Speakers Distorted When Loud

[Guest suffolk04]

i only have a jvc 4x40w head unit, and am running 2x 130w speakers off it. when i turn the volume up, the sound becomes distorted.

at first i thought it the head unit wasn't powerful enough to power the speakers.

But i know someone how has a jvc 4x45w head unit, and is running 2x512w 6x9 speakers off it with no trouble.

 

any ideas, because this has puzzled me

[Guest davers]

wattage is irrelevant ,id guess that the 130w is peak power only....not the continous power they will accept,also the head unit will not give out 40w from each channel regardless of what it says.

 

the only way to get good sound at high volume is by buying amps and good quality speakers,otherwise you will always get distortion at high volumes.

[Guest suffolk04]

so why is it that my mate is running 2x512x speakers with great sound off a 4x45w head unit without a amp.

i was also told that speaker wire accounts for it too

[Guest davers]

speaker wire will account for very little unless using good quality kit

 

as for your mate getting a great sound off a head unit alone......not a chance,he might have a better sound than you but it wont be great.

 

very few people understand speaker ratings and most seem to assume the higher the wattage displayed on the box...the better and louder the sound will be......well thats false,because its very easy to produce a speaker that will accept a high wattage 130 for example,but most will probably accept a hell of a lot less than that at a constant high volume.

 

simple fact is your speakers are probably not upto the job of high volumes...you need better quality speakers.

[Guest suffolk04]

ok thanks for that mate. will be looking for better speakers then.

any preferances on what make to get?

also would i need speakers that have peak power of 40w or max power of 40w

[Guest davers]

you want to look for speakers with a high rms dont have to be expensive.

 

and sorry i wasnt trying to preach to you,i was finding it hard to describe your problem...without getting highly technical.

[Guest suffolk04]

thats alright, i just get a bit confused when it comes to speakers, with the rms,peak power and max power.

just had a look at the manual, it says:

 

max power output - 40watts per channel

continuous power output - 16 watts per channel

 

so as long as the continous power is around 16watts or higher, i dont matter about the max power. is that right?

[Guest davers]

nope...if you intend powering from your head unit.....at high volume and dont want it to distort,then you need constant rating to be about 50/60 watts

[Guest suffolk04]

ok i think i get it now, been checking ebay for speakers, found some 60w speakers.

 

item no 9713738741

 

surely these would be ok?

[Guest davers]

nope they are crap...i was thinking more like this

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/INFINITY-KAPPA-50-7c...1QQcmdZViewItem

 

you get what you pay for mate

[f40 cab]

im sure if your speakers are higer wat than radio they wont distort, its the other way round if your radio ids putting more than they can take distortion is sometimes caused by speakers not fitted properly, ie not secured down tight or the pannel there attached to vibrates, check condition opf speakers for any rips or marks then check how well secured they are and if there is alot of movement in the pannel. possible use dynamat sound proofing. try these first could save you buying new speakers. if this dont help go with davers idea. lol, need higher than 150w speakers.

[Guest suffolk04]

fount some 150w peak speakers with a rms of 50w

surely they should be ok to use

[Guest davers]

fount some 150w peak speakers with a rms of 50w

surely they should be ok to use

 

i would think so mate

[escortcabrioletclub]

got to say this is an intresting read

 

Speaker Output Clipping:

before your head unit's volume control reaches 1/2 volume. Most radios' speaker outputs will start to clip at about 1/2 volume. This is far earlier than the point where the preamp output signal starts to clip on most radios.

 

Speaker Outputs Most head units have outputs that are designed for driving 2 to 4 speakers. These outputs provide the audio output power to drive the speakers. The power output from a high power head unit is limited (by battery voltage) to approximately 20 watts per 4 ohm speaker. All of the manufacturers that say their head units can produce 30 or more watts of real power are... how can I say this? Hmmm... Full of it!

[Guest nhodgkiss44]

I have to totally agree with davers, i purchased 2 sets of speakers at christmas from halfords £20 a pair and they are crap.

Thanks for the ebay link davers i have now found INFINITY KAPPA 42.7i, 4-inch 150W CAR SPEAKERS and im going to replace the rear speakers with these.

Im trying to keep my cab original so im not going to buy bigger speakers and end up cutting the holes about, its also not easy getting those kick pan speaker moulds back on either !!!!!

[Guest suffolk04]

I have to totally agree with davers, i purchased 2 sets of speakers at christmas from halfords £20 a pair and they are crap.

Thanks for the ebay link davers i have now found INFINITY KAPPA 42.7i, 4-inch 150W CAR SPEAKERS and im going to replace the rear speakers with these.

Im trying to keep my cab original so im not going to buy bigger speakers and end up cutting the holes about, its also not easy getting those kick pan speaker moulds back on either !!!!!

 

 

let use know how you get on m8, these from the same seller?

[Guest nhodgkiss44]

The seller of the speakers i have brought from E-bay is rick355s, i will let you know if they are any good and any better than the Halfords £20 specials.You really do get what you pay for !!

[Guest XR3i-cabriolet-]

I had the same problem with my home system .

 

I spent nearly a grand on a quality system then when i turned it up is sounded s*^*e

 

my brother in law came to the rescue with what seemed so simple

 

Turn the bass and treble down to -

 

you see most midrange speakers cant handle deep base sounds

 

so use a dedicated sub woofer for the deeper sounds & fiddle about with you're base & treble settings

 

And remember that the quality of the sound is always better than how loud it is

 

Theres all too many idiots flying about with super loud systems that sound s^*"te

[Guest sjc]

Sensitivity is also an important factor. Sometime cheaper speakers have a low sensitivity (low/mid 80s) this means they are harder to drive...you have to turn your amp up to get the same volume as with a high sensitivity speaker. Tony's piece on clipping descirbes what happens when you drive your amp too hard.