I thought about putting this in the Electronics area, but I think it applies to motorhomes in general, so I slapped it in here (Kev, feel free to move it if you like).

I'm doing some research on my sound system requirements and have pretty much determined that I'm not going to be happy unless I have a full "house" system installed.  I can get a Sony amp/receiver that does everything I need and only weighs 20lbs, but it's going to cost me as much as my "made of awesome" Onkyo that I already have.  So, I'd like to save the bucks and just slap my Onkyo in the RV.  But, I'm concerned about the overhead storage area and it's limits.

My RV has the standard little cabinets built over the front above the driver and passenger.  I'll be pulling the 17" tube TV and installing an LCD flat panel.  That'll probably be about 20lbs after all the framing and mounting is done.  On one side, I'll install the PS3 (another 20lbs or so).

The issue is the Onkyo.  It weighs in at 61 lbs!  Is this going to be way too much for the overhead storage, or are they usually build enough to be able to handle it?  In total, this is going to be around 100 lbs.  I don't expect anything else to go up front, so I don't expect the weight to change.

Is this too much to expect my overhead to handle?  I really don't want a 60 lb amp to come crashing down on my head as I'm driving down the road.

I think this will vary a lot by manufactuter, age of vehicle and build quality.  However, 100 lbs doesn't seem unreasonable to me, and I'd be more concerned making it stable enough for motion. 

I agree with Cherie about the variances in manufacturers. I think a lot will be obvious when you remove the TV. You will be able to see how the front cabinets are connected to the frame. On mine, it is easy to see that the cabinets are connected very well to the cockpit frame. I think I trust the connection technique more than the cabinet construction ;)

I am a bit less particular about our sound system. I wished at times I had a nicer one, but for the most part, the stock 5.1 surround seems to do OK. I am looking at adding a small system to the rear, as that is where we watch most of our TV. I have a Klipsch sub and speakers from a computer setup that will fit nicely. The speakers are small, and the sub will fit in a closet. The bedroom is pretty small, so it should do the trick.


--kev