how do you know if a speaker is blown? what does it sound like, how will it perform. how do you tell the difference between a bad rattle and a blown speaker just by how it sounds.

i think i might have blown my fronts due to a crappy amp. i have a much better one now but i think the damage is done. [img]graemlins/freak.gif[/img]

 

"wooshy", scratchy, distorted.... like nothing at all [img]tongue.gif[/img]

just make sure its properly connected, and that the magnet isnt contacting any metal (part of the cars frame/body) .... before ruling that it is blown, take it out and make sure everything is securely wired. Examine the cone and surround for damage. Smell it!

Measure it's impedance... should read 'close' to what it's rated. A 4 ohm speaker won't read 4 ohms... might be 3.xx or 4.xx ... it's normal. But if it reads down around 3 ohms and under, there's a problem.

 

If it is blown, it's more than likely due to incorrectly set gain settings, not a crappy amp. As said, just take a multimeter to the terminals and measure impedence.

 

no, this was a really old $20 pyramid amp i got from london drugs a long time ago, then i hooked it up at 2 ohms.

but anyway the speakers are now hooked up to a much better amp and at normal volume they sound awsome but when you start increasing the volume they distort. i was just wondering if a blown speaker sounds distorted at any volume

 

Generally, but not always. Depends on the damage to the driver. Could be suspension damage - once the driver is pushed slightly linearity goes in the ****ter and the VC bridges the magnetic gap. Did you check the impedence?

 

no but i think i will today, because i should be able to do that without even taking anything apart...i will just do it at the amp (when disconnected of course)

so is it possible for the speaker to be blown and still be 4 ohms?

 

It is possible for a part of the speaker to be damaged. Howeever, 'blown' usually referes to a dead speaker. On that will not play at all. THis is usually due to a fried voice coil.

if the speaker is damaged, you will be able to see it. Sometimes you can see a tear in the spider.

As stated before, if the speaker just doesn't sound good - chances are you are asking to much from the speaker or the rest of the system. You may need to lower the gain, turn off all loudness controls, bass boost, etc. - or for that matter, just plain turn it down!