I've got a bizarre problem with my aux in jack... I installed it myself (I have the H/K system) and play my iPod through it (1/8" to 1/8" cable). It consistently works ok when I first start the car... but then after I've been driving for a bit, the sound becomes crappy. I doesn't cut out altogether -- it loses like half of the volume and it goes from sounding amazing to sounding like a 64kb/s-encoded MP3 playing in mono through an AM radio . The CD and radio continue to sound perfect throughout.

When this happens, I've tried fiddling with the cable (unplug it, reinsert it, applying pressure to where it plugs into the jack...); switching modes on the stereo (from aux to CD to radio and back) and switching EQ settings on the H/K (H/K, spatial, festival etc) with no effect. If I stop the car and start it up again it seems to be ok. Even if I don't do this & keep driving, after a few minutes it'll often come back sounding normal, on its own.

I *think* that the problem often starts right after I've accelerated, and when I'm going fast... wonder if it's some issue with the H/K speed-sensitive volume thing kicking in. The one thing that I haven't tried is getting a new iPod<->aux in cable, which is my next step, though I don't think that's the issue (since it always sounds good when I first start the car).

Anyone experience this before, & any ideas? I'm worried because this seems like a problem that would be difficult for the dealer to diagnose...

 

You don't have a charger connected at the same time do you? If so, remove it!

If there was a H/K speed sensitive issue it would affect all modes, not just iPod, since it's done in the H/K amp and not the head unit - while the head unit is where the CD/radio/iPod selection is made.

 

I *DO* have a charger plugged in, but it's for my Nuvi GPS & not the iPod, if that makes a difference... the iPod is just running off of its battery.

I'll unplug the Nuvi, though, and see what happens. I can't recall off-hand whether or not I've ever had the problem without it being plugged in.

Thanks for the suggestion!