| Author | Message | ||
     Jason Pfeiffer Experienced User Username: jpsnaggs Post Number: 47 Registered: 7-2006 |
Hey all, hope all is well with everyone. Car is running great, however one small problem. Weather has been very very dry and unusually cold here in Tucson Arizona. Well, one exceptionally cold morning, I got in the car, and the speakers were just not belting out like the usually do. They started very softly - a bit of a crack and the highs were just not there - along with usually the voice of the singer not coming in correctly along with an off echo sound. After about 10 minutes (enough for the car to heat up inside) all was fine, This has happened several times now. My mechanic (car unseen) has told me that this most likely is due to older speakers that are dry, and getting even dryer due to the desert climate. He suggested that I go and pick out some speakers, and that he would install them, or I could have the audio company install as well. What do you guys/gals suggest? Can I just have the best audio guy in Tucson put them in, or do I need to pay a huge fee for my mechanic to do it? Does it sound like a speaker issue? anyone here ever replace your speakers? | ||
| David Gore Moderator Username: david_gore Post Number: 677 Registered: 4-2003 |
Hi Jason, Audio speakers do have a finite life depending on the quality of material used for the speaker cone - this is why you see major variations in the cost of speakers with the same output specification. As you live in a very dry climate, I would expect any cone material based on organic fibre to breakdown over time giving the problem you describe. I am several years out-of-date on current speaker technology but would be looking for automotive speakers described as "water-proof" as these should not be affected by humidity in any climate - these used to be made from "Mylar" a proprietary synthetic material however this is probably old technology now. | ||
| John Kilkenny Experienced User Username: john_kilkenny Post Number: 25 Registered: 6-2005 |
Jason Because the fault corrects itself after a few minutes, it is unlikely to be due to the speakers. It would also be unusual for all speakers to exhibit the same fault. Use the balance control to check this.Before you spend money on new speakers get your audio guy to check it out. Regards, John | ||
| Bill Coburn Moderator Username: bill_coburn Post Number: 842 Registered: 4-2003 |
To answer the first of Jason's questions, I have recntly tossed the whole system out of my Spur and installed a new one with speakers. The MT3 capable CD playing high quality unit was $500 and four very nice speakers were a thousand dollars fitted. The things look great and sound great. The old blaupukt went in the bin. In the good old days when cars went to Hythe Road for an overhaul, the first casualty was the radio as it was invariably out of date. | ||
| Richard Treacy Grand Master Username: richard_treacy Post Number: 1141 Registered: 4-2003 |
All of the above has to be true. However, if the fault affects all the speakers at the same time, then it is more likely that the radio/tape/CD/power booster are almost ready to scrap. As it is worst when cold, there may well be a semiconductor (power supply?) which has become inoperative until it warms. You can buy a good Radio CD with MP3 capability for next to nothing these days, or the sky's the limit. RT. | ||
| Jason Pfeiffer Experienced User Username: jpsnaggs Post Number: 48 Registered: 7-2006 |
Thanks for the great posts here... It does not appear to be all the speakers - the tuner is relatively new Clarion w/ CD player. If a Smicounductor was not performing properly, wouldnt the speakers cut out? Mind just get echo like, and off sounding... Really odd to descrbe. |
