speaker distortion

[bilt2run]

What would cause the speakers to sound distorted (rears only). I replaced the originals and the problem persisted. Becoming frusterated I swapped a later GM radio in....now my original speakers sound O.K. and the Boston acoustics sound like garbage. I even ran a jumper wire around to the rear of the car and swapped speakers in and out to no avail.

 

[6APPEAL]

Do the speakers fit tight up against the rear deck? Could be them rattling around. You could try some of the insulation that you put on your home door faicng on the top edge of the speaker to correct the fit. HTH
John

 

[wcn8tive]

distortion could come from a number of things, working at a stereo shop what I see the most comon thing is people dont understand that speakers over and or overpowered will sound distorted, most of the time people buy from power rating, not realizing that a clear sounding system has to do with each component that makes up that system from the headunit to the speakers to the amp if used... fact: a stock stereo is not going to be able to provide the minimal required power for aftermarket speakers, thus creating a distorted sound when trying to play at higher volumes. if keeping a factory look but better sound is what you want, look into buying a small amp to run in conjunction with the aftermarket speakers, they can be wired to a stock head unit. Note: for just appearance purposes, it is very easy to custom fab a stereo slot in a hidden place for an aftermarket head uit.... check out these websites to bone up on some personal knowledge about stereos and equipment so no one will be able to take advantage of you if you do decide to go with aftermarket system components.... www.carstereo.com, www.the12volt.com . if you are looking for any other info, let me know..Mike

 

[John Larkin]

I upgraded my wife's car to 6 speakers + sub. It was easy but took alot of research. The factory stuff was ok but it would get buzzy and distorted so I switched it all out. The short version was this:

Installed 4 channel amp under pass seat.
Ran 2 rear channels left + right in normal parallel.
Ran 4 fronts (dash & door left + dash & door right) in series to keep the ohms from being too low.
Used aftermarket head unit but if factory was desired, I could have used line out converters.
Used 2 channel amp I already had for sub in hatch to power 8" sub.

Ebay can be your friend for an amp and a sub. I picked up a Kenwood KAC-943 for $80 shipped. Got the JL Audio 8" sub for about the same with shipping; they are heavy. I also used new JBL GTO speakers (4", 6" & 6x9" from http://www.etronics.com ). For wiring, http://www.knukonceptz.com is the absolute best & cheapest place to buy their Klarity RCA cords, fuses, wiring, etc. Knukonceptz has an ebay store also; their website was not working a little while ago. Both places have quick shipping and do what they say.

I ended up with about $425 in the whole system including the sub. Made my own box from scraps I had lying around so that kept the cost down. Bought gray felt at local fabric store.

You can do it right for cheap if you shop! Time is the biggest investment.

 

[SilverSleeper]

Thats a hard problem to diagnose without being there to look at how things are setup. Sometimes, people get their + and - crossed when hooking up speakers, since factory wires arent clearly marked. When one speaker is hooked up correct, and the other is reversed, they are gonna be out of phase and sound distorted. So, first thing I would try is reversing polarity (+/-) on one of your speakers to see if that helps.
Im not sure why you are having this problem. If you are running a jumper wire, again make sure polarity is correct. Eliminate the possibility of one of the wires shorting out. I would also check your connections to the speakers themselves. A bad or loose connection will make the speakers sound distorted as well.
Its a combination of trial and error, swapping parts out at this point without being able to look at whats going on. Dont swap more than one thing at a time, or you wont know what worked and solved the problem.
Best thing I can suggest, if you have access to a 12v source (car battery, 12vdc power supply, etc) is to bench test the components outside of the car. it will be much faster to identify what is going on. Just make sure you arent cranking up the bass on either HU expecting earth shattering bass from 4x10s, cuz it wont happen.
Hope that helps a little. Ill help more if I can.

 

[bilt2run]

Blown

the speakers were blown....Sound advice replaced them and so far no worries. I think the factory head unit went Fubar. I replaced it with a GM CD player from an 05 vette and the jumper harness. So far its perfect.