Hello and DUH. Your '06 Azera does not have 5.1 surround sound. It makes no difference how many speakers you have. If the stereo does not support the decoding and discreet channels then you don't have the surround sound. You can have a really nice sounding "Stereo" system with many speakers. My '07 Azera has 10 speakers, but it isn't surround sound in any way, shape, or form. It's still great sounding stereophonic sound. The premium Azera system has 7.1 discreet channels and can decode 7.1 surround. In order to DECODE 7.1 surround, you have to have a source that is ENCODED in 7.1 surround. That means the guy that said you need a surround sound source was absolutely correct. It's no different than your home theater. If you are watching a channel that is simple stereo, then simple stereo is all you get no matter how nice of a home theater surround system you have. If you are listening to NON surround source, the Infinity Surround system in your car still has the advantage of two extra speakers and massive power for a factory sound system. I have not heard the system, but I know it support twice the wattage of my 10 speaker Infinity that is already loud enough to let me cruise through the hood without being shot at.
The most effective vehicle antenna for AM/FM radio reception is still the good old fender whip antenna. That is why you are seeing cop cars with at least 5 whips on their roofs or trunks because they are cheap and effective. The whip antenna offers reasonable signal conversion without adding Noise. On top of that, the antenna does not suffer from Signal Overload (running next to local stations and radio just crashes). This is what we call PASSIVE system (no Signal Amplification) But whip antenna has some negative image: low tech , car wash damage and wind noise.
To make car stylists happy, there are three types of ACTIVE antennas (has power for signal amplification) out there today. Their overall goal is to match the Good old whip in performance without adding too much cost.
1. Mini-whip: (about 10 inch long) on roof of vehicle. Since it is short, the signal receive is only fraction of the PASSIVE whip. So antenna makers have to gain it up mostly for FM. Typical number is somewhere between 3-9 dB. Note that having the most gain MAY help with Weak Signal reception but the drawback is as soon as one drives near strong local AM/FM station the antenna system has the most Gain (everything else remains equal), will crash and burn first. The result is these local stations may interfere with the station one is listening to. On AM, the typical mini-whip does not have any Gain. So compared to the the whip, the mini-whip is at disadvantage as far as AM is concerned. This type of antenna may have one advantage above the fender whip and the rear glass antennas: Vehicle electrical noise isolation.
2. Rear Glass antenna: By far, this is the most common on cars nowadays. The length of antenna is longer and wider compared to the mini-whip. But the signal received at the antenna is not uniform and must be boosted and manipulated to match that of the fender whip. That job is left to the small antenna amplifier module near the antenna wires. The signal gain for FM is 3-9 dB just like the mini-whip. This type of antenna is susceptible to directionality for FM (going one direction may get better radio signal than others). In addition, this type of antenna is extremely sensitive to vehicle electronics noise (defroster noise, vehicle display noise,...).
3. Combined XM/AM/FM antenna: This is shortest of them all. It is a small bump on the vehicle roof. To make this thing works, the antenna makers have to boost the Gain further yet since it is even shorter than the mini-whip. This one is currently used on the Santa Fe model. Again having more signal boost will compromise local station Overload problem.
So overall, it is engineering/styling trade off between different types of antennas for AM/FM. Adding more Gain will make radio more sensitive, but at the same time, the ACTIVE antennas are prone to Strong Signal interference.
Another thing is NOISE FIGURE (or Noise floor) of the antenna itself. The antenna need "Low Noise" Amplifier for boosting the signal in order for the signal to be useful by the radio. If one is to add an in-line $5.0 Chinese made antenna booster between Glass antenna and the antenna module, then the game is over before it even starts: the system will be worse off. The reason is these antenna booster has high NOISE FIGURE and being first on the signal chain is just deadly. Now if this antenna booster is placed after the antenna module of the vehicle, you may have a slight fighting chance of not killing the system: more signal to radio (but also add more noise and Overloading problem).
One other thing that makes car engineer crazy: vehicle electrical noise. Every computer, every electric motor, switch, relay, built-in inverter is an electrical noise source. They are jamming AM/FM radio in the car either directly (radiates to vehicle antenna) or indirectly (through Power and Ground).
OEM car radios have to work in this hostile environment. On top of that, they have to work between -40C to 85C. Try that with Aftermarket radios?
There is a misconception out there that Aftermarket radio has better reception than OEM radios. Most of the situation it is not true since the emphasis for Aftermarket radio is to offer highest Audio Fidelity without regard for any other things. Another thing they do not offer 3 year warranty
Any OEM radio could do that and more. But typical OEM tuning is for overall balance (Fidelity vs. Low Noise, Sensitivity vs. Overload, Features vs. Ease of Use,..)
And yet...every time I've installed an aftermarket stereo, the reception has improved over the factory OEM unit.
I don't know what makes you think aftermarket stereos will not work well in the hostile environment of the automobile, that's what they are designed for. Living here in the DC metro area, the temps range from an average of maybe -5 F (winter) all the way up to 100 F (summer), not to mention the high amounts of humidity we deal with too. Not only do aftermarket stereos handle the hostility of these conditions, they perform better than almost every OEM stereo. There are a select few OEM units that are exceptional, but the price you'll have to pay for the overall vehicle...it better be.
If your vehicle has rear glass antenna, do following things to improve AM reception :
1. No tinning of rear window. This is like making a cellphone call in the metal enclosure
2. Do not add inverter, plug in computer in the car while listening to radio. Both FM and AM (mostly) affected by these noise sources. OEM equipment is normally checked for EMC (Electromagnetic Compatibility) so the electrical interference is less an issue. If in doubt, plug or unplug these electronic devices to see if they interfere with your radio reception. Note that it may be frequency dependent
3. Check with dealer to see if the antenna connection in your vehicle any good. Good receiver system (from antenna to radio) should be able to receive signal reasonably well at least 250 miles on good weathered day. If yours only do it 50-100 miles, something is not right. For FM, you should expect 50 mile range with of course losing some stereo sound since most OEM radios are blended to mono at this distance (by low noise calibration purpose)
4. Compare with similar vehicles. if they are all like that, complain to OEM. Hyundai is known to be very sensitive to customer feedback (more than Toyota and Honda in some cases). They will demand better radio and/or antenna module next time
5. Reduce treble setting in AM mode. It make the sound more tolerable in noisy situation
6. Adding a in-line signal booster may be the last resort. It probably will not help at all unless it is a true Low Noise amplifier and has some types of AGC (Automatic Gain Control). Without AGC, your Booster Amp will suffer Overload problem (similar to Clipping of Audio Amplifiier when max out on volume control). By the time this signal got to the radio, damage has been done.
RE: 354 Thanks for advice. I have changed my head set to an 07 model to get additional steering wheel remote features offered in this years model. Maybe I must open up dash again to make sure that antenna wire is firmly in place.
int... knows what he is talking about. I have spent many years in the mobile audio business both in manufacturing and retail. Most 1980 and older OEM radio stunk. They then realized that aftermarket radios were taking business away from them so they upgraded all their equipment ie: Bose,Infinity,Harmon Kardon,JBL, etc. Allmet has spent alot of money upgrading his system and I'm sure it sounds great BUT for the average guy their stock Azera radio more then exceeds their expectations. As we age most of us can't hear all those super lows and sparkling highs anymore. One last thing... I have yet to see a good do it yourself aftermarket radio installation that looks good in the dash that doesn't shout LOOK the radio doesn't fit the design of the dash
Actually...I haven't spent that much money upgrading my system. That's one thing I won't do...spend a lot of money.
I'm not saying he doesn't know what he's talking about. The car makers have definitely gotten better in providing better sound systems in their cars. However...you can easily make it sound better by simply swapping out the speakers. This may sound funny, but a buddy of mine has a Benz S500 (2001) with the Bose sound system. He took the Bose speakers out and replaced them with some Pioneer speakers and it actually sounds better than it did with the Bose speakers in.
There are, indeed, premium sound systems that are very nice. In most cases, they are designed specifically for the vehicle they are in...especially the Bose systems.
Your assessment of the factory Azera Infinity system is dead on, for the average driver...it is very capable of delivering great sound. However, there are those of us with a discerning ear. In my case, there was a lack of clarity that needed to be brought out in the highs and the lows needed to reach a little further down. It's not so much about hearing the lows, but rather feeling them for greater impact. If this was about 15 years ago, I would have tried to get outlandish with the install and tried to shoot for the loudest possible system I could manage. Being in my late 30's with a family...I had to be more responsible than that, so I opted for clarity and sonic reproduction.
The hardest part was choosing a stereo to sit in the dash. As you said, I didn't want it to look like something that was just thrown in there regardless of how the rest of the dash looked. I think I did pretty good, most everyone that gets in thinks that it's the radio that came with the car.
I have no doubt the car audio sounded better with the Bose speakers out. If Bose spent as much money on accurate sound as they did on advertising it might be different. Any audiophile will tell you that Bose is NOT a premium sound system.
Pictures look good but not as clean looking as the factory unit (at least for my taste) When I was your age I had to have the best sound available and FEEL the music. The trade off was now I don't hear as well :=) The factory radio is not that bad but replacing the speaker like you did will give you the best bang for your buck................. Oh to be young again :=) Regards HJC
Well...I didn't expect it to look completely factory, but it looks better than most anything else I could find. The thing with my system now is that it plays clear and clean even at low volumes so I really don't have to crank it up to enjoy it. You can still shoot for the best sound, but it doesn't have to cause you to lose your hearing. You are right about one thing...just changing the speakers was an extremely marked improvement. I actually drove around with the factory stereo playing through the aftermarket speakers for a while. I've said it before, the factory Infinity sound system is pretty darn good, but the aftermarket Infinity Kappas I went with...true clarity and they are much more efficient. With the Pioneer stereo in, it has more power than the factory unit did, so music can be played at lower volumes and enjoyed completely.
I am looking to replace the factory head unit with a kenwood in dash dvd player. I dont plan on replacing any other part of the factory system. I plan on using an aftermarket wiring harness from Scosche. My question is: Will the factory amp still work with this setup and if so will all the factory speakers still work? I have had some bad luck with this in the past with previous vehicles where like the factory sub would quit working or something. If indeed it does work as some of you have said my second question is: isnt the factory amp now getting an amplified signal from an aftermarket hu? Wouldnt this cause distortion? Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Yes...you can replace the head unit and use the wire harness by Scosche. Initiallym..their wire harness wasn't set up properly and the aftertmarket radio wouldn't activate the factory amp. They just had to change a wire location on the harness and all was fine. If you take a look at my page, you'll see I replaced the factory radio and it is running through the factory amp (sounds really good by the way). Might I suggest, since you're going with a stronger stereo, you may want to upgade your door speakers. Infinity Kappa Series or JBL GTO Series are great options as they are 2 Ohm speakers like the factory ones. If you go with regular 4 Ohm speakers, then you won't get the full performance of the amp. If you have any more questions...feel free to shoot me an email!
Well...if you look on Ebay...you can get the JBL's for about $45/pr. The Kappa's will be more like $74/pr. Just a head's up. Just changing the head unit out makes a big difference, but switching the speakers is like night & day.
If you need help getting the factory stereo out...let me know, I can send you a step by step. If you are ordering from Crutchfield or Cardomain...they send you instructions with your order.
I have an 07 without XM and I did want it. So, just purchased a Pioneer Inno (portable XM radio) that looks basically like an IPOD. After a $50 rebate, I got the PINK Inno with home kit and a car kit new for $116 (great deal). I bought an install card for $70 and just had the car kit installed yesterday. It sounds great through the 305 watt system on the 07. I am using the tape cassette adaptor. Currently, XM is offering 3 months free on a year contract (normally $12.95 a month).
The Inno comes with a little remote control in both the home AND the car kit. And, this is the way to go in the car versus trying to change channels on the unit itself. My steering wheel controls simply treat the cassette adaptor as another mode. While volume and mute work, the channel up and down does not work to change channels on the Inno.
By the way, the pink is not nearly as pink as it looks in all the web pages. And, the pink unit is much less expensive than the black unit. We wanted the portability of the unit to use when not in the car, if you want a car only unit, there is an even cheaper (and smaller) unit, which can be installed. I actually bought a second car kit (another $140, including the installation), so now the unit can be moved between cars or used as a portable. But, it sounds good enough that I may head to Ebay and see if I can pick up another unit.
My Pink Inno is the first generation and while it offers FM modulation, I would strongly suggest going the tape cassette route. Really good sound. If you go the tape route, be aware that there is a second generation Inno which gets a little more sophisticated with it FM modulation, but it is more money and still not as good as the tape unit approach.
Our brand new '07 Azera would change stations on radio with no input. Same thing happened to radio with changing stations. Dealer put brand new unit in and same thing happens. Dealer wants to be able to duplicate this but could take forever since happens whenever the radio tires of what I am listening to! Has anyone heard of this problem? Bill
Seems to be the first mention of this issue. Considering it happened with the new unit installed in your car, it would seem that it could be a faulty batch of stereos. The other possibility would be a faulty connection (short) between the stereo and the steering wheel controls. It's possible the short could be making the stereo think the driver is selecting a station change.
What I would do is ask the dealer to maybe pull a good radio out of another car and try it in yours. If it continues to do the same thing, then suggest them changing the steering wheel controls. If that doesn't fix it, then it could be a short or something in the wiring between the two. The next move would be to replace the wiring.
Is the radio portion of the stereo the only time an issue comes up???
Not just radio station, but also CDs. Will jump to another disc without any input . I believe you are on the right track with wiring. Could be loose wire in steering wheel sensitive to turning or something. I think I will try to duplicate that. Thanks!
Considering it happens in both radio and CD function...it would seem to be a control issue. Does the issue come up if the steering wheel is straight and you're just sitting there, or does it happen when you're turning the steering wheel. If it only happens with the steering wheel turning...then maybe it's a simple replacement of the steering wheel controls. See if it happens when the car is sitting still and you turn the steering wheel and if it happens when the car is moving and you turn the steering wheel.
Just a couple suggestions. Good luck and let us know of your results and if it gets fixed!!!
Problem very intermittent. Tried going over speed bumps to see if it happened but it did not. I am not convinced that it is not in the steering wheel wiring harness. Hyundai says to bring it in and they will try to duplicate but it isn't very likely that they can sit there all day and listen to my radio.
I'll bet that the problems is with the steering wheel switch or the wiring going to the head unit. That seams to be the most logical reason for jumping stations and cd selection changing
Bill151. Is there any possibility that you could be accidentally hitting the buttons on the steering wheel? I only bring this up as a possibility because when we got our car I was notorious in doing it and did it again twice yesterday and my wife says she still does it even those she is the primary driver and should be use to it by know. It is only after the channel/mode changes that we even realize that we had accidentally touched them. Have your tried just letting the radio run for 15-30 minutes while it sits with no one in it to see if it still does it? Good luck.
Thanks so much for your reply. It is a good point and the buttons are pretty easily hit. Had decided to leave it on for a length of time to see if it does it when left alone. I do think it is related to the steering wheel but I cannot yet duplicate it.
I have a problem with cruise control dropping out until I found that I was doing it by my thumb hitting the set button. I usually drive with my hands at the 3 & 9 position on the wheel. :=) 15,000 miles and no problems on my 07.... This car is great
You probably won't hear me admitting that I was the problem....inadvertently hitting the button on the steering wheel....but, I have been very careful lately and the problem seems to have gone away. Nah, couldn't have been me. Or could it? Thanks for the help everyone.
Jaydigga...that problem should have been corrected back in '06. I was one of the first ones to order one and when I got mine (direct from Scosche) it didn't work. It took them sending me 2 more before we realized the problem. Once we figured that the wires weren't in the right places, they tried to tell me I could pull the wire out and put it in the right slot. I told them no, they could send me a new one configured properly since that's what I paid for. I haven't heard of this being an issue any more since I would think they would have started wiring them correctly after that.
If you order one and you have the problem, just call Scosche directly and they'll fix the problem for you.
So the factory wiring harness I bought must not be wired correctly because I am getting no sound when I plug everything in. Radio powers up but no sound. Called Scosche and they are acting like I am talking in German to them. Im thinking that I might have gotten an older harness (before the problem was fixed) as I bought the one I have off of ebay. Anyone have any suggestions? Where is everybody else buying their harnesses at? I really dont want to get into a big hassle with Schosche over it as I didnt pay much for the one I purchased from ebay. I just want to get one that works. Scosche's website says that there are no dealers in the St Louis area. Not sure what to do at this point.
I am thinking about getting a 3.3-liter model. Looking at the Hyundai website, not much option nor info. is available for the base model's sound system. Can somebody tell me about the basic setup and how it compares to one with 10 speakers with a 315 watt amplifier?
Also, I plan to replace stock 16" wheels with 17" O.Z. Crono HT wheels. Doing so, will it result in a loss of TPMS function? Not even sure whether the base model comes with the TPMS. Thanks in advance.
The l likelyhood of you having an older one since you got it off of Ebay would seem pretty high.
I bought my harness directly from Scosche...it was only $12.99 + s&h. Once you order it, you should get it within a few days.
The other option is to speak to a Scosche tech. Explain to them that you have a harness and it's not turning on the factory amp and you believe that the wire for the amp turn on may be in the wrong location (maybe you should explain that you got your harness from Ebay and it may be an older one). Ask them if they can tell you what the wiring configuration should be and compare it to the one you have. You know...top row should be red, yellow, orange, etc... I know with mine, they had the amp turn on wire along the top row (I believe) and it should have been in the bottom row. If I were to see the harness, I could tell you where the amp turn on wire needs to be...is there any way you can take a pic of the wire-side of the harness and send it to me? If it's a case of the wire being in the wrong spot, you can actually remove it from the spot it's in and put it where it should be.
I honestly can't say much about the sounds system in the Azera GLS model. According to the Hyundai USA website...the GLS gets the AM/FM/CD/MP3 player w/ 6 speakers and 172 watts of power. I don't think this particular sound system has an outboard amp like the upgraded Infininty sound system. I believe all the power comes from the head unit itself.
You could easily upgrade the sound by swapping the head unit out with an aftermarket one. If you do that, then you'll most likely want to swap out the door speakers as well. You won't have to worry about the factory tweeters unless you just want to change them as well. If you want some really great sound, replace the door speakers with some Infinity Reference or Rockford Fosgate Power Series coaxials. I know on Ebay...you can get the Infinity speakers for around $35/pr. The Fosgate speakers are about $45/pr.
I have posted a couple of guides that can assist you in replacing the factory stereo and the door speakers too, should want to do these upgrades yourself.
As far as your upgrade in wheels...if you're dealing with a legitimate wheel company, one of the questions they should be asking you is do you have TPMS on your factory wheels. If so, they can sell you wheels with TPMS valve stems on them. I believe it runs and extra $200 (in most cases, unless the price has dropped). According to the Hyundai website, the GLS does have TPMS...just not sure if it is available in the base model.
Anyway...to answer your concern, if you have TPMS on your factory wheels, you can get it on your aftermarket wheels as well.
allmet33, Thanks for all your help. It is really frustrating. Here a couple of links to some pics that I took of the wiring harness. I assume that the wire in question is the blue wire.
Jay...is there any way you can post the pics in your carspace album, or post the linked image in a post? For some reason, the firewall here at my job doesn't allow access to photobucket.
All you ahve to do is locate the pic you want to post, right click on it and go to properties. Highlight and copy the url, then...in a carspace posting, click the img button below the message window, paste the url after what shows up in the message screen, then hit the img button again to close it out. The image SHOULD show up in your post.
I'm not seeing anything from my computer...just top & bottom.
I think it has to do with the fact that the link is to photobucket and my firewall is blocking it. See if you can upload it to your carspace photo album, I can check it out in there.
Jaydigga...sorry it took so long for me to get back to you. If I recall...the blue wire that's on the bottom row, next to the black ground wire, actually needs to be in the 3rd position on the top row, right after the red wire.
I just got off the phone with a Scosche tech. He said the amp turn on wire in the factory harness is a solid green wire. He said you can jump the wire for the ACC (yellow I believe) so that the factory amp will come on when you start the car. If I'm not mistaken, this solid green wire will be in the position on the top row, 3rd spot (after the red wire). If this is the case, the tech said you can pull that blue wire out and place it in that position so you just have to plug the harness in for it to work correctly. If moving the wire is a problem, then just use tap splice connectors to jump a wire between the ACC wire and the amp turn on wire (on the factory harness, not the aftermarket harness). An example of the connector is below:
This will allow you to make the connection without having to cut any wires.
If you have any other problems, let me know...I can always go behind my dash and take a look at my harness and confirm things 100% for you.
allmet33, Thank you so much. I finally got it going. Had to splice into the factory wiring which I didnt really want to do. But what the hey, I finally got it to work. I love my car and I dont regret my choice but its really frustrating when you have a vehicle that is so poorly supported in the aftermarket. But anyway thats a whole different story. Again, thanks so much.
Jaydigga...I'm glad to hear you got everything up and running!
If you think you're frustrated by aftermarket support...imagine how I felt when I was doing all this when the car first came out! LOL
Actually now, there's a lot more available, but the only thing...the Azera isn't a "tuners" car, so a lot of folks don't know much about it when it comes to aftermarket stuff. Your best resource will be other Azera owners that have done some aftermarket stuff to theirs.
Are you aware of the websites that offer aftermarket components for the Azera??? I think your eyes will be opened to the possibilities that the Azera really has when you see some of the stuff available.
Well, the stereo is working BUT it has an alternator whine in it (which I cant stand) and FM reception is now horrible. I think the reception problem is the antenna amp isnt turning on. I guess wiring this into the ACC wire would fix this. As far as the alternator whine I guess it is a ground problem as all of my connections are pretty sound. I half thought about taking it somewhere but honestly I dont have much confidence in that because most of these shops im sure have never even seen an Azera. Any suggestions?
Actually...you can obtain a noise suppresor that you intstall in-line on your power wire. My FM reception was never great, so it's no big deal with the aftermarket stereo either. However, I hardly listen to radio to make it a bother for me.
Question, did you tint your windows? There have been posts of other Azera owners that has had their reception quality go down after tinting their windows with a metallic based tint. I am one such owner.
As far as an antenna amp, not sure there's a wire in the harness that's responsible for activating one. I would think it would be wired to automatically come on with the car.
Since the antenna amp uses 5 volt dc it must be getting power from the OEM radio. If you look at the schematic diagram it does not show another source except the radio for this power. It is possible that the antenna amp has a built in voltage regulator that drops 12vdc to 5vdc. However the drawing shows 5vdc going into the antenna amp not 12vdc.
Yes, but would the power source necessarily have to come from the OEM head unit? If the antenna amp has a built in voltage regulator, then it wouldn't matter what source the power came from, right?
Long story short I think that I need to just connect the remote antenna wires. But I took it out of that pin on the Scosche harness and put it in the pin to turn on the amp. On hmaservice.com it does show in the pin diagram of the radio that there is a wire for antenna. So I would assume that the OEM radio is the source of the antenna amplifier's power. I do have tinted windows but reception was pretty good with the OEM unit. This is really bad.
Comments
The premium Azera system has 7.1 discreet channels and can decode 7.1 surround. In order to DECODE 7.1 surround, you have to have a source that is ENCODED in 7.1 surround. That means the guy that said you need a surround sound source was absolutely correct. It's no different than your home theater. If you are watching a channel that is simple stereo, then simple stereo is all you get no matter how nice of a home theater surround system you have.
If you are listening to NON surround source, the Infinity Surround system in your car still has the advantage of two extra speakers and massive power for a factory sound system. I have not heard the system, but I know it support twice the wattage of my 10 speaker Infinity that is already loud enough to let me cruise through the hood without being shot at.
To make car stylists happy, there are three types of ACTIVE antennas (has power for signal amplification) out there today. Their overall goal is to match the Good old whip in performance without adding too much cost.
1. Mini-whip: (about 10 inch long) on roof of vehicle. Since it is short, the signal receive is only fraction of the PASSIVE whip. So antenna makers have to gain it up mostly for FM. Typical number is somewhere between 3-9 dB. Note that having the most gain MAY help with Weak Signal reception but the drawback is as soon as one drives near strong local AM/FM station the antenna system has the most Gain (everything else remains equal), will crash and burn first. The result is these local stations may interfere with the station one is listening to. On AM, the typical mini-whip does not have any Gain. So compared to the the whip, the mini-whip is at disadvantage as far as AM is concerned. This type of antenna may have one advantage above the fender whip and the rear glass antennas: Vehicle electrical noise isolation.
2. Rear Glass antenna: By far, this is the most common on cars nowadays. The length of antenna is longer and wider compared to the mini-whip. But the signal received at the antenna is not uniform and must be boosted and manipulated to match that of the fender whip. That job is left to the small antenna amplifier module near the antenna wires. The signal gain for FM is 3-9 dB just like the mini-whip. This type of antenna is susceptible to directionality for FM (going one direction may get better radio signal than others). In addition, this type of antenna is extremely sensitive to vehicle electronics noise (defroster noise, vehicle display noise,...).
3. Combined XM/AM/FM antenna: This is shortest of them all. It is a small bump on the vehicle roof. To make this thing works, the antenna makers have to boost the Gain further yet since it is even shorter than the mini-whip. This one is currently used on the Santa Fe model. Again having more signal boost will compromise local station Overload problem.
So overall, it is engineering/styling trade off between different types of antennas for AM/FM. Adding more Gain will make radio more sensitive, but at the same time, the ACTIVE antennas are prone to Strong Signal interference.
Another thing is NOISE FIGURE (or Noise floor) of the antenna itself. The antenna need "Low Noise" Amplifier for boosting the signal in order for the signal to be useful by the radio. If one is to add an in-line $5.0 Chinese made antenna booster between Glass antenna and the antenna module, then the game is over before it even starts: the system will be worse off. The reason is these antenna booster has high NOISE FIGURE and being first on the signal chain is just deadly. Now if this antenna booster is placed after the antenna module of the vehicle, you may have a slight fighting chance of not killing the system: more signal to radio (but also add more noise and Overloading problem).
One other thing that makes car engineer crazy: vehicle electrical noise. Every computer, every electric motor, switch, relay, built-in inverter is an electrical noise source. They are jamming AM/FM radio in the car either directly (radiates to vehicle antenna) or indirectly (through Power and Ground).
OEM car radios have to work in this hostile environment. On top of that, they have to work between -40C to 85C. Try that with Aftermarket radios?
There is a misconception out there that Aftermarket radio has better reception than OEM radios. Most of the situation it is not true since the emphasis for Aftermarket radio is to offer highest Audio Fidelity without regard for any other things. Another thing they do not offer 3 year warranty
Any OEM radio could do that and more. But typical OEM tuning is for overall balance (Fidelity vs. Low Noise, Sensitivity vs. Overload, Features vs. Ease of Use,..)
jt
Great report.
What is your suggestion for best way to improve AM signal without installing whip antenna?
I don't know what makes you think aftermarket stereos will not work well in the hostile environment of the automobile, that's what they are designed for. Living here in the DC metro area, the temps range from an average of maybe -5 F (winter) all the way up to 100 F (summer), not to mention the high amounts of humidity we deal with too. Not only do aftermarket stereos handle the hostility of these conditions, they perform better than almost every OEM stereo. There are a select few OEM units that are exceptional, but the price you'll have to pay for the overall vehicle...it better be.
If your vehicle has rear glass antenna, do following things to improve AM reception :
1. No tinning of rear window. This is like making a cellphone call in the metal enclosure
2. Do not add inverter, plug in computer in the car while listening to radio. Both FM and AM (mostly) affected by these noise sources. OEM equipment is normally checked for EMC (Electromagnetic Compatibility) so the electrical interference is less an issue. If in doubt, plug or unplug these electronic devices to see if they interfere with your radio reception. Note that it may be frequency dependent
3. Check with dealer to see if the antenna connection in your vehicle any good. Good receiver system (from antenna to radio) should be able to receive signal reasonably well at least 250 miles on good weathered day. If yours only do it 50-100 miles, something is not right. For FM, you should expect 50 mile range with of course losing some stereo sound since most OEM radios are blended to mono at this distance (by low noise calibration purpose)
4. Compare with similar vehicles. if they are all like that, complain to OEM. Hyundai is known to be very sensitive to customer feedback (more than Toyota and Honda in some cases). They will demand better radio and/or antenna module next time
5. Reduce treble setting in AM mode. It make the sound more tolerable in noisy situation
6. Adding a in-line signal booster may be the last resort. It probably will not help at all unless it is a true Low Noise amplifier and has some types of AGC (Automatic Gain Control). Without AGC, your Booster Amp will suffer Overload problem (similar to Clipping of Audio Amplifiier when max out on volume control). By the time this signal got to the radio, damage has been done.
jt
Thanks for advice.
I have changed my head set to an 07 model to get additional steering wheel remote features offered in this years model.
Maybe I must open up dash again to make sure that antenna wire is firmly in place.
They then realized that aftermarket radios were taking business away from them so they upgraded all their equipment ie: Bose,Infinity,Harmon Kardon,JBL, etc.
Allmet has spent alot of money upgrading his system and I'm sure it sounds great BUT for the average guy their stock Azera radio more then exceeds their expectations. As we age most of us can't hear all those super lows and sparkling highs anymore. One last thing... I have yet to see a good do it yourself aftermarket radio installation that looks good in the dash that doesn't shout LOOK the radio doesn't fit the design of the dash
I'm not saying he doesn't know what he's talking about. The car makers have definitely gotten better in providing better sound systems in their cars. However...you can easily make it sound better by simply swapping out the speakers. This may sound funny, but a buddy of mine has a Benz S500 (2001) with the Bose sound system. He took the Bose speakers out and replaced them with some Pioneer speakers and it actually sounds better than it did with the Bose speakers in.
There are, indeed, premium sound systems that are very nice. In most cases, they are designed specifically for the vehicle they are in...especially the Bose systems.
Your assessment of the factory Azera Infinity system is dead on, for the average driver...it is very capable of delivering great sound. However, there are those of us with a discerning ear. In my case, there was a lack of clarity that needed to be brought out in the highs and the lows needed to reach a little further down. It's not so much about hearing the lows, but rather feeling them for greater impact. If this was about 15 years ago, I would have tried to get outlandish with the install and tried to shoot for the loudest possible system I could manage. Being in my late 30's with a family...I had to be more responsible than that, so I opted for clarity and sonic reproduction.
The hardest part was choosing a stereo to sit in the dash. As you said, I didn't want it to look like something that was just thrown in there regardless of how the rest of the dash looked. I think I did pretty good, most everyone that gets in thinks that it's the radio that came with the car.
Here's a couple pics...
Here's how it looks at night...
When I was your age I had to have the best sound available and FEEL the music. The trade off was now I don't hear as well :=)
The factory radio is not that bad but replacing the speaker like you did will give you the best bang for your buck................. Oh to be young again :=)
Regards HJC
Good luck!!!
If you need help getting the factory stereo out...let me know, I can send you a step by step. If you are ordering from Crutchfield or Cardomain...they send you instructions with your order.
The Inno comes with a little remote control in both the home AND the car kit. And, this is the way to go in the car versus trying to change channels on the unit itself. My steering wheel controls simply treat the cassette adaptor as another mode. While volume and mute work, the channel up and down does not work to change channels on the Inno.
By the way, the pink is not nearly as pink as it looks in all the web pages. And, the pink unit is much less expensive than the black unit. We wanted the portability of the unit to use when not in the car, if you want a car only unit, there is an even cheaper (and smaller) unit, which can be installed. I actually bought a second car kit (another $140, including the installation), so now the unit can be moved between cars or used as a portable. But, it sounds good enough that I may head to Ebay and see if I can pick up another unit.
My Pink Inno is the first generation and while it offers FM modulation, I would strongly suggest going the tape cassette route. Really good sound. If you go the tape route, be aware that there is a second generation Inno which gets a little more sophisticated with it FM modulation, but it is more money and still not as good as the tape unit approach.
Bill
What I would do is ask the dealer to maybe pull a good radio out of another car and try it in yours. If it continues to do the same thing, then suggest them changing the steering wheel controls. If that doesn't fix it, then it could be a short or something in the wiring between the two. The next move would be to replace the wiring.
Is the radio portion of the stereo the only time an issue comes up???
Just a couple suggestions. Good luck and let us know of your results and if it gets fixed!!!
It would have to be one of two things...faulty wiring or defective head unit.
Good luck!!!
15,000 miles and no problems on my 07.... This car is great
Thanks
If you order one and you have the problem, just call Scosche directly and they'll fix the problem for you.
Also, I plan to replace stock 16" wheels with 17" O.Z. Crono HT wheels.
Doing so, will it result in a loss of TPMS function? Not even sure whether
the base model comes with the TPMS. Thanks in advance.
:confuse:
I bought my harness directly from Scosche...it was only $12.99 + s&h. Once you order it, you should get it within a few days.
The other option is to speak to a Scosche tech. Explain to them that you have a harness and it's not turning on the factory amp and you believe that the wire for the amp turn on may be in the wrong location (maybe you should explain that you got your harness from Ebay and it may be an older one). Ask them if they can tell you what the wiring configuration should be and compare it to the one you have. You know...top row should be red, yellow, orange, etc... I know with mine, they had the amp turn on wire along the top row (I believe) and it should have been in the bottom row. If I were to see the harness, I could tell you where the amp turn on wire needs to be...is there any way you can take a pic of the wire-side of the harness and send it to me? If it's a case of the wire being in the wrong spot, you can actually remove it from the spot it's in and put it where it should be.
You could easily upgrade the sound by swapping the head unit out with an aftermarket one. If you do that, then you'll most likely want to swap out the door speakers as well. You won't have to worry about the factory tweeters unless you just want to change them as well. If you want some really great sound, replace the door speakers with some Infinity Reference or Rockford Fosgate Power Series coaxials. I know on Ebay...you can get the Infinity speakers for around $35/pr. The Fosgate speakers are about $45/pr.
I have posted a couple of guides that can assist you in replacing the factory stereo and the door speakers too, should want to do these upgrades yourself.
As far as your upgrade in wheels...if you're dealing with a legitimate wheel company, one of the questions they should be asking you is do you have TPMS on your factory wheels. If so, they can sell you wheels with TPMS valve stems on them. I believe it runs and extra $200 (in most cases, unless the price has dropped). According to the Hyundai website, the GLS does have TPMS...just not sure if it is available in the base model.
Anyway...to answer your concern, if you have TPMS on your factory wheels, you can get it on your aftermarket wheels as well.
Thanks for all your help. It is really frustrating. Here a couple of links to some pics that I took of the wiring harness. I assume that the wire in question is the blue wire.
top
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o159/JAYDIGGA4/DSC00925.jpg
bottom
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o159/JAYDIGGA4/DSC00926.jpg
All you ahve to do is locate the pic you want to post, right click on it and go to properties. Highlight and copy the url, then...in a carspace posting, click the img button below the message window, paste the url after what shows up in the message screen, then hit the img button again to close it out. The image SHOULD show up in your post.
This should work
top
bottom
I think it has to do with the fact that the link is to photobucket and my firewall is blocking it. See if you can upload it to your carspace photo album, I can check it out in there.
Sorry, they were showing up on my computer. I posted them on my carspace page. See if that works. Thanks
I just got off the phone with a Scosche tech. He said the amp turn on wire in the factory harness is a solid green wire. He said you can jump the wire for the ACC (yellow I believe) so that the factory amp will come on when you start the car. If I'm not mistaken, this solid green wire will be in the position on the top row, 3rd spot (after the red wire). If this is the case, the tech said you can pull that blue wire out and place it in that position so you just have to plug the harness in for it to work correctly. If moving the wire is a problem, then just use tap splice connectors to jump a wire between the ACC wire and the amp turn on wire (on the factory harness, not the aftermarket harness). An example of the connector is below:
This will allow you to make the connection without having to cut any wires.
If you have any other problems, let me know...I can always go behind my dash and take a look at my harness and confirm things 100% for you.
Thank you so much. I finally got it going. Had to splice into the factory wiring which I didnt really want to do. But what the hey, I finally got it to work. I love my car and I dont regret my choice but its really frustrating when you have a vehicle that is so poorly supported in the aftermarket. But anyway thats a whole different story. Again, thanks so much.
If you think you're frustrated by aftermarket support...imagine how I felt when I was doing all this when the car first came out! LOL
Actually now, there's a lot more available, but the only thing...the Azera isn't a "tuners" car, so a lot of folks don't know much about it when it comes to aftermarket stuff. Your best resource will be other Azera owners that have done some aftermarket stuff to theirs.
Are you aware of the websites that offer aftermarket components for the Azera??? I think your eyes will be opened to the possibilities that the Azera really has when you see some of the stuff available.
Korean Auto Imports
DreamKa4U.com
Seoulful Racing
KSPEC Performance
Question, did you tint your windows? There have been posts of other Azera owners that has had their reception quality go down after tinting their windows with a metallic based tint. I am one such owner.
As far as an antenna amp, not sure there's a wire in the harness that's responsible for activating one. I would think it would be wired to automatically come on with the car.
voltage regulator that drops 12vdc to 5vdc. However the drawing shows 5vdc going into the antenna amp not 12vdc.