How to Fix a Blown Speaker Without More Complication

Nothing can ravage your music listening experience like a blown speaker because it will deliver reduced and annoying sound quality. And while most stereo speakers are built to withstand a lot of abuse, that means it's often only a matter of time before they explode.

A blown speaker refers to speakers that sound poor or don't work properly. Even the highest quality audio systems wear out over time, especially if you like to listen to your music at high volume. If your car speakers seem muted or not working at all, you need to check if one or more of your speakers is blown, so you can get them repaired or replaced.

But before thinking about buying new speakers, it's essential to know that it's possible to fix a blown speaker, and you don't have to be a professional engineer to do it.

What Is A "Burned Out or Blown" Car Speaker?

When someone says a speaker is "blown," it simply means that their speaker has suffered some sort of catastrophic failure. The speaker may not work or sound very bad in such a case.

If a car speaker is buzzed, you will usually hear no sound. In other cases, you may hear a hum instead of the music you're trying to listen to. Since there are many reasons why car speakers can stop working, it's essential to make sure your speakers are blown before replacing them, even if they're not making any noise.

When a car speaker is only partially blown, you will still get sound from it, but the sound will be distorted. Depending on the type of speaker failing, you may hear a hiss or crackle, a static or fuzzy distortion that may sound particularly prevalent in a specific sound range.

What Causes Hiss From Car Speakers?

A car speaker can fail in two main ways, but anything that damages a speaker to the point that it no longer works properly blows it out. Most failures are mechanical or thermal in nature, and the best way to avoid both problems is to simply avoid running your car audio system at excessive volumes.

Mechanical car speaker failures occur when a component called cone is forced to move in a way that is not as designed. What happens is that the cone goes further than intended, which puts a strain on the material. This could cause parts of a loudspeaker to collide with the loudspeaker frame, which could cause some components to tear, break, or loosen, potentially causing permanent damage.

Thermal car speaker failures occur when a speaker receives more power than it can handle. Excess power causes heat buildup that can soften the glue that holds certain components together. This basically blows the speaker out, as it won't produce the sound like it used to.

The other danger with over-driving a car speaker is that the excess power can burn or melt the delicate wires inside a voice coil component. This is one of the most catastrophic failures for a blown speaker, as you usually won't hear any sound with a coil damaged in this way.

In mechanical and thermal failures, the most common causes are a system's accidental or careless operation outside of safety margins. For example, if you turn up the volume of a car's audio system so loud that you begin to hear a grainy tone, your woofers' voice coils may have separated from the spiders holding them in place. And this may leave the volume that way and cause permanent damage.

How To Know When The Car Speaker Is Blown

In addition to knowing how to fix a blown speaker, you also need to know when the speaker is having problems because not all speaker problems go away. I have listed the most common signs of a blown speaker below.

1. Popping or Rattling

One of the definite ways to detect a blown speaker is by its sound. Instead of hearing your music, if you get an annoying clicking or popping noise, then it indicates that your speaker is blown out, and you need to fix it.

2. Absence Of Bass Or Treble

If you notice a decrease in certain tones from your speakers, such as bass and treble, that's a sign of a burned-out speaker.

Also, a blown speaker will result in poor quality or a lack of mid-tones. But, in many cases, this is often an indication of a partially blown speaker, which means it should be easy to fix.

3. Hissing And Sound Distortion

If you notice hissing and distorted sounds coming from your speaker, then you need to check them as soon as possible, as this is another good gesture of a blown speaker.

To check for hiss and blur sounds, all you need to do is play a CD/music at low volume, and if you hear them, slowly increase the volume. If blurring and hissing get worse with higher volume settings, there's almost no doubt you have a fried speaker. And you should be able to easily isolate the problematic speaker using the fade and balance controls.

4. The Speaker Does Not Vibrate

Speakers usually vibrate when they're running, and so if you find yours aren't vibrating, that's a good sign they're blown.

But, it should also be noted that sometimes the lack of vibration stems from a wiring issue. Therefore, you should also check the wiring, and if it seems okay, it's likely a blown speaker.

5. Check The Impedance

If you want a more accurate indication of a blown speaker, checking the impedance with a multimeter will be a good option. 

To do this, first, you need to remove the grilles and test the impedance. If the impedance is between 4 and 8 ohms, that means the speakers are still working. However, infinite or very high impedance is an indication of blown speakers.

How to Fix a Blown Speaker

What Do You Need

• Screwdriver / ratchet

• General Purpose Glue

• soft cloth

• Sandpaper

• Knife

Steps To Fix A Blown Speaker

Step 1: Turn Off The Vehicle And The Music System

The first step in repairing a blown speaker is to cuts the power supply. This might sound silly, and some motorists will ignore it, but it is an important thing to consider.

Before starting to work on the speaker, you should ensure that you have turned off the power supply. Keeping the battery on while repairing your speaker carries a high risk of electrical failures.

Step 2: Inspect The Speakers

The next step is to thoroughly inspect your speakers to make sure they are blown, as there are still many other possible reasons why speakers might not be performing optimally besides blowing.

The easiest way to do this is to play some familiar music as it will be easy to notice changes in sound quality or unfamiliar noises. And if you hear rattling or shaking noise, you need to turn up the volume to check whether it gets worse or not. If the noise gets worse, chances are there is a problem with the voice coil or speaker cone.

The other important thing you will need to do in this step is to check which speaker is damaged. This should be easy if your audio system allows speaker isolation using system controls. Otherwise, you will need to get close to the speakers and listen carefully.

Step 3: Remove The Speaker

Once you are sure which speaker is having issues, the next step is to remove it. And here, you will need either a screwdriver or a ratchet depending on the types of screws used to mount the speaker.

Start by turning off the vehicle and the music system in case it's still on, then open the case around the speaker before unplugging all the wires connected to the speakers and unscrewing it.

If you still have your car's manual, referring to it will also be a good idea, as chances are there are more specific instructions on how to remove the specific type of speaker in the car.

Step 4: Disassemble The Speaker

With the speakers out of its housing, you can disassemble it. Remove the voice coil and the cone and also sand off the old glue.

The speaker cone is the easiest to remove, and you will only need a small pocket knife or utility knife to remove it. The voice coil connected to the speaker shouldn't take much effort to remove either, but old glue often requires sanding to scrub it off.

Step 5: Clean The Speaker

Speakers are often closed off and hard to reach, which means that they will accumulate dust over time even if you wash your vehicle regularly. Therefore, after disassembling it, you need to clean the enclosure thoroughly.

You will need a soft cloth and a little alcohol for a good cleaning without damaging any enclosure component. Apply a small dose of alcohol to the soft fabric and use it to wipe the speaker gently. Also, using cotton swabs can be very efficient as they will reach all the tiny crevices for a more thorough cleaning.

Step 6: Check The Problem And Fix It

There are various components in a loudspeaker that can cause a knock. Therefore, after cleaning it, the next step is to identify the specific problem and fix it.

Once everything is removed from the speaker, it should be easy to check each part to identify the source of the problem. First, check the cone, and if it's torn or has a small cut, glue or even tape should be able to fix it. However, a badly damaged cone must be replaced.

If the cone is in good condition, you need to check the voice coil, whose main problem is often melting. A melted voice coil will need to be replaced, and installing a new one only requires placing it where the old one was and reconnecting all the wires.

Once the cone and voice coil are attached and put back in place, you now need to place the outline. To keep the speaker surround in place, be sure to apply glue before putting it back in place and allow plenty of time for it to dry properly.

Step 7: Reinstall The Speaker

Now that the speaker is all attached, you need to reinstall it in its rightful place in the vehicle. And to do this, you will first need to connect all the wires to their original place.

Next, place the speaker back where it was originally, then screw all the mounting screws back in and make sure they are tight enough to prevent it from falling out and being damaged.

Check out the best car speaker for good bass and sound quality.

Step 8: Test Your Speaker

Even if you've replaced the cone and voice coil, you won't be sure the speaker is working properly until you test it.

It would be best to play music at a low volume for testing and then gradually increase it. Check whether there are any changes in sound quality. Pay attention to unusual crackling noises, as these often indicate that the speaker is still having problems. If it works well, the speaker is fixed.

Note: If you have repaired the speaker several times, it may increase the risk of blowing because the power output of the stereo can easily overwhelm it. Therefore, it's important to know when your speakers have exceeded their lifespan, and it's time to install new ones.

Conclusion

A blown speaker will ruin the entertainment in your vehicle. Although it provides very poor quality sound, it won't even work in some cases.

But, the good news is that a blown speaker is one of those things that you can easily fix yourself at home. And in many cases, you won't need to buy a new speaker because cheap components like the cone and voice coil are often all you need.

With a few minutes to spare and a few tools like a screwdriver, sandpaper, and other components like glue, almost anyone can repair a blown speaker. However, it should also be noted that some speakers cannot be repaired, so the only solution will be to buy a new ones.