iPod woes with Eclipse CD8443

I am having troubles with my ipod playing nice with my Eclipse CD8443.
My system has in addition to the Eclipse CD8443, 2 JL amps, and 4 JL seperates. Everything sounds good in Radio and CD modes.

When I try to pull audio thru the AUX jack of the Eclipse, I am getting lots of noise. If I take audio out of the ipods dock connector (using devices such as the Belkin auto adapter or Sik adapter (Which I currently use), then it sounds REALLY bad. If I connect the power jack to my cigerette lighter, then I can hear even additional noise. Strangely it all sounds better when I take the audio out of the headphone jack.

Its almost like my Eclipse is picking up noise from this connection. I connected another MP3 player to my AUX jack, and although it sounds better, when I turn on the backlight of this particular player (a Rio player), i get serious noise in the audio.

What can be done to this AUX jack so that it doesn't pick up so much noise from backlights, power connectors or anything else.

Here is some more wierdness, that I think is not necessarly a problem but just a strange way the eclipse works. If you play a source thru the AUX jack, and then switch to radio, you get major noise problems, to where the radio does not sound like anything but noise. I would have thought if you switched from AUX to RADIO on the Eclipse, it would shut down anything its hearing from its AUX jack, but its like its trying to play both....or at the very least the AUX is definitely interfereing with the RADIO. Strangley, it does not effect CD mode. If anyone can test this with an Eclipse deck, preferrably a CD8443, let me know if this is the same behavior for you (play something thru the AUX jack, keep it playing, switch to RADIO/FM and does your radio sound ok?).

The deck is grounded BTW, to the same point as my amps. It almost sounds like the audio is distorting via the AUX jack. When taking audio out of the iPod from the dock connector, its a low level signal, you cant adjust volume, its designed to be amped. When I take it out of the headphone jack, i of course turn the volume down low on the ipod so the signal isnt too hot going into the Eclipse.

I played around with the AUX connections on the deck when I first installed my deck, but haven't since.  I DID notice the AUX noise over the radio thing.  It didn't bother me because I don't use the AUX inputs on a daily basis and never listen the radio.  (It just seems like such a shame not to listen to cd quality sound on that deck).  :-)

I did not experience AUX noise when using the headphone out on my minidisk player.  Your problem sounds like some sort of grounding / power issue to me, but I'll leave that to the pros on the board. 

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New Project: 2003 Pathfinder

Actually, I have done some further research and found what might be happening. The line-out of the iPod is too hot a signal! You cannot adjust the line out volume. When I take it out of the headphone jack, I can adjust the volume, and thus make it acceptable.

On the Eclipse you cannot adjust the input sensitivity (that I know of), so basically the Eclipse is being overdriven.

Does anyone know of an in-line headphone jack style attenuator I can use? Maybe -3 to -10 db or something like that?

Brian

Actually, I have done some further research and found what might be happening. The line-out of the iPod is too hot a signal! You cannot adjust the line out volume. When I take it out of the headphone jack, I can adjust the volume, and thus make it acceptable.

On the Eclipse you cannot adjust the input sensitivity (that I know of), so basically the Eclipse is being overdriven.

Does anyone know of an in-line headphone jack style attenuator I can use? Maybe -3 to -10 db or something like that?

Brian

I added a PAC LC-1 level control and now all is well. The output of the ipod is a bit too much for the high input sensitivity of the Eclipse CD-8443.

Adjusted to 0db and left it, sounds great!

Brian