Feedback/Noise in speakers on Aftermarket Systems

**GeddyLee** · 07-01-2009

This was asked to be stickied cause it has helped a lot of people with grounding issues on their aftermarket headunits. The fix is quite simple. You take a 12ga wire and attach it to one screw at the back of the stereo and carefully wrap it around the RCA jacks at the rear of the HU. Of course you have to strip the wire and leave only a small bit at the one end of the wire. You will need two pieces of wire to complete this fix, but will make you a much happier camper with your new aftermarket car stereo.

Here are the photos. Remember the RCA plugins to the RCA jacks will help secure the wire so they will not come out or move out of place. Now if you are having problems with with your aftermarket HU and you are not using AMPs with your new HU, you can still do this trick, but the only difference is that you will want to a ground wire from the back of the HU to a solid ground point under the dash.

If you ever have any questions, please feel free to contact me here or via PM.

Thanks!

**dstout** · 07-05-2009

Good Job Geddy....I think this will help people since it is a popular question.

**I800C0LLECT** · 08-01-2009

This is a good fix when ground loops are created by the RCA's between the Head Unit and connected devices(i.e. EQ's, amps, processors, etc). The difference of two grounds creates the noise.

It also helps with blown pico fuses on Pioneers.

**eddie97gt** · 08-14-2009

pioneer deck in mine and 3 amps 1 per front door and a sub amp , no noise here , i did a d block in the back with 4 ga about a foot long and grounded under the seat but the factory ground in the deck harness has worked fine for me . You might also want to look at the ground at the battery under the boot , usually corosion will build up under the gm terminal and you never see it like you would with a top post .

**JayAz** · 10-28-2009

Install a ground loop isolator.

Ground Loop Isolators

**mriley** · 08-23-2010

nice solution to a popular problem good job

**matt5112** · 08-26-2010

actually its a ghetto solution to a retarded problem that shouldnt exist..........

**I800C0LLECT** · 11-04-2010

Originally Posted by matt5112

actually its a ghetto solution to a retarded problem that shouldnt exist..........

It's a solution for when treating your equipment inappropriately. i.e. plugging/unplugging RCA's while all the hardware is ON. That blows the PICO fuse. This really shouldn't exist.

**chamilton89** · 11-29-2010

Honestly, I had the same problem with my head, blew the internal pico fuse for the HU itself. This solution is a little silly honestly, there is no need to ground every single separate RCA since they are all connected to the same internal grounding point. There all connected, so ground one and you've grounded them all. Much easier and it looks better than that figure 8 crap we got goin on!

**douger** · 09-08-2012

Originally Posted by matt5112

actually its a ghetto solution to a retarded problem that shouldnt exist..........

I think I agree.

The shields on the RCA plugs in your head unit should be grounded inside the head unit itself. If you don't think that the ground you used hooking the unit up to the OEM harness isn't enough, then run a dedicated ground from the head unit case to the chassis...if you're really anal, run it to the battery negative terminal.

12 gauge wire is overkill...18 gauge will do ya. I'm talking about your average 50 watt per channel head unit. If you're talking about a head throbbing amp, Ohm's law and a wiring capacity chart...both readily available on the 'net...is your friend.

Ground loop isolators should be able to clean up minor alternator whine and some ignition popping. If it doesn't then you'll need to go to the source. Alternator whine is most likely failing or dead diodes in the alternator. Ignition pop can be traced back to the wires or the plugs.