Popping sounds coming from your vehicle speakers can be frustrating and can ruin an otherwise pleasant day. No one wants to listen to their favorite tunes while the music is skipping and popping due to troubled speakers. Luckily, it isn’t difficult to locate and fix the problems that might be causing these issues.
Popping sounds coming from car speakers at high volume is typically due to one of three things, the wires need repairing, the amplifier setting needs to be adjusted, or your speakers need to be replaced.
Below is a list of these three reasons for the popping sounds coming from your car speakers, along with the best solutions for fixing the issue so you can be back riding in style in no time.
Why Are My Car Speakers Popping at High Volume?
There are a few different reasons for your car speakers to pop when you turn them up to a high volume, with the three most common situations being loose wires, defective amplifier or equalizer, or damaged products. If you are handy with wires and tools, you can probably fix many of the issues yourself. If not, a call to a professional might be in store.
Check Your Wires
If you are in the habit of cranking your radio up high, when the system you have doesn’t support it, the vibration created can wiggle the wires connecting the power source to the speaker, which over time will damage the wires. If these wires are not properly secured, you will start to hear popping the louder you turn up the music and the more vibration that is created.
How to Solve the problem: If you notice that the wires to the speakers are frayed or torn, you can quickly fix the issue with some electrical tape, securing the wires back in place. You can also purchase new wires from your local automotive store for a more permanent fix.
Check the Amplifier and Equalizer
Another common cause of speaker popping sounds is the small components that connect the amplifier into place become corroded or disintegrated over time, causing connection issues and creating a popping sound. If the amplifier is to blame, you may not notice this sound at all when the volume of your radio is turned low.
If the settings are correct, then the wiring and hardware inside may be damaged.
If you are getting the same popping noise from multiple speakers, you might want to check your equalizer settings on your system. If the amplifier output is set to high for your system, it will create a thumping or other unpleasant sounds.
How to solve the problem: If the problem you are experiencing is an issue within the amplifier and equalizer, a quick fix would be opening up the speaker and soldering the wires and fixtures back into place or taking it to a professional to have them repair it for you.
Unless you are really good with these specific tools and truly understand what you are doing, taking it to an auto repair shop may be your best bet. You can also check out our guide on connecting wires without soldering, by clicking here. If you don’t have an expensive system, it may just be cheaper to purchase a new amplifier altogether.
Damaged Speakers
If you checked all of the settings, the wires are secure, and all of the hardware is in good working condition, then the answer might simply be that your speakers are damaged and need to be replaced.
One problem with speakers that lead to requiring replacement is a damaged voice coil. Once the voice coil is ruined, you are pretty much out of luck. If you are lucky and the coil simply fell out of place, this can be fixed by simply securing it back to where it belongs.
How to solve the problem: The obvious answer is to purchase new speakers. Depending on the speakers you buy and the amount of work it takes to repair them, purchasing new ones may be the best answer for many problems people tend to have with car speakers.
Luckily, there are many great products on the market today that can match pretty much any budget type.
How Do You Prevent Speakers From Making Popping Sounds?
The main cause for speakers to start popping is listening to your stereo at high levels with a lot of bass. If your system isn’t designed to play this type of sound (a system with subwoofers), the excessive vibrations will eventually destroy the voice coil, causing uncontrollable popping sounds.
As for high levels, playing your music loudly for long periods of time will lead to damage within the voice coils and other components of the speakers damaging your speakers beyond repair.
If you enjoy listening to your music full blast with intense bass, you will have to have a special system installed for your vehicle’s speakers to handle that type of performance.
While what you listen to and how you choose to listen to it can play a significant role in the wearing and tearing of your car speakers, they can also start to deteriorate on their own over time. If your speakers begin to make popping sounds and you don’t misuse them, it is probably just simply due to age.
Is It Worth Repairing Your Car Speakers Due to Popping Sounds?
Absolutely. Depending on why your speakers are popping, you can definitely fix the issue for a lot less money than you would be replacing the whole thing. However, there are some cases where the cost of the parts and service fees may exceed the price of just picking up new speakers, so weighing your options is crucial.
Summing Things Up
While there are multiple reasons why your vehicle may be making popping sounds when the volume is turned up high, the most common reasons usually require a quick and simple fix to have your system back on track and delivering music that won’t make you want to drive in silence anymore.
