New member Username: SteppinupFort Wayne, IN United States Post Number: 1 Registered: May-08 | This topic has been run in the "ground" and I am failing to find any new answers to solve my problem. Hoping you can help. I just installed a new head unit (Pioneer) in a 2006 Scion xB. The rear channel from the HU runs the rear spkrs directly. RCA outs go to a nice JBL amp located under the passenger seat. I ran the 8 guage power cable directly to the battery along the driver's door sill. I ran a short ground jumper (8 guage) from the amp to the seat mounting bolt (sanded to shiny metal). RCA, remote turn on, and speaker wires were run along the passenger door sill. The noise is intolerable. I have done trouble shooting as follows: -Ran different RCAs separately from the HU to the amp without ANY contact with other wires-no help. -Ran a different gound attaching it to a factory ground. Also tried running a ground straight to the neg post-no help. -Installed filter infront of RCAs-helped, but not sufficiently. -Ran amp ground directly to factory stero ground-no help. -Ran power cable off of distribution block rather than positive post-no help. I have changed amps, changed speakers, changed wiring...nothing helps. This has to be a Scion xB quirk. There is no noise coming from my rear speakers which go directly to the head unit. Only the amp signal is tainted. Jason |
Silver Member Username: WaresgaragestereoFort Valley, GA Post Number: 140 Registered: Mar-08 | alternator whine? try a ground loop isolator. if you ran the power cable next to the RCAs try shielding the power wire. worst case scenario is that the electromagnetic field around the power wire may be interfering with that of the RCAs. let me kno what happens. |
New member Username: ChaosofthemassesEdwardsburg, Michigan Usa Post Number: 6 Registered: May-08 | one problem with you setup your using 8 gauge you should ALWAYS use a 4 gauge it handles any powr youll need. 8 will do fine just be sure to upgrade the wire size if you get bigger amps and subs! |
Bronze Member Username: Bass_enjoyerPost Number: 33 Registered: Jun-07 | Sounds like you know what you're doing. I would get a cd player or mp3 player and use a stereo male to 2 rca male cable(s) converter (a couple of dollars at wal-mart or radio shack) and hook it up directly to the amp. If the noise is still there, you know it's because of the amplifier or the ground. If the noise isn't there I would hook up your mp3 player to the rca cables that you have running from your pioneer in-dash. If the noise is there you know it's a problem within your wires. If the noise isn't there then it might be a problem in your pre-amp outputs on the actual unit. |
Silver Member Username: WaresgaragestereoFort Valley, GA Post Number: 141 Registered: Mar-08 | right. if you get bigger amps you need to upgrade to 4 GA or Bigger. i'd have used 4ga from the beginning for both the power wire and the ground wire. http://www.bcae1.com/wire.htm this is a wire guage chart. |
Gold Member Username: JuliobSanto DomingoDominican Re... Post Number: 5333 Registered: Dec-05 | did you do this? |
Silver Member Username: WaresgaragestereoFort Valley, GA Post Number: 142 Registered: Mar-08 | dude, i dont even understand where you're goin with this. |
Silver Member Username: Snowball123West Allis, WI United States Post Number: 649 Registered: Oct-07 | usually pioneer has that whine problem so you need to ground the RCA's just like the picture juliob showed. |
Silver Member Username: Drant19DUB-C, TX Post Number: 922 Registered: Aug-07 | yep pioneers are infamous for trying to ground thru the RCAs. |
New member Username: SteppinupFort Wayne, IN United States Post Number: 3 Registered: May-08 | Holy Cow, Juliob. That's nuts! I'm going out to try it. I'll be back to let you know. Jonathon: MP3 plays clean through the amp. It's definitely the Pioneer, regardless of which or how you run the RCA's. If Juliob's idea works, I'll be laughing in disbelief all day tomorrow |
New member Username: SteppinupFort Wayne, IN United States Post Number: 4 Registered: May-08 | Juliob, dude, where do I send the check? Crystal Clear. Not a single hint of alternator whine. Problem: doing this you lose stereo separation. I think even if you skipped the figure 8 wrap and wrapped them individually you might lose the sepration. Any ideas?? |
Gold Member Username: Nd4spd18Northwest PA Post Number: 7457 Registered: Jul-06 | Yep this sounds like a classic case of the POS pionner rca ground problem. |
Bronze Member Username: ReplayPost Number: 13 Registered: Oct-07 | "Problem: doing this you lose stereo separation. I think even if you skipped the figure 8 wrap and wrapped them individually you might lose the sepration. Any ideas??" Please correct me if I'm wrong, But you should still have stereo separation. The signal is on the center terminal of the RCAs. The outer shield of RCAs connect to ground. Ground is only reference for the signal and carries no audio. |
Gold Member Username: Nd4spd18Northwest PA Post Number: 7481 Registered: Jul-06 | ^^^^^ What I was going to say |
New member Username: SteppinupFort Wayne, IN United States Post Number: 5 Registered: May-08 | Yep, you're right. I tested it after I left the post. I also found out that the figure 8 wrap is not necessary. It did not matter which pre-out I grounded, the result was the same: perfection. It stinks though that such a nice receiver would have this problem. Problem #2: FM and AM reception is sub par. Local stations are scratchy. Some of my favorite stations that were clear from the factory HU are now scratchy. Suggestions??? (whatever Juliob tells me to do I will...like grounding the antenna to my gas tank...I still can't believe his suggestion worked so well). |
Gold Member Username: Nd4spd18Northwest PA Post Number: 7487 Registered: Jul-06 | Pioneer HUs are known for having that problem and that fix is well known it ain't some kind of magic. Thats why I don't like pionners. As for your antenna issue, check the antenna connection is making good contact, jiggle it around and see what happens. Also make sure the HU has a good ground. In rare cases the factory ground wire sometimes isn't good enough and grounding the black wire somewhere else helps. |