Having installed the tuner over the weekend (a 5 minute task) I have found a couple of things, some of which may have been fixed in the legendary 2.0

Upon the first startup into tuner, the sound was WAY off. I found that after altering just one setting in the EQ, the sound was changed to how it should have been. I can't get this to repeat so it really isn't much of an issue unless someone doesn't know about it.

the down button on the front panel should be enabled for info/vis switching (2.0?).

I still have my clarion Cd installed (for radio before i got the tuner and now just for CDs). When it is on reception is significantly better, 2 -3 bars better. Why? it runs off a Y-Cable, I haven't tried taking the Y out but sometime I'll try that.

No RDS yet despite solid reception and I had it on the Mk1 when it was installed. Am I missing something.

Murray
Go-Wit-Da-Fro

re better reception with the Clarion on, does your car have an antenna amplifier that the Clarion switches on, but the empeg doesn't?

(list 6284, Mk1 S/N 00299 4GB blue [for sale]. Mk2 S/N 080000094 26GB blue)

I have the amplifier sent with the mk1 but as it is on the shelf in my study, I don't think it's installed.
It is a bog standard antenna, no technical wizzardry like auto-extending type thangs, hyuk. it goes: antenna, cable, splitter, clarion on one side of the split, tuner mod on the other. I want to try putting the amplifier in and not have the splitter in, but this requires a weekend and a deconstruction of the dash as there are a couple of little things I want to do there, (pipe cold air from air-con, add relay to amp trigger, re-align transfunctional dimensionator; tedious stuff)

The empeg tuner seems really sensitive. is there any way to get it to be a little more relaxed on the signal?

Murray
Go-Wit-Da-Fro

I found the sound change problem.

after boot up, if the empeg goes into voltage drop protection, (battery icon comes on) the sound changes. I don't know what setting it goes to but it sounds like the front output is dropped by 6db

I have my front and rear spakers driven from the front output and the sub driven from the rear output. The EQ setting is 4 channel.

hope this helps.

Murray
Go-Wit-Da-Fro

Same here, I had asked on the 'General' board but no one seemed to have the same problem. My rear channel (lows) goes out if battery supply dips (icon appears), leaving me w/no lows, sounding as if the volume has decreased. I have found if I cycle thru the sources back to the original source it goes away and my rear channel comes back on.

#695-Mk2/8 colors-12Gig w/Tuner- awaits v2.x & Voice Recog.

If your empeg displays a battery icon it means the whole car's voltage has dropped seriously.

The reason things get quiet is probably because your amplifiers also drop into "protect" mode in that case.

You should be checking your car battery/alternator/wiring and finding out why your car can't supply enough voltage to run your amps.

It could be something as simple as a loose wiring connection, a blown fuse where you don't know about it, or that you're using too-thing wiring to your amplifier. Or even something as simple as you need a new battery or voltage regulator for the car.

___________
Tony Fabris

I was more or less agreeing w/him that I have same effect when batt. icon appears. I have looked into already about updating my alternator since the amp that's cutting out pulls a lot of juice and my wiring, battery and connections are brand new. I mainly get the vol/amp dropout effects sitting at idle so the alternator isn't putting out quite enough when I have the empeg cranked-600 amps, lights on, & heater blower on high or wipers going. All in all for a stock alt. that's almost 15 years old, not bad, I think it deserves a rest.

#695-Mk2/8 colors-12Gig w/Tuner- awaits v2.x & Voice Recog.

I only get teh battery Icon when starting the car. This doesn't worry me, I've always had it even with a fresh battery.
There is nothing wrong with my wiring or battery

When the power dips, and only in the tuner, the sound is affected in some way.

Murray
Go-Wit-Da-Fro

Oh oh, wait a second. I get the battery icon EVERY time a turn on the engine of my VW. I always assumed it is ok. Have I always been wrong?
To better explain. I get into the car. Power the empeg with the engine still off, listen to it. Than decide to turn on the engine. Do so, empeg goes off, the engine starts, the empeg comes back on and shows the battery icon. Is that fine?

Than you

Taym
_________________________
MK II BLUE/RED 12GB #923

Mine shows it too under the same circumstances. I think it's just the Empeg saying "help, my voltage is lower than I would like and if I don't get juice soon I'm going to power down." I can't imagine it's anything serious.

-Tony
MkII #554

when the engines cranks over before starting, there is a huge current drain resulting in teh lowering of the voltage. The empeg can handle this and puts up the battery icon as a warning. I get the same thing when I run the stereo with the car off for a few hours. The draw of the bass actually drops the voltage below the empeg's threshold. It sutteres the same symptoms. There is a circuit using capacitors which minimises this.
However...

when in tuner mode, the return of power alters the eq/sound settings.
This is abnormal.

Murray
Go-Wit-Da-Fro

I apologise for my dyslexic typing.
in most cases: teh = the
Q.E.D.


Murray
Go-Wit-Da-Fro

You don't need to apologize for accidentally typing "teh". However, I expect a formal, written apology for each incorrect placement of the apostrophe in the words "it's".

___________
Tony Fabris

From what I've heard a few of the cars coming out now seem to have very little headroom when it comes to extra juice. I know a friend's Cougar when you turn on the lights or even just hit the brake lights and the headlights and dash lights dim. Starting a car is different than just sitting idleing which is when the batt. icon comes on for me, sometimes it shuts off completely sitting at a light. When you start a car a starter takes a lot of power out of the battery and there's very little extra margin for extras, sometimes dipping under 9 volts or more for some models. A lot of stop-go driving is very hard on the batteries,they never quite charge up, add some high output amps, cell phone charger, maybe a radar detector, laptop computer and your alt. is humping to get out enough. I would think car manufacturers, given todays power usages in cars by people would beef up the alternators rather than less than they used to be.

#695-Mk2/8 colors-12Gig w/Tuner- awaits v2.x & Voice Recog.

Has anyone else had the problem I describe?
Did anyone not understand what I said.
Its' a travesty

Murray
Go-Wit-Da-Fro

Thought it was, guess not. If your amp is not going into protection mode then it's different, from what you said it sounded like it happens when you start the car?

#695-Mk2/8 colors-12Gig w/Tuner- awaits v2.x & Voice Recog.

It's definitely the empeg.
When i change the EQ settings, even just switch the presets to and fro, the sound returns to normal. My bass amp is of better quality and has a 1.5 sec delay when powering up. It is quite definitely there. the front output seems to be attenuated until I change the EQ settings.
I have a EQ preset in 4 ch mode, front OP to highs, rear OP to sub. The fronts are affected.
I don't know if it is just a high freq thing as the sub goes thru a LPF before the amp.

ni!

Murray
Go-Wit-Da-Fro

"Upon the first startup into tuner, the sound was WAY off. I found that after altering just one setting in the EQ, the sound was changed to how it should have been. I can't get this to repeat so it really isn't much of an issue unless someone doesn't know about it. "

I have noticed this behavior too, but I don't have to have the tuner on at all for this to happen. It happens quite frequently when I get into the car. Something is definitely wrong. When I installed the tuner, I put in a new wiring loom, so I don't think its a loose wire. I hope its a software problem that will be fixed in 2.0.

Sean

Thanks!!!
I was beginning to think my ears were phsychoacoustically defective.

Murray
Go-Wit-Da-Fro