Bluetooth has feedback, new Rockford Fosgate system

[HairyGorilla]

Hi, I have a 2020 R5 Surf with the Premium sound system with RF PMX-1R headunit and JL speakers/sub/amps. We noticed A few things when we started using the stereo 1) the FM source was probably 2x as loud as Bluetooth and 2) Using Bluetooth as a source had a bit of feedback (light fuzz) in the background, particularly noticeable when the music is between songs or not playing.

I did confirm the Bluetooth source (iPhone) had the volume turned up to 100%, so I don’t believe that was related to the problem. On the headunit, I adjusted the FM and BT source gain (-3 to +3) but it didn’t make a ton of difference.

To remedy, I turned down all 4 Input Sens knobs on the amp which definitely helped reduce the feedback on Bluetooth, however the stereo is obviously not as loud as it could / should be. FM source is still Very loud and much louder than BT, so I know the system very is capable.

Any ideas for help? Did I make a mistake reducing input sensitivity?

[Big Block Power]

I'm not a jl guy but I would be careful Changing the settings on the amp. I was going to say it sounds like your BT is set too low and maybe your radio too high. Feedback hard to say try a android. But normally that can be a grd issue. But if it's not on fm hard to say. At least it's under warr and I'm sure your dealer is real close to you. Lol. Lots of guys in earlier models had issues with the systems not being very loud and the amps needed to get adjusted. But BT and fm should have nothing to do with a amp setting.

[Chrispval]

Try pairing a different iphone. I bet its in your settings. Make sure you dont have volume limiter set on your phone in eq settings

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[HairyGorilla]

I tried a second iPhone and it was the exact same. Neither of us have android.

Confirmed volume limit is off and I believe that’s for the music app only.

Have another minor issue for dealer to repair so I’ll ask them as well. Just trying to understand if this is common or someone else has seen it for an easy fix.

[AsLan7]

I tried a second iPhone and it was the exact same. Neither of us have android.

Confirmed volume limit is off and I believe that’s for the music app only.

Have another minor issue for dealer to repair so I’ll ask them as well. Just trying to understand if this is common or someone else has seen it for an easy fix.

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Sorry HG. No issues here with our RF units streaming Bluetooth via iPhones.
Sounds like a grounding issue or sensitivity adjustment.

Keep us updated.
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[tyson904]

If memory serves me right. Hold down the menu button, if will take you to advanced settings. I believe if you click on zone there is options to change the gain on Bluetooth, radio, etc.

[HairyGorilla]

If memory serves me right. Hold down the menu button, if will take you to advanced settings. I believe if you click on zone there is options to change the gain on Bluetooth, radio, etc.

Yes correct. I did try that but did not have much effect.

[AsLan7]

If memory serves me right. Hold down the menu button, if will take you to advanced settings. I believe if you click on zone there is options to change the gain on Bluetooth, radio, etc.

Yes correct. I did try that but did not have much effect.

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Do you have a zone controller onboard HG? If so, you might want to try adjusting your BT sensitivity.

This is from a Wet Sounds BT220 Zone controller which many times are paired with RF systems...

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[HairyGorilla]

If memory serves me right. Hold down the menu button, if will take you to advanced settings. I believe if you click on zone there is options to change the gain on Bluetooth, radio, etc.

Yes correct. I did try that but did not have much effect.

.
Do you have a zone controller onboard HG? If so, you might want to try adjusting your BT sensitivity.

This is from a Wet Sounds BT220 Zone controller which many times are paired with RF systems...

.



.

Would the zone controller be at the headunit or amp, or is that a separate device? There is a BT gain on the headunit I tried to adjust but it didn't have much of an effect.

[AsLan7]

Yes correct. I did try that but did not have much effect.

.
Do you have a zone controller onboard HG? If so, you might want to try adjusting your BT sensitivity.

This is from a Wet Sounds BT220 Zone controller which many times are paired with RF systems...

.



.

Would the zone controller be at the headunit or amp, or is that a separate device? There is a BT gain on the headunit I tried to adjust but it didn't have much of an effect.

.
No it’s a separate piece to control different zones of the boat. It has several volume knobs on it.
If you’re asking I’m guessing you don’t have it.
.

[HairyGorilla]

.
Do you have a zone controller onboard HG? If so, you might want to try adjusting your BT sensitivity.

This is from a Wet Sounds BT220 Zone controller which many times are paired with RF systems...

.



.

Would the zone controller be at the headunit or amp, or is that a separate device? There is a BT gain on the headunit I tried to adjust but it didn't have much of an effect.

.
No it’s a separate piece to control different zones of the boat. It has several volume knobs on it.
If you’re asking I’m guessing you don’t have it.
.

I believe it's built into the new RF headunit. To my knowledge there is only the headunit + amps in the boat. Our dealer is having the audio specialist look at it in the coming weeks. I'll send an update after.

Thanks for all the help.

[HairyGorilla]

As an update we had the local stereo outfitter review our system and they found zero issues with the wiring.

I tested a USB & Aux input to hardwire from my phone to stereo and the output is at least 50% greater. This seems like a big dropoff for hardwire vs bluetooth but maybe it's just inherent with the RF headunit?

[AsLan7]

As an update we had the local stereo outfitter review our system and they found zero issues with the wiring.

I tested a USB & Aux input to hardwire from my phone to stereo and the output is at least 50% greater. This seems like a big dropoff for hardwire vs bluetooth but maybe it's just inherent with the RF headunit?

.
We have zero feedback from various inputs including Bluetooth streaming, USB input, hard wired, FM, etc. with our RF PMX-5CAN head unit, 2 RF remotes, 2 external amplifiers, and 8 speakers (2 on Zone 2).

Is yours still under warranty? (I'm guessing as a 2020 model it is) You may want to swap it out for a new one.....or at least test another one with your outfitter mentioned above (did they try this?)

[HairyGorilla]

As an update we had the local stereo outfitter review our system and they found zero issues with the wiring.

I tested a USB & Aux input to hardwire from my phone to stereo and the output is at least 50% greater. This seems like a big dropoff for hardwire vs bluetooth but maybe it's just inherent with the RF headunit?

.
We have zero feedback from various inputs including Bluetooth streaming, USB input, hard wired, FM, etc. with our RF PMX-5CAN head unit, 2 RF remotes, 2 external amplifiers, and 8 speakers (2 on Zone 2).

Is yours still under warranty? (I'm guessing as a 2020 model it is) You may want to swap it out for a new one.....or at least test another one with your outfitter mentioned above (did they try this?)

This started as a warranty checkout from our dealer and then they charged me $40 when they didn't find anything as a service fee I paid only because they have done a few things for me in the past couple months to help me out.

Are you saying to have them test replacing the RF headunit? Ours has two identical units (one at captains seat and one near stern). I'm curious how the two interact with each other - assuming captain is master and stern unit is a slave? All Bluetooth/inputs work through the main (captain) unit?

I would be curious to ask our dealer if they have any similar Cobalt's w/ premium stereo installed that we could compare...

[AsLan7]

As an update we had the local stereo outfitter review our system and they found zero issues with the wiring.

I tested a USB & Aux input to hardwire from my phone to stereo and the output is at least 50% greater. This seems like a big dropoff for hardwire vs bluetooth but maybe it's just inherent with the RF headunit?

.
We have zero feedback from various inputs including Bluetooth streaming, USB input, hard wired, FM, etc. with our RF PMX-5CAN head unit, 2 RF remotes, 2 external amplifiers, and 8 speakers (2 on Zone 2).

Is yours still under warranty? (I'm guessing as a 2020 model it is) You may want to swap it out for a new one.....or at least test another one with your outfitter mentioned above (did they try this?)

This started as a warranty checkout from our dealer and then they charged me $40 when they didn't find anything as a service fee I paid only because they have done a few things for me in the past couple months to help me out.

Are you saying to have them test replacing the RF headunit? Ours has two identical units (one at captains seat and one near stern). I'm curious how the two interact with each other - assuming captain is master and stern unit is a slave? All Bluetooth/inputs work through the main (captain) unit?

I would be curious to ask our dealer if they have any similar Cobalt's w/ premium stereo installed that we could compare...

.
Yes, that's what I would check next since you said the wiring has been inspected, the grounds are correct, the stereo is hooked up correctly, multiple devices have been tested with the same feedback result....swap out the head unit and see if the feedback goes away by process of elimination.

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