Originally Posted by Nexxus
I have installed a new radio unit, but I have a very unusual problem....
Seems that the CD output is WAY lower than the Radio output. If I switch between the two, the Radio seems to be amplified and the CD out is not. I am using the RCA outputs on the new stereo.
Its almost as if the build in car amp turns on, but only amplifies the Radio output. I cannot figure out what I am doing wrong, or if the radio just has a really bad amplifier for the CD portion.
I would appreciate any help you may have. Anyone else have this issue?
Consult your new unit manual...
The moderate to high end units have a feature that allows you to adjust the volume for each mode (radio, cd, aux, etc) so that they are all equal in loudness, which reduces the need to adjust your volume control when you switch from one to another. For example, this exerpt from my Pioneer Manual...
Adjusting source levels
SLA (source level adjustment) lets you adjust
the volume level of each source to prevent radical
changes in volume when switching between
sources.
1. Compare the FM tuner volume level
with the level of the source you wish to adjust.
2. Use MULTI-CONTROL to select SLA.
SLA
appears in the display.
3. Push MULTI-CONTROL up or down to
adjust the source volume.
Each time
MULTI-CONTROL is pushed up or down, source volume increases or decreases. +4 to –4 is displayed as the source volume is increased or decreased.
<end example user manual entry>
If all signals are going to the factory amp via the same harness, the factory amp is just going to amplify the signal without any regard for whether its FM, AM, CD, AUX etc. It doesn't "know" anything about where the signal is coming from so has no way to change loudness depending on the mode.