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My car has an above-average audio system (including a rather large sub-woofer that can shake the entire vehicle even when in motion), but lately it's been giving me fits. Lows (especially kettle drums) are causing a severe rattle/throb/vibrating kind of sound, which totally spoils the music. Highs have a scratchy rattle that's also rather annoying.
I've had a few people tell me it could be dust in the speakers, but I'm not sure how that could be since they appear to be fairly well-sealed. It kind of sounds like something is vibrating in the car itself, but in that case I should be able to stop it by holding the right parts still and so far I haven't been able to do that. My next guess would be that the speakers are going bad, but they have such good sound in the mid-ranges that I find that hard to believe too.
The strangest thing about it is that it doesn't seem to be *strictly* related to pitch. The quality of the track playing also appears to be a major contributing factor in some cases.
So, what would be some first things to check on? I've never worked with audio equipment to speak of before, so any pointers will be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Matthew
I am not even sure if modern speakers still use this technology but the problem you are hearing was quite common in speakers a few years ago. You used to be able to get a repair kit that was used to repair the crack but I would doubt that you would be able to get access to the speaker diaphragm in today's sealed units.
My immediate suspicions would be directed at the tweeters and, secondarily, an amplifier.
It's worth remembering that bass notes actually influence midrange speakers and tweeters in several ways.
You need to determine if the speaker(s) is/are at fault or the amplifier. Normally, the only way to test this reliably is by swapping components. Time to get your screwdrivers out!
Kaled.
Without knowing that, it could be any of these, and more.
Cracks in the diaphragm could, in the past, be repaired with rubber solution glue. It worked well for low power systems, but unlikely that's your problem.
Warping could also be an issue, often caused by the extremes of temperature in a car during a sunny day and a cold night.
In addition, another potential problem could come from moisture depositing itself on the louspeaker components as they cooled.
Mis-aligned coils, somtimes occuring through damage.
etc.
Then, there's the amp. it may have become faulty, resulting in clipping of the power peaks of low and high frequencies.
Like kaled said, with so many potential problems, try installing/connecting other speakers one-at-a-time. The fact that you said it's occurring on high and low frequency indicates it might be the amp.
