Has My Subwoofer Blown? Signs & How to Fix It?

First of all, play any music or sound at the lowest volume and see whether the sound is coming or not.

If the clear and undistorted sound is coming it means your subwoofer is good in health. There may be another technical or electrical issue. Your subwoofer is not blown.

But if you are listening to undistorted, trembling, or unclear sound at the lowest volume, it means your subwoofer has blown partly.

The third and most extreme stage is the “No Sounding Stage” also called the silent stage. If your subwoofer is not producing any sound at any volume, now it means your subwoofer has blown completely.

But don’t worry we not only give you complete information about this mishap but also tell you some possible methods to fix it.

As we know speakers, subwoofers or other audio devices are electronic things. It is common for them to be blown out.

SOME INDICATIONS OF A BLOWN SUBWOOFER

I will tell you some signs which you have to check in your subwoofer. If any of them has been found, then sorry to say, your subwoofer has blown and you need to fix it.

1. Check Your Cable

As I already stated that it’s an electrical device there may be hundreds of reasons behind one problem.

First of all, you have to check the cable via which your subwoofer is getting signals.

You can check all the connecting cables also to ensure that the distorted sound is due to a cable problem or subwoofer fusing.

2. Check Your Subwoofer’s Cone

Carefully remove the outer cover of your subwoofer and then try to move the cone.

Pro Tip:- If you are not a mechanical man, do it very carefully because it may damage the cone or internal wiring.

When you try to move the cone you will see one of the following results. The cone is not moving.

I’m listening to an undistorted sound.

The cone has bloomed.

The cone material has been damaged, scratched, or melted. These indications show that your subwoofer has blown.

3. Burning Smell

If you were listening to music and suddenly your subwoofer stopped working or producing loud or undistorted sound, or you are feeling some kind of burning smell from your subwoofer, it means it has blown out.

The burning smell may be due to inappropriate handling of high-voltage power.

4. Feel the Vibration

As we know the subwoofers are termed bass kings. When a subwoofer emits a sound it also vibrates.

Now you have to do that, play the music and the highest possible bass and volume intensity and try to feel the Vibration of the subwoofer by keeping your hand on it.

If it is not vibrating, it means it has blown.

REASONS OF BLOWN

There may be many reasons for fusing but these are the common ones.

1. Mechanical or Electrical Damage

Some subwoofers are too heavy to lift. There are obvious chances that the subwoofer can slip from the hands and fall on the ground while shifting.

In the case of a car subwoofer, it may be done while in a car accident. Due to these reasons, the subwoofer can get severe mechanical damage.

Sometimes the mechanical damages are so severe that they could malfunction the complete internal wiring system of your subwoofer.

First of all, check these things and then move on.

2. Over Electrical Power

In my experience, this is one of the most common reasons.

First, you need to understand the term RMS power. It stands for Root Mean Square power and it is defined as the continuous power a subwoofer can handle.

Note:- While buying a subwoofer you should give importance to the RMS value of that subwoofer.

The lower the RMS value, the less will the subwoofer’s continuous power-handling ability.

Example:-

Suppose you have a subwoofer whose RMS value is 200 watts. It means if you will run your subwoofer at 200 Watts or less it will work perfectly. But as this threshold is crossed your subwoofer will blow out.

3. Distorted Signals

The signal calibration is a technical matter. Sometimes, a person tries to adjust the signal’s frequency and he unintentionally meets with distorted and loud signals.

These signals suddenly make the sound louder and unclear and it eventually causes damage to the subwoofer.

Therefore you have to be careful while doing signal calibration of your subwoofer.

4. Too Much Loud Sound

Like the RMS value, there is also the maximum sound value that a subwoofer can bear. This is calculated in dB (Decibels). High the decibel value, the louder the sound you will hear. Please don’t exceed your subwoofer’s sound from its maximum decibel level.

Pro Tip:- If your subwoofer is too old or not premium, you shouldn’t play the music at its highest volume. It causes the cone to damage or may blow the subwoofer.

Always play soft and rhythmic sounds. A too Loud sound will not only damage your ears but also can kill your subwoofer.

HOW TO TEST IT?

I already discussed some possible testing methods like listening to sound, checking the cone, feeling vibration, and burning smell. But these were some kind of physical methods to check the subwoofer without any extra equipment or machine.

Now I will tell you a unique and most used method to test your subwoofer’s health with the help of equipment called “Multimeter”.

Test by using Multimeter

A multimeter is a device that is used to test the resistance of an electrical device.

How to use it?

These are the following steps to use the multimeter for measuring the resistance of your subwoofer.

FIXATION METHODS

I will tell you some common fixation methods, but these all depend upon the severity of the damage.

If your subwoofer has completely blown and none of the following methods are working then, sorry to say, you have to buy a new one. But first, try the methods.

1. Separate the Subwoofer

The foremost work you have to do is to separate your subwoofer from the rest of your audio setup like a home theater system.

If you do not do so, it may damage your other devices.

2. Claim Warranty

Most subwoofers come up with a minimum 1-year warranty. Check your warranty card and see how much warranty is left.

If your subwoofer is in warranty time, immediately contact the retailer or the manufacturer. But if the warranty has ended, then you should apply the following methods.

3. Check Manual Guide Book

Many companies give possible solutions to the most common problems in their guidebooks. Please check it and read it carefully. Hopefully, you will find a way to fix it from there.

4. Voice Coil Placement

Sometimes you removed the voice coil and then not fixed it back properly.

For fixing or placing it properly you just need to push it down with your hand or any round object. So it can be fit properly.

5. Clean it internally

Your subwoofer is not working properly because there may be huge dust in it. Unscrew your subwoofer carefully and then clean it with a soft cloth or air blower.

Note:- If you are not an expert. Don’t try this by yourself. You should approach an expert who can unscrew it and clean it completely.

You may have to remove cones, spiders, drivers, or voice coils. Stuck them after, with glue.

6. In case of Foam Surround damage

If the foam surround has been damaged. Then you should remove it and cut off the faulty part and then place it back properly.

7. The Final Method

If you have tried all the possible methods to fix it and it’s still the same. The final option is to take it to the repair shop.

Pro Tip:- Always select the shop which has the highest rating and high expertise in this field.

If the repairer is unable to repair it, now it’s time to change your subwoofer and order a new one.

HOW TO SAVE MY SUBWOOFER?

These are some tips you should apply to save your subwoofer.

1. Pay Attention to RMS Value

As I already said the RMS value is the key thing in the subwoofers. Even minor fluctuations can blow out the subwoofer.

Always keep an eye on the input and output power.

2. Correct Wiring

Here are two things. Number one is the selection of the correct wire size and the second is the wiring method.

A compatible gauge wire is very important for proper impedance. Wire of more gauge has less impedance and vice versa.

After selecting the wire of the appropriate size, now it’s time for wiring.

Use the manual guidebook or concern with an expert for wiring. The wrong wiring can fuse the electrical circuit of your subwoofer.

3. Correct Placement

The other most underrated but important factor is the subwoofer’s placement.

The subwoofer’s placement should be according to the size of the room. You should have to give importance to the perfect location and position of the subwoofer while placing it.

Sometimes the bad placement produces distorted sound.

4. Enclosure Size

The enclosure shouldn’t be too small or large. An enclosure of the perfect size should be chosen.

If the enclosure doesn’t be of proper size it will produce low or distorted sound with echo.

How much budget do I require to fix my blown subwoofer?

Normally it costs up to 100 dollars to fix your subwoofer. But it depends upon many things:-

• The severity of the damage Cost of the damage part Repairer fee
• Size of the subwoofer (normally small subwoofers cost less) Type of subwoofer (whether wired or wireless)
• Company of which subwoofer it is

How does a blown subwoofer sound?

A blown subwoofer produced a distorted sound. As you increase the volume the distortion in the sound will be increased.

This shows that your subwoofer has blown partly.

Sometimes it doesn’t even sound at its highest volume. It means your subwoofer has blown completely.

What if My Car’s Subwoofer Blown?

The car subwoofers may blow due to car accidents or some mechanical damage. The high power output or signal distortion is less observed in the case of cars.

But the reasons, solutions, and signs of the car’s subwoofer being blown will be the same as others (described above).

There is nothing special in the car’s subwoofer. Its mechanism is the same as others.

9 Volt Battery Test

You can test your car and home speaker with a 9-volt battery.

For this, you just need a 9-volt battery. Attach one end of the wires with the battery and the second with the speakers (Following the rule of Positive and Negative Ends).

After that, you will hear the “Ticking Sound” from your speakers or subwoofers. It means your subwoofers are perfect, they are not blown.

If you don’t listen to any sound then it means your subwoofer has blown.

CONCLUSION

Subwoofers have multiple malfunctions with which “The Blown” one being the most severe and common one.

Very few blown subwoofers can be repaired in this situation. Most of the subwoofers become garbage.

You should be careful while dealing with a subwoofer. From wire selection to its maintenance, every single thing requires complete knowledge and a way of handling it.

The impedance, power output, signal distortion, and placement of the subwoofer play an important role in his health.

There is an exceptional thing that I want to mention. That is the “Feeling of Fusing”.

This means one’s subwoofer is not working because of some other reasons, maybe wire cutting or electricity problem but he realizes that the subwoofer has blown، although that would not have happened in actuality.

So first of all, confirm whether it has blown or has some other issues.

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