Blown Car Speaker Repair: What You Need to Know!

A speaker blow out is usually a term used when the car speakers cease working. When it occurs, it can be very frustrating. You will know that your speaker is due for a blown car speaker repair when you notice that its sound quality has changed drastically. It is usually caused by some mechanical failures, thermal failures, or even just by turning the volume too high for a long period. Whatever causes it, it can be fixed and a blown car speaker repair can be done. It involves removing the speaker and its components, cleaning, identifying the problem, and fixing or replacing it. 

 

Blown Car Speaker Repair:  Is My Car Speaker Blown? 

 

Many car owners are asking if there are some ways to know if their car speakers have blown and need a blown car speaker repair. It is because there are instances where you won’t be able to tell right away that your car speakers are failing until the damage becomes too severe. 

 

If you experience any of the signs or symptoms listed below, it could be an indication that your vehicle needs a blown car speaker repair.

• Sounds from the speaker are distorted.

 

When you hear distorted or weird noises from your car speaker, it could mean that one of your speakers has failed. You can try to lower down the volume and listen carefully to the sound. If you hear it, turn the volume up a bit and if the sound quality gets worse as you increase the volume, then you better get ready to find the damaged speaker and perform a blown car speaker repair.  

• Popping or rattling sound.

 

A popping or rattling sound, together with music, heard coming from the car speaker  is an indication of a blown one. But this sound can also be caused by faulty wires. To make sure that it is not the one that caused the sound, you need to check the wires and the connection. You can do this by swapping the right speaker to the left one. If the faulty speaker still gives out popping sounds after connecting it to the other side, it means that it is blown. If the rattling sound can still be heard in the swapped speaker, it means that the speaker is working properly and the wires are causing the problem.

• There is no bass or treble.

 

When some tones are not heard from the car speakers like the bass or treble, they are most likely to be blown. Poor quality sounds that lack mid-range tones can also mean that your speakers are only partially blown. Fortunately, a partially blown car speaker repair will be easier than a fully blown one.  

 

You can try balancing different tones on the equalizer if you only hear partial tones, and if you don't hear a full range of sounds but it used to play well, prepare yourself for repair or replacement.

• The car speaker is not responding to the audio signal. 

 

When you notice that the speaker is not responding to an audio signal, it could mean that you have a dead speaker. When you touch your car’s speakers and you don’t feel any vibrations, it can be an indication of a blown speaker but it can also indicate that you have issues with your wiring.  

 

You can do the swapping of speakers again to cross out the possible wiring problem. If the same speaker is silent after the switch, it means that the speaker is blown and that there is no closed circle through the voice coil. To make sure that it is indeed blown, you can check both the speaker’s impedance and continuity. 

 

Blown Car Speaker Repair: What Causes a Blown Speaker?

 

Like mentioned earlier, a blown speaker means that the speaker has stopped working or it is still working but with a poor, deteriorating sound quality. When it happens, it can warrant a blown car speaker repair that can cause the drivers to ask what causes it. 

• Overpowering.

 

Overpowering your car speakers can result in its voice coil forcing the speaker cone to move further than it’s supposed to. This cone is not designed to move this way and it stresses its connection with the suspension and surroundings. This can result in the speaker parts to crash into each other or into the speaker frame. This can cause its parts to break, tear, or become loose that can lead to permanent damage. Damages on the cones can cause the music to become distorted and in some cases, it can cause your speaker to stop working completely. Problems with the cones will need a blown car speaker repair or a replacement. 

• Turning the volume up too loud.

 

When you turn your volume up too loud whenever you listen to music in your car, it can produce a huge amount of energy supply to the speaker. This can cause the speaker to receive more power than it can handle. The excess power can lead to a heat buildup that can soften the glue that keeps some of the speaker components together. It can also cause the thin voice coil to burn or melt. When this happens, you won’t get any sound at all coming out from your car speaker. 

 

• Amplifier clipping. 

 

This problem can sometimes happen to vehicles that have audio systems with a dedicated amplifier. When the amplifier is driven too hard and the audio waveform’s tops and bottoms are clipped off, clipping can happen.  It basically occurs when a very weak amp tries to produce  higher sound waves than it's capable of. This causes the tweeters to blow since they do not have a top frequency limit. 

• Crossover’s pass filters that are set incorrectly.

 

Crossovers that are incorrectly set can also lead to a blown car speaker. A crossover is known as the frequency at which the sound moves from one audio source to another. Incorrectly set crossovers can affect tweeters since they are given frequencies that are way too low for them. If they try to play the received low frequencies, it can cause excessive vibrations of the cone. When this happens, the cone can delaminate that can cause permanent damage to the car speakers.   

• Physical damage.

 

When the car speaker is carelessly installed, physical damage can occur. Loose protective grills can also cause it. It is important that you replace the protective grills when it gets loose or damaged. The speaker cone is delicate and without any protective cover, it can be pierced or torn which can trigger a speaker blow out. 

• Speaker is mounted in a too large enclosure

 

Another typical reason for blown speakers is the incorrect size of the speaker enclosure, which applies not only to subwoofers but also to speakers put in automobile doors. Too-large enclosures do not provide the needed pressure, resulting in considerable and unstable cone movements that can harm the speaker's surround.

 

When we listen to loud music, the same thing can happen to the door speakers. Remember to follow the speaker manufacturer's recommendations for box volume while building a bass box for your car.

 

It is preferable for the speaker if the enclosure is slightly too small rather than too large. However, if your enclosure is far too tiny for a given speaker, the voice coil may overheat due to the cone's constrained mobility produced by the box's high air pressure.

Blown Car Speaker Repair: Can you fix a blown car speaker?

 

Any speaker can be repaired, but blown car speaker repair is complicated and expensive, so it is not always cost-effective. People repair speakers when they are expensive or uncommon, because finding a substitute speaker might be difficult.

 

Replacing a voice coil or suspension is difficult, and if done incorrectly, the sound output will be unsatisfactory after refurbishment. As a result, these repairs should be left to the pros. If you wish to repair a blown speaker yourself, you may need to utilize a repair kit that includes the damaged speaker's original components. 

 

But while blown car speaker repair is usually isn’t worth it there are some exceptions, most especially if you’re comfortable doing the project yourself. There are a few car speaker repairs that can be completed at home. 

 

For example, if you're attentive, a dented speaker cone can often be mended, and small tears can often be repaired with a little effort. Although the sound quality may not be as good as it once was, this form of DIY repair is less expensive than replacing the blown unit.

 

Blown voice coils are far more difficult and costly to repair, especially if you get professional help. But you can actually acquire recone kits for some speakers that include a new cone,  spider, voice coil, dust cap, and gasket if you're comfortable installing it yourself.

 

If you decide to replace your blown equipment, make sure you choose the correct new car speakers and check into what caused them to fail in the first place. If your car has an aftermarket sound system, for example, check to make sure that the head unit, amplifier, and speakers all work well together.

 

If it's the stock sound system that you have, you should be fine using direct-fit aftermarket parts to replace the blown speakers. If you keep the level down enough to minimize distortion, the new speakers should function perfectly.

 

Blown Car Speaker Repair: Other Related Questions

• Is it worth it to repair speakers?

 

Although most car speakers will provide years of trouble-free service, they, like all things, will eventually need to be repaired. Although some loudspeakers are not worth repairing, others, particularly those of the uncommon variety, are well worth the effort and money to get fixed.

 

Also, a blown car speaker repair is not always tough and complicated. As mentioned earlier, there can be a few simple and cheap fixes that can be done at home. As mentioned, some speakers may just need a minor and easy fix.

• What happens when a speaker blows?

 

In a multi-driver speaker, if one of the drivers blows, the frequency response of the speaker will be drastically distorted. The high-end will be distorted or non-existent if the tweeter is blown. The mid-range will be distorted or non-existent if the woofer is blown.

• What does a blown subwoofer sound like?

 

Your subwoofer, as a speaker that emits low bass frequencies, is essential for creating a full sound when listening to music. If your subwoofer lacks bass, it's likely that the voice coil has been broken or that something has gone wrong with the speaker cone, resulting in a blown speaker. When this happens you will have to test the cone and check the sound.

 

You can test the cone by removing the cover to expose the cone. Gently push on each side of the cone to see if it moves or remains stationary. The cone of a subwoofer is supported by a suspension system that allows it to move. If the cone doesn't move at all, something is clearly amiss with your subwoofer's components.

 

The quality of sound produced by the speakers can be used to identify a blown subwoofer. Start by turning on your sound system and keeping the level low. If you can hear sound but it's severely distorted, your subwoofer has partially blown. If there is no sound, or if all you hear is static or a constant buzzing, especially when the volume is set up loud, your subwoofer has entirely blown.

 

Either you have managed to repair or replace your car speaker, the most important thing to do next is make sure you do not get the speakers blown again. Do not let this constantly add up to your car repair budget. You can prevent your speakers from getting damaged by not maxing out the volume of your speakers, by getting a subwoofer, soundproofing your vehicle and getting the car speaker the perfect size of enclosure.

 

Take note that overpowering your speaker can cause coil damage, surround tears and the like. Subwoofers provide a much richer sound so you do not have to put all the pressure on the regular drivers of your car speakers and the surround sound will help you enjoy your car speakers without stressing it out too much. Hope this article gets you back to blasting your car tunes again!