eek! Noise!

So I worked my butt off on my 1995 F-150 XLT Extended cab every night this week, installing my system. Actually, I had to remove my system out of my 1991 Ranger and put it in the F-150 that I just got. The system is comprised of a Kicker ZX460 on mids/highs, a Kicker DX700 on 1 Solobaric 10L7, a Clarion 815mp mp3 player, an ancient Clarion 920EQ (oldy but a goody), an AudioControl ESP2 and an AudioControl Epicenter.

The first rattle out of the hat was that the Epicenter did not come on in spite of the fact that it had all the necessary components, a ground, 12V constant, and remote. I’m still pondering that one. The bigger problem right when I started the truck. I had the wonderful whine coming through everything (except the sub which has yet to be installed) in spite of the fact that the 1/0 ground and 12V wires are run side by side, under the vehicle and opposite from the RCAs. There is also this loud hiss that is going on which reminds me of when someone has their mids/highs amp turned up way to high and you get that background hiss. This is not the case hear. The 460 is barely half way up. I will turn it down and test it again.

This morning, I ran an RCA cable directly from the radio to the input of the 920EQ, thus bypassing the ESP2. The noise went away but the "hiss" was still present. When I get home, I will try a ground loop isolator though I don’t think that will fix it. It is true though, that because of the location of the ESP2 in relation to the location of the Epicenter and two amps, I grounded the ESP2 into the radio harness with the radio. The Epicenter and two amps are grounded into the distribution block attached to the 1/0 ground wire.

It sounds like the ESP2 may be causing my problems. Does anyone have any opinions on this?

I agree with your analysis for the ground loop you are hearing and suggest you use a good chassis ground for all components and not the radio harness ground.  As far as the high pitch you are hearing, is this with the truck running or off?  Try bypassing the EQ and see if it dimmishes.

Your Epicenter will not power up at all?  Check for an internal fuse that might have gotten blown when you pulled it from the other vehicle.

The high pitch "hiss" that I am hearing is happening when the engine is and is not running. It sounds just like it would if the amp gains were turned wide open.

I will bypass the eq for sure and post a follow up when I do. I am at work now (unfortunately, I do not work at a mobile electronics place), so I will have to wait till my lunch to do this.

An old friend of mine, David Wood (had the purple Mazda in the Feb. issue of Car Audio and Electronics—the issue with the bright lime green car on the cover) once told me that the best way to do a complex install was to not even use the factory ground in the wiring harness at all. He would run a new black 16 gauge wire from the back of the radio to the main ground distribution block or the ground on one of the amps in order to completely avoid a ground loop. I now wish that I had followed his advice and had done that myself but some things slip your mind at 11pm at night.

As for the Epicenter not working: My wife had informed that during the 2 days between the time the Epicenter was out of the Ranger and before it was installed in the F-150, it was accidently dropped on the floor from a height of about 18 inches (it was sitting on the coffee table and the cat jumped on the table and knocked it off). That could be the problem. I am pretty much counting on having to buy another.

Okay, during my lunch break, I went and bypassed the EQ. I ran a jumper RCA from the back of the radio to the input of the ZX460 and I had no more hissing. Using RCA barrels, I also connected my jumper RCA to the RCA that I originally had going to the EQ. Again, no noise at all, hissing or otherwise. It would be safe to think that the EQ is what is causing the hissing sound. The only question is, how do I stop it?

Well, I didn’t know that! I was originally using a Kicker KQ5 which is really a good EQ. I wanted to go back with my old 920EQ simply b/c I like the display and the features. The Clarion is a 4 or 5 volt out radio. I have found a site on the web that sells the EQ hideaway brains for the Clarion radios that are capable for EQ functioning (such as my 815) for only $41, brand new. The KQ5, unlike the Clarion hideaway EQs, have 8V output. Plus, they are parametric too!

And for the noise, we are suggesting grounding the ESP to the same ground as the amps, right?

$41 for a parametric EQ?  Buy two!

I'd ground the ESP to the closest point available that is direct to the chassis.  If it is mounted in proximity to your amps then yes, you could use your ground distru block.  But if it means you have to run long ground wires back to the block, then you're better off to find a good ground closer to the unit.  Just don't ground it to the vehicle's wiring harness and it should be better... unless, of course, your cat has been at that unit, too!  :)