i have the unit set up so that constant power and igition power cables go right to the battery

I stopped reading the rest of your post as soon as I saw this sentence.

That is incorrect wiring, and will result in some unusual behavior on your player, including many of the symptoms of the negative spike bug. For instance, amplifier popping will happen when it is wired this way.

Go wire it correctly, then come back and let us know if you're still having any problems.