Whining through speakers

[2RZ-FE 10+ year member]

I have a whining or buzzing noise through my speakers when volume is at 0, may be there with the volume up I don't know.
Only happens with the engine running. Is this alternator whine?

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[2RZ-FE 10+ year member]

Both of my pioneer head unit do it but my Kenwood does not so something with the pioneer that is causing it

 

[marc2112 10+ year member]

Probably. Dying alt, bad engine ground wires or improper head unit ground are usually the problems.

 

[2RZ-FE 10+ year member]

I ground my head unit through the factory harness is doing it to the chassis better?

 

[Firewalker]

Usually it is, I've done both and have seen that sometimes when I get a whine through the speakers it is because of that ground not being right. Bolt it to someplace behind the dash and the whine goes away. Yet other installs I have had no whine so it all depends on the car and the quality of the grounds in it from factory.

 

[Kickstand Premium Member]

Most car companies ground multiple things to the same ground so when you use the factory one there could be more than just your radio grounding to the same point.

 

[2RZ-FE 10+ year member]

odd that its only the Pioneers that do it. Maybe blown pico fuse?

 

[2RZ-FE 10+ year member]

Grounding to the car chassis instead of through the factory harness didn't make a difference so I ran a bare wire from the screw near the rcas and touched each rca shielding with the wire and the noise went away.