White Noise from Tweeters Help!!!

The LC6i has a completely separate ground from everything else. Not sure if I mentioned this but I had this aftermarket amp installed by a shop. They said that I need a new head unit but 1. That is very expensive and even then I wouldn’t get all the features I currently have and 2. There is no support for an aftermarket head unit in new Toyotas. They installed PAC SNI-35’s originally and I bought and installed the LC6i myself. I stopped going to the shop for help after the second visit when I realized that they got the polarity wrong on the crossover and grounded the amps the worst way possible. I’m hoping it’s not just the head unit, but I can’t imagine every 8th gen Camry owner having to deal with this when they get an aftermarket amp.
If itis The HU.. Ill bet there is a 19 Toyo at a Yard that may have one for $100 bucks or less? that may be another option to keeping the same HU and features rather than Spending a Coin on a new one? Just a Thought
 
The LC6i has a completely separate ground from everything else. Not sure if I mentioned this but I had this aftermarket amp installed by a shop. They said that I need a new head unit but 1. That is very expensive and even then I wouldn’t get all the features I currently have and 2. There is no support for an aftermarket head unit in new Toyotas. They installed PAC SNI-35’s originally and I bought and installed the LC6i myself. I stopped going to the shop for help after the second visit when I realized that they got the polarity wrong on the crossover and grounded the amps the worst way possible. I’m hoping it’s not just the head unit, but I can’t imagine every 8th gen Camry owner having to deal with this when they get an aftermarket amp.
Ive heard some stories about shops selling Bunk gear/returned gear at Top Scale prices to the next one that comes in rather than Actually BNIB, passing ones issues to another individual. I hope those type of dishonest folks loose Knee caps to be honest
 
You dont have to actually cut the Ground wire if you can Locate it. I use Wire strippers to expose fresh wire withou having to cut the wiring to tap into if needed. Most these New vehicles(Prob from99 on up actually) Have a loop ground system for most of the electrical add ons.Its pretty crazy. I dont like it to be honest But I usually ground whatever I can Just because I Like add ons with theyre own ground source.. you can tap a wire Like this with Wire Strippers. I do it to save the original Car speaker adapters given back to Stock Plug and Play.Ive been using this Technique for years.This isnt the Best Vid.. But gives you the Idea.


Wow didn’t know I can do this. Thanks for the vid. Gotta find which is the ground now. This will likely be my last resort. Still wondering how a ground issue could effect only the tweeters. When hearing about similar issues with the problem being grounding, they almost always have noise coming from the woofers too.
 
If it is the amplifier.. Hopefully they will Warranty the amp?/ You could show them your testing process right in front of them. Hmm. Could be a bad amp man??
 
If itis The HU.. Ill bet there is a 19 Toyo at a Yard that may have one for $100 bucks or less? that may be another option to keeping the same HU and features rather than Spending a Coin on a new one? Just a Thought
On Camry forum seeing if others have this issue when adding an aftermarket amp. If not, maybe the radio is faulty.
 
Wow didn’t know I can do this. Thanks for the vid. Gotta find which is the ground now. This will likely be my last resort. Still wondering how a ground issue could effect only the tweeters. When hearing about similar issues with the problem being grounding, they almost always have noise coming from the woofers too.
Ya.. Ive been doing this for YEARs with a sharp pocket Knife before these type wire strippers came out. These are a God Send IMO. Tweeters can be very sensitive and they do pick up higher freqs, that the mids and subs on the lower end.
 
On Camry forum seeing if others have this issue when adding an aftermarket amp. If not, maybe the radio is faulty.
Very well could be. I had an BNEW Alpine deck that I had Hissing and engine whinning noises with issues with and I knew for a fact that my amps and system was top Notch without any issues with older Kenwood HU and even tried a couple other Old Eclipse HUs to be sure, and ended up being the BNEW Alpine HU. They said I needed to do a FirmWare Update. Didnt work. I ended up sending it back for a refund.
 
Very well could be. I had an BNEW Alpine deck that I had Hissing and engine whinning noises with issues with and I knew for a fact that my amps and system was top Notch without any issues with older Kenwood HU and even tried a couple other Old Eclipse HUs to be sure, and ended up being the BNEW Alpine HU. They said I needed to do a FirmWare Update. Didnt work. I ended up sending it back for a refund.
Used the jack converter and there was no noise. Guess it really is the head unit.
 
When an anomalous source of engine whine cannot be located, i always start with electrical as it is usually caused by uneven ground potential in my experience'especially when integrating stock with aftermarket equipment.

Fastening a long 16ga wire at your alternator case via alligtor clip or fastener can help you pinpoint the general area of said anomaly when you connect the other end to each corresponding ground connection further down the line.

Where you start is arbitrary. If you assume its the head unit, start there by grounding out the chassis. If whine goes away, its either a faulty/damaged unit, or a bad ground connection. The whine will be there regardless of amplitude, so listening at low volume is advised.

I tend to start at the main ground inputs on the amp/s, then peripheral signal chain equipment, then the negative distro, to each grounding fastener up the chain. Common multimeters are not sensitive enough to show micro-ohms to determine exact ground potential, but they will determine a overtly bad connection.

There are other methods to try, but i usually default to this as it involves the least effort needed to quickly gauge the scope of what youre getting yourself into.

Just weighing in as to afford a different procedure not yet mentioned.
 
When an anomalous source of engine whine cannot be located, i always start with electrical as it is usually caused by uneven ground potential in my experience'especially when integrating stock with aftermarket equipment.

Fastening a long 16ga wire at your alternator case via alligtor clip or fastener can help you pinpoint the general area of said anomaly when you connect the other end to each corresponding ground connection further down the line.

Where you start is arbitrary. If you assume its the head unit, start there by grounding out the chassis. If whine goes away, its either a faulty/damaged unit, or a bad ground connection. The whine will be there regardless of amplitude, so listening at low volume is advised.

I tend to start at the main ground inputs on the amp/s, then peripheral signal chain equipment, then the negative distro, to each grounding fastener up the chain. Common multimeters are not sensitive enough to show micro-ohms to determine exact ground potential, but they will determine a overtly bad connection.

There are other methods to try, but i usually default to this as it involves the least effort needed to quickly gauge the scope of what youre getting yourself into.

Just weighing in as to afford a different procedure not yet mentioned.
This issue isn’t alternator whine. It sound like a hiss or white noise. It doesn’t increase with rpm or anything.
 
What RCA cables are you using?
Have you tried grounding the outer contact? Works GREAT with killing engine noise, so I do it on each and every install.


Have you tried a different set of tweeters?

Reverse polarity of 1 tweeter to see if that alters noise.

I feel its in the crossovers the more I think on it. If they are near an electrical noisy thing, they'll hit the tweets first.

Old 3 way set of MB Quarts did that, crossovers were 3" from window motors. When not 100% up, it made noise. Found out when in channel vent guard broke and guy removed them, allowing window to go all the way up. Noise left. He drove with an odd electrical demon for over a year. He got used to it since his open pipe exhaust covered it almost entirely. We did wrap the crossovers with a mesh wire thing and grounded it...worked a little bit, but noise was still there. Just quieter.


If its in the crossovers...you know what modification is next.
 
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This issue isn’t alternator whine. It sound like a hiss or white noise. It doesn’t increase with rpm or anything.
I should have used 'noise' in lieu of 'engine whine' to not be specific as the same concept applies.

youre picking up induced interference from an energy source, which has been found on many occasion to be caused by, but not limited to, faulty alternators, faulty batteries, faulty ignition components, or faulty wiring.

Rca's used to be the main culprit until noise rejection topology had advanced to negligible returns, so to be fair, i do not believe you have a problem with your signal patch after 2 replacements.

Does the noise exist with the engine off?

Does it exist with the engine on, but the battery disconnected?

It would be a shame to see you replace the source unit only to find you have the same issue from not eliminating all forseeable possibilities.

Idk, it could even be from an outside source like a cell phone or wifi hotspot signal, or a wideband security system. Rare, but entirely possible.

It down to trial and error at this point. The only expense is affording the effort to be certain.
 
What RCA cables are you using?
Have you tried grounding the outer contact? Works GREAT with killing engine noise, so I do it on each and every install.


Have you tried a different set of tweeters?

Reverse polarity of 1 tweeter to see if that alters noise.

I feel its in the crossovers the more I think on it. If they are near an electrical noisy thing, they'll hit the tweets first.

Old 3 way set of MB Quarts did that, crossovers were 3" from window motors. When not 100% up, it made noise. Found out when in channel vent guard broke and guy removed them, allowing window to go all the way up. Noise left. He drove with an odd electrical demon for over a year. He got used to it since his open pipe exhaust covered it almost entirely. We did wrap the crossovers with a mesh wire thing and grounded it...worked a little bit, but noise was still there. Just quieter.


If its in the crossovers...you know what modification is next.
I first had a JBL component set. Then got a replacement for that set. Then bought a Morel set. No difference. The left crossover is near power wire but the other side isn’t.
 
I should have used 'noise' in lieu of 'engine whine' to not be specific as the same concept applies.

youre picking up induced interference from an energy source, which has been found on many occasion to be caused by, but not limited to, faulty alternators, faulty batteries, faulty ignition components, or faulty wiring.

Rca's used to be the main culprit until noise rejection topology had advanced to negligible returns, so to be fair, i do not believe you have a problem with your signal patch after 2 replacements.

Does the noise exist with the engine off?

Does it exist with the engine on, but the battery disconnected?

It would be a shame to see you replace the source unit only to find you have the same issue from not eliminating all forseeable possibilities.

Idk, it could even be from an outside source like a cell phone or wifi hotspot signal, or a wideband security system. Rare, but entirely possible.

It down to trial and error at this point. The only expense is affording the effort to be certain.
The noise is there whether the engine is on or off. If I turn off the radio, the noise goes away. Changing the head unit isn’t possible in my scenario. The car is very integrated into and there is no aftermarket support to do it.
 
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