[johy]

Originally Posted by navin

1. is the cric cric sound the same as the kritch kritch sound?

It is the same, it was more scratchy than I originally thought it to be - so the kritch instead of the cric.

Originally Posted by navin

2. is the sound only coming from the sub and only via the sub pre outs?

It comes only from the sub and only via the sub preouts (Tested the sub with rear preouts; no noise there).

Originally Posted by navin

3. is the sound coming when you are driving or does it come when the car is idling (engine runing but car not moving)?

Actually the sound is very little, you can't hear it while driving and I think most people might not be able to make it out while idling (being drowned by the engine/vibrations, etc). It is only when the engine is off and you turn it on that the scratchy sound is heard.

Originally Posted by navin

4. I think the HU comes with up down volume button or is it a slider. slider controls were discontinued ages ago so I wonder.

Slider, just like the Clarion's much-touted SlideTrak

Originally Posted by navin

5. did you recieve the HU packed in it's thermocol housing or did you friend throw away the packaging and get just the HU.

He threw the packaging and just got the HU :-(

Originally Posted by navin

I suspect that the sub RCA outs (bumped in transit) were damaged and there is a damaged solder joint on the PCB. If this so the problem is easy to fix.

I hope it is a simple fix Navin Ji

[shuvc]

Curious. What happens if the HU pre-out sockets touch the metal car body? And how can any problem induced thereby, be rectified?

[low_bass_makker]

Originally Posted by shuvc

Curious. What happens if the HU pre-out sockets touch the metal car body? And how can any problem induced thereby, be rectified?

Normally nothing will happen. But If the positive terminal of the battery touches the rca outer then the internal PCB will blow off which will cause this problem.

@johy -> since you are using a single amp. You can connect the rear or front rca outer with the SUB out and then check for the result.

[Bass&Trouble]

Originally Posted by johy

Preouts touching the car chassis seem unlikely, as they all had plastic caps on them plus the installer put additional tape over the plastic caps to secure them.

It doesnt happen at the head unit end. After the installer has connected the RCA cable to the HU's sub out, the other end of the RCA cable (at amp end) could perhaps have touched each other or the amp's chassis or some other metal before, being plugged into the amp and with the head unit running, was what I meant.

[johy]

Originally Posted by low_bass_makker

You can connect the rear or front rca outer with the SUB out and then check for the result.

Do you mean connect the amp/sub via rear or front preouts? If so, I have already done that, no scratchy noise in sub using the rear RCA preouts.

Or something else? Please explain.

[johy]

Originally Posted by Bass&Trouble

It doesnt happen at the head unit end. After the installer has connected the RCA cable to the HU's sub out, the other end of the RCA cable (at amp end) could perhaps have touched each other or the amp's chassis or some other metal before, being plugged into the amp and with the head unit running, was what I meant.

Okay, Ajay, got your point - it could have happened, I could not rule it out. For now, I think I am going to have the tech open up the HU and check for any loose solder at the sub preout I think.

[low_bass_makker]

Originally Posted by johy

Do you mean connect the amp/sub via rear or front preouts? If so, I have already done that, no scratchy noise in sub using the rear RCA preouts.

Or something else? Please explain.

The outer ring of the RCA to be joined with a wire of sub and rear out at the HU.

[johy]

Okies, got it. Will try it out as well.

[johy]

Have not been able to get the installer take a look yet.

I have been fiddling with the unit and have noted the following. Hope the additional information helps.

1. Seems like all motions on the HU controls like moving from one song to another, increasing/decreasing volume, searching for tracks, or even the CD spinning in the drive is being transmitted to the sub with a grrrrrk noise (when jumping from one track to another) /krick (increasing/decreasing volume).
2. As mentioned earlier, the scratchy sound is most evident in the Aux-in mode (with no source), and when I increase/decrease the main volume, there is a distinct thud heard from the sub at 20 level (going from 19 to 20 or coming down from 20 to 19). This is more noticeable when decreasing the volume than when increasing it.
3. No scratchy noises are heard when in the USB mode (with no media).
4. Scratchy noise is present with USB drive as song source.

1) If it is a grounding problem, will the HU unit work at all? My installer was saying that the ground was fine and if it were faulty, the HU would not work. Where is the common source of the grounding that Maruti uses? Just next to the battery where a bunch of wires are bolted on to the chassis?

2) If it is a HU problem, what should I be looking at? If it is a minor problem, I will probably be able to get it done here in town, but if it is anything major (and that can be fixed), then it will have to be sent to Calcutta (any reliable place Calcutta tbhpians?). If nothing can be done and I can't live with it, I will probably dump the HU then.

[Bass&Trouble]

Since you mention that the noise vanishes when you run the sub using the rear pre-out, this has something to do with the head unit's subwoofer pre-out . Show a good technician please.

[nura]

Originally Posted by johy

any reliable place Calcutta tbhpians?

I am not sure if Clarion has a service centre in Kolkata. Alpine, Blaupunkt & Kenwood do. If you are willing to trust someone who is good with Alpine & Blaupunkt, I can PM you his details. Hope you can sort out the problem in Siliguri itself, though.

[Sam Kapasi]

I need to know - The noise - is it a Krrr krrrr, gssss gssss, prrp prrrp or a klick klick.

[johy]

Sam, the sound is mainly a scratchy sound (a krick krick) when I am not fiddling with the HU, with a slow track playing (with few background instruments) - when you can actually hear it and also between tracks.. Otherwise the krick krick is drowned by the rest of the music, engine, etc.

Now when I increase/decrease the volume - it is again scratchy (krick krick), but more loud, and more harsh.

When I use the Slidetrak to go from one song to the next, etc., then it is a grrk....grrk.

I would not describe the sound as gss gss, prrp prrp, or klicks.

@nura - I am getting the HU opened today itself to see if the tech can figure out anything. If he can't, I think anyone who can repair Blau or Alpine should be able to figure this out. I will then get in touch with you by PM.

[nura]

Great. All the best.

[johy]

Got HU checked again today, opened it up - could not find any loose solder ends. Double-checked ground as well.

I am afraid, the HU has to be sent to Calcutta for repairs. There is somebody there who repairs all Clarion HUs well, so the shop told me. I spoke to this guy over the phone; said sub preout problem and said he can repair it, so there goes my HU off to Calcutta.

I am back to using the Pioneer 5850 now and OMG it sounds terrible

Thanks to one and all for their valuable inputs. I will update once the HU is back (hopefully soon).