Radio Problem (Cdr-220 Or Amp?)...

[RRappel]

Just bought a 2001 Boxster and having issues with the CDR-220 radio. The right channel level is much lower than the left (at least listening to the speakers on the dashboard). Everything was working just fine yesterday; popped in a CD this morning, started up the car, and noticed the lower volume.

Not sure if the issue is with the amp, wiring, head unit, or speaker. I did a little googling and couldn't find any type of schematic which might help me narrow down the problem. I believe the amp is in the front trunk, behind the spare. I just ordered the Bentley manual for the car, and wonder if anyone has any suggestions on where to start?

Thanks,

Ron

[JeTexas]

Not to be insulting, but have you tried adjusting the left/right fader?

If you set it completely to the weak side, is there static in the music or is it just soft? To me, static would indicate a loose wire or dirty connection whereas if it's just soft, you may only be getting line level signal through the amp instead of an amplified feed.

Good luck.

[RRappel]

Thanks for the suggestion JeTexas... Yes, did try the fader, and found I do here sound out of the speaker with it set all the way to the right, but the sound coming out of the right speaker is much lower then when I have the fader all the way to the left and listening to the level out of the left speaker. And the sound out of the right speaker is not distorted, which would make me think that the amp is just letting the line level signal pass straight through to the speaker, as you mentioned. I'd just hate to buy a replacement amp for it and then find out the issue was with the head unit...

Ron

[JeTexas]

Unplug the amp and jumper the cables. If the sound remains the same, you know it's the amp.

[RRappel]

I like the suggestion, but am not sure which wires are which since haven't been able to find a schematic for it... Just ordered the Bentley manual, which I believe has a schematic for the car.

Thanks,

Ron

[RRappel]

Quick followup on this...I was able to find the HAES 4 channel amp used in my Boxster on Ebay. I figured this would at least confirm if the problem was due to the amp or the head unit. Today I tried swapping out my amp with the one I bought on Ebay; sound still very low in the one channel, telling me the amp is just fine :( . So if I want to stick with the OEM sound system, next step is to find a replacement CDR-220 head unit. Also, if anyone out there is looking for the HAES 4 channel amp used in the 2001 Boxster (it's the non-MOST system), I'd like to sell the one I just bought since unfortunately it didn't solve my problem.Thanks, RonP.S. The Bentley manual is a fantastic resource!

[kbrandsma]

Most problems with fade and balance usually stem from a faulty ignition switch. Are you experiencing other unexplainable electrical problems?

[RRappel]

Most problems with fade and balance usually stem from a faulty ignition switch. Are you experiencing other unexplainable electrical problems?

Thanks for getting back to me on this. The previous owner replaced the ignition switch before I bought it, and I hadn't been experiencing any odd electrical system behavior.

It turns out the problem was actually an intermittent in the front dash speaker. I ended up buying a replacement CDR-220 radio on Ebay that experienced the exact same problem. Bought a set of replacement dash speakers and the problem disappeared. So I now have an extra amp and head unit; the head unit I'll hang onto in case I run into other issues with mine in the future, but might try to sell the amp since I really don't expect that to go out on me.

Thanks,

Ron