Help! Ongoing problem with Ford "premium" stereo (Clarion, I think)

[DaveEscape]

I know factory stereo is not what this forum is about, but I need help from some experts. I've had a problem with the stereo in my Escape Limited since I bought it, and Ford service has not been able to fix it. I think the system is made by Clarion.

Here is the problem. Frequently, when the car is turned off and back on, the sound quality deteriorates. By that, I mean the lowest bass disappears and the vocals and high frequencies become shrill and kind of lispy. By chance, I found out that when I disconnect and reconnect the subwoofer amplifier connector, it resolves the problem every time.

It seems like there is some sort of circuit protection that kicks in with the power surge from turning on the unit, but sometimes it works fine through several on and off cycles. It has never happened unless the vehicle was turned off and back on.

Ford has changed out the head unit, subwoofer amplifier, and the connector to the sub amp, but nothing has worked. This has gone on for over 20K miles. Any help would be appreciated.

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[winkychevelle 10+ year member]

Bypass the factory amps