If a subwoofer unexpectedly stopped working, then there is a high chance that it has blown. It is very common for subwoofers to blow. The reasons behind it can be high power or excessive sound feeding subwoofer because of which voice coil will get separated from the speaker cone and making your subwoofer faulty. But you must be wondering how to Tell if a Subwoofer Is Blown by looking at it.
I would suggest that do not jump to any conclusions before diagnosing it first to check if it is actually blown. In this article, I’m going to give you some helpful methods to see if the subwoofer has damage.
How to check if your subwoofer is blown?
-
Doing a swift physical inspection
Physical inspection is the easiest method to find out about the speaker if there are some damage signs in it. Firstly, gently press any side of your speaker cone to do a physical inspection. What are you feeling or seeing on pressing? When the cone of the speaker looks locked in or rigid a place which means not moving then it is a sign that the subwoofer is blown.
When a cone moves after pressing, then it means that the sub is not blown. You need to look closely and listen if any noises are there or some loose movements. It might mean that there is a damaged suspension in the sub.
-
Play any audio on sub at a low volume
The second method to determine if the subwoofer is blown is when you play any audio on sub at a low volume. It is a good method to listen to any general static, pops, or cracks when the subwoofer plays the audio. Just play any audio at a low volume and then increase its volume slowly along with the bass and see if you hear any disruptions in the quality of audio.
If you heat some distorted sound, then this means that the subwoofer is partly blown. In case, there is no sound when you increase the bass or volume; then it implies the sub is blown fully.
In case, the subwoofer receives the signal of audio through a cable, and you have some other cables too around this one, then you should check that cable first and then reach any conclusion. I suggest that place the subwoofer cable at an angle of 90 degrees with respect to the other cables.
-
Use the voltmeter to diagnose
Another method for diagnosis the sub is using the digital voltmeter. Hook the leads of the device to the negative and positive terminals of the sub and then look at the reading. Every subwoofer has an ohm reading of its own. Like, the CompR of 12-inches gives a reading of 20 ohms. So, see what the resistance value of this sub is?
When a digital voltmeter shows a value less than the predicted value, then it means that the speaker is damaged. If the reading in ohms is fluctuating, then it implies that your sub might be dead.
Why did your subwoofer blow in the first place?
As I said earlier in this article that the most probable cause for subwoofers blowing can involve a high signal or a high power. Let’s have a quick look at them here.
-
A high signal
The subwoofer may blow if you feed a high signal to the sub. Now you may be wondering that what can lead to a high signal or how can I evade it?
Trimming leads to a high signal that goes into the subwoofer, and this clipping happens when the signals of audio hit the voltage supply amp’s power. As a result, the clipped signal damages your subwoofer and this your nightmare; the subwoofer is blown.
You can be sure that sub has blown there is suddenly loud and odd sounds. It means that it will not play any low notes or bass notes when you play a favorite track. Amps with low quality can be more vulnerable to the snipping when you put on a bass boost to it. To save the sub from the clipping, get some amp of high-quality having protection built-in to any clipping shots.
-
High power
When you overpower a subwoofer, then a subwoofer is blown definitely. It means when you send a high power over to the sub, sub operates in the conditions which are not how it was actually designed for in the first place.
Excessive power means that speaker magnets put a build-up high-pressure which in turn causes too much stress on your spider, woofer, and your sub itself. But you can also avoid it by matching power rating in RMS and the amp rating of your pairing. You can get the amp having the matching rating of power which your sub has or a little higher power than the rating of the woofer. But remember that underpowering can also damage your sub easily.
How to tackle a blown sub?
If you are sure that the subwoofer is blown, remove it from the car or home audio system first. If it stays hooked, then it also damage your other audio equipment. If the sub is new, then you can cover it through the warranty. In case you get lucky then you can get some replacement or the repair from its manufacturer. If the subwoofer was old, then it is time to buy the latest model.
Conclusion
When your subwoofer has suddenly stopped working then your first thought is always how to tell if a subwoofer is blown, but it is not as difficult as you think it might be to diagnose a sub. You can simply try the methods I’ve given in this article to diagnose and then take the next step according to your options.
Leave a Reply