Do you want to know the ways on how to tell if a speaker is blown or not? The car audio systems are somehow vulnerable, and at some point in time, they do get blown out.
People usually do not recognize the faults in their system until it completely malfunctions. You need to know the identifying factors that will give you an idea about whether your car speakers are blown or not. Certain signs will provide you with an indication of them being blown out.
At times, the setup of the speakers in the car or at the house is not properly done that might give rise to certain malfunctions.
Therefore, before you dump it or call in for mechanical assistance, make sure you check all the possibilities to ensure that the system is blown and not just improperly fitted.
In this article, you will know about some of the ways or signs that would help you determine whether a speaker is blown out or not.
Contents
What are the minor signs that indicate that a speaker is about to get blown?
There are several signs to look at, but here are some of the most common
indications that’ll give you an idea on how to tell if a speaker is blown or not:
01. High Volume Distortion
If the speaker is blown, you will eventually experience some of the distortion sounds while increasing the volume to maximum. The damage in the coils will ultimately give rise to such distortions at high volume. It is the first sign that the speaker is starting to get blown.
If the users do not notice it within the time, then there might be severe damage in the long run. Even after noticing the distortions, if you continue to play the music at high volumes, then the speaker might reach the conditions where it cannot be repaired anymore. Therefore, notice the volume distortions.
02. Lack of Vibration
The basic science behind the speakers is that vibration produces sound. Almost every individual knows that touching the front of the speaker causes vibrations when they function normally.
If you experience less or no vibration with time, then your speaker is starting to deteriorate. There might be a specific wiring problems inside the speaker circuits that might need attention.
It is better to open up your speakers immediately as soon as you notice no vibrations to get it repaired while there is still time. Controlling the malfunctions within time might prevent the speakers from getting completely blown.
People do not care about the vibrations and continue blasting the speakers even with fewer volume outputs. It is another way when you can notice that the speakers are blowing out.
03. Popping and Rattling sound from woofers
Apart from distortions, rattling noise coming out of your woofers indicate that the speaker is almost dead and requires heavy repair or a replacement.
Similarly, a popping sound coming out of the woofer means that the tweeters embedded in the speakers are done. These problems are repairable if you get in touch with the right expert while there is still time to get it repaired.
04. Check the range of the speaker system
To check whether the speaker is still working or not, you can intend to test its range. To do this, you need to follow specific steps:
- Select the music or audio players to which the speakers are connected and play the sound with strong bass and high volume.
- Now keep on changing the frequencies of the player and notice the sound output of the speakers.
There will be no sound distortion at the high frequency nor the lowest if the speaker is fine. You must be able to hear the sound clearly without any hassle.
But if the speakers are blown, then it might fail to produce sound at high and low frequencies.
Make use of this 5-minute test to know whether your speaker is still working fine or needs a repair or replacement.
How to check whether an idle speaker is blown or not?
If you have an old speaker in your house and is idle for a long time, then you might need to check on certain detailed aspects to pass the judgment for it as blown. Here are some of the things that you could do to identify whether the idle speaker at your place is in good condition or blown out:
- Check for the foam that surrounds the speaker cone, if it is fallen apart or is still intact.
- Look at the speaker cone if it looks okay or torn.
- The voice coil should not have been ripped off the speakers if you are expecting them to work.
- Check the fuse if the wiring is still intact or blown.
- Remove the grill of the speaker to check all the components.
- Listen carefully to the sound of the speaker by turning it on. Put the focus on the individual drivers.
- The speaker has multiple drivers if not the whole speaker, then some of the drivers might need replacement.
- If there is no sound output, then check the circuit breaker or fuse inside it.
If the entire voice coil is damaged, then you might seek a replacement of the hardware of the same brand itself to get it started again. If there is no sound even with the circuit breakers intact, then possible, the drivers are blown and need replacement.
Check this YouTube video to know more about how the drivers indicate whether the speaker is damaged or not.
What are the technical measures that one must take to know whether a speaker is blown or not?
If you have a bit of technical knowledge, then you can use the following methods to check whether your speaker is blown or not. Even if you are not technically sound, you can still use these methods with just a little research online.
Here are some of the technical methods to test the speaker condition:
01.Testing the speaker with a 9-volt battery
It is a small test that will give you a verdict about the life of your speakers in just a few minutes. For doing this, you need to follow the below steps:
- Disconnect the speaker from the mount by using the screwdrivers.
- Remove the wires from the audio system, but keep them connected to the speakers.
- Attach those wires onto a 9-volt battery.
Follow these three steps, and soon after that, if your speaker is blown, you will get to hear nothing as the speaker output. But if there is a popping sound, then probably your speaker is still working fine.
Check this YouTube video for better knowledge about how to use the 9-volt battery for checking whether the speaker is blown or is still fine.
Note: Take precautionary measures as you are dealing with electrical equipment. Therefore, make sure you do not disturb the speaker with any poking object while it is connected to a power source.
02. Isolating the damaged speaker
Make use of the fader systems to separate the speakers connected to a single audio system. This method is useful when you have multiple speakers, and you are not able to identify which one amongst them is defective.
If you have a fader system, you can try it to determine the troubling speaker; then, you can replace it with new working speakers. In case you do not have a fader system, you can try this the other way round by disconnecting individual speakers physically.
You need to know wire disconnection and reconnection to operate this task. You can hire an expert for the job to execute this process safely.
03. Use of Multimeter with the speaker
Another technical way to know whether the speaker is faulty or fine is by using a multimeter. The multimeter’s work is to check the electrical response of the speaker. The figures will indicate to you whether the voice coil of the speaker is blown or are still fine.
For a regular working speaker, there will be a stated resistance or ohm reading on the multimeter. But for the blown speakers, the resistance reading will be infinite. The speaker is also considered as blown if the ohm rating is below the stated resistance rating by the brand.
To get more related ideas on testing the status of the speaker, you can refer to this YouTube video.
It is a nearly 2 minutes video explaining to you the use of a multimeter for checking the impedance or resistance rating.
Verdict
We hope the steps will help you in testing the blown speakers with ease. One thing you must keep in mind is that the sooner you realize the faults in your system, the earlier you can get it repaired to prevent it from getting completely blown.
Omit the use of faulty speakers as it might hamper your listening experience. Check for the degradation and get it repaired at the earliest. Also, you have to make sure you have the right tools to adequately identified the factors and signs.
