Ground loop introduced by my DSP.

I've been reading these forums for quite a bit of time now and have learned a good amount. I'm hoping you guys may be able to give me a little help :) Thanks.

On to my question...

Is it a bad idea to incorporate a distribution block for my grounds? For instance..in the front cabin of the car I have numerous devices that need to be grounded. However they're regular ground wire sizes are roughly 18 gauge. If I were to incorporate a Dblock with an 8 gauge main to the car, would that be better than trying to find little places to ground all of those damned wires?

Another question, partly relevant. In my system I've installed a Pioneer DEQ-7000p DSP. Now before this installation I had minimal system noise. I mean..You could BARELY hear it. After installing this its become horrid! Its SO loud its almost unbearable. Not to mention my subs now thump upon turn on of the amps. They don't do this without the DSP installed. I'm 1/3 the way through upgrading "The BIG 3"..I know this won't solve my issue completely. However I don't want a delay relay to bandaid the problem of the "Thump" either. Any recommendations or ideas?~Thanksoh in case you're wondering..this is my equipment:Pioneer DVH-p5000MPPioneer DEQ-7000P- Wired to deck via Fiber optic line.Hifonics Zeus 6400ZXHifonics Brutus 1500DKicker 6.2s in front and rearKicker L7 12D4 x2Stinger wiring throughout car HPM Platinum Series. All wiring including RCA's.0 gauge from Yellow top optima to a Dblock in trunk.4 gauge to each amp.0 gauge ground from grounding foot to a another Dblock in trunk. 4 gauge grounds to the amps.

The One&Only!

Using a Dblock for the ground will not induce extra noise into your system.  Jeff

Velocity Custom Home Theater

Mobile Audio/Video Specialist

Morden, Manitoba CANADA

Velocity Motors wrote: Using a Dblock for the ground will not induce extra noise into your system.

Thanks...But will it be a better alternative than say trying to ground all of those wires seperately?

The One&Only!

Your situation is not all that unusual as any additional equipment in the signal path can introduce noise, and in my experience Pioneer gear seems more prone to it than any other brand.  First, using a common ground with a d-block is a good idea and can in many cases be better than seperate grounds.  Second, your ground loop may not be related to the actual ground connection but to different ground planes inside the gear.  After you run your new common ground and if the problem still exists, try this: connect a wire between the case of the DSP and the case of your HU and see if it helps.  You may also need to ground the outer ring of the RCA cable between the HU and the DSP or between the DSP and your amp to the case of one or the other.  Pioneer preamps commonly have bad ground planes...Support the12volt.com

That makes sense..when grounding the rca's, is that just from one line or is for each pair? I have 3 pairs running from my amps to the dsp :) I'm have I stinger Bullet series RCA's... I'll try the case groundings next. Thank you. The One&Only!