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[Trouble Shooting]Great magazine, high exalted mystic, car audio guru guy. Was that sufficient praise/sucking up? OK, my question is: I have a Clarion 9575Rz head unit going to (the obligatory system run down) an Audio Control Four.1 EQ. From there it goes to an Audio Control EQX, to a SoundStream Rubicon 302 for my Sound Stream Exact 6.3 component set, and a Rubicon 702 for my two MTX TP1028 10-inch subs in a ported box, yeh da, yeh da, yeh da... this is a two part question;
1.This head unit is a CD/MD controller: at last check Clarion doesn't make a MD changer. So, what MD changer is compatible with this most excellent head unit?
2.Let me describe my problem. After riding in the car for long uninterrupted periods of time (ten or fifteen miles on the freeway) and I stop for a light, I get a crackling noise coming out of the front speaker. It sounds like the amps are not getting enough power. It goes away if I turn the volume down, or proceed to move when the light changes. I tried installing a new battery, which solved the problem temporarily. Also, I installed a 24 VDC 1-farad capacitor, which also solved the problem temporarily. I was advised by a SoundStream tech support rep. to trash my Radio Shack patch cables for tre' expensive Scosche patch cables to no avail.
Help!Thanks in advance.John McLaurinNewark, NJ
According to my crystal ball, Clarion makes a MD Changer model MDC 655Z that is compatible with your deck.
As for the distortion problem, even my crystal ball needs a bit more information than just the equipment list, but we'll give it a try using a generic approach that will apply to most vehicles.
The main symptom is a crackling sound that occurs when you stop for a light. If you consider what happens when you encounter the problem, it may lead you in the direction of the cause. The action of stopping will cause both mechanical and electrical changes to what was a reasonably stable state.
Mechanically, as you brake, the vehicle structure will transfer stress loads and torsion to parts of the vehicle that are different from a vehicle cruising at a standard speed. In many cases, a signal cable or speaker wire may become pinched during stopping which results in a screech, howl, buzz, whine, crackling or blown fuse. Since this does not appear to happen every time you stop, I would tend to rule out a pinched wire in your case.
Electrically, when you hit the brakes after travelling a particular distance, a couple of things happen. First a quick drop in voltage occurs followed by a change in average voltage that remains closer to the lower voltage than when the vehicle was cruising. This lower voltage remains in effect as long as the brake pedal is pressed.