Audio drop outs

[JeffC]

Since I got my 2017 22 VLX, I have had problems with the stereo audio drop outs at low volume.   In quiet pasasages when the volume is not cranked, the audio drops out, and it will take a moment after the source sound level comes back up (The opening of Eagles Hell Freezes over version of Hotel California is a reliable test - the rests in the guitar solo will cause it to drop, and then it takes 1 or 2 notes for the amp to kick back in).    I reported it on the 10 hour service, they said they could not reproduce it.   I reported it again for the 50 hour service, and they are again saying they cant reproduce the problem.   I will show it to them personally when I pick the boat up today.   It happens on Bluetooth, and USB, it happens with music played from my iPhone, iPad, both music streamed, and local to the device. 

I have seen that others have had the problem as well... has anyone found a solution short of replacing the black box?  

It doesnt keep me from enjoying the boat, but it is annoying when we stop to relax in a cove... to the point I am considering taking my Bose Mini SoundLink with me on the boat this weekend (long weekend on boat, cabin at the lake, we will have some down time).

Thanks in advance!  

[mikeakatex5]

I haven't found any specific setting on the boat or source unit that takes care of this problem.  I hope to have my amps reprogrammed (see my earlier post in Stereo Info & How to) and I am really hoping this will fix the dropouts.  

[David]

I'm not familiar with the problem and I haven't a good idea why the stereo system is doing this. But perhaps you can apply a little trouble-shooting logic. From your description you are making it sound as if the amplifier goes into complete mute when the signal source is low. If the amplifier was triggered by signal sensing, rather than a remote turn-on, that would be explainable. So I would begin by creating test scenarios to isolate components and to determine whether this is a behavior of the source electronics or amplifiers. As an example, under these conditions....

Does the source remote turn-on trigger out voltage remain the same at all times?

Do you still get some small degree of hiss from the tweeters (to determine this you would need to press your ear against the tweeter) when in the muted mode?  

Does it still mute on extremely quiet passages if the HU volume is set inordinately high? In other words, is the HU reading the input level from the source or is the amplifier(s) reading the input level from the HU, and causing the change.

I'm not sure if you have open access to the signal wiring between the source electronics and amplifiers. Having RCA to RCA connectors would make diagnosis easier because it would allow for a few more tests.

The amplifier manufacturer should be well aware of any auto-mute function in their product to suppress white noise in the absence of a signal or perhaps to serve some other purpose. At least they could look into it. I would start by contacting the amplifier manufacturer. Share the comments from this thread. Getting similar feedback from the HU manufacturer could be more difficult.     

  

 

 

[JeffC]

5 hours ago, David said:

I'm not familiar with the problem and I haven't a good idea why the stereo system is doing this. But perhaps you can apply a little trouble-shooting logic. From your description you are making it sound as if the amplifier goes into complete mute when the signal source is low. If the amplifier was triggered by signal sensing, rather than a remote turn-on, that would be explainable. So I would begin by creating test scenarios to isolate components and to determine whether this is a behavior of the source electronics or amplifiers. As an example, under these conditions....

Does the source remote turn-on trigger out voltage remain the same at all times?

Do you still get some small degree of hiss from the tweeters (to determine this you would need to press your ear against the tweeter) when in the muted mode?  

Does it still mute on extremely quiet passages if the HU volume is set inordinately high? In other words, is the HU reading the input level from the source or is the amplifier(s) reading the input level from the HU, and causing the change.

I'm not sure if you have open access to the signal wiring between the source electronics and amplifiers. Having RCA to RCA connectors would make diagnosis easier because it would allow for a few more tests.

The amplifier manufacturer should be well aware of any auto-mute function in their product to suppress white noise in the absence of a signal or perhaps to serve some other purpose. At least they could look into it. I would start by contacting the amplifier manufacturer. Share the comments from this thread. Getting similar feedback from the HU manufacturer could be more difficult.     

  

 

 

Good thoughts... Heading to lake for a 6 day weekend, but just had my 50 hour service done.   Dealer claimed to not be able to reproduce the problem, but I am having a hard time believing they really tried (and Im OK with that since I really HAD to have the boat back today).   Interestingly, two Wet Sounds reps were there when I picked it up.   Told them what I had seen, they asked a lot of questions.   They were aware that there were problems on SOME boats, and advised the service manager to order a new head unit (black box in this case).  There is a noise filter that they believe was not tuned correctly.   I am optimistic this will resolve the problem (based upon their line of questioning, and actually predicting some of my symptoms).   It does seem like hitting a thumb tack with a sledge hammer, but it probably is the most expeditious way to resolve it.   

To your comments... based upon my discussion with them, I did verify tonight that the entire system goes into mute (interior, sub, and tower) in quiet passages.    Before it mutes out, I can hear a slight hiss in the background (I think from the source), but it all drops out.   I can check whether there is still some in mute mode from the tweeters.    If turn up the main volume high enough, it will not drop out at all, but I would say it is getting progressively worse - that COULD be my imagination, but it seems like it is taking more volume over time to prevent the drop outs.    

The 2017 system is all Wet Sounds... when it is not dropping out, it sounds great!  

Ill keep things updated here as I learn more.   I expect they will replace the black box sometime in the reasonably near future. 

[MLA]

5 hours ago, JeffC said:

The 2017 system is all Wet Sounds

Media source unit is Medallion

[JeffC]

An update... since I promised to do so (although there are also a couple other threads that comment on this SOMEWHERE). 

Dealer replaced the amp... didnt resolve the problem.   Next visit, they replaced the black box, also did not resolve, although I think it MIGHT be a little better.   I need more time with it to really see, but it definitely still does it.   I am hoping to gather up more ideas before the summerization visit, and see if we can put it to bed.   I saw in another thread that there may be a fix from Malibu.

 

[chantel]

Last year we had a boat with the same kind of issues and we ended up having to replace the wiring that connected the black box to the head unit. Our guess was that somewhere inside the boat the wires were pinched and as the boat moved it would cut the sound in and out and the volume would go up and down. Not sure if your issue is the same, since it sounds like it happens consistently at the same spot in a song, but might be worth mentioning.

[D_Turner]

I had my dealer work on this at the winterization of my boat(late November).  Dealer agreed there was a problem(or at least agreed they were hearing what I was hearing).  After they contacted Malibu, they replaced the interior amp.  It made no difference and problem still existed exactly as it was before.  They contacted Malibu again, and this time they said this was 'normal' and the amp is setup to try to eliminate noise at low volumes.  So the boat came back with a new interior amp, but same problem and I was basically told there was nothing they could do.  If they are truly making the noise gate filter that active to eliminate noise, it seems like a badly designed system to me.  At least it is not noticeable on the lake for me.  My volume has to be 5 or below before it starts to drop out and ONLY occurs on the interior speakers where I believe you said yours is also the tower.  I will probably tinker with it some myself come spring time since Malibu said sorry about your luck.  If it is noise gate filter settings in the amp though, not much I can do myself.

I also got the tower amp replaced at the same time due to another problem.  Ever since the boat was new, after about 30 minutes of the stereo being powered on, the tower speakers were hissing so loud you could hear it hissing 50 ft away so I just had to unplug the tower speakers so I could at least have some music.  Upon getting the boat back, I think the tower speaker problem is fixed.  I had it on for 2+ hours with no problems before it went to storage, but it was also 50 degrees cooler than summertime and heat seemed to always make it happen faster.  So I will not be 100% confident this is fixed until testing it in the spring heat.

Hopefully you get yours fixed sooner or later as I haven't had any luck yet on the dropout issue.

[JeffC]

Closing this out (I hope permanently)...

After two full seasons of pursuing this, I finally got service to REALLY go after the problem.    When I took the boat in for winterization, I sat in the boat for 30 minutes and demonstrated the problem over and over... service manager told me that the boat would not leave the shop until the problem was resolved, and he fulfilled that promise. 

They had three boats in the shop with the issue... and ultimately found that there was a issue with both the interior and tower amps.   They replaced both, and that has resolved the issue.   It is interesting because they had already replaced an amp and the black box previously, so apparently what went in was also defective.

Personally, I think it was the tune... but I cant prove that.   But for anyone else with the issue, it CAN be resolved.

Now... will be interesting to see if this also resolves the issue where the interior cuts out during surf sessions.   After talking with the service manager, I have concluded that the autovolume is potentially causing or compounding the problem... so I am turning it off.   It never did really work in a way that I liked... so I was constantly fighting it.  In any case, it is off, and will stay off.

[Brett B]

Thanks for the updates. Mine does this occasionally but doesn't appear to be as pronounced as yours, especially since I switched over the USB input from Bluetooth. I'll keep this thread in mind if mine gets worse.

[JeffC]

On 12/3/2018 at 8:55 AM, Brett B said:

Thanks for the updates. Mine does this occasionally but doesn't appear to be as pronounced as yours, especially since I switched over the USB input from Bluetooth. I'll keep this thread in mind if mine gets worse.

Mine was pretty pronounced on both USB and BT.  I tried different source devices too... Android, iPad, multiple iPhones.   All did the same thing.   When I took the boat in for its first winterization last winter, I tried it on one of the boats in the showroom, and it also did it.    Having said that, I think it is possible that it was related to the tune for the 8"" icons.    

In any case, Im glad its fixed...