Impossible Speaker Whine Issue

[EmpiricalApe]

I apologize, but I am once again asking for assistance on this issue. I think I have tried everything I've been told.
System Rundown:
2002 Saturn L200
•Electrical is a powder coated mechman 260 amp alternator, battery is a XS Power D3400. I have 0 gauge ofc big 3
•Stereo is a JVC KW-M780BT
• Mids and highs Amplifier is a Infinity REF-3004A (8 ga ofc power and grounds, 14 ga ofc speaker wire) -- Sub amp is a Sundown SFB 3k (0 ga ofc power&ground, 10 ga speaker wire to sub)

After installing the Infinity mid amp I started having bad alternator whine come through the speakers. The whine does not change with stereo power, but does get louder with mid amp gain. I have the mid amp gains at minimum. The whine stops when unplugged from the amp. I've tried running different rcas, power, and grounds away from any other components and it doesn't change. I tried a new unit of the same stereo and the issue persisted. I have tried grounding the stereo through the harness and to the frame, as well as grounding all the components in the same location and also running a wire between all the separate grounds. Ive tried grounding the amp and stereo directly to the negative battery post. With the amp connected directly to my phone with an rca adapter there is no whine. I have tried different mid amps, different speakers. I've tried in line noise filters on the stereo power wire, and I've tried ground loop isolators on the mid amp. When I tried the ground loop isolator on the sub amp rcas that was the only results I got. The whine quieted down considerably, but not enough. Yet the whine will continue with the sub amp taken off the circuit. I would just deal with it that way, but with the ground loop isolator on the sub amp rcas, the gain and where it clips seems to become inconsistent.

Im sorry if everything is jumbled together, I'm starting to give up. I really appreciate you guys taking time to help me out on this issue so many times.

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[huberoy123 10+ year member]

I apologize, but I am once again asking for assistance on this issue. I think I have tried everything I've been told.
System Rundown:
2002 Saturn L200
•Electrical is a powder coated mechman 260 amp alternator, battery is a XS Power D3400. I have 0 gauge ofc big 3
•Stereo is a JVC KW-M780BT
• Mids and highs Amplifier is a Infinity REF-3004A (8 ga ofc power and grounds, 14 ga ofc speaker wire) -- Sub amp is a Sundown SFB 3k (0 ga ofc power&ground, 10 ga speaker wire to sub)

After installing the Infinity mid amp I started having bad alternator whine come through the speakers. The whine does not change with stereo power, but does get louder with mid amp gain. I have the mid amp gains at minimum. The whine stops when unplugged from the amp. I've tried running different rcas, power, and grounds away from any other components and it doesn't change. I tried a new unit of the same stereo and the issue persisted. I have tried grounding the stereo through the harness and to the frame, as well as grounding all the components in the same location and also running a wire between all the separate grounds. Ive tried grounding the amp and stereo directly to the negative battery post. With the amp connected directly to my phone with an rca adapter there is no whine. I have tried different mid amps, different speakers. I've tried in line noise filters on the stereo power wire, and I've tried ground loop isolators on the mid amp. When I tried the ground loop isolator on the sub amp rcas that was the only results I got. The whine quieted down considerably, but not enough. Yet the whine will continue with the sub amp taken off the circuit. I would just deal with it that way, but with the ground loop isolator on the sub amp rcas, the gain and where it clips seems to become inconsistent.

Im sorry if everything is jumbled together, I'm starting to give up. I really appreciate you guys taking time to help me out on this issue so many times.

Had a similar problem with my daughter's system several years ago. Turns out, it was a defective alternator. Have you tried temporarily disconnecting the alternator, to see if the whine goes away?

 

[EmpiricalApe]

Had a similar problem with my daughter's system several years ago. Turns out, it was a defective alternator. Have you tried temporarily disconnecting the alternator, to see if the whine goes away?

I mean it is alternator whine, so I would assume it would go away, as it doesn't do it with the engine off. My alt itself does put out the same sound from the physical unit. I was going to contact mechman and see what they had to say

 

[hispls 5,000+ posts]

I mean it is alternator whine, so I would assume it would go away, as it doesn't do it with the engine off. My alt itself does put out the same sound from the physical unit. I was going to contact mechman and see what they had to say

I've had similar issue from a battery failing when running multiple batteries and have read others claim that failing alternator can cause this.

Mind you, I haven't finished my coffee yet this morning, but at a glance it seems like you eliminated about everything else through proper troubleshooting.

 

[dragon.breath 10+ year member]

Are either of the amplifiers mounted to metal in the car? I have had crazy noise problems that ended up being caused by the metal amplifier case touching the metal in the car though the mounting screws. I also fought a car with noise problems till I realized that the amplifier was mounted right above the fuel pump. Radiated noise from the fuel pump was causing the problem. Moving the amplifier to a different location fixed the problem.

 

[RobGMN 5,000+ posts]

" With the amp connected directly to my phone with an rca adapter there is no whine."

This sounds like you have isolated the problem to the head unit, and not the amps (or to a head unit/amp interaction).
Can you try a different head unit?

 

[EmpiricalApe]

" With the amp connected directly to my phone with an rca adapter there is no whine."

This sounds like you have isolated the problem to the head unit, and not the amps (or to a head unit/amp interaction).
Can you try a different head unit?

I tired a new HU unit of the same mode because I like this stereo and no luck.

 

[RobGMN 5,000+ posts]

I tired a new HU unit of the same mode because I like this stereo and no luck.

oops. i see that rereading your o/p.
But it still seems you've narrowed it to the head unit by breaking the chain with your phone.
Are you able to isolate the HU and power it separately to see if the whine is being introduced through the power lines?

Also, in the OLD days of car audio, noise was commonly introduced from RFI radiated by the ignition wires and picked up by the antenna.
Your alternator may have a noise filtering issue that's causing a similar problem. Can you pop the stock one back in to see if the noise goes away?

 

[EmpiricalApe]

oops. i see that rereading your o/p.
But it still seems you've narrowed it to the head unit by breaking the chain with your phone.
Are you able to isolate the HU and power it separately to see if the whine is being introduced through the power lines?

Also, in the OLD days of car audio, noise was commonly introduced from RFI radiated by the ignition wires and picked up by the antenna.
Your alternator may have a noise filtering issue that's causing a similar problem. Can you pop the stock one back in to see if the noise goes away?

I feel like it may be the alternator. The physical unit has the exact same whine. It's pretty new, but I'm also not sure if this is normal or not for a HO alt. I'm going to call mechman today if I can remember, and see what they have to say.