Suburban/Tahoe headphones

Elwood 2000 · June 29, 2005

On our Suburban, we have the factory DVD entertainment system with wireless headphones. They work great, but they are too big and bulkey for my 6 year olds little mellon. There are headphone jacks on the back of my center console with a selection button and a volume control for each side.

I looked in my manual and in one place it says that the wired headphones are for AM/FM/CD, but not for the DVD system. Later in another section, it says that you can select AM, FM, CD, or DVD while using them.

I would like to buy a smaller, lightweight set of headphones for my daughter for when she listens to the DVD via headphones, but I am unsure if they will work. I like the idea of the kids watching a DVD and listening via headphones while I and my wife listen to the radio or satalite radio in the front.

Before I go and buy headphones, will they work?

Thanks!

Supurban · June 29, 2005

Hey Elwood, I plugged in a cheapo computer speaker that I stuffed into my kid's car seat so she can listen to her DVD or CD audio seperately from us. You'll need an extension cord so the kids don't yank the plug out of the jack. And you are right, the wireless headphones are pretty chunky.

DVD is selectable on the wired jacks on the rear console. But GM managed to screw this up......you cannot listen to XM up front if the RSE is set to DVD. On long trips we end up listening to CD up front if the kids are watching DVD.

Daubs · June 29, 2005

Interesting thread.

I've managed to get my four year old to keep the clunky wireless headphones on her head...and my six year old does just fine. Never had to resort to the wired connection (didn't even think it would work)

I will have to go home and try this...

BlueTahoe · June 29, 2005

I have 3 kids and they use the wired headphones all the time. It is the best option I could ever get on the Tahoe! I don't have XM so I can't comment on that. As far as radio, CD, & DVD. Any of these can be selected and controled from my rear unit. The only stipulation to that is if the back and front are set on the same input the people in the rear can't adjust it. I like this because the 9 yr old keeps trying to change my radio station and gets mad that he can't change it when I'm listening to it. We always listen to the radio in the front and kids get to pick from 6 cd's or a dvd in the back. Only complaint with the rear plugs is they don't have allot of power. I sometimes have 4 headphones on 2 jacks and they turn them up all the way and they are still not loud. I have bought a cheaping booster/splitter and radioshack and all is well now.

Best Family travel moment ever. Listening to the race on the radio up front and all 3 kids are singing the wrong words to cher in the back seat with the headphones. They didn't even notice mom and I laughing so hard we were crying. Kids are 5-8-9 - I wish I had a video camera. It was hilarious.

Elwood 2000 · June 29, 2005

Thanks so much for the replies!!

The problem is not so much keeping the headphones on her head as much as it is they give her a headache. They are big and do move around a bit on her head, but I think the force squeezing hurts her ears. (That is what she says)

Now that I am going headphone shopping, what brands/types are good quality?

I have seen the little "hooks" that go over your ears with the earpiece that sits just inside your ear. Are these any good or should I look for something like the factory ones, just a LOT lighter and smaller?

Thanks for the help. We are going to Myrtle Beach in a couple weeks and I want the entertainment issues resolved before we leave!

toneman · June 29, 2005

I dunno--maybe ones with cupped earpads? What I mean is headphones with the center of the earpiece hollowed out, vs. the GM OEM headphone earpiece, which is just one solid piece of foam padding.

And yeah, the RSA/multi-source issue is annoying--dunno why GM decided to engineer but one AUX input on the factory radios found on the NBS trucks/SUVs. I have it worse--since I have a nav radio, my non-radio sources are the slave CD changer (can't play a CD in the nav radio--otherwise, no nav function), XM, and DVD--all shared on the same single AUX input.

Supurban · June 29, 2005

Get cheapo headsets - regular over the top of the head from Big Lots or Target. They are light and tend to be smaller without the tight springiness.

Kids are rough on this stuff anyway - you'll probably go through several sets as the plug gets torn off, wires pulled out and missing foam pads. I suppose my only concession would be if my girls wanted pink headsets or something.