Car Stereos: Sony Xplod, internal amplifier, failure message

Question
Hi Brian

I'm having an failure message on my Sony Xplod as well, my question is does that affect my pre outs. I'm plugging in my iPhone to the front headphone Jack & it sounds really bad but everything sounds fine when the radio is playing the speakers sound fine. What's the deal?

Answer
Hi Aaron,

The "failure" message refers to the head unit's internal amplifier, so the pre-amp outputs shouldn't be affected.  If you're using a separate amplifier to run your speakers, then the sound should still work.  Of course, you'll still want to fix the situation that's causing the failure message; usually this is related to a shorted speaker output.

Problems with the front auxiliary input are usually caused by the cable used to connect the iPhone to the front jack.  Make sure the cable is plugged into your iPhone all the way; some plugs won't want to push all the way in, especially if you have a protective case on your iPhone.  You can buy audio cables that are specifically designed for use with iPhone.

If switching the cable doesn't work, then you may have a problem with the front auxiliary jack on the head unit.  It's not uncommon for these to fail.  In this case, you'd need to either have the head unit serviced, or purchase a new faceplate for it.

Hope this helps!

Brian