is the one I chose because of the thoughtful and well built design.

Thanks,
Ryan
 
Last edited:
Yes, the garage is cold. I put an electric heater back there. I also cut the ladder to fit the top bunk. I took about a foot or a little more off the bottom and wrapped the top foot with pipe insulation (the black rubber type) to keep it from damaging the vinyl on the bed frame.
 
I've owned my new Momentum 328M for just over a week now. I stayed in it over Thanksgiving in order to make room for guests staying in the house, and I want you to know that for the most part, I absolutely love it. I was completely comfortable inside, when it was 20 degrees outside. Staying in the trailer for the first week did allow me a chance to find what I like and dislike about the trailer.

1st, and foremost, I am extremely disappointed in the entertainment system.

The dvd player doesn't accept Blu Ray -

I don't know about your other customers, but I am 36. I don't own many dvd's, when I started my video library, blue ray was the hot new tech, and dvd's were a thing of the past. I don't actually buy either now, now I'm all digital, but I was excited to have a place to use my old blu rays when I purchased the trailer. For such a high end trailer, I was pretty surprised to find it only takes DVD.

The TV's don't accept USB video -

When I realized the player only accepts dvd's, I was disappointed, I only own like 2. But then I realized that I own an extensive video library in the digital format all stored on a small portable external hard drive for when I'm traveling. I tried plugging it into the Furrion deck, which has a usb port, but the deck didn't recognize it. I then tried plugging it into the TV directly, which also has a USB port. It could read the hard drive, but only the file names. It wasn't reading any of the actual shows. I worked for a while to figure out what was wrong, then called a tech friend in. The portable hard drive worked perfectly on every tv in my house, but none of the haier TV's in the trailer. We read the manuals, thinking maybe they didn't agree with the fat32 formatting of the external hard drive, and that's when we found the TV's don't accept any type of video format through the USB, they only accept music and picture files. Even the cheap tv i bought at Walmart a few years back will accept the portable hard drive. I also have an amazon fire stick which works through usb, I haven't tried that yet because I haven't got internet in the trailer yet, but I don't think that will work either based on what we read.

The outside TV isn't hooked up to the dvd player or external speakers.

- We had the trailer parked in the backyard for the holiday, my nieces being from Texas and never having seen snow, wanted to sit in the hot tub in the backyard as it was snowing. The position of the hot tub vs the trailer made it perfect for viewing the outside tv, so I thought I would put their dvd of Frozen in. I quickly found that the dvd player isn't linked, and the external speakers aren't linked to the external tv. This just seems silly to me. I ended up hooking up my laptop to the tv, and put it in a garbage bag to protect it from the weather. Unfortunately the laptop speakers couldn't be heard over the hot tub.

There is no cabinet space for items to attach to the living room tv.

- I tried hooking up the xbox to the living room tv so the kids could play out there, and not bother us in the house. I didn't see a good place to set the gaming consel when i go to mount it permanently. I'll also want to hook up a roku eventually as well. I understand space is tight. I thought maybe I could drill an access hole and mount them in the pantry. I'm reluctant to do so in a brand new high dollar trailer, maybe in the future you can install an access port of some sort?

I would seriously consider reconsidering the entertainment system. After spending the price for one of your well built, premium trailers, having such a cheap entertainment system makes the whole rig feel that much cheaper. The first thing I plan to do is replace the whole system, which is disappointing after just spending so much.

Other observations -

- After the first night, I went straight to bed bath and beyond and spent 700 on a memory foam and down pillow top. The stock mattress was pretty hard. I know you are trying to keep it low profile do to limited head-space, but personally I would prefer a larger mattress and less storage space underneath the bed.

- The garage space beds got pretty cold. With the thermostat set on automatic, the kids still ended up in the house on couches. Also, with the beds in position for being used as beds, I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to hook up the ladder to the top bunk, it seemed way too long.

- I know this is the holy grail of toy haulers, but I am absolute maximum size, 6'3, for the shower. Still, you have one of the bigger showers I've seen in a toy hauler, the only one I've seen better, and it was far better, was the Winnebago toy haulers. I would check them out and see if there's some design aspect you might change to get more on their scale.


All that being said, I love my new Momentum. This is going to be a trailer I will haul equipment in and live out of while on extended jobs working on location. I looked at just about every toy hauler out there, and yours is the one I chose because of the thoughtful and well built design.

Thanks,
Ryan

Hi Ryan (@rrefects),

First, welcome to the Grand Design RV family! Thank you for your input; however, we need additional information from you to research your concerns for your RV. Would you mind adding your 17-digit RV VIN to the "About Me" section of your forum profile (and replying back to this message to let me know when that is done), or sending me a private message with your VIN, name and phone number? Thank you in advance...

Best regards,
~ Janice
 
The problem with the entertainment system is there is nothing else out there. The higher end units (Alpine, Kenwood, Pioneer) don't make anything with Bluray or anything the would apply to an RV. So unfortunately, we're stuck with what's available until one of them do come out with something, if ever.
 
It does not have to apply to RVs. Your best bet is to go after market and get a good one that has what you want. Sad state of affairs. Don
 
Just a thought. Our current RV set up has a home quality Sony system with sound bar, Sony TV, and the Dish network sat box. All this is powered by a 3k psw inverter. Same inverter that could also power a residental fridge.
When we pull the trigger on the 397TH, part of the trade will be our inverter and batteries go to the new RV. With all the comments about the Hair Tv's, and Furrion sound system, it might be worthwhile to install a nice system and power it this way. Then you could also upgrade to a residental fridge, add some solar panels, and be able to be off grid and still have your luxuries.
 
That would be the best way. Or have it setup so the TV works with a "home theater" type system since it requires 120 anyway, and have a nice 12v head unit to power radio/cd/bluetooth for music when off the grid.
 
I use an AppleTV and Airplay my digital movies. Works great!


Happy camping!
Ed

2016 Solitude 377MB
2012 Ford F-350 DRW
Reese Elite 18k
 
Check Crutchfield.com
I didn't see any Blue Ray players in the car audio section, but they do have a big selection of double din dvd players with aux inputs, usb capable, etc. Even the cheapest Boss system would work.
 
Blu-ray has been out for almost ten years now and the RV stereo manufacturers are still using technology released in 1995 (DVD)! RV stereos are the most antiquated electronics you will find anywhere. Where else can you buy a brand new stereo system with technology from 20 years ago that also looks like it's 20 years old?
 
Hi Ryan (@rrefects),

First, welcome to the Grand Design RV family! Thank you for your input; however, we need additional information from you to research your concerns for your RV. Would you mind adding your 17-digit RV VIN to the "About Me" section of your forum profile (and replying back to this message to let me know when that is done), or sending me a private message with your VIN, name and phone number? Thank you in advance...

Best regards,
~ Janice

Hi Ryan (@rrefects),

Please don't forget to reply back to me with the requested information (see post #3), so that we can contact you to discuss your concerns. Or if it more convenient for you, please feel free to contact our Customer Support directly at (574) 825-9679.

Thank you in advance...

Best regards,
~ Janice
 
Blu-ray has been out for almost ten years now and the RV stereo manufacturers are still using technology released in 1995 (DVD)! RV stereos are the most antiquated electronics you will find anywhere. Where else can you buy a brand new stereo system with technology from 20 years ago that also looks like it's 20 years old?

After doing a little research, I was amazed how far behind the automobile/rv equipment is behind, even by the larger companies. No HDMI out by the big 3, no BluRay. Oddly enough, the lower tier manufacturers (Boss, Furrion, etc.) have HDMI out.
 
I actually feel sorry for RV manufacturers. Companies like Grand Design go to great lengths to make sure the interior of their RV's look nice (and to great affect). I'm sure they cringe while installing the junk stereos as much as we cringe when we see them stand out like a sore thumb in an otherwise beautiful RV.
 
I actually feel sorry for RV manufacturers. Companies like Grand Design go to great lengths to make sure the interior of their RV's look nice (and to great affect). I'm sure they cringe while installing the junk stereos as much as we cringe when we see them stand out like a sore thumb in an otherwise beautiful RV.

Agreed....
 
I looked into it myself with the intentions of swapping out the system. The only blu ray I saw was junk, although, apparently Panasonic is coming out with one this year.

I would still set it up so the outside speakers can play off the outside tv, and so that any tv in the coach can play off the dvd player if desired. Not to mention tv's that accept video through the usb. I can't be the only one out there with videos loaded up on a portable hard drive, or flash drive for a trip.

For now I'm just putting my xbox one in the coach, it can play blu ray, and also provides entertainment.

I also updated my Vin to my profile for you Janice, thanks. Being new here I was surprised to get a response from the manufacturer. That's a level of customer service you don't ever see. Very cool!
 
I looked into it myself with the intentions of swapping out the system. The only blu ray I saw was junk, although, apparently Panasonic is coming out with one this year.

I would still set it up so the outside speakers can play off the outside tv, and so that any tv in the coach can play off the dvd player if desired. Not to mention tv's that accept video through the usb. I can't be the only one out there with videos loaded up on a portable hard drive, or flash drive for a trip.

For now I'm just putting my xbox one in the coach, it can play blu ray, and also provides entertainment.

I also updated my Vin to my profile for you Janice, thanks. Being new here I was surprised to get a response from the manufacturer. That's a level of customer service you don't ever see. Very cool!

Hi @rrefects,

Thank you! I've taken the liberty of asking Ryan Prough, the Warranty Manager here at Grand Design RV, to contact you to discuss your concerns. Or if it is more convenient for you, please feel free to contact Ryan at our Customer Support direct line of (574) 825-9679.

Best regards,
~ Janice
 
We have a 2015 Momentum 385 and I completely agree with you about the entertainment system being disappointing. That was one of the first things we noticed! Ours came with a faulty HDMI cord so we had a new one sent out to us. In order to replace it we had to drill a hole in the space behind the tv and feed it through. Whenever we switch between tv or HDMI we still have to unplug and replug the tv or else we just have sound and no picture. We recently rewired the tv and DVD player so that we could play the tv on the surround sound, before it would only work with radio and DVDs. We have our BluRay player hooked up also because we own mostly BluRays too (we are 34&31). The speakers in the garage sometimes work and sometimes don't. Sometimes they cut in and out. We've replaced the car stereo back there twice and it still doesn't work correctly. As far as the bunks, we drilled new holes so the top bunk can be brought down a little for more storage, and yes, the ladder height makes no sense. Our king size mattress is actually super comfortable so I'm wondering if the dealer swapped it out for a better one... In either case I'm happy with it! All that being said, I'm really happy with the camper overall!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
We have a 2015 Momentum 385 and I completely agree with you about the entertainment system being disappointing. That was one of the first things we noticed! Ours came with a faulty HDMI cord so we had a new one sent out to us. In order to replace it we had to drill a hole in the space behind the tv and feed it through. Whenever we switch between tv or HDMI we still have to unplug and replug the tv or else we just have sound and no picture. We recently rewired the tv and DVD player so that we could play the tv on the surround sound, before it would only work with radio and DVDs. We have our BluRay player hooked up also because we own mostly BluRays too (we are 34&31). The speakers in the garage sometimes work and sometimes don't. Sometimes they cut in and out. We've replaced the car stereo back there twice and it still doesn't work correctly. As far as the bunks, we drilled new holes so the top bunk can be brought down a little for more storage, and yes, the ladder height makes no sense. Our king size mattress is actually super comfortable so I'm wondering if the dealer swapped it out for a better one... In either case I'm happy with it! All that being said, I'm really happy with the camper overall!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hi Rachel & Allen (@CharliesParents),

Please add your 17-digit RV VIN to the "About Me" section of your forum profile, and reply back to this message when that is done. Thank you in advance...

Best regards,
~ Janice
 
Hi Rachel & Allen (@CharliesParents),

Please add your 17-digit RV VIN to the "About Me" section of your forum profile, and reply back to this message when that is done. Thank you in advance...

Best regards,
~ Janice

Hi Janice,
I think I added our VIN. Somehow I think I have 2 profiles that are sometimes linked so I'm trying to figure all of this out!
Thanks!


Rachel & Allen
 

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