the topic pretty much sums it up, when i turn the volume up on my Kenwood KDC-X679, i hear static/popping sounds from the speakers. what could be causing this?

Edit: it seems to happen at high volume too, sounds like a spark going off or something. could it be the terminals?

 

hmmm....sounds like some interference between your amp(s) power and signal wires..... maybe a ground loop isolater will help....where's engifineer??

 

I was using solder before for the power, ground, and constant 12v but I used quick disconnect terminals from radio shack/lowes to do the work. Could this be causing the problem?

 

shouldn't be...unless you didn't connect the wires together well...

 

Is this occurring without the engine running?

 

I can try it with the engine off and see if it "clicks" (the sound of a spark). Is there anything else you want me to check before posting back?

 

Not that I can think of... does it only do it when you adjust the volume?

 

It happens on some songs, when the engine is on and off. Im going to a car shop tomorrow to see if they can give me some insight on why this is happening.

 

it sounds as if it is a defect in the volume control in head unit, or possibly somewhere in the external amp. If it is in the head unit it sounds more like a signal is not being "de-bounced" within the amp, or that one of the buttons is arcing enough to produce harmonics which eventually make it through the amp. Without looking at it personally it is hard to tell though.

One last question, if you turn it up to make it pop, and leave the volume at that spot, does it continue to pop? This may suggest that there is a near short within the audio cabling that is allowing an occassional arc when the signal is large enough.

An easy thing to try though, may be grounding. Since all of your filters within the head unit and amp rely on good grounding, try getting a decent peice of wire and running a second ground from your head unit to a good spot on the car. For testing, if you have a long peice of 10 or 12 awg wire, try running it straight to the battery negative to see if that solves the issue. If so, find a good solid spot and re-run the orignal ground.

Hope this helps a little!

 

mine does this too but i have a kenwood ddx7015...thought it might just be the speakers b/c i listen to my music really loud...