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I have an odd issue with the factory radio

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Old Nov 22, 2008 | 07:36 AM
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I don't have the L7. When listening to the radio at louder levels, the base (subwoofer) will cut out every once in a while for about a couple of seconds and then kick back in. It doesn't matter whether I'm listening to Sirius, the IPod, or FM, the result is the same. At average volume levels, this does not occur. Have any of you experienced this?
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Old Nov 22, 2008 | 08:13 AM
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My Ride: My ex-ride: EU '08 LCI 520dA. Space Grey, Sport Seats in Black Leather/Fabric Anthracite, Sport Steering Wheel, A/C with Extended Features, Hi-Fi Speakers, Cup Holders, Cruise with Braking function, Folding Rear Seats, Xenons, Park Distance Control.
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Could have something to do with overloading the system,
and your ears for sure.

My (EU) Hi-Fi speaker system (10 loadspeakers, not the L7) can do as much
as the speakers hold without interference and that's very loud to me.
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Old Nov 25, 2008 | 11:28 AM
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Same thing was happening to my subs. I think it was due to overheating on the factory amp as it only happened after listening to moderate level of music for at least 20 mins. When I installed my aftermarket subs/amp I turned the sub output level on the radio all the way down as it was plenty loud and I haven't had the problem since.
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Old Nov 25, 2008 | 12:34 PM
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Originally Posted by ENstig8or' post='728476' date='Nov 22 2008, 11:36 AM
I don't have the L7. When listening to the radio at louder levels, the base (subwoofer) will cut out every once in a while for about a couple of seconds and then kick back in. It doesn't matter whether I'm listening to Sirius, the IPod, or FM, the result is the same. At average volume levels, this does not occur. Have any of you experienced this?
I also have L7 and it handles lows and mid-range quite well ... as you know my son is in music, still has a good ear, and he says to the audio in mine.

I think if you're getting drop-offs on all inputs (Sat/IPOD, etc) it may be a radio problem. Is is just the bass dropping off ?? SAT radio in some areas where you live has a few dead spots.
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Old Nov 25, 2008 | 02:57 PM
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Originally Posted by luigi524td' post='731223' date='Nov 25 2008, 04:34 PM
I also have L7 and it handles lows and mid-range quite well ... as you know my son is in music, still has a good ear, and he says to the audio in mine.

I think if you're getting drop-offs on all inputs (Sat/IPOD, etc) it may be a radio problem. Is is just the bass dropping off ?? SAT radio in some areas where you live has a few dead spots.

It is just the bass, but it doesn't matter whether it's the Sat, Ipod, AM/FM or CD. Sometimes I'll hear a little pop, then the bass drops for a few seconds and then returns. And, when I said louder volumes, I don't mean really cranking it up to ear bleeding levels, just a little above moderate.

I don't have the L7 though unfortunately.
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Old Jan 3, 2010 | 10:26 AM
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Originally Posted by ENstig8or' post='731312' date='Nov 25 2008, 07:57 PM
It is just the bass, but it doesn't matter whether it's the Sat, Ipod, AM/FM or CD. Sometimes I'll hear a little pop, then the bass drops for a few seconds and then returns. And, when I said louder volumes, I don't mean really cranking it up to ear bleeding levels, just a little above moderate.

I don't have the L7 though unfortunately.
ENstig8or, I have this same problem with the 6.5 inch speakers under the seats cutting out from time to time for a few seconds. Like yours, this only occurs after running the stereo at louder volumes. Did you ever figure out the cause of this problem? My guess is that the factory amp that powers those 2 speakers (which I understand is a different amp from the amp that powers the rest of the speakers) is turning itself off to prevent from overheating. I have non-Logic 7 system as well.
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Old Jan 3, 2010 | 04:19 PM
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No, unfortunately the issue is still there. As I expected, the dealer couldn't duplicate the issue, but I can always get it to cut out if I want to. I think they just didn't want to deal with it. My guess is what Ricracing said above. It's probably some overload protection system.
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Old Jan 3, 2010 | 06:07 PM
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Originally Posted by ENstig8or' post='1083663' date='Jan 3 2010, 08:19 PM
No, unfortunately the issue is still there. As I expected, the dealer couldn't duplicate the issue, but I can always get it to cut out if I want to. I think they just didn't want to deal with it. My guess is what Ricracing said above. It's probably some overload protection system.
Sorry to hear that. Yes, this issue is quite annoying. Do you have the bass control turned up relatively high when this happens? When I have experienced it in my car (which I have had for only a week), I have had the bass control set to about halfway between middle, and all the way up (i.e, turned about 3/4 of the way up). I am thinking about adding a separate subwoofer with an aftermarket amp to the trunk, which would then allow me to turn the car bass control setting down to maybe halfway, which I am hoping will eliminate the issue with the 6.5 inch speaker amp overheating and cutting out. However, if this problem will occur no matter where the car bass control setting is, that will be quite disappointing.
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Old Jan 3, 2010 | 07:55 PM
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Originally Posted by ENstig8or' post='1083663' date='Jan 3 2010, 05:19 PM
No, unfortunately the issue is still there. As I expected, the dealer couldn't duplicate the issue, but I can always get it to cut out if I want to. I think they just didn't want to deal with it. My guess is what Ricracing said above. It's probably some overload protection system.

Yes, it could be the amp overheating and going into thermal protection. Your amp is easy to access if you want to use your hand to check temperature. If this is the problem you could add a cooling fan or upgrade the amplifier to solve the issue. In this photo the Hi-Fi amp is the box in the center, between the SAT and the TCU. (The SAT tuner has better cooling then the sub amp, it has a cooling fan and a large heat sink.)
Attached Thumbnails I have an odd issue with the factory radio-hi_fi_sub_amp.jpg  
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Old Jan 3, 2010 | 08:11 PM
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+1 to the overload (or thermal) protection theory...it makes the most sense from a logical standpoint.

The L7 amp has a bunch of fans that, after a period of loud listening, can be heard spinning even after the car is turned off!
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