[Euro] Static noise from stereo

[Saxphile]

Hi,

This is a problem since I bought my 2003 Accord Euro, and I've never been able to find a solution. I stumbled upon this site, and hopefully someone here knowledgible would be able to help me out.

There's a static noise in the stereo. You don't usually notice it, but if one turns the volume down to zero and then to one, it's quite noticeable. Even though the noise doesn't get much louder as you turn the volume up, it is still very annoy when you listen to quiet music (e.g. piano sonatas or string quartets). I found this problem the day I bought the car, and went straight back to dealer. We tested all the Accord Euros they had at the time, and they all had this noise. So the service manager agreed to talk to Honda NZ about this issue, and almost a year later the answer came from Japan - It was deemed a "feature" of the car.

Desperate, I asked the dealer to try and do something about it, even if I have to pay to fix it (I was hoping it was a grounding issue). They took it to a car stereo guy they know, and he couldn't find any remedy, or even what the problem is. So I resorted to listening to only pop/rock music in my car for the past 3 years.

Last month I took my car in for a service, and they gave me a '06 Accord Euro as courtesy car. To my amazement, there's no noise from the stereo! I went back to the dealer all excited, hoping I could simply get whatever they changed for the '06 model for my car. However, the service manager told me that the head unit in the '06 model is a completely different unit (I assume that meant a different part number), despite the fact that it looks exactly the same as the one in my car.

So here I am back to square one. But now that I've heard the stereo without the noise, I just couldn't get it out of my head. Has anyone here experienced this issue or even have a fix for it? Any comment would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[ICACHA]

if you got an amp connected to the OEM deck then you have to live with the noise unless you want to buy a facia for under the OEM deck (pocket below) and fit an aftermarket head unit there. cant fix the issues with all OEM head units that give out noise, they're built for a price and thats what we get for manufacturers being cheap :(

[Saxphile]

Thanks for the input, but the car's stereo is largely stock. The only unusual part is the premium speaker (can't remember the brand) fitted by Honda NZ. I didn't put an additional amp in the car, and I don't think the premium speaker upgrade comes with one. At any rate, the problem exists in all the pre-2006 Accord Euros I've been in. I was told that the noise is particularly noticeable in my car because of the premium speakers (what an irony), so the problem is most likely with the OEM head unit itself. I'm just hoping someone here had figured out how to fix it.

[ICACHA]

here in OZ i dont think ive ever come across a euro with anything premium apart from the price tag the dealers put on (jokes :))

very odd that problem as its only an issue when connecting an amp the the OEM headunit that ive found.

[EuroDude]

It may be a completely different head unit, but surely the wiring and mounting is the same - so you should be able to swap them out.
Well to be sure, you could compare the wiring diagrams of each model (if you can find them :o )

Maybe you can buy an 06 one from someone who has replaced theirs with a customized aftermarket HU. eBay maybe?

[Saxphile]

I don't think people replace the head units per se, but just install them in the storage compartment below. In that case I don't think it's likely that any '06 OEM head units would end up on eBay. I guess if I got really annoyed I could always get an aftermarket head unit, but it really would ruin the look of the dash. Thanks for the comment though.