When you think of rolling down the road to some high-volume music, that seat-rattling bass comes to mind along with the melody. Car audio systems play a part in turning the long journey into a memorable experience when listening to your jam. But sometimes, car speakers rattle with bass, and the problem isn’t always apparent.
Car speakers have so much bass due to distortion, the noise coming from the engine, overpowered amplifiers, imperfect gain, volume settings, or unbalanced equalizers. Although the bass is beneficial for entertainment, too much of it can ruin your experience.
So, let’s dive deep into why your car speakers may be producing so much bass sound. I will analyze some of the most common reasons car speakers make too much bass and how to fix the problem without expert help.
Bass Production in Car Speakers
Car speakers produce all the entertainment sounds in your car audio system. A typical setup would typically include:
- A receiver/amplifier
- Tweeters
- Mid-range drivers
- Subwoofers
Tweeters produce sounds from the high-frequency range (from 2kHz-20kHz). They’re generally small, fast-moving drivers without much of an enclosure since the production of highly-pitched frequencies does not need a box around the speaker.
Mid-range frequencies handle frequencies ranging from 500 Hz to 2kHz. These speakers are essential for producing sounds from several musical instruments and human voices in your track.
Subwoofers handle frequencies ranging between 20Hz to 200Hz. Here, we get the low-pitched sounds perceived as bass by our ears, such as drops in music, explosions, and low-pitched instruments like the bass guitar.
Lastly, crossovers are used in car audio systems to divert different frequencies to the various drivers designed to play them.
Also Read: How To Prevent Trunk Rattle From Car Subwoofers
Reasons Your Car Speakers May Have Too Much Bass
With that in mind, several factors affect the bass production in your car speakers. For instance, your car speakers might have so much bass due to the volume settings.
A high volume sends more power to all your speakers, including the subwoofer, resulting in more bass in your tunes.
Here are other reasons why your car speakers rattle with excess bass:
- Faulty wiring.
- Electrical issues within the amp and speakers.
- The gain and volume are set too high.
- Unbalanced equalizer settings.
- Worn-out speakers.
Let’s look at these factors together and determine which ones might be contributing to your bass overload.
Faulty Wiring
Faulty wiring is nothing new. Most car stereo systems start developing issues whenever the speakers, crossovers, and other elements are not wired correctly.
For instance, a common problem like ground looping occurs when your speakers or amp connect to the same ground through different points.
A ground loop is a common cause of noise issues and the low-frequency hum, which can pass onto your jams.
Related article: Do Ground Loop Isolators Affect Sound Quality?
Electrical Issues Within the Amp and Speakers
Amplifiers need a steady flow of electricity to produce optimum bass. The higher the amplifier’s output power, the more the bass. High-volume listening siphons a good amount of electricity up to a point where the amp can’t take it.
However, the real problem kicks in when you have a damaged element within your receiver, amp, or speakers. Damaged ICs, capacitors, and wires create entry points for low-frequency noise, which may manifest as too much bass in your system.
Low-quality cables could also degrade the bass quality and create room for noise interference. They often wear out, and the contacts or jacks get compromised over time, making noise entry points in the system.
Gain and Volume Set Too High
When the volume is set too high, speakers could produce too much bass. The same goes with a high-gain setting.
Gain on your speakers, instruments, amplifier, or receiver refers to the strength of the input signal. So, if you turn on the gain knob, you’ll notice that the volume increases.
When it reaches a certain point (usually between 65-75% of the total gain), you will experience distortion.
By raising the gain, you increase the strength of the input signal, and the output will increase along with it. Extremely high gain settings can put too much strain on your subwoofer, making it produce an unnecessarily high bass level that ruins the experience.
Unbalanced Equalizer Settings
We all know that too much bass is also likely to impact speakers negatively. Too much bass causes the driver to vibrate way too much, resulting in muffled tunes and potential damage.
With an unbalanced EQ, speakers play some frequencies better than others, no matter how much they strain the speakers. Controlling the bass EQ settings cuts off specific frequencies from getting to the speakers.
You can use this feature to bring down the excess bass.
Worn-Out Speakers
Worn-out speakers often face sound quality issues. If you get too much bass, it could be that your old speakers are finally giving up.
Worn-out speakers may produce unwanted buzzing noise or low-frequency hums from worn-out internal elements.
That could mean one thing: you need a new pair to replace them as they may no longer function properly no matter how hard you try.
How To Fix Too Much Bass in Your Car Speakers
Car speakers sound best when you have set up everything correctly.
Here are some ways to fix too much bass in your car speakers:
- Check for loose screws and tighten them.
- Install soundproofing materials.
- Use the equalizer.
- Install new speakers to replace the old ones.
Now, let’s walk through these steps together and get the job done!
1. Check for Loose Screws and Tighten Them
If there’s unusually high bass from the speaker, there could be loose screws in your system. Anything that is not secure will rattle when you play music, creating excess vibrations.
Your speakers and the surrounding surfaces should all be in their best condition. Find any loose screws and contact points and ensure that they are firm.
2. Install Soundproofing Materials
Soundproofing materials help to reduce the high noise and vibrations produced by car speakers.
Many cars have speakers located on the door or near windows where they are very likely to vibrate hard and pass on the vibrations to the surfaces surrounding them.
When installed in the car, soundproofing materials such as MDF speaker boxes absorb these vibrations. They also lessen the noise impact imposed on car windows, doors, etc.
3. Use the Equalizer
Using the equalizer will help you get the settings you want. A sound system equalizer makes adjusting the treble, bass, and mid frequencies easy, depending on your preferences.
Try to adjust the equalizer on your car stereo until you get lower bass or find a setting that works. An EQ can help balance the lows in your audio track.
So, be sure to do some research beforehand to make the best decision for your car.
4. Install New Speakers To Replace the Old Ones
If there’s one thing all cars have, it’s speakers that do not last as long as the car itself. If you’re experiencing bass issues from your old speakers, it could indicate the need for a new one.
You might also consider adding a subwoofer because standard speakers crack under too much pressure. Getting a separate subwoofer from your car’s speaker allows you to control the bass frequencies separately.
Most car speakers are too small and can barely filter low-range bass sounds. They are also likely to crack when subjected to too much vibration.
Subwoofers improve the experience by lessening the burden of playing all the frequencies off of your speakers.
Conclusion
Getting too much bass from your car speakers does not mean the end of the world. If you’re looking to get the most out of your car audio system, be sure to check on the health of your speakers now and then because the real issue begins when you don’t. It might seem like a hassle, but it’s worth it for that sweet, sweet bass.
