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10 Common Speaker Problems & Their Solutions [SOLVED]

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Almost all car speaker systems have come a long way in the past few years, but they are far from perfect. Whether you have had them for a decade or recently bought the sound system, experiencing such audio signal problems can be somewhat irritating.

Fortunately, nearly all surround sound system problems can be fixed by either adjusting the settings or replacing parts.

Common audio equipment problems involve audio distortion, voice coil, a lack of audio output, no bass or treble, blown speaker and popping sounds, malfunctioning speaker cone, and more.

You can fix such problems by adjusting the output channels, replacing the coils, lowering the volume, and changing the fabric and wires.

Throughout this guide, we will cover numerous problems and solutions to resolve your common speaker problems. Also, we will talk about why they happen and the things you can do to prevent them from happening again.

Table of Contents Show

Why Is There No Surround Sound Coming from My Speakers?

The most typical issue with a car speaker is the lack of sound. If your speakers are not playing music, they are nearly useless. Lucky for you, there are more than enough solutions, most of which you can DIY without any professional help.

Whether you have a brand new speaker or an old speaker cone that isn’t worth that much, it is time to resolve the problem once and for all. The first thing you want to do is to check the equalizer settings.

Listen closely to the audio signals that are coming from the source are clean, and it does not produce a funny noise. The audio quality is the main issue related to the speaker making weird noises. Believe it or not, most of the time, it is not even a speaker problem.

Make sure you are setting the new speaker to the correct channel

Are your speakers connected properly to Channel 2, but the receiver is playing audio to Channel 1? You will not get any audio coming through them.

Other speakers have numerous channels. That’s why it’s important to check if they are in the correct setting. Make sure that the positive and negative leads are connected to the correct positive and negative terminal of the speakers.

Check the output device of the audio system

Most of the time, devices like an entertainment system, a CD player, or even a smartphone can be the source of the issue since they have individual mute controls.

Before you check them, lower the speakers’ volume, so they do not blare loud noise after you make the adjustments on the device. Blown speakers do not tend to produce weird sounds at low volumes.

Replace, repair, or connect any electrical wires

Wires are sometimes the major cause of no sound in your car’s audio system. Your speakers may also drop or become crackly when there are loose wire connections. However, disconnected wires won’t be able to generate any sound.

Check all of those to make sure they are connected correctly. Look for cracked or loose parts on the voice coils. Sometimes the source material that some companies use to build these speakers, especially foreign material, tends to be low quality.

See if the speakers are muted

Did you know that muted speakers will not ever generate sound, so your fix might be as easy as unmuting the issue? Check the speakers, receiver, and the device you are using the play the sound.

All of those must be unmuted. Do not forget to check the subwoofer settings and receiver settings to ensure that all of the car speakers are reproducing sound. This is a simple fix that does not require lots of expertise.

Change the volume coming from your sound system

It might seem strange, but oftentimes, the speaker could lose its volume if it’s too high or too low. Most speaker systems will come with security triggers that stop them from exploding too loudly.

Your device might prevent it from going too extreme. Most of the causes are just simple to prevent. Finding a solution is welcome, but it’s essential to stop it from happening again.

Why Is My Car Stereo Draining the Battery?

This is probably the most common car audio question we often get from people who have installed a huge subwoofer-and-amplifier set up in their car. The subsequent answer to these has always to do with one underlying factor: the alternator and factory battery of your car.

You see, alternators and factory batteries were not made to deal with the massive strain power amplifiers and other mobile sound electronics put on them.

Thus, when people connect such devices to the factory receptacles underneath the hood, they are often welcomed with dimming headlights, later on, drained batteries, and ruined alternators.

Nearly all professional installers on the car audio competition circuit suggest switching out a vehicle’s factory battery and alternator for types more suitable for heavy-duty use. It will also help if you use a battery dedicated to hooking up the amplifiers in the audio system.

Why Is There Popping Sounds Coming from My Speaker System?

Nothing is worse than playing your preferred song with random pops and glitches throughout the way. Those noises could begin small and develop into an unpreventable issue. That’s why it is great to stop them as soon as you can.

Your device may be the culprit

Check your input device. If you are using a smart phone and your Wi-Fi connection is not strong enough, it could cause popping and lagging. Disconnect your device from the speaker and listen for the noises through the audio system.

Check all the surrounding plugs and cables

Move your cables away if they are not contributing to the speakers. If they are a part of another sound system, they should not be touching the speaker cables.

The small electrical delay could produce a loud popping or humming noises, which sound comparable to a guitar amp’s cable when it is touching another cable.

Try resetting the receiver to its factory setting or replace it

Restoring the receiver to its brand-new condition could fix the issue. While it is not a standard answer, it is worth trying that step, especially if you’ve tried everything else without success.

Check all the wires to make sure they are tight and not torn

Minor disconnections could affect their performance if your wires are stripped or exposed. That problem could cause humming and popping.

However, it will eventually result in no sound coming from the speakers. Fortunately, many small speaker wires are cheap. In fact, when it comes to speaker repair, it is one of the cheapest things you can do.

How Can I Fix My Malfunctioning Speaker Channels?

It might seem odd, but your non-working speaker channels might be caused by user error. Have you been making several changes? Perhaps you’re not paying attention to the tables. There is a high chance you can fix everything easily.

Ensure the cables are plugged into the right channels

Is your speaker wired into the first channel, but the receiver is set to the second channel? In that case, you will not have any audio output. In other scenarios, you might notice a slight crackle, which can be perplexing as it will make you think something is wrong with the speakers and not the channels.

Switch to another channel

You can also try switching to another channel since outdated speaker systems could have malfunctioning channel choices. You are good to go if they work on another channel. That easy fix often eliminates the issue and allows you to listen to the speakers again.

Try the blown speaker on another device

Try using the speakers with the entertainment center that you have around your home, especially if they are not working after you plug them into the correct channels and wall outlet.

If they do not work, there is another problem afoot. If they do, then there is something wrong with the channel connections. The source material that they used to build the speaker was not that great, and you may need a new voice coil.

Why Does My Sound System Turn Off at Regular Intervals?

The problem commonly lies in the wiring, significantly when a head unit cuts out and turns back on. The unit may lose power if the display shuts off while the music cuts off.

Still, you can also have an amplifier issue, a problem with the speakers or wires, or an internal fault in the head unit. Verify that the speaker is not getting too much voltage from the power source. Sometimes the power cord connection may be the cause of this issue.

Super hot signal levels going into the amplifier can cause distortion in the form of a square wave, which then sends too much voltage to the speaker and fries the voice coil. To fix this, all you need is an AC ground adapter readily available at your local electrician.

How Do I Eliminate The Engine Noise In My Car Speaker?

This is a typical issue and one we often hear at all times. It remains one of the significant problems that car audio install shops handle when it comes to clients who return after a project has been done.

Often, that issue lies down to a noise akin to an alternator whine. That’s a distorted sound that everybody who has encountered a dying alternator in their car has heard.

On top of that, engine noise through speakers happens because of the following:

Faulty speaker cable
Faulty RCA cables
Insufficient grounding

If you are having this issue, here’s what you should do:

Determine the noise source
Conduct a cable check
Unplug the head unit
Turn off the entire system and disconnect the speakers
Check the battery and alternator
Replace speaker driver if necessary
Clean the air gap in the magnet

Depending on the condition, you might have to get a replacement tweeter or speaker. With time there are several things that can happen, including:

Fried voice coil
Damaged rubber surround
Blown woofer cone
Cracked speaker cone

How Can I Reset My Car Stereo?

A car audio head unit could be rebooted if it is not correctly working. That applies to both aftermarket and factory types. If you have not taken your vehicle in to be serviced, chances are that your car stereo locked itself as a way to avoid theft.

Resetting your car stereo is a simple process and must only take a few minutes. There is an option on the head unit settings that will allow you to reset it. Another option is to find the reset button or hole on your car stereo. This step sometimes requires you to remove the front panel.

Final Thoughts

It can be annoying to turn on your car audio system and discover that the sound has cut out, has a buzzing sound, or humming sound.

Fortunately, the above is a list of standard solutions that can help you troubleshoot and fix the problem at home before taking your entire ride to a costly repair shop.

Last Updated on: September 30, 2022

Hi, my name is John Snow and I am a car lover. With two decades under my belt fixing and driving cars, I'm always on the hunt for fresh, cutting-edge methods to give my ride a performance boost. Driven by my zeal to decode car problems, I'm on a mission to equip vehicle owners with accurate and handy tips. By doing so, they can fix their rides while saving both time and cash.

By John Snow