Sound clarity, stock stereo
 

For the past two weeks I've been trying to add an amplifier to my system. I have the P5 stock deck and Infinity Reference speakers. I've gotten rid of alternator whine and engine noise, now I'm left with this static in the background whether I 'm playing a CD or listening to the radio, engine running or not. If I keep the gain on the amp very low it's not bad, but even when it's set to "normal" on the gain dial it's pretty noticeable.

I know alot of other people have added an amp to the factory deck, is the sound very clean? Or is my amp amplifying the noise along with the music? Maybe I should try a better amp? I have a Pioneer X374 amp, using the speaker level inputs. Or perhaps an aftermarked head-unit with RCA outputs?

Thanks all

How do you have your wires run? RCA/remote wires run within 12 inches of your power wire can cause a buzz or a hum in your music. Have you checked all of your connections and made sure everything is secure?

Where are you connecting your power lead? How about your remote turn on lead? Do you have speaker level inputs on the amp or are you using line output converters?

I have the stock deck and external amp with my P5 and I have no static or other noise issues. Does the static seem to be related to anything? Is your power wire for the amp connected to the fuse box or direct to the battery?

I can second the previous suggestion about making sure that the power lead is grounded to the battery. I learned this many years ago after chasing down all kinds of interference in an '85 Celebrity (I know it was a pathetic vehicle, but I was a poor college student).

I have the power cable running down the driver side-sill direct from the battery. The ground is to the drivers seat bolt, maybe 12inches away. I used the power antenna cable for the turn on relay. I'm using speaker level inputs, running the wires down the passenger side of the center console.

I'm stumped. I think the deck may be bad, I removed the entire deck and connected it to a battery on my workbench and some wall speakers and it's still there. But I've been thinking of upgrading the deck to get MP3 ability for a while, so I'm going to try it. I'll switch to RCAs with that.

Thanks for the help all

For those of you with the stock deck and an amp, what are the benefits? Is there any noticeable improvement in sound quality?

Yes there is. The stock deck is a good signal source, but doesn't have enough power for a lot of people.

Opus, have you tried a different remote turn on lead? I know with my deck, the antenna lead only goes high when the radio is playing. Perhaps you are getting the amp to turn on by fluke. Try an ignition switched source (the red lead into the deck is the ignition lead I think - check the sticky at the top of the audio forum). If this isn't your issue, I would triple check (sounds like you've done this at least once or twice already) all connections for cleanliness and tightness. I would especially pay close attention to the ground spot to make sure there is enough metal to metal contact. I used a brass nut under the console rather than the seat post because I didn't want to scrape a bunch of paint to try and make a good ground.

Also, is the static on all channels or just one or two? This may help us narrow down cabling vs. deck issues. But I would try another remote lead before any of the other stuff.

Good luck!!

Dale.

check your ground