Clicks and pops and whines. Help !!

d.kiran · 10th September 2007, 23:49

I got my NHC Type 1 ICE at Sound Factor in Bangalore on Saturday. This is the system that I got:

Front: Infinity Reference 6020CS
Rear: Infinity Reference 6022i
Sub: JBL CS1204B
Amp: JBL GTO4060
Wiring Kit : Preetham recommended scosche kit for Rs. 2500 and I am using that.

Now the problem is that there is a continuous clicking noise in the front tweeter. At least that's all I thought the problem was :-(.

At first, we thought the tweeter was a problem, so we replaced it. Still no luck. Then we changed the crossover, no luck again. Then the guy from Preetham's team said that my Head Unit (Dual, not known for its reliability) could be the problem. So I asked him to check with my old Pioneer. Still the same noise.

Then we thought the problem was with the wiring. I asked him to check the wiring. I don't know what is the correct way to check the wiring, but he said he checked them and there was still the noise. Moreover, the noise came even when the volume was at 0 (as long as the head unit was on) and only on the front preout. We connected the subwoofer on the front preout and the subwoofer also emitted those noises. The noise was not there when the sub was connected correctly. The rears were not making any noise (but they were not connected through the amp). When the front speakers were connected to the rears still the noise persisted.

Then we thought the problem could be with the amp, so he brings an Infinity 47a and still the same noise.

By now all of them are convinced that the head unit is the culprit. But I am not, because the probability of two head units having exactly the same problem is kinda low. So in the end he brings a Pioneer 7950 and now the noise is not there. I figure its my bad luck and since both the head units seem to have a problem, I put the new one back and drive back to Chennai.

But somehow I am not satisfied with that explanation (I know, I am pig headed). But today I found some more issues. While playing FM, there is noticeable static. Moreover, when I accelerate or when the rpm rises, there is a corresponding increase in the whine. Again this is when the volume is at 0. There is also some interruption when I honk.

This is what resurfaces my doubts about my head unit not being the problem. Because, I have heard this same sort of thing in some other cars as well.

I apologise for the looong post, but does somebody have any suggestions for this? Is there any "bang my head on the keyboard" sort of obvious solutions that I have missed or is it my head unit after all?

navin · 11th September 2007, 10:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by d.kiran

But somehow I am not satisfied with that explanation (I know, I am pig headed). But today I found some more issues. While playing FM, there is noticeable static.

Moreover, when I accelerate or when the rpm rises, there is a corresponding increase in the whine. Again this is when the volume is at 0. There is also some interruption when I honk.

1. check antenna connection
2. your wiring need tobe checked. are the power wires running along side the RCA wires? What wires are you using?

panky12345 · 11th September 2007, 10:59

from my experience, it is either wiring or the HU. nothing else....Had seen exactly same problems using DUAL HU, but am surprised how Pio has that....may be you would also like to check the main current (battery) wire for any cuts etc.

Sam Kapasi · 11th September 2007, 12:02

Lower the gain on the amplifier and you will be fine. Cheers.

akg7091 · 11th September 2007, 15:48

Check the RCA cables. I had the same problem in my car and on changing the RCA cable for the front speakers the problem disappeared

There is also a drity fix for it. Attach a wire to the outer connector of the rca cable which is carrying the signal for the speakers that are whining. Ground this wire either at the HU end or the amplifier end. Works wonders.

Also, ensure that you are running your rca and power cables seperately

d.kiran · 11th September 2007, 21:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by navin

1. check antenna connection
2. your wiring need tobe checked. are the power wires running along side the RCA wires? What wires are you using?

1. Thanks. I will check it this saturday.
2. 16 gauge BOSS cables for the speakers (10 guage monster for the sub, 8G scosche for power and Scosche RCA cables). I searched the forum and you have said earlier that Boss cables are notorious for their inability to shield properly. Are the correct rating wires used? I was very surprised to see the scosche RCA cables, they were very very thin. The monster RCA interconnects that I use at home are thrice as thick. Are the car audio cables thinner so that they can bend easily? Do they shield equally well considering there is a lot of electronics in the car.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sam Kapasi

Lower the gain on the amplifier and you will be fine. Cheers.

Welcome back!!! I was surprised to see almost all the threads having "last post by Sam Kapasi" :-).

I tried that as soon as I came back from the office. It was at 50%, the noise is still present at 25%. At around 10% it starts reducing a bit.

Quote:

Originally Posted by akg7091

Check the RCA cables. I had the same problem in my car and on changing the RCA cable for the front speakers the problem disappeared

Quote:

Originally Posted by panky12345

Had seen exactly same problems using DUAL HU, but am surprised how Pio has that...

I will try changing the RCA cables. When you mean the same problem, did you get the clicking noise or the alternator whine while accelerating?

Thanks guys. The consensus from the gurus and Gandalf (sorry navin, that's the mental picture I have of you :-) ) seems to be defective wiring. The power and the RCA cables are

I'll have to check it this saturday.

gunbir · 11th September 2007, 21:54

Oh damn! I thought the title was Chicks and Wine and their Pops (Dads).

d.kiran · 11th September 2007, 22:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by gunbir

Oh damn! I thought the title was Chicks and Wine and their Pops (Dads).

How I wish it was!!

rocksterraghu · 11th September 2007, 22:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by gunbir

Oh damn! I thought the title was Chicks and Wine and their Pops (Dads).

Clicks and pops and whines looked like a contraceptive advertisement to me. 'Clicks' means..... well, you know what I mean

.

akg7091 · 11th September 2007, 22:34

My problem was the alternator whine and not the clicks

d.kiran · 11th September 2007, 22:49

And on a totally unrelated note, how is a sub generally fastened down? The reason I ask is that I can hear the sub move around whenever I brake. Is that normal? The sub is fairly heavy, so not sure why it keeps moving around like that.

akg7091 · 12th September 2007, 01:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by d.kiran

And on a totally unrelated note, how is a sub generally fastened down? The reason I ask is that I can hear the sub move around whenever I brake. Is that normal? The sub is fairly heavy, so not sure why it keeps moving around like that.

Use velcro straps to tie the sub down. Ask at any car accessory shop and he will do it for you

navin · 12th September 2007, 10:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by d.kiran

..I was very surprised to see the scosche RCA cables, they were very very thin. The monster RCA interconnects that I use at home are thrice as thick. Are the car audio cables thinner so that they can bend easily? Do they shield equally well considering there is a lot of electronics in the car.

dont let the diameter of the cables fool you. I have seen cables that look rather thick but are almost all PVC cover with very little shield or copper.

panky12345 · 12th September 2007, 11:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by d.kiran

I will try changing the RCA cables. When you mean the same problem, did you get the clicking noise or the alternator whine while accelerating?

I was talking about alternator whine.

d.kiran · 17th September 2007, 12:26

This weekend I could not get much work done as it was Vinayak Chaturthi and everyone was on a break. But I did what I could to check out the root cause of the problem.

1. Alternator whine: I tried grounding the RCA wires on the amp side. Very slight reduction in the whine. So I guess that grounding is the problem.

2. Clicking noise: It seems to be more and more likely that my HU is the cause. As I mentioned in another thread I connected my iPod directly to the amp using a 3.5mm to RCA cable and there were no clicks and the sound quality was very good.

But again, while doing this I noticed that the RCA cable has been split and then stuck together using a tape. Probably I dont want to change the HU, but I have a feeling that the RCA could be the culprit here :-). I am just updating the status so that if someone notices something then they could tell me.

One more symptom that I found. When the engine is off and I listen to the HU, at 0 there is no clicking noise. I get it only when I change the volume to 1 (and it does not increase with the volume). However, when I start the engine, I get the noise even when the volume is at 0.

If its not RCA, I really will have to look for a good HU with proper iPod support or skip the HU and come up with a different solution.

10th September 2007, 23:49	#1
d.kiran BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 77 Thanked: 0 Times	Clicks and pops and whines. Help !! I got my NHC Type 1 ICE at Sound Factor in Bangalore on Saturday. This is the system that I got: Front: Infinity Reference 6020CS Rear: Infinity Reference 6022i Sub: JBL CS1204B Amp: JBL GTO4060 Wiring Kit : Preetham recommended scosche kit for Rs. 2500 and I am using that. Now the problem is that there is a continuous clicking noise in the front tweeter. At least that's all I thought the problem was :-(. At first, we thought the tweeter was a problem, so we replaced it. Still no luck. Then we changed the crossover, no luck again. Then the guy from Preetham's team said that my Head Unit (Dual, not known for its reliability) could be the problem. So I asked him to check with my old Pioneer. Still the same noise. Then we thought the problem was with the wiring. I asked him to check the wiring. I don't know what is the correct way to check the wiring, but he said he checked them and there was still the noise. Moreover, the noise came even when the volume was at 0 (as long as the head unit was on) and only on the front preout. We connected the subwoofer on the front preout and the subwoofer also emitted those noises. The noise was not there when the sub was connected correctly. The rears were not making any noise (but they were not connected through the amp). When the front speakers were connected to the rears still the noise persisted. Then we thought the problem could be with the amp, so he brings an Infinity 47a and still the same noise. By now all of them are convinced that the head unit is the culprit. But I am not, because the probability of two head units having exactly the same problem is kinda low. So in the end he brings a Pioneer 7950 and now the noise is not there. I figure its my bad luck and since both the head units seem to have a problem, I put the new one back and drive back to Chennai. But somehow I am not satisfied with that explanation (I know, I am pig headed). But today I found some more issues. While playing FM, there is noticeable static. Moreover, when I accelerate or when the rpm rises, there is a corresponding increase in the whine. Again this is when the volume is at 0. There is also some interruption when I honk. This is what resurfaces my doubts about my head unit not being the problem. Because, I have heard this same sort of thing in some other cars as well. I apologise for the looong post, but does somebody have any suggestions for this? Is there any "bang my head on the keyboard" sort of obvious solutions that I have missed or is it my head unit after all?
	() Thanks

11th September 2007, 10:59	#3
panky12345 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: New Delhi Posts: 2,697 Thanked: 171 Times	from my experience, it is either wiring or the HU. nothing else....Had seen exactly same problems using DUAL HU, but am surprised how Pio has that....may be you would also like to check the main current (battery) wire for any cuts etc.
	() Thanks

11th September 2007, 12:02	#4
Sam Kapasi Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Mumbai (but wat Posts: 7,000 Thanked: 2,451 Times View My Garage	Lower the gain on the amplifier and you will be fine. Cheers.
	() Thanks

11th September 2007, 15:48	#5
akg7091 BHPian Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Noida Posts: 441 Thanked: 895 Times	Check the RCA cables. I had the same problem in my car and on changing the RCA cable for the front speakers the problem disappeared There is also a drity fix for it. Attach a wire to the outer connector of the rca cable which is carrying the signal for the speakers that are whining. Ground this wire either at the HU end or the amplifier end. Works wonders. Also, ensure that you are running your rca and power cables seperately
	() Thanks

11th September 2007, 21:54	#7
gunbir Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: New Delhi Posts: 2,465 Thanked: 33 Times	Oh damn! I thought the title was Chicks and Wine and their Pops (Dads).
	() Thanks

11th September 2007, 22:34	#10
akg7091 BHPian Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Noida Posts: 441 Thanked: 895 Times	My problem was the alternator whine and not the clicks
	() Thanks

11th September 2007, 22:49	#11
d.kiran BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 77 Thanked: 0 Times	And on a totally unrelated note, how is a sub generally fastened down? The reason I ask is that I can hear the sub move around whenever I brake. Is that normal? The sub is fairly heavy, so not sure why it keeps moving around like that.
	() Thanks

17th September 2007, 12:26	#15
d.kiran BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 77 Thanked: 0 Times	This weekend I could not get much work done as it was Vinayak Chaturthi and everyone was on a break. But I did what I could to check out the root cause of the problem. 1. Alternator whine: I tried grounding the RCA wires on the amp side. Very slight reduction in the whine. So I guess that grounding is the problem. 2. Clicking noise: It seems to be more and more likely that my HU is the cause. As I mentioned in another thread I connected my iPod directly to the amp using a 3.5mm to RCA cable and there were no clicks and the sound quality was very good. But again, while doing this I noticed that the RCA cable has been split and then stuck together using a tape. Probably I dont want to change the HU, but I have a feeling that the RCA could be the culprit here :-). I am just updating the status so that if someone notices something then they could tell me. One more symptom that I found. When the engine is off and I listen to the HU, at 0 there is no clicking noise. I get it only when I change the volume to 1 (and it does not increase with the volume). However, when I start the engine, I get the noise even when the volume is at 0. If its not RCA, I really will have to look for a good HU with proper iPod support or skip the HU and come up with a different solution.
	() Thanks