05 C6 Aftermarket Nav popping- Ground loop isolator??
So I just bought the AVIC D3 and am installing it into my 05 c6. This does not have the bose system in it. I've already got everything pretty much wired up, including the speed sensor, illumination, reverse, etc.
I want to keep my factory amp and speakers for now, so I planned to use the 8 speaker wires on the wiring harness instead of the 4 red/white plugs just like I have done on the nav unit in my suv.
I powered the unit up before I put everything back together and I am getting the popping that many have been complaining about. I went to radio shack and checked into the ground loop isolators everyone recommends. The guy at RS said that they only come with the plugs on them and not something i can crimp in line with the regular speaker wires i am using.
Suggestions?? "buy an aftermarket amp" and "rewire your speakers" are not the answers im looking for unless its the only way.
An isolator won't help if you're using the D3's speaker-level outputs to the the factory amp. Isolators are line-level devices, and to use one you have to use the line-level outputs of the D3 to the factory amp. This is something you should be doing anyway. If I understand your post correctly, you'll have to add RCA plugs to the ends of the adapter wires if they don't already exist. This actually makes the adapter kind of pointless, since you could simply be adding those plugs to the factory wires, and eliminating the adapter altogether. Since I don't know which adapter you're using, it's not going to be a clear answer.
FWIW, the isolator solution has been recommended a few times for people with similar problems, but I have yet to see a response from someone that it did the job.
An isolator won't help if you're using the D3's speaker-level outputs to the the factory amp. Isolators are line-level devices, and to use one you have to use the line-level outputs of the D3 to the factory amp. This is something you should be doing anyway. If I understand your post correctly, you'll have to add RCA plugs to the ends of the adapter wires if they don't already exist. This actually makes the adapter kind of pointless, since you could simply be adding those plugs to the factory wires, and eliminating the adapter altogether. Since I don't know which adapter you're using, it's not going to be a clear answer.
FWIW, the isolator solution has been recommended a few times for people with similar problems, but I have yet to see a response from someone that it did the job.
Agreed with 1 exception and 1 addition.
It does need to go through through the GMCO in order to get chimes. I don't think the GMCO has a speaker for chimes, I believe it may mix the chime sounds into it's output so putting RCA's on the end of the GMCO's wires and plugging into the RCA output of the AVIC is the best bet.
Adding the isolators HAS solved the popping problem for several folks.
So the installer at CC told me that basically the avic d3 is trying to amplify my amplifier and that even if a ground loop isolator fixed the problem, eventually i would fry either the unit or the amp, with the amp being more likely.
He said get rid of the factory amp, bypass it or replace it.
It was my understanding that this was more of a grounding issue that was causing the problem. Is this guy correct??
So the installer at CC told me that basically the avic d3 is trying to amplify my amplifier and that even if a ground loop isolator fixed the problem, eventually i would fry either the unit or the amp, with the amp being more likely.
No... the factory amplifier is trying to amplify the already-amplified signal from the D3. That's why you need to use the line-level signal. It may or may not hurt the factory amps in the future. It depends on too many things. There's really no way to know. The real issue there is that the signal you're giving those amps is very low-quality compared to line-level.
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He said get rid of the factory amp, bypass it or replace it.
He's just plain wrong about that. The line-level signal going to those amps from the factory head unit is very similar to what you're giving with the D3 when you use the RCAs as we advise. While aftermarket amps and speakers will usually be better, there's absolutely nothing wrong with useing the factory amps as long as it's done correctly.
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It was my understanding that this was more of a grounding issue that was causing the problem. Is this guy correct??
It's not a grounding issue. The cause of most of the pops and clicks people hear when the use an aftermarket head unit originates with the fact that the factory amps are always on when the car is on. Turning the D3 on/off/source-change can send a small DC spike to the factory amps. Because they're not designed to operate the same way as an entirely aftermarket system, you hear that spike as a pop.
The isolator can solve these problems because it won't pass DC, but its intended use is as a ground-loop-isolator, hence the name. We're just using it for a different purpose than it was intended for, which doesn't involve a ground-loop.
The harness I have does not have rca jacks on it. Can I simply cut some off of some extra cables I have and connect them to the standard wires on the harness, then put the ground loop isolator in between?
It does need to go through through the GMCO in order to get chimes. I don't think the GMCO has a speaker for chimes, I believe it may mix the chime sounds into it's output so putting RCA's on the end of the GMCO's wires and plugging into the RCA output of the AVIC is the best bet.
Adding the isolators HAS solved the popping problem for several folks.
The Peripheral GMCO I used on my 07 C6 has the chimes speaker built into the interface. It does not go through the output.
Also, you should be using the interface that way you will not have to cut your harness.
In any case, I ran to radio shack and bought 2 of the ground loop isolators, 1 for the front and 1 for the rear. I twisted rca jacks onto the harness wires with the middle wire for pos and the outside wire for neg. I hooked it up and I get speaker sound, but still a pop and also a squeeking sound in the car kind of like a mouse or when the roof squeeks at high speeds. I tried turning the isolators around incase i had them on backwards, still the same result.
Am I doing something wrong? I've done 10 or more radio installs in the past and never had an issue like this.
as far as the harness and chimer goes..The harness I have puts the chime through the left front speaker it appears. 3 of the pairs of speaker wires come directly out of the plug, but the 2 for the front left go to the chime box and then come back out of the chime box with open ends to connect to.
What the Audi guys are doing appears to be a valid fix, but the isolator is a simpler solution. This assumes the problems are the same.
If the isolator isn't working, it will likely be a wiring issue. Try bypassing the adapter first. I don't have experience with these adapters other than proving one had poor-quality output, so I don't know what exactly yours is doing to the signal.
You don't need to cut the factory harness in order to add RCA plugs to it. Just use taps and spade lugs to splice into the wire without cutting it.
At some point it might just be simpler to use the AVIC amp and bypass the factory amp (this is how I installed mine). Won't cost you anything except labor to run the speaker wires from the AVIC to the speaker wires connecting to the stock amp -- all the existing wires running between the stock head unit and stock amp are low level wires that didn't look big enough to me.
With the non-bose setup, the amp also includes the crossover network, but the AVIC amp also can be setup to operate with its built-in crossover network too (subwoofer output on rear channels drive door subs, front channels drive left/right door tweeters and rear mid-ranges). You can adjust subwoofer low pass filter and high pass filter values from a setup menu on the AVIC. With this configuration there is no fader control and no way to use the center dash speaker.
I haven't noticed any difference in volume between the stock amp and the AVIC amp. No popping or isolator issues though.
So like I said, I tried the ground loop isolators and they didnt do anything for me, still the pop when it comes on and off. Now like that website I mentioned above that is selling the amplifier interface resistor said, I tried their little test.. hook everything up with the exception of the amp remote wire. dvd comes on and is running with now sound, then i hold the remote wire connection together. I get sound and no pop....
From their article:
"If it turns on and plays music and there was no pop, then you need one of the delay turn-on circuits. I don't know any to recommend, just poke around the internet. Lots of people sell them.
If music was playing before you connected the 2 wires, and when you did there still was a pop when they turned on, the delay circuit WILL NOT fix your problem. It could be caused by the improper voltage going to the amplifier. If so then one of my circuits would fix this. I know this is what I needed for my Ford product. Other ford products probably function the same way. Some other vehicles might as well."
So according to them I need a delay circuit and not a ground loop isolator... I dont know if this would solve the pop at power down though?? Thoughts????
I had this issue with a 07 Vette that I put a D3 in for a customer. The popping is caused because the Avics amp turn on lead stays on longer then the Avics audio section does. So basically the sound gets killed but the amp is still on and it pops when it shuts off. I used a pulse timer and that does get rid of the pop but the pulse timer i used from DEI was iffy and only worked maybe 70% of the time. The solution I came up with and the customer lived with was to use the cars switched power wire (the red dwire of the GMCO) and use that to power the factory amp. This way it pops when you start the car and not when you shut it off. Most people dont hear the pop when it starts because the engine is cranking and drowns it out.
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I swapped the pac with another one from the same company that has a speaker on the unit itself rather than sending the chime through the front left speaker like the 1st 1 I had. As soon as I did that the radio shack isolators were working fine (without them i still had a pop, though it was not half as bad as the one I was getting on the 1st harness)
i was wondering since i have the same problem now as well ,will this help ?
the Soundgate TRIGDLYA
Soundgate TRIGDLYA Trigger Device
Features
Adjustable turn-on delay amplifier turn-on delay to stop turn-off pop
For when a turn-on pop is coming from the source unit or is being caused by the timing function of the source unit's wakeup lead
2-30 second delay
Corvette Store
05 C6 Aftermarket Nav popping- Ground loop isolator??
