Static / Cackling on one channel when amp / HU on - OEM Entune + Kenwood Amp

I'm using this thread to do a little thinking out loud and hoping someone might have some input into what I'm seeing.

My setup is as follows:

• Entune 2.0 Premium HU (non-JBL)
• Kenwood X802-5 Amp
• Kenwood Remote Bass Knob
• Kicker / Subaru Tweeters
• Kicker 6 x 9 Front
• Kicker 6.75 Rear
• JL Stealth Box
• CarABC CarPlay Module

I have a harness that splits the speaker wiring to the amp and then returns the amplified signal back into the OEM wiring. The CarABC module is also in-line with the HU.

I've been noticing some intermittent static / cackling in my left front channel (tweeter and door speaker). It almost sounds like basic radio static that tends to grow in volume until it disappears completely. It's somewhat random in that I can be quiet for a day and then I'll have another day it happens constantly.

What is interesting is on my commute to and from work the static seems to appear in somewhat of the same geographic locale, although not every time (or maybe it's the point I notice it in the same places).

It will happen with just the ignition on with the truck off including all lights. I will notice it no matter what the source is (AM / FM / BT / USB). I can pan the audio to the rear channel and I still get the same static / noise in my right front speaker. When I reboot the HU the static will temporarily drop (as expected).

My gut (unfortunately) thinks this is an amp channel issue. I'm just trying to think of the best way to troubleshoot this. My thought process is this:

1. Bypass my amp altogether and retain the CarABC unit. This would rule out that it's an amp issue. If it stays it's either the HU or the CarABC unit.
2. Bypass the CarABC unit if the static stays.
3. Reconnect the amp and see if the static moves with the channel (I would assume it would if the channel is bad).
4. Reach out to Crutchfield about the warranty (It's 2-years, I received the amp 3/2021, so I should still be good).

My questions are as follows:

• Would a bad ground act up on just one channel?
• Would a loose speaker connection (either at the amp or at the speaker) cause this behavior? Since I can see it on the tweeter and on the door speaker, I'd assume one doesn't impact the other?
• What am I missing?

I need to block out some time to tear into this when it's not super cold, but I don't want to miss a window to have the amp repaired if it's something intrinsic to the amp itself.

 

You’re on the right track. Check the connections of the speaker wire both behind the headunit AND the speaker. Sounds to me like a loose connection. Another possibility is a blown speaker. Can you localize if it’s the tweeter or the 6x9? Another possibility is the headunit itself. 8 years is pretty good for an OEM headunit.

Here’s something to try. Go from your phone into the amp with the headphone adapter and a 3.5mm to RCA cable. Don’t screw with the gain, just listen for the static. That bypasses the deck, to indicate/eliminate it. It will also indicate/eliminate the amp.

 

Thanks for the advice!

I had a day off today so I did a little poking around and I think I might have solved it. I popped off my door panel and checked the door speaker connection (as I had sound deadened the door). I used an adapter harness to go from the OEM style connection to the more common spade style. I re-seated the OEM style connector to be safe, the spade connectors were in solid.

I didn’t want to get into the tweeter yet, but I haven’t been in there since I installed them many moons ago and the noise was on both the tweeter and the door speaker which points towards a channel issue rather than a specific speaker (hopefully).

I opened up the dash and bypassed the Carabc CarPlay module and put it back together taking care to reseat all the connectors. Granted, this means I’ve changed (3) things at once which is never ideal in troubleshooting, but here we are.

The end result is silence…beautiful beautiful silence. (At least for the first half hour I drove). If I was a betting man, I would say that the CarPlay module has some level of noise in the circuitry which is amplified by my amp signal.

It’ll be a shame to lose the module, but if I’m being 100% honest I basically never use it outside of screen mirroring YouTube for the kids on long car rides. The drawbacks that are well known with those modules do outweighs the positives (although it was nice using Waze when I was on a time crunch compared to the OEM nav). I’ll probably pull it out of the dash and list it on here for like 60% of retail for someone that isn’t using an amplifier.

If the static shows back up, I’ll dig out the RCA adapter (assuming it’s in my box of antiquated cables that I refuse to trash) and follow your guide.

 

if your issue persists, i would also try flipping left/right amp inputs, and separately, the amp outputs.

that would indicate if it was an input issue leading to the amp, an amp issue, or a speaker issue