Audio/Video Q&A Thread

[Jeff Likes Bagels]

If the USA Spec is anything like the Soundgate aux input that I got from Ken, you'd get a Y splitter that let's you plug in both the XM radio and your USA Spec. In your case, you won't need/get the Y splitter because there's no XM radio to begin with. There should be a white plug that you simply hook the USA Spec up to. In fact, I'm thinking about unplugging the XM radio and getting rid of the Y splitter in my car altogether since I never use XM; I also want to see if doing that gets rid of some of the problems I've been having.

[timot_one]

This is all stuff I don't pay much attention to since I always upgrade to aftermarket h/u's.  OEM has never been able to provide the features and integration that I want.  I think that's where some people fall short.  They have unrealistic expectations beyond what their equipment is capable of doing.

[CYANiDE]

This is all stuff I don't pay much attention to since I always upgrade to aftermarket h/u's.  OEM has never been able to provide the features and integration that I want.  I think that's where some people fall short.  They have unrealistic expectations beyond what their equipment is capable of doing.

I would go with an aftermarket headunit in the cubby area but with install and such it'd be much more than I'm willing to spend.

[timot_one]

Ohh.  I guess it's beneficial that I know how to do that sort of stuff.  I will say that h/u installs are fairly easy in our cars once you know what you're doing.

[CYANiDE]

Ohh.  I guess it's beneficial that I know how to do that sort of stuff.  I will say that h/u installs are fairly easy in our cars once you know what you're doing.

I'm all for doing it myself, but I just don't have the experience nor do I know anyone willing to help me out so I can lear. I should drive up to MA and get help from you LOL.

[timot_one]

Sure man.  If you want to learn, I'll be glad to show you.

[CYANiDE]

Sure man.  If you want to learn, I'll be glad to show you.

I see a NYCM goes to Massachusetts thread starting soon.. LOL

[timot_one]

Dude, there have been many NYCM visits NECM meets.  I have also taken the trip down to NYC plenty of times.

[Paulius005]

. My alpine cda-105 has frequency settings for the bass and treble and bass range settings. The bass is from 60hz to 200hz and range is from 1 to 4 treble is from 10k hz to 17.5k hz. My question is where should I have those, my preferences are to have the clearest sound with the deepest bass my 6x9s can get and the clearest treble as well. At the moment I don't have a sub. I am planning on purchasing a 10 Inch type R soon, how should I change these settings when I get that?  I apologize for any typos as I am using my iPhone to type this.

[timot_one]

I'd start with everything at 0 and adjust from there based on what you hear and what sounds good to you.

[rjp6262]

i have no clue where to put this question/dont want to start a new thread but i did 2 parts of the big three upgrade (upgraded the ground with thicker gauge wire, and added a thicker gauge wire from the alternator to the + terminal on the battery, still need to upgrade the grounds from the engine). now the problem is i'm getting some crackling noise in the right door component speaker and i'm assuming it's coming from wire from the alternator to the + terminal on the battery. so i took that wire off of the alternator and the battery and the car has no power after hooking the old wire to the alternator, literally nothing.

is it safe to say i need a new battery? and anyother ideas of where this crackling could be coming from?

my set up is:
alpinie ida-x200 h/u
hifonics 440x4 amp
polk audio db components up front
infinity reference 6x9's in the rear

i re-ran the RCA's up the center of the car just incase, that calmed the crackling noise but it's still there. power wires are on the left door sill along with the turn on wire, speaker wires on the right door sill, ground is good for the amp.

[timot_one]

This is definitely the right thread to post your question.  Unfortunately, you're diagnosing the problem incorrectly.  There is no reason why your alternator would ever cause a crackling sound in your right front speaker.  When you put everything back, you may not have connected something properly or missed a connection.  Go back and make sure everything is connected properly.  The only way to make sure your battery needs to be replaced would be to test the voltage.

Concerning the crackling noise, there's a few things you can do.  It could be some sort of interference coming through your RCAs if you moved them from the side to the center of the car and the noise was reduced.  I'd try swapping the left and right RCA's on the input of your amp and see if the noise moves.  You can also swap the speaker wire output and see if the noise moves.

[rjp6262]

i'll give that a shot. and i'll have to get the voltage tested for the battery...no idea how old the thing is.

edit: messed around with the ground, put it in a new spot. no help. switched around the RCA's and got nothing. forgot to switch the speaker wires though...i'll try that tomorrow. any other suggestions?

[Asim]

check if you flicked those switches on your deck to disable internal amplifier of the deck

when i did that the RCA's were never outputting the right signal and it lead to pure crackling

i returned the switches to "internal amp on" and the problems went away

[timot_one]

We figured that the problem was with the output of the amp.  The head unit and RCA's are fine.