[GM Kid]

Anyone ever experience this? I've got a rear speaker that vibrates on heavy bass or drum beats. I think it's the passenger-side rear.

As most of us know, newer recordings are technological marvels, with crystal-clear highs and really punchy bass. I can pop in, say, Boston's first album and never hear any speaker vibration, but if I put in a newer disc and give it any kind of volume (say, mid-30s), it rattles that darned rear speaker.

I need to pop the trunk and see if I can just tighten up some loose nuts or what. Has anyone had to fix this problem? Dang, I hope it's not the entire package shelf shaking!

 

[b_a_betterperson]

I'm getting that, too. Thing is, I'm getting it in the doors and sides by the rear seats. No plans to fix it. No time. Just adjusting the volume and levels around it. If I had the motivation, I'd pull everything out, upgrade the speakers, then run beads of silicone around everything to seal it up and create tighter fittings.

As for today's music. It's crap. Are people tone deaf these days? Every time I get a rental car now -- the first thing I have to do is dial down the radio because everything's cranked up to 11. It's almost as if people are unable to LISTEN to the music -- and make adjustments so it sounds good. Instead, they just max everything out of habit. Blech.

 

[arch&69]

As for today's music. It's crap. Are people tone deaf these days? Every time I get a rental car now -- the first thing I have to do is dial down the radio because everything's cranked up to 11. It's almost as if people are unable to LISTEN to the music -- and make adjustments so it sounds good. Instead, they just max everything out of habit. Blech.

Seriously. I hate the fact that the "cool" thing is to have 24 subs and amps that can give you a heart attack if you're within 100 feet of the car and its only turned halfway up. I am one of the few youngins, who actually likes to listen to the music. Now, I don't listen to that rap stuff, I'm all about the good ol rock n roll. In my 69 GTO, I only have two 6x9 pioneers in the package tray, a decent deck 38x4, and two 4" speakers in the dash. I can hear my music no prob with header mufflers, and I tell you those are pretty loud! Hell I can drive with only headers and can still hear my music if I have it up a lil above half.arty:

 

[alptbird]

your poping noise.

well really it is probably a one of a few things one is the bass is turned up to high on those special songs and the speaker just can't keep up. which is most likely to be it, and the other is the speaker is blown. factory speakers even if it is an upgraded speaker is still a cheep paper cone and foam surround (occasionally they are plastic cone rubber but not in our case) these speakers really were not made to handle that kind of volume at that frequency. but in my car stereo installation exsperience (with out hearing it in person) you should be able to turn the bass down on the deck and factory sub will still play and you should be able to turn it up more but you aren't gonna get rid of it with out going into costly upgrades. sorry for the bad news.

 

[UdnUdnGTO]

What is really sad??? The kids listening to music at absurd levels have not idea what it is doing to their hearing. First, the subwoofer will produce lots of bass, problem. Some of the lower bass sounds(around 32 hrz. are 16' wave length. that means that they do not hear how loud the sound is, but anyone 16 feet away sure does. Inside the car they get all the pressure without enjoyment of the sound. Sad but true. Thumpers are an audiologist nightmare. Huh? What did you say? Going deaf from loud fast cars. Yeh, what a way to go!!!

 

[mattmc1228]

What is really sad??? The kids listening to music at absurd levels have not idea what it is doing to their hearing. First, the subwoofer will produce lots of bass, problem. Some of the lower bass sounds(around 32 hrz. are 16' wave length. that means that they do not hear how loud the sound is, but anyone 16 feet away sure does. Inside the car they get all the pressure without enjoyment of the sound. Sad but true. Thumpers are an audiologist nightmare. Huh? What did you say? Going deaf from loud fast cars. Yeh, what a way to go!!![/QUO

Im a person who loves to listen to good music. when i bought my 06 m6 i was really dissapointed in the sound system, so i am in the process of replacing the whole thing. Thus far i have put in a new Pioneer head unit, 2 sets of Polk momo components and a 4 channel Kicker 850watt amp. i am having a custom amp box made for the trunk. Will post pics when it is all complete. But so far the sound is incredible!!

 

[GM Kid]

As for today's music. It's crap.

Ha ha. Remember when we used to say, "If it's too loud, you're too old?" I was just having this discussion with someone the other day. For the most part, I keep the volume down when I drive. Sometimes (gasp!) I even have the radio off. But I do have my moments.

What I was telling my friend the other day is that I enjoy a "good tune, powerfully expressed." In other words, if the music is intrinsically good, volume only helps it. Harmony, good vocals, great guitar--all sound good loud. So much of today's stuff, though, puts me in mind of a sound check gone awry--just a lot of disassociated thumps and sounds. There's still good music out there (I love Switchfoot's latest), but you have to look. I'm in my mid-40s and work with a couple of gals who are 25 and 30. We play our favorite tunes for each other all the time, and sometimes I really do like their stuff. Gotta keep an open mind, I guess, or they'll tease me even more about being an old fart.

Regarding the speaker issue, I really think what I'm hearing isn't the sound of a blown speaker--it's the speaker making something vibrate. My car came this way, but when I had the rear parcel shelf replaced some months back, the problem disappeared. Now it's back. Something has to be loose, so I need to poke around back there.

In the meantime, there's always classical music. I like that, too!

 

[b_a_betterperson]

Regarding the speaker issue, I really think what I'm hearing isn't the sound of a blown speaker--it's the speaker making something vibrate. My car came this way, but when I had the rear parcel shelf replaced some months back, the problem disappeared. Now it's back. Something has to be loose, so I need to poke around back there.

Put a song on the CD player and turn the volume up until the noise starts, then hop in back and put your hand on the various speaker grilles. See if that's enough to stop it. I'm thinking there's something going on with the metal speaker grilles -- or even the CHMSL.

Underneath the parcel shelf is nothing more than sheet metal. There's all kinds of wires and plastic clips and crap resting on top of it. All you need is one thing to come slightly loose and you've got a buzz.

As for today's music, I like a lot of it. Just wish it was mixed better. Case in point, went to see The Who and The Stones live. Because they spend the money on great speaker systems and hire guys who know what they're doing to mix the sound -- both shows sounded great. Loud, yeah, but still very clear -- all the way back to the luxury box we were sitting in.

Then we saw The Cure. Same seats. But with the crappy sound system they have and the awful production -- everything dissolved into one inaudible mid-range buzz. It was a joke.

My wife buys all the latest stuff. Pink, Aguilar, etc. With a well produced CD, you can turn it up as loud as your can stand it -- but the sound will not break down. The Replacements' Alex Chilton, David Lindey's Mercury Blues, etc. all pass that test. But with all this new stuff -- it just turns to crap even at mid volume -- it's all mixed to produce BOOMs and that's about it.

 

[GM Kid]

Put a song on the CD player and turn the volume up until the noise starts, then hop in back and put your hand on the various speaker grilles. See if that's enough to stop it. I'm thinking there's something going on with the metal speaker grilles -- or even the CHMSL.

Underneath the parcel shelf is nothing more than sheet metal. There's all kinds of wires and plastic clips and crap resting on top of it. All you need is one thing to come slightly loose and you've got a buzz.

Did it. It's the stupid CHMSL. Grrr. Certain bass beats make it vibrate.

I opened the trunk and looked at the various plastic fasteners poking through the sheet metal under the package shelf. I tried getting my fingertips on them to pull them downward, but there's precious little poking through. Pushing down from the top didn't seem to help, either.

My solution: I'm dialing down the bass boost on certain tunes and lowering the volume as necessary.