Soundstream PN4.320 FM issues
I'm afraid my conclusion is the SS PN4.320 amp will not allow FM radio reception to function when installed in a 2011 Road Glide fairing. I velcro'ed the amp on the left side, on the inner failing. here's a photo....
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...mpinstall1.jpg
I have done the following to try to fix the interference problem;
1. 2 ferrites on the power/ground 10ga wire pair. 2 wraps on one, one wrap in the next. (in photo)
2. 1 ferrite in the REM power lead, 3 wraps. (in photo)
3. 1 ferrite on each speaker wire coming from the amp to the Polk crossover box, 2 wraps each.
4. Chassis ground from a screw on the SS amp to frame ground, 10 ga.
5. Chassis ground from the HU to frame ground, 10 ga.
6. All HU and antenna plugs/connections/grounds inspected and fine.
7. Small ground wire from speaker connection harness/plug disconnected and sealed with elec. tape.
Still getting interference. Am I out of options?
Thanks to UN for all his suggestions. The only thing I have not done that you suggested is install capacitors, since I have no real idea how to do what you recommend...
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...mpinstall1.jpg
I have done the following to try to fix the interference problem;
1. 2 ferrites on the power/ground 10ga wire pair. 2 wraps on one, one wrap in the next. (in photo)
2. 1 ferrite in the REM power lead, 3 wraps. (in photo)
3. 1 ferrite on each speaker wire coming from the amp to the Polk crossover box, 2 wraps each.
4. Chassis ground from a screw on the SS amp to frame ground, 10 ga.
5. Chassis ground from the HU to frame ground, 10 ga.
6. All HU and antenna plugs/connections/grounds inspected and fine.
7. Small ground wire from speaker connection harness/plug disconnected and sealed with elec. tape.
Still getting interference. Am I out of options?
Thanks to UN for all his suggestions. The only thing I have not done that you suggested is install capacitors, since I have no real idea how to do what you recommend...
I have pretty much came to the same conclusion, did all the fixes as you and the only answer Ive come up with is to buy more cd's. Mine did improve slightly with the ferrites but it is spotty even with the slight improvement.
I do like how my system sounds though, lol, shame ya cant have it all.
I do like how my system sounds though, lol, shame ya cant have it all.
It looks like you did everything possible, and the install looks very clean indeed. The best we can hope for is that SS improves their filtering in a future version.
Does this amp take out the entire FM band? The 520 I have just affects spots here and there... for example, around 100 MHz.
If you plan to come down towards Austin sometime I'd be interested in having a look at it, but can tell you up front that I would not expect to improve it significantly. Or if you decide to swap with a different amp, I'd be interested in borrowing or buying this one to test for a bit.
Does this amp take out the entire FM band? The 520 I have just affects spots here and there... for example, around 100 MHz.
If you plan to come down towards Austin sometime I'd be interested in having a look at it, but can tell you up front that I would not expect to improve it significantly. Or if you decide to swap with a different amp, I'd be interested in borrowing or buying this one to test for a bit.
Oh and as far as the capacitors, it may or may not be practical. It would be a matter of soldering in some combination of capacitors between the power leads and the the amplifier chassis internally. This is what I might experiment on, but I really doubt that it is a practical fix for anyone other than a electronics technician or hobbiest. SS (or the company they source these from) really needs to improve their filtering.
Class D amps are a very clever and efficient design, but the process of chopping up the DC input (and audio output) in order to step it up inherently creates noise. The designers know this and just didn't put enough effort into filtering it or containing the noise within the amp.
The ferrites you installed resist or absorb some of the noise. The hope with capacitors is that they would present an alternative path to better contain the noise within the amp.
Class D amps are a very clever and efficient design, but the process of chopping up the DC input (and audio output) in order to step it up inherently creates noise. The designers know this and just didn't put enough effort into filtering it or containing the noise within the amp.
The ferrites you installed resist or absorb some of the noise. The hope with capacitors is that they would present an alternative path to better contain the noise within the amp.


