Why Are Car Speakers Emitting High Pitched Sound?
High-pitched squeals from your car stereo system are annoying and ruin your journey. So why are your car speakers emitting high pitched sound?
There are five common causes for this problem: poor grounding, interference, grounding loop, improper mounting of amplifiers, and poor signal.
We will discuss each cause in detail and recommend solutions accordingly.
Let’s read on to discover!
Why Are Car Speakers Emitting High Pitched Sound?
High-pitched sound refers to the noise from a car speaker system in the form of a buzz or a whine.
There are two kinds of buzz noises, and none of them are pleasant to our ears:
- A low-frequency humming sound at 60 Hz
- A high-frequency noise at 100 to 120 Hz
There are different causes for this problem. Let’s check them one by one.
Poor grounding
For car stereos, poor grounding is a serious problem. It not only causes amplifier breakdown but also induces repeated noise interferences in the form of high-pitched squeals.
Hazardous signal noise travels to the speakers via a faulty ground wire or a faulty connection at the grounding position.
You’ll never be able to get your amplifier to work properly if you don’t have a good ground hookup.
If you attempt, you may end up with more problems like overheating, buzzing, clipping, or amp destruction.
Check the grounding first
Interference in wiring setup
The alternator’s output might be messing with the head unit via power wires.
As you raise the RPM (Revolutions Per Minute), the alternator’s output rises, worsening interference and making the whine even louder.
Grounding loop
When two components of a vehicle radio have different grounding capabilities, ground loops emerge. In automobile stereos, this is the most typical cause of speaker whining.
The potential difference between two stereo components generates an overvoltage, producing signal interference and unpleasant noise in the speakers.
For example, a grounding loop might develop when you ground one component to the chassis and another to the car cigarette lighter.
The voltage gap widens as you speed up, leading to more interference and current. As a result, speakers begin to produce unwelcome noise.
Wrong mounting of amplifiers
If you install your car amplifier incorrectly, it might cause the speaker to whine. Here are some examples of poor installation:
- You place the amp too close to other electrical components, interfering with the radio signal and generating annoying noises.
- The amp’s metal shell is in contact with the car’s ground.
- Incorrect gain control settings on the amp will cause buzz and hiss sounds.
There may be some problems with the amp
Poor signal
The issue is that low-quality signal cords might pick up interference along with the signal transmission.
How To Fix Alternator Whine in Car Speaker?
Once you’ve found out the causes, it becomes easier to come up with the right solution. Please check the following methods to deal with your car.
Adjust ground connection
The major reason for car speaker humming, as you may know, is grounding. You can address it by changing the ground location.
Follow these steps to adjust the placement of the ground wire:
- Check behind your stereo, and you will notice 10 to 16 cables running out of the radio circuit.
- Carefully cut the ground, which is black, from the bundle. This step will deactivate the connection between the ground and the stereo. Hence, your stereo can’t turn on.
- Extend the ground wire until it meets another grounding point, such as a steel dash frame.
- Evaluate the ground source with a digital multimeter.
- Make sure to set the digital multimeter to continuity and that there is a beep sound when you attach leads.
- Attach one of the multimeter’s leads to the ground and use the other lead to check for another wiring point on the dashboard cavity.
- You’ve found a new ground position when the digital multimeter beeps.
- Connect the ground wire to this point by crimping or any other suitable technique.
- Turn on your stereo and listen for a whine once you’ve attached the ground wire to the new spot.
Remove interference
One of the most common reasons for the unpleasant noise is interference. So how can you solve this problem?
As aforementioned, the interference may result from different causes. We will give solutions for each.
- Wiring setup
Keep the power line as far away as possible from the signal-carrying lines. To prevent induced voltage from accessing your speakers, use separate wires to transmit the audio power and signal.
- Grounding loop
Grounding loop isolators can eliminate ground loop interference in your speakers.
Another way to get around the grounding loop is to connect all of the electronics at the same place to cancel out the voltage imbalance.
- Poor signal
As a result, it’s a good idea to stay away from your vehicle’s RCA connections and power cables.
This method means that if the power cables to the amp work on one side of your car, the RCA wires should run on the other side.
Eliminate all the interference
Check battery connections
Ensure that all battery connections are secure and that the terminals are clear of oxidation.
System sounds such as a high-pitched squeal are unavoidable when batteries deteriorate or malfunction.
As a result, it’s a good idea to inspect your automobile battery’s connections at frequent intervals.
Use twisted-pair cable
If you use the twisted pair cables instead of the coaxial cables, there will be less interfering signal and then improved sound quality.
The coaxial cables often bring noise and interference, resulting in the buzzing sound.
On the other hand, twisted pair wires provide higher sound quality and better performance.
They also eliminate the buzz and high-pitched sound caused by automobile speakers and audio systems interference.
This video explains the differences between twisted pair cables vs. coaxial cables in detail:
Check amplifier connections
It might be challenging to handle your car sound system cables if you have amplifiers.
Even a minor error while attaching all of the wires would lead to an uncomfortable high-pitched noise for most people.
Check that all of the connections are secure and correct. Also, make sure that the speaker cables don’t meet each other and that the amp doesn’t touch your car stereo’s grounding surface.
How to Install Car Audio Noise Filter?
If the methods above can’t help you eliminate the noise, try installing the car audio noise filter.
A noise filter, also called a noise isolator, helps to reduce ambient and motor noise so that the sound is pure and uninterrupted.
Do the noise filters affect the sound of your automobile audio? No. Instead, they give you a better experience as they remove white noise and background interference.
There are two sorts of noise filters, each with its own set of regulations.
- Inline filter
The first type is extremely simple to install in your car and requires no further setup. It looks like a small, black battery.
To install, all you have to do is plug the filter between the car stereo and any device you use to play music, such as a speaker or a smartphone.
- Power filter
The second option is a little more difficult to set up and may vary by car model, so make sure you have your owner’s manual at hand.
These power filters have black, red, and blue wires. The blue and red link to your car stereo’s ignition wire, whereas the black one links to the ground wire.
Although this option needs a bit more wiring and is more costly, it is still simple to install and gives outstanding results.
Consider the noise filter to have a better experience
Conclusion
The unwanted noise from your car is an effect. You can consider a signal for something wrong happening in your automobile.
The troubleshooting of this issue is a challenging process, but by trying the above methods, you should be able to eliminate the cracking sound completely.
Hopefully, you will find this guide helpful. Please feel free to ask us at My Car Gears if you have any questions when following the steps. Thank you for reading!
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