Hey, glad its sounding the way you want.

some points to note though:

1. the ground you used on the back of the head unit, is not necessarily for a ground, more infact its usually for a strap, or mounting purposes. You can achieve a similar result using the holes on the side of the head unit and the supplied screws. But it seems to work for you good. Whats funny is, everything taught to me, and that I've learned over the past 15ish years im guessing, tells me that you shouldnt ground the unit itself like that, but anyhoooo.

2.the rca's i thought you didnt have? I thought you said it was all speaker wire? I sure as hell hope you arent just grounding the outside shielding of the rca's on the back of the head unit itself.. on the avic harness. There are rca's on the market that are made specifically a certain way so that you can ground a "grounding" loop wire, for noise suppression. This takes in consideration how the rca's are spun, for example, clockwise and counter clockwise. Also, things like if there is a center fiber, or filament within the rca wires to help decsipitate the nose that does make it on to the line, because that 'noise' likes to hang around the center of the wiring, and wrapping the wire in tape or other insulation only contributes to more noise being let in.

3. If you did do that above (#2) then id suppose its not Circuit City's fault, I dont think they caused the problem, just judging by what you have said so far.

while I agree with alot of what SoundDomain said there in the post, the part about having to ground the avic unit is a little mis leading. there are hundreds, even thousands of people who do not ground the chasis of the headunit and it works just fine. Hence the reason some avic units even have multiple grounds coming off the wire harness.

but anyways

hope this helps you

i didn't understand the part he said about grounding the rca sheilds either. He must be talking about the rca cables off the unit and harness because there's none connecting to the amp. Care to explain?

this is what my harness looks like btw:

you shouldnt ground the unit itself like that

Yep, I haven't heard of that either until I found out about this Pioneer microfuse situation. It's sort of like wearing a belt and suspenders; if something goes wrong with the main ground it won't burn the fuse out.

I sure as hell hope you arent just grounding the outside shielding of the rca's on the back of the head unit itself on the avic harness.

Pretty much, except I'm grounding the shields to the car chassis, not the unit chassis. I've been reading a bunch of Pioneer-specific threads on several forums that recommend that, and it seems to have solved my problem, or at least worked around it.

He must be talking about the rca cables off the unit and harness

Exactly.

yeah, honestly, you may have 'fixed' it in theory, but not the right way. You surely shouldnt ground the rca's coming off the deck like that, thats going to be a problem, maybe in the future. Nothing should go wrong with the main ground anyways, if properly connected. I think what has been lost here, is that this 'microfuse' thingy, is causing a problem WHEN no ground is present, and the avic unit tries to locate a ground on the rca line. Thats assuming the ant. isnt plugged in because that gets grounded on the outer shielding usually as well. I dont think the 'whine' is present IF your fuse doesnt get blown by poorly grounding it.

But if your happy with the way its working RIGHT NOW then its up to you of course. But like others would probably agree, this doesnt sound like the right way to do things.

I have the same problem with my is300. Last night I installed my sirius tuner and then plugged everything in and when I turned the car on, there was that annoying whine. I checked all my wires, rcas, and amp. After some experimenting it seems the culprit is the rca that come with the d3. Plus I forgot to mention my right front speaker get about 25% of the volume. I tested the rcas and found out it was the front output rca on my avic so it might be those crap cables. It worked fine when I bouught it a month ago. I had a similar problem about 6 months after I had my n3. U might want to just get a new rca harness for the avic.

i went ahead and got a all wire harness w/o any RCA cables. It stopped 95% of the whine and no buzzing. Still a little whistle when all the lights and a/c are on, but i can live with it. But now whenever the voice guidance or beeps come on or press any of the menu buttons, i can hear a static in the background and it's not a clear sound. I think maybe the bose amp needs to be bypassed?

The static in the background when you press a button is normal. For some reason the audio file they chose has static in the background.

Easy way to tell for sure if that's the static you're hear, is to disable the beeps. If it's gone, then you're hearing the same static we all hear. You get used to it after a while. In fact I don't even notice it anymore.

This is so ridiculous. This is the third Pioneer Unit I have had with the same whine problem. Also, this is the second amp as well. I have grounded, regrounded the HU and the amp. I have tried grounding the RCAs with no effect at all. I have Stinger Expert Series RCA cables, D3, MTX Thunder Amp. I guess I am going to try that ground loop isolator that PAC makes. The whine only happens with the engine running. In accessory mode everything is fine. What the hell...I am so frustrated.

Have you tried using a $12 ground loop isolator? It basically plugs into a set of rcas and will create a ground loop that should isolate the noise.

This is so ridiculous. This is the third Pioneer Unit I have had with the same whine problem. Also, this is the second amp as well. I have grounded, regrounded the HU and the amp. I have tried grounding the RCAs with no effect at all. I have Stinger Expert Series RCA cables, D3, MTX Thunder Amp. I guess I am going to try that ground loop isolator that PAC makes. The whine only happens with the engine running. In accessory mode everything is fine. What the hell...I am so frustrated.

after i switched to all wire harness with no rca cables, the whine disappeared and also the HU doesn't make a buzzing sound when the car is turned on. you might want to try that.

i did the bose amp bypass and greatly improved the static noise that i heard from the beeps and voice guidance.

Have you tried using a $12 ground loop isolator? It basically plugs into a set of rcas and will create a ground loop that should isolate the noise.

Actually they remove the ground loop. If it introduced a ground loop, the sound would be worse. Still just a bandaid for a bigger problem.

Have you tried using a $12 ground loop isolator? It basically plugs into a set of rcas and will create a ground loop that should isolate the noise.

I used a cheap ground loop isolator before with a different Pioneer setup and it did not make a difference at all, it was a Scosche though. I see PAC makes one that I will be purchasing by the end of tonight.

Etong- you mean you just hooked up your speakers directly to the HU? So you no longer use the RCAs or an external amp? I know that will eliminate all the whine if I go that route but my problem is I have all 2 ohm speakers and I can't directly run them from the D3 because it will burn it out. Or...are you saying you are not using RCAs and hooking the HU up to your amp via the speaker type wires?

Ok, I am done for the night screwing around with this thing but here is what I found...

I was looking at troubleshooting steps on how to get rid of the noise and here is what I did...

I unplugged the RCAs from the amp and started the car - there is no noise in the speakers at all. I have an extra pair of RCAs and I connected both of the reds into the rear side of the amp (same side of the RCAs). Immediatley, the noise started again and the RCAs were in my hand to avoid any interference from any power wire, ect. I noticed when I moved the RCAs in my hand the noise varied in pitch. So does this mean my RCAs are in fact picking up the noise? Like I said before I am using Stinger Expert Series RCAs which are supposed to be some of the best. The RCAs I used for this test are Rockfords. So where do I go from here with this new info? Try regrounding the amp again!?! I just ordered some ground loop isolators from PAC.

I don't think it is an internal problem with the amp because this is the second amp that has made the same identical noise - it is an MTX and bought brand new not refurbished.

are you using a harness with RCA cables? if so i would get something like this instead....which is what i did.

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you know what, your have just made this thread unbelievably confusing. DO YOU HAVE AN AFTERMARKET AMP OR NOT? if not what are you plugging your rca wires into? why do you say you have an mtx amp thats not refurbished?

If you do, did you run the speaker wires straight to the amp? are you sure that you arent having problems with resistance... such as a 2 oh speaker on a 4 ohm stable amp.

What you need to do is clean up all this babble. its so hard to follow since you have stated one thing and then another. Try making ONE post here in this thread with what you have done, and the way your system is NOW.

Haha, sorry didn't mean to confuse anyone. Yes, I have an aftermarket amp! It is a 4 channel MTX amp, I didn't mean to confuse anyone by saying it is not refurbished - I was just saying. The amp is 2 ohm stable and that is what the speakers are. I am using Inifnity Kappas all the way around. Yes, the speaker wires run directly from the amp to the speakers.

I will make a new post when I get home later and clean up all the babble for you guys.

i havent checked or seen mtx in a while, but are you sure it is 2 ohm stable stereo? meaning 4 channels running at 2 ohms?

Hey Tillitz you help is much appreciated. Yes, I double checked the amplifier and it is 2 ohm stable for 4 channels. Here is the amp specs from Crutchfield. http://www.crutchfield.com/S-nxEKHnENQB ... thunder564.

To summarize my problem here is the situation I have going on...

Equipment:

Pioneer AVIC-D3

Infinity Kappas (2 ohms)

MTX Thunder 564 4 channel amp

Kicker KX600.1 amp

1 10" Kicker L7 sub

3 sets of Stinger Expert Series Interconnects

Vehicle:

2005 Chevy Cobalt SS Supercharged Coupe

Pioneer Factory System Option

Stock Alternator

Optima Yellow Top Battery

This is the 3rd/4th Pioneer HU I have had in this car and all have the similar whine problem. The problem only happens when the engine is running. With the vehicle in accessory mode the sound is crystal cleer with no noise. The noise is so unbareable that I can not even connect my front speakers the sound is so obnoxious. The whine fluctuates with the engine RPM (acoustical taqometer lol). Now, the battery is in the trunk in this vehicle so I am not running power wires from under the hood to the trunk of the vehicle. I have my 3 sets of RCA cables running on one side of the vehicle with the speaker wires and all the other cables run on the opposite side of the car. I have tried multiple things listed on these forums to try and troubleshoot my problems such as - regrounding the HU, grounding the RCA shields, disconnecting the AM/FM antenna and the noise continues through the speakers and gets no better or no worse.

Here is what I thought was kind of odd. I was looking at Crutchfield's tests to try and find the noise and I thought this was kind fo strange. I disconnected the RCA cables from my amp and used a set of spare RCAs for this test - the RCA cables I used as a spare are made by Rockford Fosgate and they are in excellent condtion. On the rear input side of the amp I connected those fosgate cables. I connected the red side on one side of the RCA to the top and the red side of other end of the RCA to the bottom. I wish I could explain this better but essentially it is just creating a big loop to test the RCAs to see if they are picking up noise. Then I turned the engine on and still got the alternator whine through the speakers without the amp even connected through the D3. Keep in mind the RCA cables I am using are just sitting in my hand and they are not run next to any other wires or under the carpet - they are just in my hand. Now when I move the cables even a little in my hand you can hear the whine change tones (louder/ more quiet). These RCAs were like $50 and they were not even close to anything that could cause interference so I don't think it is about the cables being cheap or not. What does this information tell me though? If I get the noise without it being connected to the D3 I am guessing it is a problem with the amp? All of the cable used to connect the amps are 4 ga both power and ground. The cable is also made by Stinger and was not cheap. I have both grounds from both amps going into a distribution block. The cable coming out of the block is also 4 ga wire. I have it grounded to exactly where the battery grounds on the chasis in the trunk (remember the battery is in the trunk). It is sanded down and is a good tight connection. The total length of the ground wires used is way over 18 inches and I'm starting to think this is a problem. So in conclusion can you answer these questions for me?

1.) Do you think the grounding point mentioned is where I should be or should I find somewhere where the battery does not ground to?

2.) Should I run seperate grounds for the amps and not connect them to a dist block? If so, do I gorund them to the same location or seperate them?

3.) What does this test with the RCA cable tell you about the noise? Is this an issue with the grounds on the amps?

4.) Would a ground loop isolator help with the problem I am having?

All help is much appreciated. I know this is a lot of information but I am just trying to give you as much as I can.

ding ding ding... well over 18 inches is way too much!!!

6 inches to 12 inches at the most. I try to ground as short as 2 inches. The battery is probably one of the most noisest places .. especially for dc in a vehicle! you can use a ground distribution block if you want, but would probably be slightly better to just throw a ring terminal on both grounds and ground them together much closer to the amps.

the rca test pretty much just shows that the noise is very minimally coming in at the rca's.

Ground loops are just a band aid, they do NOT fix the problem they simply cover it up.

Good deal, I am going to shorten those grounds right now and ground away from the battery and see what happens. I'll let you know what happens.

Thanks Again!

Ok don't laugh - the ground cable I was using was about 4 feet long. I shortened it to about 15" and grounded at a seat belt bolt. I sanded the area good before I made the connection. Unfortunately, the whine has not changed at all. I wish I could say it is a little better but no. By the way, I didn't even have my sub amp hooked up when I just tested it.

Well, now what?

I would shorten that ground wire some more. Tillithz said 6 to 12 at max!

Well, I really don't think the amp is where I am getting the problem from now. I just plugged my Ipod into the amp (totally bypassing the HU) and I could not get any whine at all unless I had the gain set almost all the way up on the amp. The SQ wasn't as good as the HU but at least I didn't have any loud whine. Hell, I should just return the D3 and just plug the Ipod into the amp. I am going to be relying heavily on these ground loop isolators when they arrive. Anybody have any good experience with isolators?

well, a big reason for no whine with your ipod is your ipod isnt being powered by the dc from the vehicle. for you, you need no more then 6 inches from the amp for a ground. make a new hole, use a self tapping screw, but 15 inches is way to long still. you see you have a few problems, not just one thing, start with the ground and we can go from there