Audio - AUX IN audio hiss/buzzing noise issues ? VE 2007

[goldvn05]

hi all,
on Calais V 2007 model.
does anyone have an audio hissing/buzzing sounds, when using the AUX IN jack to play music from phone/mp3 devices etc. sounds like an audible tacho etc when either silent or low volume music etc.

The hissing/buzzing noise is exactly like back in the day(many years ago) needed to add some high/low pass filter to electrical wiring to not get engine noise(electrical noise) on old car stereos in old cars.

surely the modern equivalents don't suffer from this(hopefully)
any ideas suggestions ? thanks

 

[TinSnips]

yep. I don't have the issue with just a normal 3.5mm jack but any sort of thing that also charges the ipod - ie plugs into the 12v socket in the centre console - gives off that exact noise. Which is a shame, as I recently picked up a kensington thing that had a little remote that I fixed to the door handle on the skin and it was a great idea - but the sound was garbage. They sent me a noise canceling cable that was meant to fix the issue which it did - but it also killed the right channel of music - so you only got half a stereo sound - didn't merge them, just played one channel. They reckon it's something to do with a poorly earthed head unit (or something geek-speak to that effect), which doesn't really surprise me.

Regular double-ended 3.5mm jack will work fine.

 

[goldvn05]

.

Regular double-ended 3.5mm jack will work fine.

Hi TinSnips, does above mean this is a fix for the issue ? or you still have the issue due to the " poorly grounded head unit" etc

 

[TinSnips]

not a fix - but a simple twin-plug cable doesn't seem to suffer from the same noise intrusion as a charger/cable or whatever - if that makes sense.

 

[goldvn05]

thanks, unfortunately for me, im already using and 3.5 to 3.5 mm cable(non charger), but use a separate charger, so i guess this is the culprit.

am reading about such units(in usa) that claim to resolve this, but so far not found sellers in aust or any reasonable price/postage to aust. ( PAC SNI-1/3.5 NOISE FILTER )

 

[yZoH]

Most mp3 devices, Once you have a charger plugged in, they will get an audible interferance through the 3.5mm socket.

You have to remember, Running any audio from a 3.5mm eg: iPod into a Headunit is completely stupid.

Any "headphone" socket is pre-amplified, An then running into a headunit again creates a poor audio quality.

 

[TinSnips]

Most mp3 devices, Once you have a charger plugged in, they will get an audible interferance through the 3.5mm socket.

You have to remember, Running any audio from a 3.5mm eg: iPod into a Headunit is completely stupid.

Any "headphone" socket is pre-amplified, An then running into a headunit again creates a poor audio quality.

Strange that the only way to even get an acceptable result is from headphone socket to 3.5mm input socket on the HU with no charger - the thing I picked up ran out of the main socket of the ipod (the one you charge it from) and then from that to the 3.5mm socket on the HU. The interference was intolerable. The simple cable option is the only way I can actually use an ipod in the car (which happens very rarely anyway).

 

[boneart]

Noise when using charger

I had the same issue in my VE SS and it drove me mad so I did a lot of research on causes and solutions.

The Cause:
Apparently it is a "ground loop" issue.
Basically the stereo system and its components are grounded to the vehicle along a set path. However the car charger socket is grounded along a different path. Each of those devices individually operate fine but when you connect them together with an audio cable it causes an imbalance in the grounding hence the interference.
In other words if you connected an ipod with its own speakers attached to just the charger socket it would be fine but when you connect the Ipod charger to one circuit and then connect the Ipod audio cable to the stereo system on another circuit you link the two circuits together causing the problem.

The Solution.
1. Don't connect the charger at the same time as you are connected to the auxiliary on the stereo system.
2. Put a "ground loop isolator" between the Ipod and the auxiliary input on the stereo.
You can get them with the 3.5 pin input/output connectors used on the Ipod and auxiliary port on the stereo. They are just a small box about 50mm long with a short cable at each end so will easily fit in the front compartment out of the way and they range on average from $30 to $50 (electronics stores or eBay etc)
The ground loop isolator will reduce the sound output (poor quality ones by a lot) so you will need to increase the volume on the stereo. Don't forget to turn the sound down before changing the source if switching from Ipod to CD or radio.

Cheers

Don

 

[Coast_Calais]

+1 for it being a ground loop....

your choices,

1. Don't charge your device whilst listening to it via 3.5mm AUX

2. Buy a crud 'ground loop isolator' (they have a noticeable effect on audio cause they're just a band-pass filter)

3. Depending on your device (some have kits available,, particularly ipod/iphone); buy an integration harness which utilizes the rear-aux from headunit (and is switchable if you also have rear DVD installed) and will use your ipod line out and charge.. win win

 

[TinSnips]

The ground loop isolator is what I got for mine - doesn't work. As I said, it cuts the interference but also the right channel - so is just as bad or worse than not having it.