Music, radio shows, and games are just a few of the many ways car speakers contribute to your driving experience. Whether you’re in rush hour traffic or going on a long journey, you need your speakers for company.
And it’s not just about the speakers working. You need your car speakers to deliver excellent sound quality — all the time. Hence, a high-pitched noise from your car speakers is an urgent situation that requires an immediate fix.
Why Your Car Speaker Is Making High Pitched Noise?
There are different reasons your car speakers can get noisy over time. It may be due to age, the alternator, or other vehicle components. The good news is, regardless of the cause of your noisy car speakers, you can fix it on your own.
Here, we’ll discuss the common cause of high-pitched noises from your car speakers and how to get rid of the sound. Let’s get right into it.
Alternator Whine
When you have a high-pitched noise coming from your car speakers, the first suspect is the alternator. As the speed increases, the sound from the alternator whine increases.
This alternator defect occurs due to ground connections in the component’s position. Perhaps your vehicle mechanic was in a rush and fixed a ground position on bare metal.
In no time, you’ll have alternator whine sounds in the speaker. Check the alternator whine when you hear strange sounds coming from your speakers, especially the ground connections.
Another option is installing a noise filter between the car battery and the alternator. You can also install one in the head unit’s power cable. Even if the alternators generate a high-pitched noise, the filters will block it from the car speakers.
Change the Radio
Sometimes, the high-pitched noises may not be a function of the speaker. In some cases, the bad sounds may be due to the radio playing the sound.
An easy solution is to check whether the radio is in good working condition. You can do this by switching to a radio that’s working in another vehicle.
If there’s a clear difference between the sounds, your radio may be the source of the problem. Or perhaps there was an issue with your radio’s connections.
Check Spark Plugs
Another common culprit of car stereo noise is the spark plugs in your vehicle. The wires connecting the spark plugs of a car to its speakers are essential to the sound it makes. If there’s something wrong with the spark plugs, it’ll manifest in the form of high-pitched noises.
Start by checking for issues in the wiring connecting the spark plugs to the speakers. Perhaps, a wire got dislodged, and you just need to fix it. In some cases, you may need to overhaul the entire wiring system.
While changing the wiring system, install wires that have noise suppression properties. By doing so, you’ll be preventing the spark plugs from affecting your car speakers in the future.
Confirm Ground Connections
The ground connections of your car stereo components are as important as the stereo itself, if not more. If the ground connections are bad, it’s only a matter of time before the stereos begin to misbehave.
You’ll need to check the ground connections to fix a high-pitched noise from your car speakers. You can start by checking if the ground cables connect directly to the chassis of the car.
After that, confirm the condition of the charging system of the speakers. Likewise, you can check all other ground connections like the battery posts, crossovers, equalizers, and ground posts.
After confirming the ground connections, you can ensure your work by putting a protective system in place. Use a ground loop isolator to suppress the noise coming from the ground points.
If there’s still a high-pitched noise coming from your car speakers, it’s time to consider the location of the ground connections.
The best method for grounding your car speakers involves running 12 or 10-gauge wiring from the amp and 12-gauge wiring from other stereo parts to a single location. Many people wrongly assume the negative battery terminal is the best grounding location for car speakers.
While it’s a fantastic grounding location, it’s a bad idea if you’re dealing with audio equipment. Ripple noises from vehicle components like the alternator all reach the negative battery terminal. Therefore, using it as a grounding location means inviting them into your car stereo’s output.
Reconnect the Antenna
While checking ground connections and the radio, one component that often goes under the radar is the antenna.
Sometimes, the high-pitched noise coming from the car speakers may be due to a faulty antenna. Or it may be a problem with the antenna connections. Inspect and fix problems with both areas of interest, and you should have clear sounds from your stereo.
Final words
If your car speaker is making a high-pitched noise, inspect the alternator and ground connections. Or you can check the other areas we discuss above.
More often than not, you’ll find the source of the problem in no time. Good luck!