![Why Car Speakers Crackling At High Volume? [ Reasons & Fix ]](https://myvehicletalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Car-power-music-audio-system-720x405.jpg)
The crackling of car speakers can be very worrying and frustrating, especially because the sound of these crackles is usually very high.
There are various factors that contribute to the crackling of car speakers.
Why do car speakers crackle at a high volume?
The main cause of speaker crackling in a car is a connection problem. This means that there may be a bad wire present between the amplifier and the speaker driver, causing the driver to move abruptly.
As a result, interference is caused, and it presents itself as a crackling sound.
The bad connection causing the crackles may be in different places in your car. The connection might be harder to fix on certain parts compared to others.
We will also explore other factors that may cause the speakers of a car to have high-volume crackling sounds.
1. Wear and tear on the speaker wires
This is mostly common in older cars that have been driven for years. The cables in these cars get damaged in the tight spots of doors because of getting opened and closed multiple times.
This wear and tear cause the speaker wires to be cut, contributing to the high volume of crackling sounds.
2. Bad radio signal
Sometimes you may hear the loud crackling sound when listening to the radio or a CD player. This is an indication that the signal coming into the car speakers has an issue.
3. AUX cable problem
You may hear loud crackling noises when playing music in your car using an AUX cable. The issue arises when the connections become loose over time.
The crackling noise may also be loud because of corrosion to the wire.
4. Torn dust cap
Dust caps are small covers situated on the tip of the speaker cone. These caps protect the speaker cone from dust and other debris.
In a case where these caps are torn or damaged, they cause a sound problem, and they damage the other parts of the sound system over time.
A torn or damaged dust cap, which is characterized by loud crackling noises, must be fixed immediately to prevent further damage.
5. Broken connectors
Due to the constant movement of speaker wires, connectors on the car speakers become damaged. For instance, speakers mounted on the rear decks have a high risk of damage.
Once these connectors cannot perform properly, you will start hearing crackling sounds from your car speakers. This is a sign to replace them instantly.
6. Wrong positioned voice coil
The voice coil is usually located inside the magnet. There is a small gap present between the voice coil and the magnet, and in a case where the voice coil is set off-center, it touches the magnet.
This causes the magnet to create a crackling noise due to the creation of a shortcut. These shortcuts don’t last for more than a second, but the car speaker still crackles.
What leads to the wrong positioning of a voice coil?
The voice coil of the car speaker might be out of position due to numerous reasons:
For instance, if the speaker’s cone was repaired, the voice coil might be placed out of position against the magnet.
Similarly, if the speaker was purchased from a faulty manufacturer, the voice coil may not be situated in the right place.
Again, if the voice coil was replaced, the new one might have been placed in the wrong place.
The voice coil may also be damaged due to issues such as water or dust getting into it. This, in turn, causes the loud crackling noises from the car speakers.
1. Faulty amplifier
This is another reason why car speakers crackle. A car speaker that is connected to a faulty amplifier or a damaged pre-out must produce loud crackling noises.
It is vital to note that speakers do not play at all when the amplifier is damaged. However, this doesn’t happen all the time.
Even though car amplifiers can produce signals at a low volume, a car speaker crackling at a high volume may be an indication that the amplifier is damaged.
2. Overheating
Overheating causes high volume crackling sounds in multiple circumstances. The amps present in car speakers are extremely powerful, and they heat up and burn out quickly.
To prevent this overheating, always turn off the always-on feature when the speaker is not in use. It will minimize overheating, which will eliminate the loud crackling noises.
3. Damaged speakers
Car speakers can get damaged over time due to factors such as weather changes and additional environmental components.A speaker may also get damaged because it is old and needs replacement.
A damaged car speaker can produce the loudest crackling sounds you may have ever heard, which is why it’s vital to check for any physical damage to the car speakers.
How do I stop my speakers from crackling?
Fixing the crackling sounds from your car speaker should be your priority because it not only puts your car speaker at risk but also other parts of your car’s audio system.
There are different ways you can pick to fix a crackling car speaker, and they are all discussed below;
1. Check the speaker wires running from the amplifier or radio
While looking at these cables, be keen to see if they have any mechanical damage. Due to corrosion and general wear and tear, mechanical damage to speaker cables is extremely common.
It is also crucial to ensure you check if the shielding has suffered from any form of mechanical damage.
Listening to music while driving is a great way to relax. However, the strong vibrations in the car speakers while playing music cause connections to become loose.
Over time, speaker wires become looser, causing the crackling noise. This is why it is vital to make sure that the wires are not lose and that all connections are stable.
2. Invest in high pass filters for all car speakers
When the set filters are set correctly, minimal bass will reach the door speakers. This prevents any form of distortion caused by too much bass.
It is critical to note that a lot of car speakers are not designed for strong and deep bass. Again, forcing low frequencies on these speakers may cause them to be overpressured and damaged.
If you want to enjoy bass in your car without causing damage to your speakers, make sure to isolate frequencies over 80Hz to the door speakers.
3. Invest in a ground loop isolator
The loud crackling sound from the car speaker may be a result of a damaged solder. A ground loop isolator is cheap, easy to use, and it is added to the single path.
This loop isolator breaks the DC circuit path, allowing for the connection to flow properly. As a result, the cigarette charger does not interfere with the AUX cable.
This solution will then ensure that the music is not a crackling noise.
4. Avoid playing bass boosted music
Since the crackling sounds originate from damaged speakers, avoid playing music with too much bass. This bass negatively affects the music quality, and it stresses your car speakers.
Playing music with less bass will minimize the crackling sound coming from the car speakers.
5. Adjust bass at different volumes
When listening to loud music, the crackling sounds may be evident due to extreme bass for the speaker’s capability.
In this instance, consider making adjustments to the bass whereby you reduce it when the volume of music is high and increase it when the volume is low.
While adjusting the bass, treble the head unit accordingly, as this can reduce the loud cracking sound.
6. Disable the Auto-on setting
This is an easy and quick solution to fix the crackling noise from a car’s speaker in case you don’t want to incur any costs.
The crackling sound, in this case, maybe due to a problem with the auto-on circuitry, which indicates that the receiver circuit is not working properly.
This is an issue that is mostly common in new car speakers. In this instance, simply change the power mode settings from Auto-on to Always-on.
Conclusion
Crackling sounds from the car speaker might be caused by different issues, but the most common are loose connections in the amplifier or power supply.
Loud crackling sounds from the car speakers may also result from torn dust caps, damaged speakers, AUX cable issues, or bad radio signals.
These crackling sounds are loud and annoying, and they make it impossible to enjoy nice music while driving.
If you are looking for different ways to minimize these crackling sounds, the recommended solutions above will be highly effective.
