# Head Unit Error Message



## JH1973 (Apr 21, 2017)

I have a Kenwood DDX374BT double din touch screen,2amps and a DSP.I have gotten this error code 3 times now in the last few weeks....."Miswiring DC offset error"....If I reset the unit it goes away and is fine for a while until it happens again.Could this be detecting a short anywhere in the system or only from wires connected directly to the HU itself?


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## 20to20 (Mar 3, 2017)

Its more than likely shorted speaker wire that's connected to the head unit.. can u turn off the internal power IC inside that h/u since your not using it anyways?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## JH1973 (Apr 21, 2017)

You mean turn off the internal amp inside the HU? I don't know and I do have the rear speaker outputs hooked to the rear speakers for rear fill though I disconnected them temporarily at the speaker.They're fine as the stock speaker plug is on the end ans no metal is touching the chassis.


20to20 said:


> Its more than likely shorted speaker wire that's connected to the head unit.. can u turn off the internal power IC inside that h/u since your not using it anyways?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## 20to20 (Mar 3, 2017)

Yeah I mean turn off the internal amp...u should use a multimeter to check the resistance of the speaker wires hooked up to the radio harness 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## JH1973 (Apr 21, 2017)

I guess what baffles me about this is that it only happens every so often(5 days). I would think it'd be constant if it's a ground issue.


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## JH1973 (Apr 21, 2017)

20to20 said:


> Yeah I mean turn off the internal amp...u should use a multimeter to check the resistance of the speaker wires hooked up to the radio harness
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Ok,can you explain what you mean by this?How would I do it and why?


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## Sine Swept (Sep 3, 2010)

If you are using the rear speaker outputs, did you happen to insulate the wires that would feed the front speakers?


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## JH1973 (Apr 21, 2017)

Sine Swept said:


> If you are using the rear speaker outputs, did you happen to insulate the wires that would feed the front speakers?


I taped them off with electrical tape.I haven't had any issues with this in months but now just recently it started again.The last 2 times it happened I may have gotten a clue.Running a 40hz test tone to sub only(all other channels muted)and turned it way up....boom...miswiring dc offset error.I unmuted the other speakers and was getting sound out of all them.Only sub was completely off.Wiring at the terminal looked fine.Reset the HU and called it a night.Don't feel like ripping apart my car to check all the wiring.Back in August when it first happened I did pull the HU and check the harness but everything looked fine.No exposed wires or wires touching metal,etc.

It's an annoying problem that is not constant but I never know when it will happen.

FWIW........I disconnected my rear speakers right at the speakers in the deck a few months back.Trying to see if I like it without rear fill.


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## JH1973 (Apr 21, 2017)

Ok,so could I use my multimeter to check resistance/continuity on all the speaker wires in the system?The error message is indicative of a speaker wire short.If I could do that what would the best way to do it be?


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## JH1973 (Apr 21, 2017)

I'm remembering something I did that may be contributing to this issue,then again maybe not.I was testing voltage at the RCA coming from the HU and accidentally the probe touched the pin and outer shield at the same time.There was no spark or issue at the time but I wonder if maybe that damaged the inside of the HU?Thoughts on that anybody?


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## Sine Swept (Sep 3, 2010)

You will usually know right away when dealing with the radios RCA outputs. If an amped speaker grounds out it can quite often take a transistor out in the radio and sometimes leave the amp itself undamaged. I have heard this referred to as "tractor pull".


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## JH1973 (Apr 21, 2017)

This problem still occurs and I'm at my wits end.I notice that it happens when the music is up high.It never happens at lower listening levels.Does anybody have any idea what this could be or is there a good test I could do to figure it out?


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## JH1973 (Apr 21, 2017)

Bump,it's still happening from time to time.Anybody got any ideas? The biggest clue that I have is that it only occurs when the volume is very high.That would seem to me that the hotter the signal is pumping out of the HU the more likely it is to set the code off.


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## GEM592 (Jun 19, 2015)

Something's wrong.

Deck, DSP, or how deck and DSP are interacting.


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## JH1973 (Apr 21, 2017)

GEM592 said:


> Something's wrong.
> 
> Deck, DSP, or how deck and DSP are interacting.


My next to-do is doing a very thorough test session to see if any RCA's or wires are showing continuity with ground.Problem with that is it's an intermittent issue.Doesn't happen all the time.

For the time being I disconnected power at the battery so now only the HU is on in silence.Its cranked all the way so if it trips the code then the HU is the issue.So hard to troubleshoot when the problem is intermittent and unpredictable.


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## JH1973 (Apr 21, 2017)

So first test is done.Radio did not trip a code with volume cranked way up.Next test is plugging the back speakers back in which are running off the HU.The fader is set all the way forward so the back speakers will essentially be muted which is how I normally run it.If the HU trips a code like that then it's either the stock speaker wire or one of the stock speakers,we'll see.

Again,the problem is intermittent but the commonality is that it occurs only when volume is very high.


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## Hanatsu (Nov 9, 2010)

Disconnect all speaker wires, if it occurs anyway you have a shorted or damaged amplifier IC. You can screw off the metal plate that acts as cooling panel or whatever and check the the IC if there's any corrosion/burn marks at the base of it.


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## JH1973 (Apr 21, 2017)

Hanatsu said:


> Disconnect all speaker wires, if it occurs anyway you have a shorted or damaged amplifier IC. You can screw off the metal plate that acts as cooling panel or whatever and check the the IC if there's any corrosion/burn marks at the base of it.


Thank you for that feedback Han.It's very different than what others are saying and have said thusfar.So you do think it could be a problem beyond the HU and not just with the HU itself even though the error is coming from the HU?

I will try your suggestion if the few more tests I'm conducting don't reveal anything.Its a lot of work for me to do what you suggest because my amps and DSP are mounted under the seats.The wires are not easy to get at so I have to unbolt both seats to get at them.


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## Hanatsu (Nov 9, 2010)

That error message is a ”protect mode” if the HU detects DC offset or a short on the outputs. If the speaker wires are disconnected, then the issue is internal.

Not your amplifiers, the amplifier IC (the built in amp in the headunit)


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## JH1973 (Apr 21, 2017)

Hanatsu said:


> That error message is a ”protect mode” if the HU detects DC offset or a short on the outputs. If the speaker wires are disconnected, then the issue is internal.
> 
> Not your amplifiers, the amplifier IC (the built in amp in the headunit)


Thanks for clarifying that....


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## JH1973 (Apr 21, 2017)

So I removed the Kenwood HU and inspected all the wiring.No visible problems whatsoever.I did a very thorough job with the wiring back there so I'm confident that's not the issue.I also checked each speaker wire from the harness plug for ground resistance to the negative battery post.Everything checked out fine except for the illumination wire.That was reading around .8 but I would assume that's normal?

So for now I completely disconnected the amplifier RCA's and remote turn on plus both rear speakers so the HU is all by itself just playing sine waves at full tilt.I will ride around like this for some time and see if the HU trips that code.


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## JH1973 (Apr 21, 2017)

It could be the processor causing this.When it trips I still have sound coming out of every speaker at very low levels but there is noticeable distortion in the tweeters like they're playing a full range signal.So it's as if the output levels are all way down and the Xovers are completely off.Almost like a factory setting?


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## JH1973 (Apr 21, 2017)

Well HU hasn't tripped the code yet while playing all by itself and nothing hooked up so I tried hooking up back speakers and again it has not tripped the code.

So now I hooked up subwoofer RCA's and subwoofer plus rear speakers.I'll crank it like this for a while and see if it trips.


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## GEM592 (Jun 19, 2015)

Is this that install where you're running a miniDSP and that fosgate, etc?

Have you checked if varying the DSP levels (say turning them down somewhat for now) changes anything?

So you are just using the internal deck amp for rear fill? If so, there might be some problem with that load, or how you are driving them.

The test you are doing now makes some sense, but it seems to me there is something about the load (DSP input) that the deck doesn't like. So it might be some setup issue, for example. I'm not sure decks and DSPs always get along. 

I might be misunderstanding the whole thing if so apologies. Two cents, best of luck.


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## GEM592 (Jun 19, 2015)

Maybe, in pursuing your troubleshooting, the next step should be just re-introducing the rear speakers and checking for the code (leave RCA outs to DSP disconnected). I think you are using rear amplified deck outputs for rear-fill?


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## GEM592 (Jun 19, 2015)

JH1973 said:


> I taped them off with electrical tape.I haven't had any issues with this in months but now just recently it started again.The last 2 times it happened I may have gotten a clue.Running a 40hz test tone to sub only(all other channels muted)and turned it way up....boom...miswiring dc offset error.I unmuted the other speakers and was getting sound out of all them.Only sub was completely off.Wiring at the terminal looked fine.Reset the HU and called it a night.Don't feel like ripping apart my car to check all the wiring.Back in August when it first happened I did pull the HU and check the harness but everything looked fine.No exposed wires or wires touching metal,etc.
> 
> It's an annoying problem that is not constant but I never know when it will happen.
> 
> FWIW........I disconnected my rear speakers right at the speakers in the deck a few months back.Trying to see if I like it without rear fill.


This makes me think you might want to repeat this test with another sub amp. Maybe you're just stressing the sub amp, and the deck detects it. I don't know what you're running for the amp/sub etc.


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## JH1973 (Apr 21, 2017)

GEM592 said:


> Is this that install where you're running a miniDSP and that fosgate, etc?
> 
> Have you checked if varying the DSP levels (say turning them down somewhat for now) changes anything?
> 
> ...


Yep,that's the system.I do agree with you at this point that it has something to do with his the HU and processor are communicating.After the rigorous tests I put the HU through it has proven to hold up just fine.When I originally set the gains on the processor with an O-scope the inputs went to +8 and I left the output channels at 0.Maybe if I bring the inputs to around +4 and then raise the outputs to +4 it might stop triggering the HU? FWIW...the Kenwood puts out 3.8v clean Max and the Mini can take up to 8v in.


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## GEM592 (Jun 19, 2015)

JH1973 said:


> Yep,that's the system.I do agree with you at this point that it has something to do with his the HU and processor are communicating.After the rigorous tests I put the HU through it has proven to hold up just fine.When I originally set the gains on the processor with an O-scope the inputs went to +8 and I left the output channels at 0.Maybe if I bring the inputs to around +4 and then raise the outputs to +4 it might stop triggering the HU? FWIW...the Kenwood puts out 3.8v clean Max and the Mini can take up to 8v in.


That is the type of adjustment I was suggesting. You are on the right track, matter of time.


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## JH1973 (Apr 21, 2017)

GEM592 said:


> JH1973 said:
> 
> 
> > Yep,that's the system.I do agree with you at this point that it has something to do with his the HU and processor are communicating.After the rigorous tests I put the HU through it has proven to hold up just fine.When I originally set the gains on the processor with an O-scope the inputs went to +8 and I left the output channels at 0.Maybe if I bring the inputs to around +4 and then raise the outputs to +4 it might stop triggering the HU? FWIW...the Kenwood puts out 3.8v clean Max and the Mini can take up to 8v in.
> ...


GEM,here's the strange part about when this error code trips and I did mention this above somewhere.So when it trips there is still sound coming out of every speaker(including sub) at an extremely low level.Funny thing is the tweeters are totally distorted like they are playing a full range signal.So the processor and amps are still producing sound but it's as if the processors output levels are WAY down and all the Xovers are off.Weird?


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## GEM592 (Jun 19, 2015)

JH1973 said:


> GEM,here's the strange part about when this error code trips and I did mention this above somewhere.So when it trips there is still sound coming out of every speaker(including sub) at an extremely low level.Funny thing is the tweeters are totally distorted like they are playing a full range signal.So the processor and amps are still producing sound but it's as if the processors output levels are WAY down and all the Xovers are off.Weird?


That could just be what happens when it goes safety, on lots of decks you'll get a small amount of output when muting or similar, not uncommon.


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## JH1973 (Apr 21, 2017)

GEM592 said:


> JH1973 said:
> 
> 
> > GEM,here's the strange part about when this error code trips and I did mention this above somewhere.So when it trips there is still sound coming out of every speaker(including sub) at an extremely low level.Funny thing is the tweeters are totally distorted like they are playing a full range signal.So the processor and amps are still producing sound but it's as if the processors output levels are WAY down and all the Xovers are off.Weird?
> ...


I get that but why would the tweeters be playing a full range signal?The processors Xovers are apparently turned off when it happens.


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## GEM592 (Jun 19, 2015)

JH1973 said:


> I get that but why would the tweeters be playing a full range signal?The processors Xovers are apparently turned off when it happens.


Who knows. Chips get confused.


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## JH1973 (Apr 21, 2017)

Well,made a little progress tonight.With all RCA's hooked up but all channels muted in the DSP the code tripped while playing a 40hz tone at full tilt.I checked the AC voltage at the preamps in HU while it was tripped and tone was still going full tilt.No voltage at all as where normally with a 40hz tone full tilt it puts out 3.4-3.6v.

So now I know it MTL has nothing to do with speakers but I'm not sure if it's an HU problem or what so now I completely disconnected all RCA's and remote turn on so amplifiers are not in the chain at all.Back to isolating the HUand seeing if it trips.


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## GEM592 (Jun 19, 2015)

JH1973 said:


> Well,made a little progress tonight.With all RCA's hooked up but all channels muted in the DSP the code tripped while playing a 40hz tone at full tilt.I checked the AC voltage at the preamps in HU while it was tripped and tone was still going full tilt.No voltage at all as where normally with a 40hz tone full tilt it puts out 3.4-3.6v.
> 
> So now I know it MTL has nothing to do with speakers but I'm not sure if it's an HU problem or what so now I completely disconnected all RCA's and remote turn on so amplifiers are not in the chain at all.Back to isolating the HUand seeing if it trips.


I don't know why you would want to isolate the deck from here. You were doing that, and it was fine, then you introduced the DSP with channels off and it tripped?

Try just driving the subs at a high level without the DSP and see if it trips. Either that, or try driving subs as before (40 Hz, high level) with a different amp. 

Your previous test suggests there is something wrong in the sub channel, and probably the deck is just reacting to it.


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## JH1973 (Apr 21, 2017)

GEM592 said:


> I don't know why you would want to isolate the deck from here. You were doing that, and it was fine, then you introduced the DSP with channels off and it tripped?
> 
> Try just driving the subs at a high level without the DSP and see if it trips. Either that, or try driving subs as before (40 Hz, high level) with a different amp.
> 
> Your previous test suggests there is something wrong in the sub channel, and probably the deck is just reacting to it.


Ok,so you're saying to run an RCA from the sub preouts behind the deck straight to the sub amp(bypassing the DSP completely)and drive them at a high level?If HU doesn't trip then ther is something wrong in the sub channel of the DSP,right?


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## GEM592 (Jun 19, 2015)

JH1973 said:


> Ok,so you're saying to run an RCA from the sub preouts behind the deck straight to the sub amp(bypassing the DSP completely)and drive them at a high level?If HU doesn't trip then ther is something wrong in the sub channel of the DSP,right?


Yes worth a try.

I am willing to bet it won't trip, particularly since it did apparently with the DSP hooked up and muted. This would point to the DSP, or its setup.

If it does, you know it's probably not the DSP at least. In this case, the problem is probably with the sub amp or sub itself.


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## JH1973 (Apr 21, 2017)

GEM592 said:


> Yes worth a try.
> 
> I am willing to bet it won't trip, particularly since it did apparently with the DSP hooked up and muted. This would point to the DSP, or its setup.
> 
> If it does, you know it's probably not the DSP at least. In this case, the problem is probably with the sub amp or sub itself.


I'll try it but I'll tell you the most frustrating thing is how intermittent the problem is.I tried getting it to trip under the same conditions(DSP hooked up but all channels muted)again for an hour straight and it wouldn't.I just don't know how to get it to trip on demand which would make troubleshooting much easier.


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## GEM592 (Jun 19, 2015)

That is interesting.

Have you ever been able to trip it with the DSP completely removed? I know with only the deck on and disconnected the answer is no, but even if you connected your amps and ran power will the error message appear?

Seems like something's up with the DSP. Did you double check its connections?


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## JH1973 (Apr 21, 2017)

GEM592 said:


> That is interesting.
> 
> Have you ever been able to trip it with the DSP completely removed? I know with only the deck on and disconnected the answer is no, but even if you connected your amps and ran power will the error message appear?
> 
> Seems like something's up with the DSP. Did you double check its connections?


Connections are solid with the DSP and no it's never started tripping until I introduced the DSP and the RF Punch amp into the system.The first time it happened was when I first hooked it up and was starting to set the gains.I was trying to get a voltage reading at the RCA ins from HU at the processor with a DMM and I looked up to see that the "Miswiring DC Offset Error" had occurred on the HU.However, the RCA's were not physically plugged into the processor at that point.It was just the RCA's loose from the HU that I was testing.


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## GEM592 (Jun 19, 2015)

Huh.

I guess I would try bypassing the DSP for a while. If the message doesn't appear, start adding back DSP channels (probably one pair at a time) and re-checking to try and isolate the issue further. 

Or you can reverse this process, start by bypassing a pair of DSP channels (maybe the sub first), and if the message appears bypass another pair and so on until it stops.

This would help to see if it is a issue with the DSP, and if so maybe which DSP channels. 

I still think it might be some setup issue with one of the DSP channels, like maybe input or output levels, possibly in the sub channels ... the deck doesn't like the load it is seeing at high output sometimes. I know you tried muting everything and still got it at least once, but still. This is just my best guess.


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## JH1973 (Apr 21, 2017)

GEM592 said:


> Huh.
> 
> I guess I would try bypassing the DSP for a while. If the message doesn't appear, start adding back DSP channels (probably one pair at a time) and re-checking to try and isolate the issue further.
> 
> ...


Yes,it was muted last time it tripped BUT the volume was full tilt on the HU so the signal was very hot going into the DSP.The fact that the output channels in DSP were all muted means that there was no signal going into any of the amps and there was no current going into any speakers.I'm with you in thinking something is up with the DSP.I may just bring the input gains down 4db and raise the output gains 4db which will even it and keep the same output potential that's there now.See if it still trips that way......


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## JH1973 (Apr 21, 2017)

Think I found something doing tests with the O-scope.Unplugged all RCA's from outputs of DSP.Ran 1000hz,400hz and 40hz at the back of HU and got clean readings across the board.Did the same at the RCA's going into the DSP and again,clean readings across the board.Then turned off DSP Xovers on every channel and put the scope on every output channel and got clean readings on every channel with 1000hz and 400hz BUT on every channel running 40hz I was getting a scattered wave.Sooooo,it appears the DSP is having problems reproducing low frequencies or there is some type of offset in that frequency range.


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## JH1973 (Apr 21, 2017)

That has to mean something that 40hz looks fine everywhere except when it goes through the DSP.


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## GEM592 (Jun 19, 2015)

The irregular readings were without the deck, and xovers off correct?

--> Maybe try repeating this test by driving the deck into the DSP, with xovers off, and see if the code trips during the 40 Hz test when the irregular output shows up.

You did the same DSP-only test with xovers on with OK results, even in the 40 Hz case?

--> This result alone still sort of points to a setup issue (although the previous result maybe doesn't). Is the DSP EQ set aggressively in the sub range (meaning high levels/Q/etc below 80 or so)?

It seems like things are still pointing to the DSP, maybe you are still in the warranty period, or have service options. If you could have it looked at, in the mean time you can set things up with the deck only ... it will sound worse and thus be harder to turn up, but you could verify the code isn't tripping at least.


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## GEM592 (Jun 19, 2015)

JH1973 said:


> ... BUT on every channel running 40hz I was getting a scattered wave.Sooooo,it appears the DSP is having problems reproducing low frequencies or there is some type of offset in that frequency range.


Does it look clipped, or just noisy/etc?


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## JH1973 (Apr 21, 2017)

GEM592 said:


> The irregular readings were without the deck, and xovers off correct?
> 
> --> Maybe try repeating this test by driving the deck into the DSP, with xovers off, and see if the code trips during the 40 Hz test when the irregular output shows up.
> 
> ...


Scattered waveform occurs running deck into DSP with all Xovers turned off on both the deck and DSP.No aggressive settings on the sub channel,in fact I turned the gains down 4db on the inputs and 2db on the outputs.400 and 1000hz shows cleanly on every output channel but 40hz is unstable on every channel.40hz shows clean at Preamos on HU and RCA's going into DSP(all 4 inputs).The commonality is an unstable scattered wave at every output channel of the DSP running a 40hz tone.


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## JH1973 (Apr 21, 2017)

GEM592 said:


> JH1973 said:
> 
> 
> > ... BUT on every channel running 40hz I was getting a scattered wave.Sooooo,it appears the DSP is having problems reproducing low frequencies or there is some type of offset in that frequency range.
> ...


Not clipped,just all over the place.... unstable.


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## GEM592 (Jun 19, 2015)

OK it sounds like the deck might be eliminated, the thing is you weren't seeing bad output when the xovers are left on during the test, right?

Maybe try repeating the test with HP xovers only, set very low, increase the corner frequency until all tests run clean? Do you use any HP on the sub channels? - maybe try using one with a very low setting?


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## JH1973 (Apr 21, 2017)

GEM592 said:


> OK it sounds like the deck might be eliminated, the thing is you weren't seeing bad output when the xovers are left on during the test, right?
> 
> Maybe try repeating the test with HP xovers only, set very low, increase the corner frequency until all tests run clean? Do you use any HP on the sub channels? - maybe try using one with a very low setting?


Xovers on deck were off and I was getting clean readings with 40hz.Xovers were off on all DSP channels and 40hz was the only unstable waveform.It was unstable a little earlier as well when the 70hz LP filter was on.I have not used a HP filter on the sub ever or a subsonic filter.Didnt have this problem when I was originally setting the gains a year ago.The reading was clean back then as I recall.


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## GEM592 (Jun 19, 2015)

JH1973 said:


> Xovers on deck were off and I was getting clean readings with 40hz.Xovers were off on all DSP channels and 40hz was the only unstable waveform.It was unstable a little earlier as well when the 70hz LP filter was on.I have not used a HP filter on the sub ever or a subsonic filter.Didnt have this problem when I was originally setting the gains a year ago.The reading was clean back then as I recall.


Well everything still seems to point to a bad DSP then. Those have a good reputation as a bang-for-buck solution, maybe something is up though.


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## JH1973 (Apr 21, 2017)

I already contacted MiniDSP and explained the problem.The processor is about a year old so we'll see how good the customer service is.


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## ckirocz28 (Nov 29, 2017)

Alright, help me out here. Are you running speaker level inputs from hu to dsp, or rca, or both?
My initial thoughts are:
MiniDSP's accept 8 volt speaker level inputs or 4 volt RCA inputs (RCA input is switchable internally between 2v and 4v). Is that switch set correctly?
Don't run a positive gain level in the MiniDSP (the level shown in the VU meter on the plugin above the gain while using a test tone), you could be clipping the input.
I think your problem is at the input of the MiniDSP in any case.


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## ckirocz28 (Nov 29, 2017)

FYI, one of the updates for the C-DSP 8x12 "improved low frequency performance".
And, I love mine, no problems at all. Except that tuning can eat up entire days.


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## JH1973 (Apr 21, 2017)

ckirocz28 said:


> Alright, help me out here. Are you running speaker level inputs from hu to dsp, or rca, or both?
> My initial thoughts are:
> MiniDSP's accept 8 volt speaker level inputs or 4 volt RCA inputs (RCA input is switchable internally between 2v and 4v). Is that switch set correctly?
> Don't run a positive gain level in the MiniDSP (the level shown in the VU meter on the plugin above the gain while using a test tone), you could be clipping the input.
> I think your problem is at the input of the MiniDSP in any case.


I'm using the RCA inputs(3.5v). My O-scope does not show any clipping.Like I said above,the only unstable waveform at the outputs is 40hz and it's not clipping just all over the place,scattered.I never read anything about a switchable input level(2v or 4v) for the 6x8 which is what I have.The only thing internal that is switchable is the turn on/off mode as far as I know.


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## ckirocz28 (Nov 29, 2017)

Apparently the C-DSP 6x8 doesn't have that internal switch for the input rca's. I wonder why the difference between the 6x8 and 8x12.


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## JH1973 (Apr 21, 2017)

For now I changed the gain settings in the DSP.Brought all input gains to 0.Output gains are......tweeters +1.......mids.......+8..........sub........+2. It will be interesting to see if the code trips now.


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## GEM592 (Jun 19, 2015)

JH1973 said:


> For now I changed the gain settings in the DSP.Brought all input gains to 0.Output gains are......tweeters +1.......mids.......+8..........sub........+2. It will be interesting to see if the code trips now.


Makes sense, will be interesting, also interested to see what sort of feedback you get from the manufacturer.


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## JH1973 (Apr 21, 2017)

Well so far the error code has not tripped and I was driving the system pretty hard on the way home from work yesterday.Got a response from MiniDSP and they naturally asked a few questions about how I was driving the inputs,etc.Basically they're assuming that I'm clipping the inputs,which I'm not,however,the restructuring of the gain settings may take stress off of the inputs and balance things out better,who knows.At any rate,I assured them that I was sending 3.5v into the RCA inputs and as far as I know,thats NOT clipping the inputs.


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## GEM592 (Jun 19, 2015)

That is progress, I would say, even if it seems like some kind of setback. 

You probably decreased your DSP levels across the board, do you have any amp gain left to compensate? If so, maybe you can try retuning with amp gains higher and avoid further issues. Otherwise you might need bigger amp(s), or possibly a different DSP.

On the other hand, the code might show up again tomorrow right?


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## JH1973 (Apr 21, 2017)

GEM592 said:


> That is progress, I would say, even if it seems like some kind of setback.
> 
> You probably decreased your DSP levels across the board, do you have any amp gain left to compensate? If so, maybe you can try retuning with amp gains higher and avoid further issues. Otherwise you might need bigger amp(s), or possibly a different DSP.
> 
> On the other hand, the code might show up again tomorrow right?


Actually there is no setback.I don't seem to have lost any output and in fact the SQ went up overall.In the new gain structure I did cut 6db on the sub but it sounds better.Code still hasn't tripped but I'm not guessing anything.It could happen tomorrow....


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## GEM592 (Jun 19, 2015)

JH1973 said:


> Actually there is no setback.I don't seem to have lost any output and in fact the SQ went up overall.In the new gain structure I did cut 6db on the sub but it sounds better.Code still hasn't tripped but I'm not guessing anything.It could happen tomorrow....


Good to hear, hopefully it is solved.


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## JH1973 (Apr 21, 2017)

Well,the saga continues.Got the error code 3 times this week.So,it's not an input gain structure problem with the DSP.

I muted the sub so that front stage only was playing so nothing below 70hz was firing.The code tripped under those conditions as well so now my theory about the DSP having issues with low frequencies seems shot.It could very well be the head unit.

Is there anyway I could have my HU looked at for possible damage?


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## GEM592 (Jun 19, 2015)

JH1973 said:


> Well,the saga continues.Got the error code 3 times this week.So,it's not an input gain structure problem with the DSP.
> 
> I muted the sub so that front stage only was playing so nothing below 70hz was firing.The code tripped under those conditions as well so now my theory about the DSP having issues with low frequencies seems shot.It could very well be the head unit.
> 
> Is there anyway I could have my HU looked at for possible damage?


Maybe you can try getting support from the manufacturer over the phone. Depending on where you bought it, it might help to try going through the seller. They might be able to tell you something about the code, if it's a known thing or serviceable, whatever. If you paid full retail somewhere recently, you should be able to get feedback/help without too much hassle.

Are there any conditions that are always in place when the code trips? I think you said it is running loud when it happens - is the volume on the deck always way way up whenever it occurs? 

I guess you probably already checked the deck power. Have you ever probed the deck's power wire (DC Volts) when playing the system at a high level, to check if it's dropping? Have you considered improving the deck/DSP power wiring, if you haven't already? Have you tried adjusting the deck settings more conservatively?

Just throwing out suggestions


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## GEM592 (Jun 19, 2015)

It looks like you checked the deck/DSP power wiring already, but you might want to consider this aspect again.

I think this is a one-battery system, so it might be a voltage drop that occurs when the amps are drawing alot of power is starving the deck (or DSP) of power, and leading to the error. 

My batteries are in back, and I ran an 8 gauge line up front for deck power, and added an 8 gauge ground to chassis up front. No fuse box. Now I wasn't having issues, but the voltage readings on the deck improved.

Is your battery old? Have you tried charging it recently?

Hope some of this helps, best of luck

_EDIT: By "no fuse box" I mean the +12 VDC power wire in the dash used by the stock deck is not being used, instead a (fused) 8 gauge line directly from the battery is._


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## JH1973 (Apr 21, 2017)

GEM592 said:


> It looks like you checked the deck/DSP power wiring already, but you might want to consider this aspect again.
> 
> I think this is a one-battery system, so it might be a voltage drop that occurs when the amps are drawing alot of power is starving the deck (or DSP) of power, and leading to the error.
> 
> ...


I appreciate your input,however I really doubt it's a voltage drop issue and the reason being is that the error code tripped one time with ALL output RCA's disconnected from the DSP.In other words there was no output whatsoever from any speakers so the amps were drawing very little current.

I'm going to disconnect the input RCA's again from the DSP and run the radio that way for a while.If it does trip then it is for sure the head unit or the RCA's going between HU and DSP.

The closest I've come so far to figuring it out was when it tripped while all output RCA's were disconnected from DSP.That ruled out the amplifiers because there was no connection between HU and them.It left only the HU or DSP because the input RCA's were plugged into the DSP.


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## GEM592 (Jun 19, 2015)

JH1973 said:


> I appreciate your input,however I really doubt it's a voltage drop issue and the reason being is that the error code tripped one time with ALL output RCA's disconnected from the DSP.In other words there was no output whatsoever from any speakers so the amps were drawing very little current.
> 
> I'm going to disconnect the input RCA's again from the DSP and run the radio that way for a while.If it does trip then it is for sure the head unit or the RCA's going between HU and DSP.
> 
> The closest I've come so far to figuring it out was when it tripped while all output RCA's were disconnected from DSP.That ruled out the amplifiers because there was no connection between HU and them.It left only the HU or DSP because the input RCA's were plugged into the DSP.


I didn't see that you did that in your posts, maybe I missed it. What I got was that it was happening only when the system was being driven hard, etc. Anyway, that would make it a long shot that anything but the deck is the problem.


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## JH1973 (Apr 21, 2017)

Well,I'm up to here with this.I pulled the HU and am sending it to a Kenwood authorized repair shop.Talked to the guy and he said they evaluate the unit for free and I can decide from there.

If it does need repair and is too much money to fix I'll have them send it back and I'll be selling it cheap for parts.So we'll see.........


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## GEM592 (Jun 19, 2015)

If they determine it needs repair and it is too much (most likely), then it is probably a paper weight. Or perhaps a door stop. Sad but true.


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## JH1973 (Apr 21, 2017)

GEM592 said:


> If they determine it needs repair and it is too much (most likely), then it is probably a paper weight. Or perhaps a door stop. Sad but true.


Yep,I may just junk it.I've got the stock HU in now.


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