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Exile audio hiss/popping/static


czafode

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We just bought a 2005 Malibu LSV and so far we've been loving every second.  The stereo in the boat is all Exile with a Sony head-unit.  

When we use the stereo, we get a fairly loud ‘hissing’ and what sounds like ‘popping’.  When using the Bluetooth via the Exile ZLD input, its quieter, but still noticeable.  Using anything via the head unit (tuner, BT, cd) its loud to the point of being unusable.  I’m guessing I’m missing something in terms setup.  Even when not using any part of the stereo… if the head unit face is attached, we get the same hissing and popping through the speakers.  The only remedy we found was to detach the face and there for turn the stereo off.

In terms of setup, it looks like there is the Sony head-unit, the Exile ZLD and then two Exile amps.  I assume one is for the cabin speakers and sub and one is for the tower speakers.

I wish I had more information as while I wear many hats, 'stereo guy' is not one of them.  From the posts I've searched and read on here so far, the thing that keeps getting mentioned is making sure things are 'grounded' back to the battery.  That being said, I have no idea which wire(s) from which components should be grounded back to the battery or how to properly diagnose the issue.

Any pointers would be appreciated.  

Thanks in advance.  

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First thing I would check (easiest) is turn down the gain dial on the amps and see if it goes away.  I'm sure if that's not it, there's a million things it could be and I as well have no idea how to diagnose.

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I've been chasing a similar issue for some time now. I haven't solved it, but I can get you started off in the right direction (thanks to info I've picked up on this site). If you have RCA cables going in to your amps, unplug them. You can do the same thing if you have the speaker wire input, it just takes longer. If you still have a hissing noise, this narrows your issue down to your amps or a grounding issue. If it goes away, then it's your head unit. If someone else on here chimes in and says something different, they're probably right.

It sounds to me like you're on the right track though. Maybe look into installing a bus bar for your ground. Also, as mentioned above, try turning down the gain knobs on your amps. You'll get more ideas from the group here, so start with the easiest "tests" and work your way up from there. Good luck!

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I also got a tremendous amount of help from the guys in here with my recent exile install. For trouble shooting I would start with this.

turn your amp gains down to zero for now to eliminate that being an issue. Double check that all ground wires from your eq and headunit are grounded back to the same place your amps are grounded ( distribution block or same battery). Also check that your power and ground wires are not running the same path as your RCA cables. You want to keep them routed separately so the power does not introduce noise into the RCA ( ie. run rcas around bow in gunnel and the power and grounds around back or through floor)

 

if your still having trouble you need to pinpoint which unit is causing you grief. Take your phone or mp3 with a headphone jack to RCA cord. Plug it directly to amp RCA input. If no noise amps are good. Next re plug in your rcas that run around bow to headunit and plug phone patch cord into other end of rcas. If still no noise rcas are good. Then plug back directly to zld with headunit rcas unplugged to see if noise is coming from zld.

 

gotta pinpoint where the noise is coming to be able to fix the problem.

good luck, probably want to make it realistic scenario and have the boat running on no fake a lake aswell

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Thanks for all the tips.  The boat is stored at our cabin (4 hours away) so sadly I won't be able to attempt any of these till I get up there on Friday.  I am stereo 'dumb' to the point that I didn't even know the amps had 'gains' I could turn down.  

One question... when you say 'make sure the ground wire from your eq and headunit are grounded back to the same place...', is there a specific ground wire coming from the each of these units?

I'm sure I'll be on here more this weekend as I start to dissect exactly where the noise is coming from.  

Thanks again everyone. 

 

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On ‎6‎/‎27‎/‎2016 at 9:04 AM, Cayute said:

I also got a tremendous amount of help from the guys in here with my recent exile install. For trouble shooting I would start with this.

turn your amp gains down to zero for now to eliminate that being an issue. Double check that all ground wires from your eq and headunit are grounded back to the same place your amps are grounded ( distribution block or same battery). Also check that your power and ground wires are not running the same path as your RCA cables. You want to keep them routed separately so the power does not introduce noise into the RCA ( ie. run rcas around bow in gunnel and the power and grounds around back or through floor)

 

if your still having trouble you need to pinpoint which unit is causing you grief. Take your phone or mp3 with a headphone jack to RCA cord. Plug it directly to amp RCA input. If no noise amps are good. Next re plug in your rcas that run around bow to headunit and plug phone patch cord into other end of rcas. If still no noise rcas are good. Then plug back directly to zld with headunit rcas unplugged to see if noise is coming from zld.

 

gotta pinpoint where the noise is coming to be able to fix the problem.

good luck, probably want to make it realistic scenario and have the boat running on no fake a lake aswell

Cayute,

Have you completely eliminated your noise issue?

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On June 30, 2016 at 8:37 AM, David said:

Cayute,

Have you completely eliminated your noise issue?

I need some help with mine, only does it with motor running and it's only my tower.  I did turn the gains up so I will turn those back and see what happens.  The only other thing I was thinking are those ground inline things for the RCA's?

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4 hours ago, racer808 said:

I need some help with mine, only does it with motor running and it's only my tower.  I did turn the gains up so I will turn those back and see what happens.  The only other thing I was thinking are those ground inline things for the RCA's?

Try and avoid the ground loop adapters as a noise elimination device. They can alter the bandwidth and sound quality. And you would still be leaving the core issue unresolved.

 Just one physical ground point for every component in the audio path. Just one physical B+ point for every audio component. No exceptions. The RCA path can be an issue on less expensive gear. There are some rare equipment to equipment incompatibilities. Gains set too high. All these are fixable.     

 

  

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On 6/27/2016 at 7:58 AM, czafode said:

We just bought a 2005 Malibu LSV and so far we've been loving every second.  The stereo in the boat is all Exile with a Sony head-unit.  

When we use the stereo, we get a fairly loud ‘hissing’ and what sounds like ‘popping’.  When using the Bluetooth via the Exile ZLD input, its quieter, but still noticeable.  Using anything via the head unit (tuner, BT, cd) its loud to the point of being unusable.  I’m guessing I’m missing something in terms setup.  Even when not using any part of the stereo… if the head unit face is attached, we get the same hissing and popping through the speakers.  The only remedy we found was to detach the face and there for turn the stereo off.

In terms of setup, it looks like there is the Sony head-unit, the Exile ZLD and then two Exile amps.  I assume one is for the cabin speakers and sub and one is for the tower speakers.

I wish I had more information as while I wear many hats, 'stereo guy' is not one of them.  From the posts I've searched and read on here so far, the thing that keeps getting mentioned is making sure things are 'grounded' back to the battery.  That being said, I have no idea which wire(s) from which components should be grounded back to the battery or how to properly diagnose the issue.

Any pointers would be appreciated.  

Thanks in advance.  

I had a similar issue.  After talking to the guys at Exile, tracing out some stuff, and turning the gains down on the amps, we found that it was the Fusion bluetooth unit I was using that was causing the noise.  Exile sent me one of their bluetooth units and the noise is totally gone.  

That may not be your problem but it's something else to check.  And as an added bonus, the sound quality with the Exile bluetooth is top notch!

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