I have recently installed a new rear pair of speakers - 6x9's - in my 97 grand prix. I replaced the previous pair (also aftermarket) after one of them had devolped a problem with the woofer. The sound that it can best be described as would be a distortion/noise/rubbing/complete lack of bass output type sound coming only from the woofer. Not really sure how to put it into words, but when I gently push on the woofer cone, there is almost a rubbing type feeling as if the cone is rubbing against something in the voice coil area. But I cant see anything. No problem with the surround, its in fine shape. Now, here's the interesting part. I installed the new pair about a month ago (different brand) and am having the EXACT same problem, albeit with the opposite channel. My question for any of you is, what might the problem actually be. These speakers are not powered by an external amp, just the head unit. They have not been abused or pushed hard at all. Im pretty familiar with speaker bits and pieces and internals, so if someone could give a possible explanation I would really appreciate it. Thanks!
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Audio/speaker experts, your advice and knowledge is needed
- Thread starter wizzells
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If new replacement speakers take turns in "going distorted" after a short period of time then granted that the sun/chemical conditioner(e.g. Armourall) has nothing to do with the speaker (did you hit the speakers when you load stuff into your trunk?), the likeliness of this attributed by your head unit is still pretty high.
DC into speaker coils maybe a culprit assuming that the aforementioned (chemical cleaners/conditioners distorted the speaker cone basket, physical structural distortion due to some form of abuse (mostly seen when someone shuffed some large items into the trunk an hit the speaker magnet/basket).
DC into speaker coils maybe a culprit assuming that the aforementioned (chemical cleaners/conditioners distorted the speaker cone basket, physical structural distortion due to some form of abuse (mostly seen when someone shuffed some large items into the trunk an hit the speaker magnet/basket).
wizzells
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The new speakers are Infinity Kappas. The likelyhood that they were damaged by something hitting them is nearly not possible due to the sheer size and amount of protection that the basket offers. Essentially, youd have to try to poke through one of the openings to hit the woofer. That being said, I havent even loaded the trunk since I put them in. They are not exposed directly to the sun. They are covered with the factory OEM dash panel, and this has a cloth type covering under the grille. Is it possible that the head unit is physically damaging the speakers? If I were to plug either the new or old speakers into a different head unit at this point, the problem would still exist, due to the condition reported in my previous post. Something has been damaged in the cone/voice coil area.
loosen the mounting screws and see if the cone then moves freely. If so, the deck is inducing a warp to the speaker frame causing the voice coil to bind in the frame that surrounds it.
Doesn't GM use a common ground on their speakers and a single wire? If the speakers have a chassis ground, AND you are actually running 2 wires, if the wrong one is grounded, you'll get this problem or one similar to it. Try removing the speaker entirely so that it does not touch any chassis ground (if you are using 2 wires).
good luck
Doesn't GM use a common ground on their speakers and a single wire? If the speakers have a chassis ground, AND you are actually running 2 wires, if the wrong one is grounded, you'll get this problem or one similar to it. Try removing the speaker entirely so that it does not touch any chassis ground (if you are using 2 wires).
good luck
wizzells
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I have swapped speaker locations and yes, the problem does follow the speaker. These speakers are mounted to what I would call a mouting ring that is made of plastic. This, in turn, mounts to the rear metal deck of the car. So, while I have removed the speakers from the locations and listened to them while out (problem still exists) I dont think that I could even get enough torque on the speaker chassis to twist it while screwing into the plastic. All of the holes line up perfectly with at least some play, so its not like I was forcing the speakers to fit into the mounts.
I am not familiar enough with the electircal system to answer the common ground question. I'll have to mess around with them more today when I get home as Im at work right now. Thanks for the help so far.
I am not familiar enough with the electircal system to answer the common ground question. I'll have to mess around with them more today when I get home as Im at work right now. Thanks for the help so far.
Have you tried the ClubGP forums?
Probably not on recent models. Common-ground setups are limited to ~5W RMS. (The more common push-pull amplifier configuration quadruples the output power to ~20W RMS) The only recent factory stereos I know of that use common-ground speakers are the single-DIN Ford stereos, and come to think of it, they aren't that recent anymore. On those, the speakers were wired to the stereo with two wires so the only way you'd ever know that they were common-ground is to check with a multimeter.quote:
Originally posted by kenw:
Doesn't GM use a common ground on their speakers and a single wire?
You can check your stereo by measuring between a speaker lead and ground with the stereo turned on and the volume turned down.
If you measure a DC voltage (about 6-7V but it can vary), it is NOT common ground..and you want to make sure that none of the speaker leads ever gets grounded because it will cause a DC voltage through the speaker.
You need an amp to power the speakers appropriately. Sounds like you are getting a good bit of crackly distortion. A good head unit an amp are well worth the money. As a matter of fact I need to price some stuff out for my Tacoma.
Daily Drives:
-2003 Toyota Tacoma PreRunner,2.7 liter, 4 cylinder, Mobil1 5w30 ODO 15600
-1995 Toyota 4-Runner,3.0 liter,6 cylinder, Mobil1 10w30 ODO 96200
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Daily Drives:
-2003 Toyota Tacoma PreRunner,2.7 liter, 4 cylinder, Mobil1 5w30 ODO 15600
-1995 Toyota 4-Runner,3.0 liter,6 cylinder, Mobil1 10w30 ODO 96200
http://community.webshots.com/user/amkeer
wizzells
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I have not tried the clubGP forums for this problem, but have frequented them in the past. I only went here first because I trust just about anyone here for sound (no pun intended) advice more than the jokers that lurk there. I can see the responses right now..."you need 200 watts to power those things", or, "your head unit is crap, buy this one".
I realize that just using a head unit will not explore the best of these speakers. However, with that said, college doesnt pay for itself.
Now, I really think this is a physical problem with the speakers as opposed to an electrical one. I know what crackly distortion is, as I had a head unit on a previous car that put that sound out of all 4 speakers. It was junk, got replaced, never had another problem. This isnt just crackly distortion. I only hear this sound out of the woofer...the midrange and tweeter function as normal. As I said before, when gently pushing down on the woofer cone, I feel a rubbing that I believe is coming from the voice coil area. I know you can damage speakers running more than their rated maximum wattage(this is obvious), but does it cause any harm running them lower than they might want to see? The only negatives I can see are lower quality and less pronounced sound than the speaker is capable of producing.
I realize that just using a head unit will not explore the best of these speakers. However, with that said, college doesnt pay for itself.
Now, I really think this is a physical problem with the speakers as opposed to an electrical one. I know what crackly distortion is, as I had a head unit on a previous car that put that sound out of all 4 speakers. It was junk, got replaced, never had another problem. This isnt just crackly distortion. I only hear this sound out of the woofer...the midrange and tweeter function as normal. As I said before, when gently pushing down on the woofer cone, I feel a rubbing that I believe is coming from the voice coil area. I know you can damage speakers running more than their rated maximum wattage(this is obvious), but does it cause any harm running them lower than they might want to see? The only negatives I can see are lower quality and less pronounced sound than the speaker is capable of producing.
Those speakers appear to have great efficiency, like 95dB/watt, so you should get decent sound out of them even with minimal power.
If you can feel some friction when you manually push the cone, then that should be indicative of a problem. It should be smooth.
I'd return the speaker to the store you got it from - they should have a little test-stand thing in the install department.
If you can feel some friction when you manually push the cone, then that should be indicative of a problem. It should be smooth.
I'd return the speaker to the store you got it from - they should have a little test-stand thing in the install department.
Have you tried to swap speaker locations to see if the problem follows the speaker?
In general, you need an aftermarket amp to power Kappas. They are power hungry. If you had Infinity Reference speakers, then the stock amp should power it.quote:
Originally posted by wizzells:
The new speakers are Infinity Kappas.
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