new Alpine deck problem
 

So I just bought a new Alpine CDA-9857. Installed everything. First time I noticed this when I was tuning my system.

Basically when using the volume knob on the deck at higher volume I sometimes I can hear a momentary loud popping noise all over my speakers. It is not distortion because when I stop using the volume know the speakers play loud and clear noise free. When I try to adjust volume again it happens again at some point. At first I thought it was the speakers but then I realized that adjusting the volume using the remote does not produce this noise.

I used the stock wire for constant power for the deck. Ground went under a dedicated bolt that is used for some other ground wire so it's definitely a very clean connection. I have triple shielded Phonocar RCA's (italian made).

Anyone have similar problems?

Check the ground to your head-unit.....make sure its nice and clean.Even ground it to 2 points.

had the same problem before and upgrading the ground on the deck fixed it all

No way! Exactly the same symptom? I was going to go exchange the deck tomorrow cause I thought the knob was screwed up.

10 guage good enough? Should I run the ground from the same point where both of my amps are getting ground? or maybe straight from battery?

Should I run a 10 guage constant from the battery while I'm at it? (I am not using the internal amp of the deck. In fact it's turned off)

If not using the internal amp, 12 AWG would be more than enough, with some HU's having external DC/DC converters, and if using the internal amp then I would upgrade to 10 AWG even if it's only a slight difference, but in your case I don't see a point... as far as the ground goes, 12 AWG to a good spot under the dash should be more than enough..

Mark

10AWG for a deck?

Thats crazy, I use 18AWG all around my deck...

^^^ if using the internal amp, you will see a difference between 18 AWG, and 10...

Mark

would like to inform everyone that it was not a ground or power issue. after spending many hours (took a day off work to deal with this) yesterday checking everything over and over again, installing new 10awg ground wire bolted to the back of the unit. The pop/static/screech sound was still there. So I went to the store let them listen and they tried to tell me it's distortion first, then bad RCAs, then bad something else. So anyway I told him give me the new unit and I'll install it right here. Got a new one, installed it right in the parking lot and the problem was gone. Something was up with that brain. Most likely a manufacturing defect. A bad component or something.

After much testing I determined exactly what this distorted sound was and could reproduce it. Basically when raising the volume fast using the knob or the remote it would create a loud pop/crackle/static kind of sound over all 4 speakers and after that it played nice and clean when volume is not touched.