My ICE plans

[Derektvy]

Did you test the amps before your purchased it from the previous owner? I'm getting a hiss when the HU is off but I think the source of mine is because of the stock HU.

Nope, didn't have the necc equipment to do so. Yesterday was the first time I'm using it. I'm thinking of asking my installer to do a simple amp swop to ascertain whether the problem really lies there.

I tot that amps would not have probs and maybe there could be something else. The amps are still under warranty by Tye. I've got the old receipt. If there's prob, hopefully can get them to do something about it.

How's your woofer coming along?

 

[jaskin]

I'm going to buy a IDMAX V2 soon maybe over the weekend. Then I"m getting a JBL 1200.1 monoblock to drive the sub and cut the rear shelf so the bass gets through

 

[jaskin]

Hi Derek, did you manage to integrate your steering wheel controls with your new HU?

 

[littleblackalfa]

The big problem is on the sound. :verysad: I'm thinking that it needs some serious expert tuning. There's an inherent 'Sssssssssss' background noise and the overall sound is rather sharp. The worker said he lowered the AMP gains to the lowest but can't get rid of the problem. The noise is audible from all speakers, so I guess the spks are okay. At first I tot the components/tweeters are the prob but Darren said that the problems lies in the AMP. He said that Lanzar Amps more suited for SPL setup and that the amp is 'not clean'. The cables + wires are pretty good so I don't think that's the prob. I'll be going back to troubleshoot but now I'm trying to gather any other probs.

Where the HELL did you get your installation done??? Geez! I'm no ICEman, but I know well enough it's NOT supposed to be like this. You want a recommendation? Go to Swift Motion and ask Sam to take a look at it. Go see him. He'll tell you what's wrong. Tell him Lionel sent you.

 

[littleblackalfa]

Gui, did you attend the one at Mt Faber? I think it was Blaupunkt. And do you remember another one at the former Rex theatre?

Anyway, the steering control interface, coupled with the DAB series HUs are not a bad solution. The DAB54 even can record DAB radio and 'rewind' for you in case you miss any sexy words from Vernetta Lopez.

Yes, it was at Altivo. Just before I joined...

I have the DAB54 in my car now... (it's unreleased as of yet) :laughlik: But my interior is silver, and all the Woodstock models are black... damn... :verysad: If you want solid sound, steering interface, iPod connector, AND still use DAB, I'm sure there's something I can find for you... Heh.

 

[Ghostrider]

Gui, did you attend the one at Mt Faber? I think it was Blaupunkt. And do you remember another one at the former Rex theatre?

Anyway, the steering control interface, coupled with the DAB series HUs are not a bad solution. The DAB54 even can record DAB radio and 'rewind' for you in case you miss any sexy words from Vernetta Lopez.

Ya...the one that we went as ICE forum....I trip on one of the display remember...knocking out the lights on the display ??

 

[__iceman__]

Gui, did you attend the one at Mt Faber? I think it was Blaupunkt. And do you remember another one at the former Rex theatre?

Anyway, the steering control interface, coupled with the DAB series HUs are not a bad solution. The DAB54 even can record DAB radio and 'rewind' for you in case you miss any sexy words from Vernetta Lopez.

Yes, it was at Altivo. Just before I joined...

I have the DAB54 in my car now... (it's unreleased as of yet) :laughlik: But my interior is silver, and all the Woodstock models are black... damn... :verysad: If you want solid sound, steering interface, iPod connector, AND still use DAB, I'm sure there's something I can find for you... Heh.

bro, I know yr car better than you guess... hhahah remember the guy who ask you to park near the fence, and then go 10m away and zoom in to take pic of yr car?

Remember the guy who you told the story abt your aluminium exhuast heat protection in the carpark?

Sssssshhhh... hahaha nice to meet you here.

 

[Derektvy]

Hi Derek, did you manage to integrate your steering wheel controls with your new HU?

Not yet as I'm still waiting for the agent to come back on the pricing and indent.

 

[oneHeadlight]

Derektvy,

It could very likely be grounding issues. A conscientious installer would take care of it quite easily. Move the ground cables away from the RCAs, or ground it at another place.

jaskin,

if u dont wish to cut, simply take out the rear speakers. Many people do that. No disturbance to sound quality, in fact, some argue its better to achieve front stage.

 

[Derektvy]

Where the HELL did you get your installation done??? Geez! I'm no ICEman, but I know well enough it's NOT supposed to be like this. You want a recommendation? Go to Swift Motion and ask Sam to take a look at it. Go see him. He'll tell you what's wrong. Tell him Lionel sent you.

Thanks for the reco, I figured I better DIY troubleshooting first den to send my car everywhere to tinker.

Here's how I troubleshooted the system. Got my Sony DVD/MP3 player hooked up directly to the amps. Hissing sound no more... (or at least I hear more music den hisses). Plugged in my Sony Discman. Same thing, no hiss.

Now, plug in the Alpine 9835, hiss is back. Turn on DEFEAT, hiss gone... :screwedu:

I'm guessing now it's either the HU wiring or the HU got problems. I used to have a Sony HU in my previous E36, music was good + clear although there's no amps for the Sony speakers. Now I wonder why this 'high-end' Alpine HU can't deliver. Mebbe is that DC/DC convertor thing that came with the HU. I'll go down to Autotrend tomolo to swop the HU and hopefully solve the prob...

 

[Derektvy]

Derektvy,

It could very likely be grounding issues. A conscientious installer would take care of it quite easily. Move the ground cables away from the RCAs, or ground it at another place.

I did some reading up at www.caraudio.com & caraudiohelp.com. They also highlighted this likely cause.

My hissing only comes on when:
1. you're playing nice classical-type/vocal music (high freqs?)
2. It's there when the car engine is off too.
3. Doesn't vary when you accelerate, etc...

So I guess it may not be the grounding.. but it'll be one question/check to ask my installer tomorrow.

Feel relieved now as the problem is more or less identified... :|

Thanks for the pointers.

 

[oneHeadlight]

Does the hiss become louder as u increase the volume ? I still reckon its the ground cables and the RCAs. Try separate them ... and put them further apart..

 

[oneHeadlight]

Derektvy,

Hope it can be solved tomoro. It could be alternator whine... or i may be wrong. ground loop may be the reason even if the doesnt vary with change in volume...

don't mind update on your progress..can be good learning

 

[Derektvy]

Does the hiss become louder as u increase the volume ? I still reckon its the ground cables and the RCAs. Try separate them ... and put them further apart..

Not really. It's only happens when I play certain songs (mainly those with high freqs). It's very obvious during the 1-2 secs breaks between songs. I'll check the grounding.

This has become more of a ice blog. But I guess it's good for future references. BTW, the old treads you've are very informative too!

Cheers,

Derek.

 

[BMWSILVER]

Does the hiss become louder as u increase the volume ? I still reckon its the ground cables and the RCAs. Try separate them ... and put them further apart..

Not really. It's only happens when I play certain songs (mainly those with high freqs). It's very obvious during the 1-2 secs breaks between songs. I'll check the grounding.

This has become more of a ice blog. But I guess it's good for future references. BTW, the old treads you've are very informative too!

Cheers,

Derek.

Hi ! Derek.

Hope that you can solve the Hiss sound soon.

Can't wait to listen to your ICE

As for me, no time to do anything for my car. Currently in Penang for Business trip

 

[__iceman__]

Do a search under level matching. AudioControl.com has a very good white paper on this topic. If gains are improperly matched, the amp will end up amplifying hiss, which is the inherent electrical noise.

I think the alpine max volume level is '35'. What is yr normal listening level?

I like tuning it in such a way that the loudest I will ever go is the HU's level 35. This means making the gain on the amps smaller. I found that not only hiss is reduced, but bass becomes a lot more energetic, dynamic and focused too. That would mean yr normal driving volume would be 20 to 30, and 35 for those special moments.

This way, the HU's signal is very strong, compared to the noise floor. If you have a pre-amp, then that's another gain control thrown into the equation.

Also, since you've already trouble shooted using a discman, the problem may lie in faulty RCA connection between HU and amp. Ask installer to run another temp RCA and connect to amp to try.

Dun go elsewhere to fix the problem. Its a simple principle. You paid good money for the install, and the installer has a commitment to fix it for you. Going to another installer will give you all sorts of other issues.

One favourite line is... "OMG, I need 1/2 day to strip and rewire your car! The job's soooo bad!"

Then they will proceed to charge you an arm and leg for the workmanship, and then try their luck to psycho you that one of the amps/cables/HU are not good, and then will ask you to spend more money to replace it, and goodness knows, it may just be simple like a loose connection that takes them 5 mins to fix. Not kidding...

I could probably fill pages of a novel detailing the usual stuff that will be thrown at you... hahahah :laughlik:

 

[Ghostrider]

U seow ah....35 on a Alpine HU !!

Depending on the recording of the disc, I find 18-20 is a cruising level.....25 is blasting liao...35 is ARE YOU OUTTA YOU MIND ??

 

[__iceman__]

If you tune your gains on the preamp and amp accordingly, you can do that. Ok lah, my 'blasting' setting is 30-32. 33 to 35 is just some buffer as headroom for some discs that are recorded at a slightly lower volume.

Anyway, the standard of 'loud' is disco or club level. If you go into a disco and try to dance and feel good with the volume only 1/4 way, or 1/2 up, where got the mood and feel? At the same time, no one headbangs to a minicompo at 1/2 volume right? But the same person will go siao when dancing in front of blasting concert speakers and walls of subwoofers vibrating your insides!

Standard of measure: After listening for 10 mins, you should get temp deafness or slight ringing, just like when you leave a disco to go home.

At that level, the standard of measure is accurate tonality, kicking bass, and absolutely no distortion or vibration. Especially in the car, the system needs to be capable of this, and you can enjoy music with the same level of kick even with windows and sunroof open and travelling on expressway with wind noise.

IMHO, no use listening classical music on a low level, that can only impress in the carpark when car is stationary. Must be real world situation...

 

[littleblackalfa]

Do a search under level matching. AudioControl.com has a very good white paper on this topic. If gains are improperly matched, the amp will end up amplifying hiss, which is the inherent electrical noise.

I think this is more the problem than anything... I don't think the installation is the issue. If it is, then this installer is useless...

Dun go elsewhere to fix the problem. Its a simple principle. You paid good money for the install, and the installer has a commitment to fix it for you. Going to another installer will give you all sorts of other issues.

This is assuming the original installer knows what he's doing. I believe in getting 2nd opinions. Get one, don't have it fixed there, and go back to get the 1st guy to do the work.

 

[littleblackalfa]

Not really. It's only happens when I play certain songs (mainly those with high freqs). It's very obvious during the 1-2 secs breaks between songs. I'll check the grounding.

Also, it COULD be a CD/tuning issue. My setup is fine with pop songs. But the minute I play classical, the hiss comes on. Quite unnoticable, but that one for me is an EQ issue. Also, the CD isn't audiophile grade. pop in one of those SACDs, and they're fine.