Engine noise on upgraded Wet Sound system is the worst..

[erikj]

Can't figure out this stupid engine noise in my cabin speakers.  Here is the situation and troubleshooting. 

• All grounds go to the same location
• 2 amps - 1 for tower, 1 for cabin
• Tower speakers don't make the noise, only cabin
• Can switch RCAs and it still does the same thing
• Engine noise present on old amp and the new amp, old speakers and the new ones (wet sound recon 6)
• Tried a ground isolater and it did nothing 
• Switched the grounds from the amps, same problem
• Seems to be only happening in dash and bow speakers
• Checked and replaced some speaker wires, re-terminated connections

Sounds amazing when the engine is off but have to basically just run the tower speakers with the engine on now...  

Should I maybe clean the ground on the engine block?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.. 

[shawndoggy]

when you say "all grounds" are you including the black box?

[MLA]

1 hour ago, erikj said:

All grounds go to the same location

List the "all grounds" and what is the same place

1 hour ago, erikj said:

Should I maybe clean the ground on the engine block?

no

1 hour ago, erikj said:

Can switch RCAs and it still does the same thing

What about unplugged? 

 

1 hour ago, erikj said:

Engine noise present on old amp and the new amp, old speakers and the new ones (wet sound recon 6)

So it was present prior to any new changes? What the previous amp stock, or had it been replaced/added at some point? 

Im guessing the media source also matches the amps and speakers or something else? Have you enlisted the help of your retailer or the manufacture? 

How many chnls is the suspect amp and how many RCA feed it? Are the dash and bow speakers wired together on the same chnls? Have you moved the speaker leads to other chnls not producing the unwanted noise.

[erikj]

9 minutes ago, shawndoggy said:

when you say "all grounds" are you including the black box?

No black box, 2007 23 LSV.  Well, at least none that I know of..... 

[erikj]

8 minutes ago, MLA said:

List the "all grounds" and what is the same place

no

What about unplugged? 

 

So it was present prior to any new changes? What the previous amp stock, or had it been replaced/added at some point? 

Im guessing the media source also matches the amps and speakers or something else? Have you enlisted the help of your retailer or the manufacture? 

How many chnls is the suspect amp and how many RCA feed it? Are the dash and bow speakers wired together on the same chnls? Have you moved the speaker leads to other chnls not producing the unwanted noise.

All grounds to the first battery from distribution block that goes direct to the engine. 

No noise when unplugged but guess it wouldn't since it doesn't send signal to amp/speakers. 

It was present on the previous amp, one that I had put in but replaced with a bigger 5 channel marine. 

Yes, they are wired together, did not do a distribution block for the speaker wires or combine them before going to the amp. Back 4 seem fine though and they are wired the same way.. 

I have not reached out to them, just was hoping someone had a clue since we are talking older boat/wiring/etc. 

 

 

[MLA]

5 minutes ago, erikj said:

All grounds

And what ground are all grounds? What about the equally important B+? 

5 minutes ago, erikj said:

No noise when unplugged but guess it wouldn't since it doesn't send signal to amp/speakers

This indicates that the amp is not generating the noise, its coming on the RCA from upstream.  

 

Edited August 15, 2019 by MLA

[shawndoggy]

15 minutes ago, erikj said:

No black box, 2007 23 LSV.  Well, at least none that I know of..... 

what are you using for a headunit?  Is that grounded to the same place as the amps?  Is there an EQ or any other signal processor/line driver in the chain before the amps, and if so is that item also grounded to the same place as the amps?

[erikj]

2 hours ago, MLA said:

And what ground are all grounds? What about the equally important B+? 

This indicates that the amp is not generating the noise, its coming on the RCA from upstream.  

 

yeah but you can switch the RCAs for the ones on the tower speaker amp and it does the same thing.. 

grounds are, head unit, 2 amps, EQ and I think that is it, might have to get the boat to check it out. 

 

[erikj]

2 hours ago, shawndoggy said:

what are you using for a headunit?  Is that grounded to the same place as the amps?  Is there an EQ or any other signal processor/line driver in the chain before the amps, and if so is that item also grounded to the same place as the amps?

Just a crappy bluetooth receiver head unit deal. 

Yep, do have an EQ but I'm pretty sure the noise was there before I installed that, all grounded to the same spot.   

[minnmarker]

Are the wires to the bow and dash speakers taking the same route at some point?  Running parallel to some other wiring?  Sounds like interference in the speaker wires.  Try moving them or at least separating them a bit from other wires.

[shawndoggy]

6 minutes ago, erikj said:

Just a crappy bluetooth receiver head unit deal. 

Yep, do have an EQ but I'm pretty sure the noise was there before I installed that, all grounded to the same spot.   

So just to confirm, the power (b+ (yellow wire from HU/red wire from EQ) are wired straight to where the amps are getting power, and the ground (black wires from HU and EQ) are also wired straight to where the amps are getting ground.  No stops inbetween.  Not wired to the power and ground busses under the helm.

[justgary]

I'm still waiting for someone to ask what "engine noise" means.  Is it a whine that changes with RPM (like from an alternator), or is it a ticking that changes with RPM (like from spark), or is it some other kind of noise?  Can you post a recording (note: no need to post blaring music; turn that off and record just the noise).

[granddaddy55]

2 hours ago, justgary said:

I'm still waiting for someone to ask what "engine noise" means.  Is it a whine that changes with RPM (like from an alternator), or is it a ticking that changes with RPM (like from spark), or is it some other kind of noise?  Can you post a recording (note: no need to post blaring music; turn that off and record just the noise).

It’s what @shawndoggy is saying above as it really doesn’t matter what noise because it’s occurring when engine is turned on and less or none when it’s off ,    once I fixed mine to 100% common power and ground not at dash for all the components he mentioned ,  we had just a tad (almost imperceptible unless music turned almost off) left and installed  ground loop isolators not actually grounded for a finishing touch on the two sources under dash I think before EQ

before correcting that if it was wired to the dash it made noise , bilge snd empty and fill ballast pumps ,  motor, all the above , if it makes a noise it made noise in the system   

the only perfect clean way is to run the house battery on Perko to run boat with stereo batt or batts  not getting a charge , if on both on Perko you can still get some very very small noise  which is why we put the isolators in fro Best Buy and they were cheap 

same sort thing for LED controllers and the massive noise they can generate  , I ran those  switched at dash and circuited from switch straight to stereo batt that powers amp board distribution block, you can’t collocate the controller next to RCA from source to amp , min distance 2.5-3ft as per Robert at Wetsounds explaining the meaning of instruction number one in red for the controller 

snd don’t run the 3.5 input to controller just use ambient volume sensitivity knob /microphone set lower thsn you think or that distorts as well snd causes noise 

Edited August 16, 2019 by granddaddy55

[MLA]

23 hours ago, erikj said:

On 8/15/2019 at 12:37 PM, MLA said:

 

yeah but you can switch the RCAs for the ones on the tower speaker amp and it does the same thing..

 

On 8/15/2019 at 12:31 PM, erikj said:

No noise when unplugged but guess it wouldn't since it doesn't send signal to amp

The amp is reproducing the signal delivered to it. No signal, be it music voltage or unwanted voltage, no sound. 

So much emphasis on grounds, when the B+ is equally important. 

[erikj]

On 8/15/2019 at 2:14 PM, minnmarker said:

Are the wires to the bow and dash speakers taking the same route at some point?  Running parallel to some other wiring?  Sounds like interference in the speaker wires.  Try moving them or at least separating them a bit from other wires.

Interesting, now that I think about it the RCAs are running next to the power wire of the HU, would that do it? But i guess it doesn't explain me switching RCAs (that aren't run that way) and still having the same problem.. 

[erikj]

On 8/16/2019 at 7:03 AM, justgary said:

I'm still waiting for someone to ask what "engine noise" means.  Is it a whine that changes with RPM (like from an alternator), or is it a ticking that changes with RPM (like from spark), or is it some other kind of noise?  Can you post a recording (note: no need to post blaring music; turn that off and record just the noise).

Haha, yeah I hear ya and should have recorded it, I'll try and get it next time I go out.  To answer that question it is a whine, like from the alternator. 

[erikj]

On 8/15/2019 at 2:20 PM, shawndoggy said:

So just to confirm, the power (b+ (yellow wire from HU/red wire from EQ) are wired straight to where the amps are getting power, and the ground (black wires from HU and EQ) are also wired straight to where the amps are getting ground.  No stops inbetween.  Not wired to the power and ground busses under the helm.

The yellow wire from HU is actually going to my ACC switch so that I can keep the stereo running when the motor is off, possibly the issue?

Everything else goes direct to a distribution block then direct to the perco or battery terminal. 

[shawndoggy]

23 minutes ago, erikj said:

The yellow wire from HU is actually going to my ACC switch so that I can keep the stereo running when the motor is off, possibly the issue?

Everything else goes direct to a distribution block then direct to the perco or battery terminal. 

The yellow wire is your "constant" power to the HU.  The red wire (ign) should go to your acc switch.  power to the red wire is the signal to turn the HU on and off.

Personally, I would power the HU (yellow) and EQ (red) directly from the distribution block from your amps, not from your battery switch.

Same for grounds -- right from your ground distro block.  

Also you say to a perko or battery terminal... why two different sources?  Why isn't everything from the perko (assuming we are only talking about positive voltage here, not ground)?

[MLA]

3 hours ago, erikj said:

he yellow wire from HU is actually going to my ACC switch so that I can keep the stereo running when the motor is off, possibly the issue?

No more callers please, we have a winner. 

[minnmarker]

5 hours ago, erikj said:

Interesting, now that I think about it the RCAs are running next to the power wire of the HU, would that do it? But i guess it doesn't explain me switching RCAs (that aren't run that way) and still having the same problem.. 

Check the speaker wires too. And make sure EVERYTHING goes back to the same + and ground.

[Imracin68j]

There are two grounds on the back of the block.  I would remove and clean.  That took my whine away from wet sound stereo.