EA1251 & sound system upgrade - help needed

[cyrus_b]

hi guys,

Just had an upgrade done to my car (MY07 GT - w/ Mcintosh - this is the post-facelift model with the MP3 playing headunit) at GL Pro Sound in Keilor, VIC. They put in my Alpine PDX 5 amp, an Alpine Type R 12" sub and a Clarion EA1251.

However, the EA1251 doesnt appear to work correctly: when i connect my 80GB ipod Classic (the latest one, with the alluminium face), the ipod responds with the standard Clarion screen. The Mcintosh headunit displays the correct information, allowing me to select the playlists i have renamed as "clarion1, clarion2..." etc. The play timer begins on the headunit display and i can scroll through the songs in the list. The song names appear to change on the ipod screen, and the small play icon appears in the top left corner (of the ipod).
This is all normal; the problem is that no sound can be heard. A slight increase in hiss can be heard after connecting the ipod, and if the volume is turned all the way up a slight clicking noise can be heard (i think possibly only from the front right tweeter). It appears as if the song is playing correctly but for some reason the sound is not playing.
Also, the ipod doesnt go back to the main menu straight after unpluggin it from the EA1251. I have to let it turn of by itself first.
Does anyone know of this problem, or what i might have done wrong to cause this? The guys at GL said the install for the unit was simple, they didnt mention any issues with it. I need some help as i have very little experience in car stereos, let alone this one.

A note one the sound upgrade: they connected my Alpine amp to the factory amp (as a passthrough) because of the din plug coming from the headunit. Would they have had to use convertors? I was told by GL that this would be fine and sound great....

I've been left with a substantial hiss in the system - im assuming this is because of the setup with 2 amps.
I've gotten in touch with No Limit Electronics who say they can rewire RCA plugs from the headunit, and im hoping this gets rid of the hiss and improves the sound quality/clarity a bit more. Any advice on this process? They've quoted me $250 for the rewire plus refitting for $75. Does that sound about right?

I know i've been suggested to do sound deadening also, but i wanted a bit more power from the system first, and the amp has given that, just without great clarity and this hiss is really annoying! I will perform the deadening later down the track, maybe with someone who can help me...

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, espec getting the EA1251 to work correctly, thanks!

[Deluded]

hey mate...

why don't you disconnect the amps and go back to the basics first....the ipod , ea1251 and head unit.... see if it produces and sound....

the ea1251 is a straight forward plug and play and I don't have the additional componentry that you have , but mine works.... so if you can try that first...

happy to meet up somewhere convenient to analyse with ya

** oops just saw that you're in Melbourne.....sorry about that

[cyrus_b]

ok well i dunno if anyone is paying attention to this thread - but i had No limit electronics look at the system, they said the current setup was messed up and would blow the alpine amp.

they did an rca conversion on the mac and disconnected the convertors and factory amp. the hiss has died down considerably but is still there at low volumes. anyone got any advice on this??

and the EA1251 has been fixed, not sure what was wrong but when it was plugged back in it worked a treat. im just not too happy with the sound quality but im guessing theres not much i can do about that. however, they did sound better on my pioneer deck with an ipod in my old astra.

my further concern is the quality of the audio: it still sounds shite. it still requires a tune up but im not convinced its a very good setup. at high volumes it still distorts and the clarity of the music is not very good. i assumed replacing the mac amp would help with this.

what should i do to achieve a better quality sound, considering my new setup? do the mac speakers really need to be replaced? will sound deadening make the greatest difference? or am i asking too much of the mcintosh head unit? or is my amp rubbish (hope not since its brand new and i was told it was decent)

i think sound deadening is the next step, i just feel it is very expensive and im worried it wont make a great deal of difference to the sound quality... it costs almost as much as a new set of speakers!

thanks, cy

[Deluded]

can't help you there mate....

I've got stock everything bar the Ipod adapter.... and am pretty happy with the sound .... but horses for courses......

I think there have been previous threads discussing alternatives to the Mac....or ways to enhance it.... haven't followed those discussion threads so ... try a search??

[cpitts]

Replied here: http://forum.liberty.asn.au/viewtopic.php?p=82599#p82599