Where can I get a good quality ground loop isolator? I've installed an Alpine head unit on my Audi TT which has a Bose set-up and the amp pops. Craig.

The Bose amp has probably died. The head unit does not power the speakers. It's located behind a panel in the drivers side rear quarter panel. Do a simple web search, it's well described.

it all depends on how much you are willing to spend and what kind of features you are looking for. at this point in time, alpine, kenwood and pioneer are some of the better brands on the market. eclipse is good also, but hard to find.

That is called engine noise, usualy happens when you run the RCA signal cables down the same side of the car as the power wire for the amp. if you have the power wire, and rca cables separated, and you are sure you have a good ground for the amp, go get a ground loop isolator from Best Buy, or any place that installs car audio. some people call it a rca noise filter. it plugs inbetween the rcas and the amp and it should take care of the noise. Hope this helps.

Interesting that you have a Soundstream "The Continuum" amplifier. This is limited edition of the Reference 705 amp produced with a polished aluminum (not chrome) case. You have a very hi quality - Old School - amp.

Properly installed this amp should produce more than ample volume levels and certainly far more than a stock unit.

Because the Alpine head unit provides sufficient voltage to drive the amp, it is likely either the wiring, or, the way you have it set up.
The amp has a large internal capacitor bank and for proper operation, this amp must be connected directly to your car battery, prefereably with 4 AWG. (The amp is made with 4 AWG power connections.) Use high quality speaker wire run directly from each speaker to the amp.

If you have done the above, then it is probably the way you have it set up. The amp is sophisticated with many configuration options. Do not change any switch settings while the amp is playing. Ensure you have the appropriate inputs and crossover selected. Check the gain settings.

What you have been told is correct, these proprietary systems are great for the manufacturer, but when they start to have issues (and they will) they leave you 2 options: pay through the nose to stay original or replace the amps with new ones....the upside of this is aftermarket amps are soooo mugh better than stock that it is lauhgable.

A humm may be caused by a cable TV grounding problem called a "ground loop." Basically, the grounding for the Cable TV line and the power outlet for the TV are at unequal levels. I had this same humm with both the internal TV speakers and with external speakers (headphones, etc.). The 2 solutions are (1) install a Ground Loop Isolator at the TV, or (2) call the cable company to troubleshoot the problem. I figured the time I saved dealing with the cable company was worth the $50 for the part. I installed the Jensen VRD-1FF which has worked perfectly! Ordered from eBay and saved about $12 over the Jensen Electronics web site price. Hope this helps.

The Bose system in the Z is wired to control the entire car's speakers. Each speaker has its own amplifier, and the OEM head unit puts out a line-level signal to each amp. Your Clarion unit puts out speaker-level signal (in effect, an amplified signal), into the Bose amps, and it's probably overdriving them and putting them into shutdown.

Your best bet is to replace the Bose speakers with aftermarket speakers meant for a speaker-level drive (which is what I did in my Z, and never once regretted it). If you do so, you'll need to run new wires to the speakers, or if you use the OEM wiring, you'll need to unplug the amps and run the wires from the amp harnesses directly to the new speakers. I think there is an adapter harness you can use that will tap into the line-out jacks on your Clarion, so that a line-level signal can be sent to the Bose speakers - I'd do a google search for "Metra harness 300zx" or something along those lines (Metra makes the lineout harness adapters - I use one in my Audi).

Connect the 2 gage to the battery thru at least s 50 amp fuse, then connect the capacitor in line before the amps. Then run the 2 gage to a connector/splitter block and run 4 gage leads to each amp. You also will need at least 4 gage ground leads from each amp to a body grounded bolt or screw. You need to run a quality set of speaker leads from the head unit to the amps. The speakers will need separate leads from the amp to each speaker.You will need to try some different combinations to get the sound and bass you want. You want to be able to fade from front to rear and control everything thru the head unit.
Use a hole saw to cut a 2 to 3 inch diameter hole in the side of the speaker box for a port to get a better punch from the sub.
Hope this helps some....

Try purchasing a "ground loop isolater", when your head unit and amp are grounded in 2 diffrent locations the diffrence in volatage to ground between the two will cause interference. Check the below link for more details, can be purchased of a shelf at you local radioshack http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.... loop&parentPage=search Hope this helps L8R

Try purchasing a "ground loop isolater", when your head unit and amp are grounded in 2 diffrent locations the diffrence in volatage to ground between the two will cause interference. Check the below link for more details, can be purchased of a shelf at you local radioshack http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062214&cp=&kw=ground loop&parentPage=search Hope this helps L8R