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Is your third brake light in the trunk? The RL's third brake light is at the top of the rear glass.
are you just thinking of buying a larger box or still wanting to build one?
Top of the rear glass inside so it makes noise with bass. I think I'll just remove the damn thing haha. And I'm going to prob just build the sealed box myself. Just found out my new amp is shit so it looks like I'm going to have to have it switched out thru Amazon. I thought Zapco was a good brand, guess not...
Cyber, Have you tried a different set of patch cables (RCA) to see if it eliminates the "hum" you're experiencing. It's an easy fix and will tell you whether or not it's noise in the signal.
WD you should look into Skar's amps because they are pretty affordable and so far we are very pleased with the 350w mono Skar amp in my sons car. I also really like MB Quart amps which are a little more pricey then the Skar amps but they are German made amps and they really pack a punch. Have you thought about re-trying the Rockford amp that you were having problems with? I just wonder if the changes you made getting rid of your cheap LOC would change anything with the Rockford kicking in to protection. If you still have it i would give it a try to see since it wont cost anything. Just a thought.
Bchester yes i have tried different RCA cable ,i was using the cheap ones that came with the amp install kit. I have had the hum noise before using cheap RCAs so that was one of the first things i tried ,i am now using a short 3ft American Bass gold plated RCA wire that i used in my escape to jump signal from one amp to the other.
I have to pick up my youngest son from pre-school here in about 20 minutes and I am going to take the camera with me and see if i can record the sound its making. Usually you get the higher pitched sound that will increase in sound with the engine reving , but with mine its a much lower tone and goes away when you rev the engine. If i turn up the volume on the head unit when its making the sound the noise doesnt get louder ,its just a constant noise that stays at the same sound level until what ever it is thats causing it stops. And like i mentioned its like a switch flips and it stops making the noise ,I would think if it was something like the RCA cables the sound would be present all the time.
Top of the rear glass inside so it makes noise with bass. I think I'll just remove the damn thing haha. And I'm going to prob just build the sealed box myself. Just found out my new amp is shit so it looks like I'm going to have to have it switched out thru Amazon. I thought Zapco was a good brand, guess not...
I'm sorry to hear that WD. Zapco used to be an elite brand and I wouldn't not hesitate to use some of their older reference series lines. Some consider them the best ever made for power and sound quality but that's all subjective. They can be had for very cheap these days. I am interested in picking a couple up locally. The attractive thing about these units is the fact that they use symbolink technology which takes your factory signal and turns it into a balanced line signal which results in zero noise. This is what separated them from the competition back in the day.
Unwanted noise in your system is so annoying and hard to track down sometimes. Did you say that you will be upgrading your alternator soon?
I did mention it because i had my lights dimming when i first installed it but now its not doing it since i have adjusted it a little more.
I recorded a video of the noise it was making but you cant really hear it on camera. One thing I found out as i was exiting the car with it making the noise is that when i open the door the noise stops ,shut it and the noise stops completely. I also just tried turning on the interior lights thinking that may be whats changing it but no change.
So it does it when the car first starts up or with just the key on and when you open the door it stops doing it......WTF.....lol.
I am hooked in after the factory amp and its just two wires (red/black). The reason i am hooked in after the amp is because with the RL i can still maintain the subwoofer level control from the head unit ,well i could if mine worked.
I did some adjustments on the amp and turned the gain down a little and lowered the crossover point a little and its much clearer now then it was before. Now i just need to figure out whats causing this feedback.
Lol I honestly have just learned to give up on the humming and turn up the music.
Cyber:If Skar or MB Quart have a decent option for a 2 channel, I'll consider. The Rockford Amp is a mono and 500w RMS so I can't run my speakers with that haha.
Bchester: It was a decent sounding amp and def rolled out the power for a little Class A/B. It's prob just a bad one. I really want to give it another try, but this time I will go their online dealer Atrend or a high end shop in town if they carry this line (I know they sell some Zapco)
Ok i forgot you added the other amp ,my brain was saying sub amp not speaker amp....lol. After looking at Skar's website they dont really have a low budget 2 channel amp ,they do have them but only in their top of the line models. How many watts are you needing to run the speakers?
I wish i could describe better what my "hum" noise is ,its like your playing a test tone of 50hz and its just a constant low rumble coming out of the subs. I re-watched the video i recorded and i think the tone its playing when it does it is just too low for the camera to pick up on. If you listen you can here when it does it because the camera sound gets a crackle sound and thats the feedback noise i am getting but you have to listen closely. I open and close the door a couple times and you can hear when i shut the door the camera starts crackling, then i open the trunk to get a close up of the movement of the sub and when i turn to get a somewhat side view of the speaker you can see the sub moving in and out while its making the sound but i end the video right when you can see it doing it.
Yikes!!! The OTHER negative side to the hum is that its probably gonna roast your sub's voice coils over time due to constant electrical resonance that's obviously happening. We need to get this figured out before the new sub goes in!! Wifey can have these back after they have been simmering for awhile.
Yes i agree i need to get it taken care of not only so i dont damage the subs but also because its ANNOYING AS HELL.........LOL. Last night I re-arranged my wire in the trunk to make sure the power wire is away from the LOC to make sure its not picking up some unwanted signal.
There are a couple different things that baffle me about this unwanted noise.
1. It did not make the sound with the Rockford amp and i know the PPI amp is working fine because it came out of the wifes car and it had no problems.
2. It only does it when the car is first started
3. When it does it after a short period it just stops like someone flipped a switch
4. Even if I unplug the RCA cables it still makes the sound
Bchester do you think i could be picking up unwanted interference from the power wire running by the fuse box in the drivers side kick panel??
I think it's an unlikely source. Are you running RCA's cables and power wire together or separately? Back in the day we used to run them on opposite sides of the car to prevent system noise. Some amps may just be may be more sensitive than others... Also, I would like to know how many PRE-AMP wires per channel? 2 or 3? My guess is that the new PPI amp only has unbalanced differential inputs and your car is sending a balanced signal. You didn't experience this with the old school RF amp because they are designed to take both... just a guess though.
Just a side note, do you know where the equalization takes place in your model vehicle? HU or amp?
My LOC is tied into the sub wiring after the amp right before it hooks into the factory sub in the rear deck. The 3ft RCA cable coming from the LOC does run along side of the power cable but it was the same way with the Rockford. Since it will make the sound without the RCA cables plugged in i am almost suspecting its a electrical issue ,and with the radio turned off it still makes the noise.
My only thoughts on it being electrical is would be maybe the alternator ,since it will regulate voltage on and off it may have interference when it on or when its not. Or possible a cell in the battery that may be starting to short out. One other thing would maybe be the remote turn on wire and i can check the easy enough by just unhooking it and running a jumper wire from the main power wire.
As far as where the equalization takes place i am not sure ,since all my HU adjustments are displayed on the Navigation screen that doesnt work in my car i cant even see what adjustments it has. I also dont know how many wires there are pre-amp but i could possibly have my friend look it up on ALLDATA.
I wonder if it could be something with the head unit sending it a bad signal. Bad battery cell shouldn't do that. I just got a different battery, because the other one was in poor shape. Actually had two cells dry on a 1.5 yr old battery. If the cells are bad like with mine, you get less bass not a weird hum.Whatever is causing this sure is not a common problem it sounds like lol
Speaking of head units, lol I love how all these shops offer deals on radios or cheap installs but no matter what you pay is the same in the end! I was looking at a local shop today to help my dad because he wants one in his Jeep. This place offers a free install for head units. Just for a Kenwood Excelon single din with Bluetooth but not HD radio came out to $320 when all was said and done. This is exactly why the two of you do your own installs and I wish I could do the same.
Also got a demo of a 12 JL W3. Unsurprisingly it's overrated. $200 for it was a good deal as they usually go for $250-300. The sales guy said it was getting 500w and it was being played off of some nice double din I saw. It didn't sound bad but my $110 Kappa sounds louder and cleaner for sure.
Yeah for Bchester and I that install would have cost about $150 including the price of the new stereo ,thats a big difference from $320 they charged you. For the money you would have saved you could have bought a amp and sub to go with it....food for thought! Installing a head unit is probably one of the easiest parts of doing a system since your basically just color matching wires together and they are the same color on all aftermarket head units. Installing one even being your first time would have taken less then a hour ,you will have more time in removing the trim to get to the stereo then you will have in the actual install.
And i would agree that JL audio is overrated and for the price tag they carry look out. I had a chance to buy a JL W7 12" sub in a JL audio box with a matching 500w JL amp ,i hooked it up to hear how it sounded before i bought it and after i heard how it sounded i passed on it. There are way too many companies out there now that make just as good of product and for half the price ,you know companies like Skar Audio.... (shameless plug)
I want to replace my battery for a couple of reasons ,one like you said about yours it just looks outdated and some other RL owners have mentioned that older batteries can create some electrical gremlins. I was going to try and get all the check engine lights fixed at tax time and replacing the battery is just one of the things on the list. As for my stereo and the noise its creating i wouldnt think its the head unit since it will make the noise even when its turned off. I just now thought of something that could maybe be causing some problems and thats where i have my remote turn on wire ran to ,i am hooked into a power wire that runs to the factory amp that turns on and off with the key. I just used a test light and probed the wires until i found a power wire that turned off with the key ,its possible that wire is running too close to the other wires that run to the amp and causing feedback. I can see if thats the problem by unhooking that wire and just running a jumper wire to the remote turn on for the amp ,if the noise goes away then i found my problem and if not i keep searching.
Chances are I am also going to remove the factory subwoofer from the rear deck ,now that i have been jamming the stereo much louder then i normally did before I think I may have damaged it because its got a mean rattle to it now. I am just not looking forward to removing the back seat again but while i am there i might also just remove the stupid auto vent shade too because it still rattles from the bass.
JL has been overrated for a long time. I've owned several over the years and not one impressed me with sound quality so they were sold off quickly. They had good power handling for non-competition subwoofers but that's about all I could say about them. The last subwoofer I purchased from them was for my current TSX wagon and push terminals had rust on them straight out of the box so back they went. They just seemed to do what nobody in the industry could do which is market their products well... Anyways, installing a HU's is eazy-peazy just have to be able to match colors!!
I know, a head unit install isn't bad at all! Why my dad won't do it himself is beyond me lol.
When you say noises when turned off do you mean with the volume off and no music or the car actually off lol. Even with the volume off you can still get some feedback
it makes the sound even when i turn the stereo all the way down to zero or i can turn the radio off and it still makes the noise. The wife is off work today so hopefully i will get a chance to mess with it today.
it makes the sound even when i turn the stereo all the way down to zero or i can turn the radio off and it still makes the noise. The wife is off work today so hopefully i will get a chance to mess with it today.
Mine have done that ever since I have had subs LOC I guess. Mine comes thru the tweeters, but being at such a low frequency that it comes thru the sub is really weird. Have you thought of seeing your friend who owns the shop to get you some help?
No i havent talked with my buddy with the stereo shop about it yet ,i have been over at his shop all week working on a Ford Explorer that got T-Boned in the rear drivers door. I have another friend that owned three stereo shops over the years and competed professionally in the 90s and early 2000 and won many competitions and would be probably a more knowledgeable person to ask about it. And until you just mentioned it i kinda forgot about him so looks like i may try and pay him a visit this week.
That aftermarket install kit is sweet ,i so wish they had something like that for the RL since i have a touch screen Kenwood sitting here collecting dust that came out of my Escape.
I've been pretty busy so I have not been too active lol. You never know, an install kit could be out there for the RL. I only want one for the superior signal and better features for managing my music (1800+ songs). It would look funny because the factory screen will be above running nav and the aftermarket will be managing all music.
My replacement amp is arriving soon, so I will have to connect everything back up. It should def be pretty simple as I have pics, but I am a little worried about matching up the speaker wire. There are four connected and obv all of the same color. Is there a way you can tell which goes to which connection or does it not matter?
Not connecting them correctly will result in phase issues. If you're using a bridged configuration I assume you are running a sub?
I'm not. Nevermind that part haha. With the phase issues, is it possible to use some kind of a phase test music or something of the sort to determine? I know that lack of bass is also a sign.
The speaker wire should have some sort of marking on it so you can tell which wire is which, some have like a small red line or some sort of lettering on one of the wires to indicate which is your hot wire. This would also be the down side of having someone else installing your stuff ,if you would have installed it yourself then you would know which wire is which.
Like you mentioned if you have them out of phase it should be apparent in the lack of bass because the out of phase speakers would cause bass tones to be cancelled out.
I have been busy with a side job so i havent had a chance to mess with mine any ,its still humming away when you first start the car.
Wiring out of phase sometimes helps the overall sound of a system but if you're anything like me you are going to want to start "in phase" first. Your woofer can be tested by using a 9 volt battery to ensure proper polarity. Here:
Thanks guys. For some reason they had no labeling lol but it was all correct on the first try. Bass seemed fine and everything in phase. Most importantly the issue of no left side sound was fixed! And on another note, I can def tell the effects of the sound deadening. Bass sounds noticeably tighter and cleaner. I tried out the song "Last Night" by Pitbull because of it's really club like techno beat courtesy of Afrojack producing it and really liked how my Kappa sounded punchy and plenty forceful with the bass notes. It sounded like you were actually in a club or hearing it on a good pair of headphones. Also tried out Santana's "Why don't you and I" and everything blended really well and the sub reproduced the natural bass with a lot of clarity and power. I'm a firm believer in deadening now haha
I just finally got around to doing my hatch (wagon) and it yielded a minimal but noticeable audible difference. I am more excited about less vibrations on the outside as opposed to the acoustical difference... I'm finally getting around to the "finish work" on my system LOL... Next weekend amp rack and make it all look pretty.
I would think on a hatch you aren't going to get the same effect as things are open and not closed up in a trunk lol. You'll have to send pics when it's done! It will probably make the systems in mine and Cyber's cars look like shit haha
I would think on a hatch you aren't going to get the same effect as things are open and not closed up in a trunk lol. You'll have to send pics when it's done! It will probably make the systems in mine and Cyber's cars look like shit haha
Haha nah man it's all good... just finally get around to my forever install. It just takes me a little while to find (and testing) all the right components before I make them permanent homes
my problem is i change my systems around so much i never get anything mounted where its "pretty".....lol. now that i have swapped my wifes sub box into my car i cant decide if i like it or not ,its got plenty of boom but may be a little overpowering for the rest of the stock system. i will say the single 8" gave me a nice amount of bass without making it sound out of place or overpowering.
one of the main things for me is that i am not working again right now ,the job i had doing the bodywork and paint didnt work out and i am back to just doing side jobs right now. i hopefully have another job lined up so hopefully i can get some money coming back in so i can resume finishing both my wifes car and the acura.
Well Cyber, here's your proof that this thing can get loud sealed... I didn't even have it up (less than 1/2 volume).
I can only imagine if it was in one of your custom boxes how low it would get haha
NICE!! i am glad your happy with it and from the looks of things its sounding real nice.
i have been super busy and have not touched mine ,its still humming when you start the car and is really getting annoying. I started a new job and have switched from working third shift to working 1st shift and its taking some time to get my sleep schedule swapped around. I have worked various jobs over the past few years and they have all been under the table ,this is the first job i have had since 2008 that i get a actual paycheck with taxes taken out.
I would love to figure out a final setup for mine but i am all over the place with what i want to do....lol. I like the dual 10's that are in there now but the box takes up too much space in the trunk ,i need to get one built that custom fits the trunk so i can gain my trunk space back.
Well Cyber, here's your proof that this thing can get loud sealed... I didn't even have it up (less than 1/2 volume).
I can only imagine if it was in one of your custom boxes how low it would get haha
Sealed aint no slouch! Power handling is better in sealed enclosures.
Again i am surely not against sealed boxes i just prefer ported for the type of music i listen to. Ito still havent ruled out a sealed box for the Acura because ported i could only go with a single sub as where if i went sealed I would have enough airspace to run two subs.
i was off work yesterday and we finished up my sons car because he takes his driving test on Thursday. We pulled out his sub box and replaced his 36 year old rear speakers with some new Cadence speakers. Then we installed a set of chrome valve covers he got for his birthday and i fixed his squealing alternator belt ,it was squealing because it was a hair too big and there wasnt enough adjustment to get it tight enough. And we finished it up by installing his large Skar Audio decal on his rear window so now everything is ready to go when he get his license this week.
The good news is I am off work again today so i may actually get a chance to work on the Acura and figure out that stupid noise i am getting. I think i am also going to try a dual 8" sealed box i have and see how it sounds in the Acura ,the only downside is I dont have two matching 8" subs. I have one Skar VD-8 and the 8" Pioneer and was going to try them in the box just to see how it sounds ,if it sounds good then i may pick up another 8" Skar and go that route.
Good to hear you're working again and that your son's car is finishing up! I think having a high DB sensitivity sub like mine really helps you get more bass. And at 1 cuft with some poly fill, it really isn't overly tight.
One other thing, though. I know the audio decals look cool, but that just attracts potential thieves....
I agree on the decal as being advertisement for thieves and i have a whole drawer in my toolbox filled with audio decals I have gathered over the years that i have NOT installed.....lol. Getting a 16yr old to understand that concept is a different story so i am going to pick up a car alarm for it of some sort. I forgot to mention we also used the rest of the sound deadening material i had on his trunk and we got rid of the trunk rattle he had and it seems we are getting some more sound inside the car as a result also.
And of course i still didnt get to work the Acura at all yesterday so nothing has changed with it still. When the wife got off work yesterday she wanted to go out to dinner with the family and after we ate all i wanted to do was take a nap......lol.
01-23-2017, 05:37 PM
(shameless plug)
