Speaker Buzz After Installing Amplifier

[Doxquzme Premium Member]

Are any of the speaker wires running parallel, along side of the power wire? All signal wires, (speaker or RCS’s) should never run parallel to the power wire. You pretty much ruled out the RCA’s and most of thanes I’ve purchased from Crutchfield are twisted pair, so unlikely that’s where it is getting in. Is there any buzzing with no RCA’s? Try disconnecting the RCA’s. turn the gain up and down and see if you can hear anything buzzing. If yes, then it’s the amp. If no, then it’s being introduced from the HU.

 

[EmpiricalApe]

Are any of the speaker wires running parallel, along side of the power wire? All signal wires, (speaker or RCS’s) should never run parallel to the power wire. You pretty much ruled out the RCA’s and most of thanes I’ve purchased from Crutchfield are twisted pair, so unlikely that’s where it is getting in. Is there any buzzing with no RCA’s? Try disconnecting the RCA’s. turn the gain up and down and see if you can hear anything buzzing. If yes, then it’s the amp. If no, then it’s being introduced from the HU.

I've tried all that. I've also connected it to my phone with an rca to 3.5mm and the audio was perfectly clear with no buzzing or whining so I don't think it's the amp

 

[Doxquzme Premium Member]

Oh, yeah, back a few pages, forgot. I know the way I set up my high powered system gets a lot feedback that questions the need or practicality of it, but this is one of the reasons that I run 1/0 to the back of my car(s) and a separate 2/0 back to the battery and use a distribution block to ground everything.
NO ground loop issues!
Anyhow, as others have suggested, time to look at isolators.

 

[JohnPD]

Have you ruled out the amp the right way? Hook up a laptop or something to the amps rca's and play some music. If it still buzzes it's your amp, if it doesn't try different rca cables between the amp and the head unit, if it still buzzes I'd look into replacing speaker wire, and or ground wires. Have you checked all grounds for zero ohms? Including the head units ground? Ground your head unit to the same ground as your amp, don't use the wire harness ground, and check all solder joints, and butt connections of wires. Also, turn the gains all the way down on your amp and see if you still have buzzing.

 

[EmpiricalApe]

Have you ruled out the amp the right way? Hook up a laptop or something to the amps rca's and play some music. If it still buzzes it's your amp, if it doesn't try different rca cables between the amp and the head unit, if it still buzzes I'd look into replacing speaker wire, and or ground wires. Have you checked all grounds for zero ohms? Including the head units ground? Ground your head unit to the same ground as your amp, don't use the wire harness ground, and check all solder joints, and butt connections of wires. Also, turn the gains all the way down on your amp and see if you still have buzzing.

There's no buzzing or whining with the amp connected to my phone, but still powered by the car. I've tired different rca cables ran outside of the car away from any powered components. I've checked all the grounds, but the dmm would show a different answer everytime. Sometimes .6 ohms, sometimes 0.00, and sometimes it climbs to 1000 ohms. I have a sub amp grounded to one of those grounds, and it's done fine so far. I've also tried grounding the stereo with the amp using 8 gauge to test, and it still buzzes and whines. Most testing has been done with the amp gain at minimum.

 

[JohnPD]

There's no buzzing or whining with the amp connected to my phone, but still powered by the car. I've tired different rca cables ran outside of the car away from any powered components. I've checked all the grounds, but the dmm would show a different answer everytime. Sometimes .6 ohms, sometimes 0.00, and sometimes it climbs to 1000 ohms. I have a sub amp grounded to one of those grounds, and it's done fine so far.

You have a ground issue then if the multimeter reads different ohms every single time. Either something in your stereo system isn't grounded properly, or your vehicle's ground is bad either from the battery to the chassis, or the engine/transmission to chassis etc. Do the Big 3 wire project, or install ground loop isolators on the rca's at the amp, or do both.

 

[Jimi77 5,000+ posts]

just exchanged the stereo for another unit after checking everything. I still have the same issue. What else do you think it could be? If I'm using an external amp, I can just use the power and ground in the stereos harness right? to hopefully eliminate some interference.

12v power filter on radio's power source. Proper RCAs. Ground loop isolators. Try moving the 12vdc+ line - make sure it isn't near any spark plug wires under the hood. New spark plug wires.

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[Jimi77 5,000+ posts]

You eliminated the amp as a problem with the phone test. That means the buzzing is either originating at the HU or being picked up by the RCAs. Get some rca barrel connectors and try hooking up the phone in the dash area to isolate the HU or RCAs.

 

[JohnPD]

You eliminated the amp as a problem with the phone test. That means the buzzing is either originating at the HU or being picked up by the RCAs. Get some rca barrel connectors and try hooking up the phone in the dash area to isolate the HU or RCAs.

He said every time he checks his grounds with a multimeter he gets different ohm readings, he most definitely has a ground issue somewhere.

 

[Jimi77 5,000+ posts]

He said every time he checks his grounds with a multimeter he gets different ohm readings, he most definitely has a ground issue somewhere.

Or a crappy meter. Maybe it's a crap ground at the HU. Buzzing usually isn't grounds, whining is grounds.

 

[JohnPD]

Or a crappy meter. Maybe it's a crap ground at the HU. Buzzing usually isn't grounds, whining is grounds.

I told him not to use the wire harness ground for the head unit, and to ground it where his amp is grounded if he's certain that ground is good.

 

[Firewalker]

For the head unit ground you just wire the black coming out of the head unit wiring harness and you ground it to a bolt behind the head unit. Done it that way for 30 years and it works. Always a spot behind the head unit in the dash where you can do that with the head unit. Some head units even have a separate spot on the head unit to run a ground from a bolt that is in there or screw to a spot in the dash. Never have nor will I ever run a ground from the head unit back to where my amp is grounded at. Pointless when you have those options in every vehicle.

As far as the amplifier ground goes. Find a good spot in the chassis or frame or something like that. Remove any and all paint from the area including the bolt and use it as a ground. Don't use a screw or something screwed into the vehicle someplace.

 

[EmpiricalApe]

For the head unit ground you just wire the black coming out of the head unit wiring harness and you ground it to a bolt behind the head unit. Done it that way for 30 years and it works. Always a spot behind the head unit in the dash where you can do that with the head unit. Some head units even have a separate spot on the head unit to run a ground from a bolt that is in there or screw to a spot in the dash. Never have nor will I ever run a ground from the head unit back to where my amp is grounded at. Pointless when you have those options in every vehicle.

As far as the amplifier ground goes. Find a good spot in the chassis or frame or something like that. Remove any and all paint from the area including the bolt and use it as a ground. Don't use a screw or something screwed into the vehicle someplace.

for my amp ground I have it to the paneling in my trunk, secured with a bolt and a nut. I sanded as much as I could, and I used a grind wheel on the nuts and bolts. I also tried to with my sub amps ground and it was no better. I tested every ground available above the spare tire and they all tested about the same. It's a Matco Tools DMM. I'd look for more under the trunk carpet, but it's got a 85lbs sub and a box the size of the trunk in it. I've also tried grounding the headunit at the amps ground, and there was 0 change. I'm going to try grounding the stereo behind the headunit. I bought 2 more wiring harness so I can mess around and still have something to work with. When they come ill have at it.