My New Car

Kangbao

United States34 Posts

May 30 2012 18:38 GMT

Hey guys! I just recently got a black 2001 Z3 in great condition for a great price. The car has super low mileage for its make year, and the car is in great conditions. Paint, interior, all of it it is great. However, I've run into a slight problem. Let me preface this slightly.

This beautiful car is a convertible, which I love to death. Unless it's raining, the top is down. Coming with this, is the fact that I play my music quite loudly. I've noticed over the past two days or so that one of the speakers, I believe the main bass provider is having issues. With the bass on, it seems to thump and be distorted. Even with the bass all the way down, at high volume, the sound is similar to with the bass high.

It would seem the best way for me to fix this would be to replace the speaker. I realise this is TL, but I was curious if anyone had any experience or advice on what I should be looking for.

What I'm looking for is something that I can play at high volume without damaging the speakers. I would think there is a volume that no speaker can take, but I'm looking for one that will take some good abuse. I'm willing to sacrifice some sound quality for the ability to play at high volumes without damaging the speakers.

What speakers fulfill this? Is price and sound quality directly related to how high the can be played safely? What is a good cutoff for volume to make sure you don't damage speakers?

Any answer to any of these questions would be extremely appreciated.

Mossen

43 Posts

May 30 2012 19:16 GMT

Is price and sound quality directly related to how high the can be played safely?

Bear with me as I'm not an expert on this. But I'll try to answer:

Sound quality and how loud a speaker can sound are two different things. The most expensive speakers are those that can reproduce sound accurately, especially over a wide range of frequencies and volume. The more accurate, the more costly. Now, if you want them to be loud, plan to spend even more money. Typically, at high volume, cheap speakers won't be able to reproduce the sound as accurately. The "loudness" of a speaker is called its "power rating".

What kind of system to you have in your car? Is it just a regular stereo? Or is there an amp in there as well? Do you have tweeters and woofers? Not sure about car stereos but in a home system, amps are built for a specific impedance of speakers. Make sure if the stereo is for 8 ohm speakers that you use 8 ohm speakers.

OK, well that being said, there is no metric by which you can judge a speaker. You can use the power rating as a rough guide for how loud they can get, but the best judge will be yourself. Do you like the way the speaker sounds? Its really hard to make a decision about speakers that you haven't heard personally.

I'm guessing you're no audiophile. If I were you I'd just visit some audio forums or go down to the audio shop and start asking questions. Maybe they'll have a listening booth. Good equipment is expensive. However, most speakers will sound "good enough", especially in a non-ideal environment like a convertible. So don't go overboard.

Congrats on the new car, BTW. Post a picture of it, if you have one!

jacosajh

2919 Posts

May 30 2012 19:47 GMT

Is it an aftermarket speaker set? (i.e. visible amps, subs, obviously non-OEM in-dash stereo)

It might just be a lose wire (either stereo-side or on the distribution block).

Or the amps powering the subs are busted or inefficient. Or the subs themselves are messed up. Or both.

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