bad humming noise

[stillslow96]

just recently i have heard a pretty loud hum coming from all my speakers. it gets higher pitched when the rpm's go up. think it could be a bad ground for the headunit. just wondering if anyone knows before i tear my car apart!

[TBSpyder]

Could be a number of things. Assuming you're not running an external amp, here's a couple things I'd try, in this order:

1. New ground locations
2. Different sources for constant power and accesory.
3. Test all the speakers (a blown or halfway blown speaker can sometimes cause a induced noise)
4. A different deck (certain decks are more prone to induced noise).

[GradeA_TireFryer]

Try This - Clean Battery Posts - And Make Sure Grounds Are Tight - Good Idea To Upgrade/add More Grounds When Using Amps. What Kind Of Car?
What Kind Of Radio?
Who Installed It?

[Notladstyle]

need a lot more info. might be alternator going out

[TJElite]

just recently i have heard a pretty loud hum coming from all my speakers. it gets higher pitched when the rpm's go up. think it could be a bad ground for the headunit. just wondering if anyone knows before i tear my car apart!


Do you have external amps? If so, a sudden noise like that can come from the RCA ground trace in the head unit burning up. I've seen it happen a copule of times, even had my own unit do it once...haven't found the failure mode yet.

Run a wire from the outside of the RCA plug at the head unit to ground. See if the noise goes away.

Toby

[stillslow96]

the headunit was professionally installed but i am running 2 external amps. one amp runs the subs and one amp runs the compnent system up front. its on a 96 accord and the deck is a panasonic. i am also running a clarion 7 band eq. all the wiring i did myslef so i def could've f-ed up. this summer i have to tear it all apart and re wiring it all and make it look pretty.

i dont know if this matters but my car has been idling extremely low (like 300RPM) so it might be the alternator...

[aaron1017]

just try and seperate all your power wires from your signal wires.

[Notladstyle]

the headunit was professionally installed but i am running 2 external amps. one amp runs the subs and one amp runs the compnent system up front. its on a 96 accord and the deck is a panasonic. i am also running a clarion 7 band eq. all the wiring i did myslef so i def could've f-ed up. this summer i have to tear it all apart and re wiring it all and make it look pretty.

i dont know if this matters but my car has been idling extremely low (like 300RPM) so it might be the alternator...

if the alt had an extreme load on it then it would pull the idle RPMs down and also create some noise - I would immediately test the battery for a shorted plate at autozone or somehwere like that because if the battery is bad it will take the alternator with it. If the battery is fine then it might be either regulator failure or coil failure both of which point to new alternator.

[GradeA_TireFryer]

I Would Bet It Is A Bad Or Loose Ground On The Eq!
Run Your Own Ground And Connect Both The Eq And Radio - Dont Us Factory Ground. Eq And 2 Amps - I Would Be Using A Relay On The Remote !!!!!!

[TBSpyder]

I'd get rid of the eq all together. They're the number one source of induced noise that I've personally seen. Plus, they're about useless on today's equipment.

[Notladstyle]

I'd get rid of the eq all together. They're the number one source of induced noise that I've personally seen. Plus, they're about useless on today's equipment.

im gonna go with negatory on the EQs are useless quote. If its a decent brand it can do wonders for and picky listener. I would run a single soldered 14ga wire to all the source ground points (be sure to solder the pont that splits to each unit) and terminate it via a soldered ring crimp to a sanded point connected to the chasis - not sheet metal - somewhere like the steering column which is solid steel or really thick aluminum depending on your vehicle.

[TBSpyder]

im gonna go with negatory on the EQs are useless quote. If its a decent brand it can do wonders for and picky listener. I would run a single soldered 14ga wire to all the source ground points (be sure to solder the pont that splits to each unit) and terminate it via a soldered ring crimp to a sanded point connected to the chasis - not sheet metal - somewhere like the steering column which is solid steel or really thick aluminum depending on your vehicle.


Not really, I've seen $50 eq's to $500 eq's....I'd say about 80% of them induce noise and are worthless to the majority of listeners who are not running crummy old decks, numerous amp/speaker combos, and/or competing in SQ. They just give that "picky listener" buttons and knobs to play with. Most all of today's mid to high end decks, and even alot of lower end, have built in eq's, crossovers, time correction, etc etc. which are sufficient for the majority of applications.

[passfan]

Not really, I've seen $50 eq's to $500 eq's....I'd say about 80% of them induce noise and are worthless to the majority of listeners who are not running crummy old decks, numerous amp/speaker combos, and/or competing in SQ. They just give that "picky listener" buttons and knobs to play with. Most all of today's mid to high end decks, and even alot of lower end, have built in eq's, crossovers, time correction, etc etc. which are sufficient for the majority of applications.

I agree with everything but the 80%. By their nature eq's have to inject resistance or capacitance into your signal in order to alter it and that makes the percentage that induce noise a perfect 100% unless you leave the sliders at unity but then why have one. Eq's are used in audio to correct. Take the time and research the enviornment and treat it acoustically, then set your crossovers and gains properly. People would be surprised at how good their system could sound. You ring the voice of common sense, I like that.:cool:

[Notladstyle]

Not really, I've seen $50 eq's to $500 eq's....I'd say about 80% of them induce noise and are worthless to the majority of listeners who are not running crummy old decks, numerous amp/speaker combos, and/or competing in SQ. They just give that "picky listener" buttons and knobs to play with. Most all of today's mid to high end decks, and even alot of lower end, have built in eq's, crossovers, time correction, etc etc. which are sufficient for the majority of applications.

Majority of applications doesn’t satisfy everyone, and for those people a properly tuned EQ can definitely make a difference. I seriously doubt 80% of EQs induce any significant amount of noise. And for that picky listener, an EQ can make a big difference. Crossovers are for a totally different purpose and are definitely necessary and can work in tandem with an EQ to produce an even higher quality of sound. Same thing with time correction.

You are dismissing hardware EQs as useless because you don’t see a need for it. That doesn’t mean that someone with slightly higher perception of sound, a distaste for a certain sound band, a wish to alter their output for every song, or a car interior that grossly exaggerates one frequency couldn’t find a very good use for an EQ?

[TBSpyder]

You are dismissing hardware EQs as useless because you don’t see a need for it. That doesn’t mean that someone with slightly higher perception of sound, a distaste for a certain sound band, a wish to alter their output for every song, or a car interior that grossly exaggerates one frequency couldn’t find a very good use for an EQ?

I'm dismissing external eq's because I've seen first hand how useless they are. Trust me, dealing with customers regularly who own $50k home theaters, $80k vehicles and the willingness to drop $10k car audio without batting an eyelash, I've met my share of "picky" listeners. Every example you've listed could be more efficiently accomplished by choosing a decent deck with advanced tuning capabilities already built-in, matching it with the proper equipment for the listener, installing it correctly, and finally tuning the deck and amps correctly. External eq's in car audio are a quickly fading component of the past.

[GradeA_TireFryer]

Ok So What Was Wrong With It