When I plug a lead (without ipod attached) into the aux socket I get an audible noise from the speakers. When ipod is attached sound is badly distorted. No noise when using CD etc. Unplug the lead & the noise stops! Any ideas.

Octy2 elegance.

Does the hum noise change if the car is on/off or different when accelerating?

Is it a DIY jobby or is it pro fitted?

Are you trying to plug the lead in directly into the head unit or via an extenion/connector loom/etc?

what radio is this on too? i found when i had a roomster for a few hours that i accidently knocked the lead in the aux in and it sounded terrible and that the lead needed to be moved in and out of the aux in socket before it would get a reasonable sound quality.

I would try another lead ,in case the lead has an open circuit screen (ground) lead.Also if you plug a speaker type output into the low input of the radio which expects an input up to 500 millivolts (0.5 volt)

it will distort.

I get a hum when there is just the lead plugged in but it goes away when the I-pod is plugged in. :confused:

The noise is only when I plug the lead in. Tried another with same result. No noise on radion, CD or autochanger. No problem with Ipod. Defo something wrong. As I use the ipod all the time I suppose a dealer visit beckons.

I seem to remeber i got a humming noise when i plugged my ipod in with a belkin 12v charger, with jack output. Takes the sound signal from the usb socket on ipod. I tracked it down to not having the lead plugged in far enough into the sockets.

Is it the lead that came with the unit? What type of Ipod are you using. Some leads and their units are wired slightly differently just to annoy us methinks. This is common on 3 x phono to 3 pole 3.5mm jack cables used for multimedia/camcorders/iPODS/etc, Apple even change the configuration of their wiring for these cables between the Video and the Classic. So possibly your HU is expecting a non standard wired lead, or vice versa?

I had the same problem connecting my ipod to my stereo using my camcorder lead, but it worked fine with my multimedia player lead.

Else it sounds like a ground or short circuit somewhere

What sort of connectors does this lead have?

It hums with just the lead plugged to the socket i.e. no ipod or anything else on t'other end! I think it may be earthing somewhere as i've had this in the past on a home system.

Same haoppens on our Octy, and in my works mondy.

I've put it down to the amp mode used. If I use Aux 1 it goes, 3 (most amplified_ I get a slight hum.

question is your ipod lead 3.5mm to 3.5mm or is it dock to 3.5mm lead?

Its a standard lead from a dock. I think the lead is irrelevant - tried a standard MP3 with lead from headphone socket - same probs.

What aux mode is your head unit on? Press the > on the bottom right of the screen.

TBH The lead seems like it is the key, cause or not its definately a clue to the problem, there is no noise without it, whether the cable is at fault itself or causing a short circuit within the HU. You put that the cable is standard, is that standard WITH the head unit or standard bought in shops? The more information we have the better to help you, Its hard to help when all we know is what car you have

The lead *may* be irrelevant in this case, but you didnt state one way or the other for it to be eliminated from the cause, just that you thought it wasnt the problem.

Leads can and do cause problems, even when there's nothing connected to the other end. As I stated before, if its expecting a lead wired a certain way and gets a lead wired a different way it can cause issues the same as you are experiencing, having learnt this the hard way. Sometimes the end cause can be so obscure to the problem, and finding these causes means eliminating everything that it isnt, as much as possible :slant:.

I think we need more info on what you have.

What is the exact setup you have (HU, Accessories, etc) and what connectors does the HU and leads have?

Its a standard lead from a dock. I think the lead is irrelevant - tried a standard MP3 with lead from headphone socket - same probs.

i think its relevent to check these things out a bit of dust on a dock connection could cause you this problem too, thus why im trying to eliminate the easier things before stripping the car apart and quite possible the connection behind the head unit or the connection behind the aux in socket.

I had a problem like this connecting my phone (i.e. MP3 player) to my 3.5mm aux connection via a simple Sony Ericsson lead. Had poor sound and a hum, removed the lead and reconnected it (both ends), problem went away and has never happened since.

Therefore, I suggest it's a connection issue!

There was no noise on Friday. There was on Saturday.

I have tried 3 different leads, including a high quality gold lead.

As soon as it is plugged in, it starts. As soon as it is removed, it stops.

Standard elegance setup, no extras etc.

Thanks for the replies, booked in for later this week, service chap had a listen & agrees there is a problem.

is there any lead you can plug in that doesnt hum? im thinking the earth is wired to a left/right and a left right is wired to the earth. Have you got a 3.5mm to 3.5mm? if so plug it in and tap the end if the 3.5mm with your finger and see if it hums more each time you tap it?