Mark Levinson system - No CD/DVD audio - S/PDIF cable problem?
#1
Mark Levinson system - No CD/DVD audio - S/PDIF cable problem?
I have found many OLD threads on various Lexus models about this but no solutions. So im hoping to figure it out and it may also help someone in the future who has the same issue.
I recently did the NAV/DVD bypass. It worked fine and still does. Although the checkengine and checkVSC warning came on eventually, i reset them and didnt reoccur and all is fine with the bypass not activated. After about several days or a week later i tried the CD player and the audio started cutting out as well as no audio from the DVD. All CDs and DVDs worked before.
AM/FM/SAT/NAV audio works fine. But DVD/CD has no audio.
After searching i found that DVD/CD audio go through the optical S/PDIF (spdif) cable. I checked it behind the unit and it looks fine, undamaged, not bent. i have not checked it on the amp side yet. Also i do not know if theres anything in between. In some threads ive seen, they claim to have hit the side of the unit/dash hard and it started working again.
Anyone know whats causing DVD/CD audio not to work? Or know what the S/PDIF cable line consists of?
I recently did the NAV/DVD bypass. It worked fine and still does. Although the checkengine and checkVSC warning came on eventually, i reset them and didnt reoccur and all is fine with the bypass not activated. After about several days or a week later i tried the CD player and the audio started cutting out as well as no audio from the DVD. All CDs and DVDs worked before.
AM/FM/SAT/NAV audio works fine. But DVD/CD has no audio.
After searching i found that DVD/CD audio go through the optical S/PDIF (spdif) cable. I checked it behind the unit and it looks fine, undamaged, not bent. i have not checked it on the amp side yet. Also i do not know if theres anything in between. In some threads ive seen, they claim to have hit the side of the unit/dash hard and it started working again.
Anyone know whats causing DVD/CD audio not to work? Or know what the S/PDIF cable line consists of?
#3
I have found many OLD threads on various Lexus models about this but no solutions. So im hoping to figure it out and it may also help someone in the future who has the same issue.
I recently did the NAV/DVD bypass. It worked fine and still does. Although the checkengine and checkVSC warning came on eventually, i reset them and didnt reoccur and all is fine with the bypass not activated. After about several days or a week later i tried the CD player and the audio started cutting out as well as no audio from the DVD. All CDs and DVDs worked before.
AM/FM/SAT/NAV audio works fine. But DVD/CD has no audio.
After searching i found that DVD/CD audio go through the optical S/PDIF (spdif) cable. I checked it behind the unit and it looks fine, undamaged, not bent. i have not checked it on the amp side yet. Also i do not know if theres anything in between. In some threads ive seen, they claim to have hit the side of the unit/dash hard and it started working again.
Anyone know whats causing DVD/CD audio not to work? Or know what the S/PDIF cable line consists of?
I recently did the NAV/DVD bypass. It worked fine and still does. Although the checkengine and checkVSC warning came on eventually, i reset them and didnt reoccur and all is fine with the bypass not activated. After about several days or a week later i tried the CD player and the audio started cutting out as well as no audio from the DVD. All CDs and DVDs worked before.
AM/FM/SAT/NAV audio works fine. But DVD/CD has no audio.
After searching i found that DVD/CD audio go through the optical S/PDIF (spdif) cable. I checked it behind the unit and it looks fine, undamaged, not bent. i have not checked it on the amp side yet. Also i do not know if theres anything in between. In some threads ive seen, they claim to have hit the side of the unit/dash hard and it started working again.
Anyone know whats causing DVD/CD audio not to work? Or know what the S/PDIF cable line consists of?
Regards,
- Kirk
#4
It doesnt make sense because everything worked fine after the bypass was done, so this happened later on out of no where.
S/PDIF is an optical cable - when you pull it out is should glow red like an LED is driving it. Since it's an optical cable, a kink or harsh bend (anywhere along the full length of the cable) could cause the audio bit stream to be disrupted - and since that is a digital signal, you pretty much either get it perfectly working, or not working at all... I would try to inspect the entire length of the cable if you can, see if that helps shed some light on the issue.
Regards,
- Kirk
Regards,
- Kirk
Also would it be safe to unplug both ends and test both ends for continuity with a multimeter/voltmeter?
#5
Hi speeddem0n -
The S/PDIF cable is an optical cable - it's made from a fiber optic strand (glass or more likely plastic). That fiber strand is not conductive to electricity, so you can't check it like a conventional copper wire. The head unit drives the optical signal - that driver is a red LED. If you look in the end of the cable (at the amp end) when the head unit is active (playing a DVD disk) you should see a fairly bright red glow from the LED. I have not seen the Lexus implementation, but if it uses a standard S/PDIF cable, you could swap out the cable if it somehow became kinked/broken internally. Unless something really tugged or nicked the cable itself while your bypass was being installed perhaps, I doubt that the cable is the problem you are dealing with.
Good luck!
- Kirk
The S/PDIF cable is an optical cable - it's made from a fiber optic strand (glass or more likely plastic). That fiber strand is not conductive to electricity, so you can't check it like a conventional copper wire. The head unit drives the optical signal - that driver is a red LED. If you look in the end of the cable (at the amp end) when the head unit is active (playing a DVD disk) you should see a fairly bright red glow from the LED. I have not seen the Lexus implementation, but if it uses a standard S/PDIF cable, you could swap out the cable if it somehow became kinked/broken internally. Unless something really tugged or nicked the cable itself while your bypass was being installed perhaps, I doubt that the cable is the problem you are dealing with.
Good luck!
- Kirk
#6
Hi speeddem0n -
The S/PDIF cable is an optical cable - it's made from a fiber optic strand (glass or more likely plastic). That fiber strand is not conductive to electricity, so you can't check it like a conventional copper wire. The head unit drives the optical signal - that driver is a red LED. If you look in the end of the cable (at the amp end) when the head unit is active (playing a DVD disk) you should see a fairly bright red glow from the LED. I have not seen the Lexus implementation, but if it uses a standard S/PDIF cable, you could swap out the cable if it somehow became kinked/broken internally. Unless something really tugged or nicked the cable itself while your bypass was being installed perhaps, I doubt that the cable is the problem you are dealing with.
Good luck!
- Kirk
The S/PDIF cable is an optical cable - it's made from a fiber optic strand (glass or more likely plastic). That fiber strand is not conductive to electricity, so you can't check it like a conventional copper wire. The head unit drives the optical signal - that driver is a red LED. If you look in the end of the cable (at the amp end) when the head unit is active (playing a DVD disk) you should see a fairly bright red glow from the LED. I have not seen the Lexus implementation, but if it uses a standard S/PDIF cable, you could swap out the cable if it somehow became kinked/broken internally. Unless something really tugged or nicked the cable itself while your bypass was being installed perhaps, I doubt that the cable is the problem you are dealing with.
Good luck!
- Kirk
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#9
Well i finally had a chance to take a look at the amp side. I unplugged the fiber optic cable from the amp side... then plugged it back in and the CD/DVD sound works again! The DVD/Navi bypass is still intact.
Doesnt make sense but I have DVD/CD sound again, so im not gonna complain. Thanks for all the advice.
Doesnt make sense but I have DVD/CD sound again, so im not gonna complain. Thanks for all the advice.
#10
Well i finally had a chance to take a look at the amp side. I unplugged the fiber optic cable from the amp side... then plugged it back in and the CD/DVD sound works again! The DVD/Navi bypass is still intact.
Doesnt make sense but I have DVD/CD sound again, so im not gonna complain. Thanks for all the advice.
Doesnt make sense but I have DVD/CD sound again, so im not gonna complain. Thanks for all the advice.
Kirk
#11
I never touched the amp side before and its a weird coincidence this happened (not at the same time, but) shortly after the bypass.
For now the only explanation in my case is that it was loose. CD/DVD audio was fine, then it became choppy as if it was skipping, then nothing at all.
Last edited by speeddem0n; 04-14-15 at 09:42 PM.
#12
Pole Position
^^Curious guys as a side note what is the Navi/DVD bypass that everyone has talked about? I guess I never understood what the purpose of it was for?
Thx
Thx
#13
When the car is moving you are unable to enter in an address into the NAVI. Also if you want to watch a DVD movie, it will not show the picture unless the emergency brake is on. The bypass is to trick the NAVI/GPS in thinking that the car isnt moving so you can use all the functions and see the picture while the car is in motion.
#14
Pole Position
^^Ahh very cool, is that hard to do? What is involved in doing the bypass as this would be good for some occasions with kids in the back seat assuming they could still see the screen.
#15
There are also bypasses you can buy so you dont have to cut any wiring. which i may consider later on and solder back my wiring back to factory. Theyre about $199 on ebay.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/191522787911?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
Last edited by speeddem0n; 04-15-15 at 03:30 PM.