I am getting noise through the tweeters and sub after upgrading everything. I have Alpine components in the doors with tweeters mounted where the old 4" were, Alpine 6x9 coaxials in the rear, an Alpine 8" sub and an Alpine 5-channel amp. I get noise both when the engine is running or off. When it's running I am also hearing alternator noise because the pitch increases as I accelerate. I plan on getting a JL Cleansweep or Alpine Imprint processor in a few months. Will these filter out the noise or do I need some other type of noise filter? If I do need a noise filter what exactly do I need and how is it wired? BTW I am using line level inputs on the amp; not a LOC.

 

Your problem is almost certainly ground-related. The MINI HU outputs a balanced signal with a floating ground. Your amp may not accept a balanced signal, or even if it does (or claims to) it may reference signal ground to power ground internally somewhere (this is not uncommon believe it or not), or you have some other connection-related ground issue somewhere in the signal chain.

No, these will not filter the noise. Noise filters are not a real solution. They exist only as a quick-fix for bad installations by folks who don't know better. The only real solution is to find the ground issue and fix it.

What you are experiencing is a very common problem. Our Soundstage and Subwoofer systems [shameless plug alert!] avoid this by having carefully selected/matched components and wiring that are designed specifically for the MINI.

 

Sorry to hear you're still having problem. It sounds like you have, at least, a ground loop. That's what causes alternator whine. I'd check to make sure your amp is properlly grounded to bare metal on the car, even if you have to sand a bit to get to it. If that doesn't help, you'll need something called a ground loop isolator. You can get those from radio shack or any of the online car equipment vendors like Crutchfield. Most of them will be RCA based however so I don't know how those will work without the LOC.

You're not the first person to report static on the factory radio after swapping out to an aftermarket amp. I wonder if there might not be something native to the radio causing this problem. Check your grounds and let us know.

***EDIT***

I do agree with Kevin. Those processors will not suppres this noise you're experiencing. The Ground Loop Isolater will compress the frequencies as any filter will resulting in some loss of fidelity. Intergrating with a factory head unit, while possible, is something better left to professionals. I've heard some amazing sounding audio systems that use factory head units here in St. Louis at JML Audio. There are products designed to tune factory systems but those are mostly used to overcome shoddy outputs on factory units. They also double as a LOC and output as RCA, XLR, or other vendor specific connectors.

 

I used the ground plate behind the pass. rear interior panel for my ground and as far as I know it's not running too close to anything. I am not getting any popping or anything, just the static and a little bit of whine. I really appreciate the quick responses and info. The ground cable is no more than about 3 ft. long and I'm not sure where else I could get a ground in the back of this car without drilling. Any advice on how to tackle this? I made sure the wire I got was a true 4awg and it has plenty of wire. Could a better cable with better insulation help?

 

This isn't a power ground issue, it is a problem related to the floating signal ground and its probable reference to power ground somewhere along the line.

Focus on the connection between the HU and your new amplifier. In order for you to fix this you are going to need to understand what I've described above, and how to troubleshoot the signal chain. Ground loops/faults are misunderstood, confusing, and frustrating - even for a lot of "professionals", and that includes a lot of engineers (not just install techs). That's why filters are widely available, even though using a filter is like trying to fix a broken window by putting a curtain over it.

 

+1 for everything Kevin has said here. Ground loops are PITA to find and correct. Good luck

 

All of a sudden I am getting a short blast loud static sound out of the speakers right after I unlock and open up the car. It goes away after 3-4 seconds and there seems to be no issue later with the stereo system. Anyone else experience anything similar? Getting the oil changed tomorrow and will show it to the SA.

 

Did you fix it Nealuss? i have the exact same problem! can't seem to work it out! It's driving me crazy!

 

I never did fix it, just got used to it. Mine got a little better when I re-seated the connection at the amp. The power and ground wire going into the amp were a little loose so I tightened them up but it didn't go away completely. Part of my problem might have to do with the speaker level inputs rather that rca's.

 

Hi -- I am new on this forum. I really need help with my MC 2011. I have a loud static noise coming out mainly from my left tweeter. I have had my radio changed twice but now the dealer is telling me that they can't replicate the static noise (while I could hear it loud and clear, when I was driving it with the mini technicians. The technicians are the only ones who claim that there is no static noise, when they did apparently hear it before and changed my radio! Please I need guidance. It is still on warranty. thank you

 

Take a video of it, make sure you can hear the sound, and post it here. Do you get it on all sources?

 

Static noise link to youtube I recorded it whilst driving without music:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mwp1IET2CSQ

 

All I hear is road noise, with the possible exception of a slight ticking sound. Where was the phone's mic located/pointed?

 

I purposely turned off the radio so that when you hear it you would have the road noise in addition to the static. The ticking that you mention is the static. It is very hard to clearly capture the static noise on the iphone. I directed the phone straight to the passenger tweeter whilst driving. I just heard the audio again and the noise can be heard as soon as you click play. It also can be heard around 17 sec and on.
To give you a better explanation, there are just two noises, the road and the static noise which you refer to as ticking. It does sound as ticking in the audio. I hope my description helps. is there anything else I can provide which could help?

Again, many thanks for your time!

 

It only happens while driving? Do you have ANYTHING non-OEM installed in or plugged into the car?

It is possible to get data bus noise coupled into the signal input side of the amp (via the wiring harness), but I've never heard it sound like a "ticking". If I had to guess, assuming you don't have anything else installed in the car, I'd say it was something along those lines - either something defective upstream of the amp coupling noise into the signal input harness, or the harness is close to a component it shouldn't be close to.

If you really want troubleshoot beyond this point you'll need to disconnect the signal input side of the amp and see if you still get the noise. Assuming that you have to drive the vehicle to get the noise you'd need a pass-thru harness for the Amp connector (doesn't exist) or the X9331 (can be made but might not let you fully test) or you'd need to be willing to cut and reconnect the signal input wires at the amp. If you still get the noise with the signal input disconnected you know the problem is in the amp (possible but unlikely). If you do not get the noise with the signal input disconnected you know the noise is being introduced between the HU and the amp.

Good luck with it.

 

Here is the thing, I dont have an amp and all what I have in my car is OEM -- I didnt add anything to it. The Dealership claims that they dont here anything. I hear it clearly and I noticed that it gets worse when the weather is cold. It only happens when I am driving.

 

If you have tweeters in the A-pillars, you have an amp - it is in the driver's side of the boot. And you have NOTHING in the car? No nav/gps, no iPod charger, no radar detector, absolutely nothing?

 

The dealership told me that I dont have an amp -- I wouldnt know. I have the Mini Assist without nav. I have an unhooked GPS and iphone cable also unhooked. Nothing else.

A quick question, did you hear the static noise? The problem is that the Dealership is not admitting to hearing it. They changed my radio twice but I know it is not the Radio.

I even get a popping noise every now and then. I just have no clue how to proceed anymore. my sound system is malfunctioning and the dealership thinks that my sound system is normal.

P.s the static noise disappears if I lay my hand on the passenger door or apply a bit of pressure on the tweeter.

 

BTW I am not throwing the dealership under the bus -- it is just that I am frustrated that after almost 2 years they still did not solve my problem. I just checked what A Pillar is. My tweeter is in the door and I have the basic sound system.

 

That's not a tweeter, it is a 4" cone. There is no frequency division in the standard 6 speaker system - both door speakers get the same signal, so you should be getting the sound from both speakers. If not, it's probably not coming over the speakers - it is probably something rattling.

Based on the info given, there isn't any more help I can be. If you can do some more investigation and have something else to report, let me know.

 

I see thank you. It comes only from the small speaker -- the bigger one is fine. I do get is sometimes from the one behind me but not as loud as the one on the side. Another thing I hear is a rattling noise from the passenger side dashboard only when I brake. could it be that I have something loose in the dashboard causing this noise? is there anything else I can tell the dealership so that they will put more effort into it? I am not the only one who hears this noise. Every passenger actually confirms that there is a static noise.

 

Sorry to bump an old thread, but I'm having the same problem. I'd rather expand upon the information here than start a new one.

I've purchased a Rockford PBR300X4 which according to Crutchfield has "differential-balanced inputs eliminate noise from your vehicle's electrical system".

I've tried multiple grounds. The oem ground on the right side of the trunk, the back hatch latch, and even tapping off the HK amp ground. No dice. Ground loop isolator from radio shack helped only slightly. Tried high level inputs, a crummy LOC I had laying around, as well as a Soundgate XR4PRO that someone suggested would resolve. None of these methods helped. Only happens with ignition on and gets especially bad when the DRLs are on.

Next step is adding a ground strap from the head unit casing to the amp ground in the rear.

I also read "This can be done by connecting the center pin of an RCA connector to the + speaker output and the ground sleeve of the RCA to the chassis of the head unit; no connection is made to the --- side of the speaker output. Of course, this configuration provides only half of the available voltage but that would still be a 4-volt preamp with our middle-of-the-road example of a 16-watt amp." Src: http://robotunderground.blogspot.com...-unit-why.html

Any help is definitely appreciated. I really want to use the factory headunit to keep the oem aesthetics.

Thanks!

 

Hey guys

I have a similar problem. My MINI hatch R56 has a standard audio upgrade from the store, It has a Harman Kardon audio kit but since I had the upgrad I´ve been hearing a winning noise comming out from the speakers. It only occurs when I rev the motor. The techs from BMW haven´t fixed the problem and it´s really annoying. The sound is like if the sound from the alternator from the engine is being amplified by the AMP.

Any suggestions?

 

I finally used a beefier ground and moved it to under the trunk carpet, where the battery grounds to the chassis. Problem finally solved! Give it a try.

 

Changed out the radio and amp in my R53, the amp is in the back of the car directly hooked to the battery (in the back). Without any connection from the radio to the amp (Pioneer) through the RCA lines, the engine noise is there. Not a ground problem, I assume it is the car. Just bought a 50amp noise filter from Ebay, $17, this should fix the problem without having to replace ign wires and all that jazz. Will let you know.