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Stereo Interference

2K views 21 replies 9 participants last post by  Jasno999 
#1 ·
Please Help!

I've installed all my new audio, but I am getting interference from the RCA's running from the amp under my seat to the amp in the trunk.

I have tried moving the RCA's so that they are as far away from the power wires as possible, (power down driver's side, RCA's down Passenger side) but the interference is still there. :confused:

What can I do????

Thanks in advance!

Spencer
 
#5 ·
A ground loop isolator will take out that buzz you hear from ground feed back that is going into your audio lines. You can pick them up fairly cheap at any car audio store or even radio shack iirc.
 
#6 ·
Thanks for the help guys!

I'm already running $35 Monster Cable RCA's... i would think that these would be sufficently shielded...

As for the ground loop isolator, how much $ will it cost me?

also, the interference I'm getting is a high pitched whine that coinsides with engine rpm's... its not really a buzz.

I'm going to go to Radio Shack after work, so wish me luck.
 
#7 ·
VA Beach WRX said:

As for the ground loop isolator, how much $ will it cost me?

also, the interference I'm getting is a high pitched whine that coinsides with engine rpm's... its not really a buzz.

<$20

I had a similar problem and the GLI fixed it. You may have to pick it up from a car audio store. I'mm not sure Radio Shack carries them.
 
#10 · (Edited)
I've grounded each of the the amps...

I really can't figure this problem out... If I disconnect the RCA's to the 2nd AMP at the end connected to the 1st amp, the interference disappears. But if I disconnect the RCA's at the Amp in my trunk, but leave them plugged in to the 1st amp, the interference is there.

This leads me to believe that the interference is coming from somewhere along the RCA's I have running to the trunk. I've got them running from the amp under my drivers seat, across under the armrest, under the passenger seat, up the passenger side, and through to the trunk. My power for the 2nd amp runs along the drivers side of the car. The RCA's and Power can't get any further away from each other.

Is there any chance that I am getting interference from some other item in the car?

Is there any power running down the passenger side of the car?

I have disconnected the factory upgrade sub, but I didn't remove any of the wiring. Is it possible that this is the cause of my interference?

I appreciate any/all ideas and suggestions!

Spence
 
#13 ·
Try taking out your nice $35 RCAs from all the paneling, carpeting etc. Now just lay it across the seats and throw it in the truck to your amp and hook it up. drive around and see if the whine goes away. If it does, than you'll know that its the placement of the cable. Now if the whine doesn't go away, try swapping cables to see if its your cable thats having problems? If all else fails, kick it. :)
 
#16 · (Edited)
VA Beach WRX said:
Please Help!

I've installed all my new audio, but I am getting interference from the RCA's running from the amp under my seat to the amp in the trunk.

I have tried moving the RCA's so that they are as far away from the power wires as possible, (power down driver's side, RCA's down Passenger side) but the interference is still there. :confused:

What can I do????

Thanks in advance!

Spencer
How many preouts do you have on the head unit?
Are you using the outputs of the first amp to your second amp?
The first amp might be boosting the engine noise to the second amp.

Try this...
1. Run your RCAs AWAY from all factory wires. Also stay away from the fuel pump.
2. Ground your head unit with the amps. (run a ground wire to the trunk.)
3. Make sure you have a very good ground. (strip the paint to bare metal so you'll have a better contact.)
4. If you're using the remote turn on wire that is on the RCAs...don't. Run a seperate wire away from your RCAs for the remote turn on.


I'm already running $35 Monster Cable RCA's... i would think that these would be sufficently shielded...
Brand named RCAs aren't any better than generic cables. Unless you're going to compete with your system, I wouldn't spend the extra money on brand named cables.

Good luck!
 
#17 ·
Ok. I got the Ground loop isolators and hooked them up. And well they just made my problem worse. I am not sure if I am hooking them up right but I think I did. Seemed pretty simple to me. But as soon as I connected them the alternator noise got even worse and more pronounced. I tried hooking them up different ways and everyhting and nothing worked.

So I removed them and I have this very annoying whining noise coming from the speakers.

I noticed I can turn the radio off and I still get the noise. I ran power from the batter on one side of the car and speaker wire on the other side. Do I need to run the amped speaker wire on the same side as the power wire??

I don't know what the problem could be.

Where did you guys ground your amps to? I did mine to the middle brake light bolt. Also do I have to ground my amp and sub amp to different locations. Right now I have a distribution block that they both go to and then I run a common ground.

I need help guys.
 
#18 ·
Jasno999 said:
Ok. I got the Ground loop isolators and hooked them up. And well they just made my problem worse. I am not sure if I am hooking them up right but I think I did. Seemed pretty simple to me. But as soon as I connected them the alternator noise got even worse and more pronounced. I tried hooking them up different ways and everyhting and nothing worked.

So I removed them and I have this very annoying whining noise coming from the speakers.

I noticed I can turn the radio off and I still get the noise. I ran power from the batter on one side of the car and speaker wire on the other side. Do I need to run the amped speaker wire on the same side as the power wire??

I don't know what the problem could be.

Where did you guys ground your amps to? I did mine to the middle brake light bolt. Also do I have to ground my amp and sub amp to different locations. Right now I have a distribution block that they both go to and then I run a common ground.

I need help guys.
One thing's for sure, dont ground your amp to the brake light bolt. Find a bolt going into the body and ground to that. If you ground to the brake light, you'll in a sense be grounding to another circuit. Try moving your ground to something else, maybe a bolt for your seat?(I'm assuming you have your amp under the seat right now since you grounded to a brake bolt). If that doesn't work try removing your ground loop isolaters. Basically try one component at a time. Also what could help would be using twisted wires, but try that last since it might require more money and ripping out a wiring job.
 
#19 ·
Jasno999 said:
Ok. I got the Ground loop isolators and hooked them up. And well they just made my problem worse. I am not sure if I am hooking them up right but I think I did. Seemed pretty simple to me. But as soon as I connected them the alternator noise got even worse and more pronounced. I tried hooking them up different ways and everyhting and nothing worked.

So I removed them and I have this very annoying whining noise coming from the speakers.

I noticed I can turn the radio off and I still get the noise. I ran power from the batter on one side of the car and speaker wire on the other side. Do I need to run the amped speaker wire on the same side as the power wire??

I don't know what the problem could be.

Where did you guys ground your amps to? I did mine to the middle brake light bolt. Also do I have to ground my amp and sub amp to different locations. Right now I have a distribution block that they both go to and then I run a common ground.

I need help guys.
Should connect another pair of RCAs from the deck to the amp without running them on the floor boards. Lay them over your interior and see if you still have engine noise. If you do, move it around.

If that doesn't work, then it's probably your ground. Crimp a ring connector to your ground wire and screw it into the car. Make sure you scrape off all the paint so the connector will have a better contact.

Another way to eliminate engine noise is to do what Megavolt121 said. Make your own RCAs. Twist a pair of wires together with a power drill and solder RCA connectors to the ends. Like I said from my previous post, RCAs doesn't have to be expensive for them to be good.
 
#20 ·
To repeat when I put the ground loop isolators on it made the noise worse. SO I removed them.

My last effort here is goign to be to try and run the grounds to a seat belt bolt or one of the bolts under the back seat. That and maybe I will try to move my distribution blocks.

Is that does nto work then I have no idea what will.
 
#22 ·
My distro is screwed to the back seat. I do not think it is screwed into any metal at all. I can check but I don't think it is.

Well I ran RCAs outside the car this weekend. Problem stayed the same no matter what. SO I installed a better set of converters to go from line out to RCA. And this did not help. So I used the adjustments on the converters and turned them down. When I got to a ceartain level the whine went away. So I figured problem solved. However I went to play the stero and came to find out that with a lower setpoint on the converter you get more lower sounds.

I was getting all these bass sounds coming from my speakers when playing music even though I had the amp switched to high pass. So if I turn up the level on the line out converters I get better sound but I get noise. Where I turn it down I get poor sound but no noise. Son't knwo what to do.

Also another strange thing is this. The converter came with a 5th terminal for ground. Directions said not to hook it up unless it was nessassary for the amp to work. Well it is not nessassary but I tried it to see what it would do. When I hooked it up I immediatly got noise. However I found that the noise now stayed the same no matter how low or hihg I turned the converter up or down.

Do you think it is still just a poor ground? I am so confused about this. Need more help.
 
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