darrendriven
CarAudio.com Newbie
Hey guys, lifelong car audio nerd but new to the forum. I'm stumped and need help.
Problem vehicle is my 2017 Jeep Wrangler that had the factory Infinity upgraded 9-speaker system.
Head unit: Joying 7" Wrangler kit (I basically use it for wireless CarPlay and am happy after ~1 year)
Front/Rear Amp: 4-channel Kicker CX360.4 65wx4
Sub Amp: An older beefy Phoenix Gold Ryval I had laying around
Interior Speakers: Kicker CSC67 (x4) + OEM Infinity tweeters
Sub Speakers: a pair of Phoenix Gold RSd12d in a homemade box
Step one: Upgraded factory head unit with the Joying (harness included, plugged right in) and upgraded all four interior 6.75" speakers with Kicker coaxials. Added the new Kicker amp under the passenger seat with 8 gauge power coming from battery. Grounded solid within 12" of amp. Two sets of shielded RCAs (F/R) from head unit to amp. (Kept the factory Infinity sub for the time being.) Definite improvement. No issues.
Step two: Decided to use the subs and amp out of my last rig. Jumped the power from amp #1 and ran to rear of rig. Grounded within 18" of amp. Single shielded RCA from head unit to sub amp. Now things start getting weird. After starting a song with some good bass and turning it up, I sometimes get an echoing throbbing bass sound (whump whump whump) from the subs, and it lasts 5-10 seconds after I hit pause on the music. Hmmmm. More troubleshooting... I turn off the crossover and now I realize that I can hear a nice hum when the engine is running and clicks/pops when turn signals blink, etc.
More troubleshooting. Sounds like it might be a ground issue or maybe low-voltage. Nope. I run a ground wire and link the head unit to each amp. No help.
So here is where I am finally stumped:
- The main amp ALSO has noise through all interior speakers, but only if I have RCAs connected to it and unconnected at the head unit end. The moment I attach them to the head unit the noise disappears. (I tried an external set of RCAs to eliminate magnetic interference and the same symptoms happen)
- The sub amp only has noise when it the RCAs are connected to the head unit (I connected my MP3 player into the sub amp and it sounded beautiful so it's not the amp)
- The head unit was my suspicion, so I ran 12V/ground to it directly from the battery and then output the RCAs into a boom box... no interference noise. (I tried a $15 line conditioner and as expected, no improvement)
- Plugged the powered boom box into the subwoofer RCA at the back of the rig... interference is audible. (Tested using a different RCA cable strung through interior, can still here interference through sub signal)
I'm really baffled. Tomorrow I am going to try running a new power cable outside of the vehicle... maybe somehow the power cable is transmitting something? And it's connected to both amps.
Problem vehicle is my 2017 Jeep Wrangler that had the factory Infinity upgraded 9-speaker system.
Head unit: Joying 7" Wrangler kit (I basically use it for wireless CarPlay and am happy after ~1 year)
Front/Rear Amp: 4-channel Kicker CX360.4 65wx4
Sub Amp: An older beefy Phoenix Gold Ryval I had laying around
Interior Speakers: Kicker CSC67 (x4) + OEM Infinity tweeters
Sub Speakers: a pair of Phoenix Gold RSd12d in a homemade box
Step one: Upgraded factory head unit with the Joying (harness included, plugged right in) and upgraded all four interior 6.75" speakers with Kicker coaxials. Added the new Kicker amp under the passenger seat with 8 gauge power coming from battery. Grounded solid within 12" of amp. Two sets of shielded RCAs (F/R) from head unit to amp. (Kept the factory Infinity sub for the time being.) Definite improvement. No issues.
Step two: Decided to use the subs and amp out of my last rig. Jumped the power from amp #1 and ran to rear of rig. Grounded within 18" of amp. Single shielded RCA from head unit to sub amp. Now things start getting weird. After starting a song with some good bass and turning it up, I sometimes get an echoing throbbing bass sound (whump whump whump) from the subs, and it lasts 5-10 seconds after I hit pause on the music. Hmmmm. More troubleshooting... I turn off the crossover and now I realize that I can hear a nice hum when the engine is running and clicks/pops when turn signals blink, etc.
More troubleshooting. Sounds like it might be a ground issue or maybe low-voltage. Nope. I run a ground wire and link the head unit to each amp. No help.
So here is where I am finally stumped:
- The main amp ALSO has noise through all interior speakers, but only if I have RCAs connected to it and unconnected at the head unit end. The moment I attach them to the head unit the noise disappears. (I tried an external set of RCAs to eliminate magnetic interference and the same symptoms happen)
- The sub amp only has noise when it the RCAs are connected to the head unit (I connected my MP3 player into the sub amp and it sounded beautiful so it's not the amp)
- The head unit was my suspicion, so I ran 12V/ground to it directly from the battery and then output the RCAs into a boom box... no interference noise. (I tried a $15 line conditioner and as expected, no improvement)
- Plugged the powered boom box into the subwoofer RCA at the back of the rig... interference is audible. (Tested using a different RCA cable strung through interior, can still here interference through sub signal)
I'm really baffled. Tomorrow I am going to try running a new power cable outside of the vehicle... maybe somehow the power cable is transmitting something? And it's connected to both amps.