Front Door Speakers Muffled

[Dan1028]

Anyone have this issue? Audio sounded strange this evening, if not the past few days.

I don't listen to music loudly but for whatever reason the front door speakers (all) are muffled (as if playing through a pillow) if I reposition to the front corners. I seriously doubt all of them are blown, especially since I don't turn the volume up high. Bass punch is also gone. Bad connection? Amp give up the ghost?

 

[MerlintheMad]

You have 40-year-old ears. Are you sure that your hearing isn't going potty? Have you been nice to your ears? (I wasn't always and my hearing is compromised quite a lot.) Then again, you might be onto something. I'll be interested in reading what knowledgeable people suggest as diagnosing issues with the amplifier: it won't be the speakers per se, but a bad connection could mess the system up with static.

 

[RedCal]

I always check the easy things first - verify the audio settings are correct, and someone hasn't adjusted them (this of course assumes that other people have driven the car)
There is a lot of DSP happening, so I would start with a power cycle it might correct it, if not reset the head unit and see if it improves

 

[G70LEbyAdoom]

What source are you listening to? the radio? or is it from your phone? if its from your phone, its possible that the connection goofed up. I don't mind helping you diagnose if that's the case. @byebyeSTI is also an audio expert (He has won multiple audio system competitions) and he might have some helpful advice too if you want it.

 

[Dan1028]

I always check the easy things first - verify the audio settings are correct, and someone hasn't adjusted them (this of course assumes that other people have driven the car)
There is a lot of DSP happening, so I would start with a power cycle it might correct it, if not reset the head unit and see if it improves

Yeah, I checked the settings last night and also power cycled the system. No change. Dash speaker and rears all seem to be fine. Doors and subs seem to be the main issue.

What source are you listening to? the radio? or is it from your phone? if its from your phone, its possible that the connection goofed up. I don't mind helping you diagnose if that's the case. @byebyeSTI is also an audio expert (He has won multiple audio system competitions) and he might have some helpful advice too if you want it.

I tried different sources, radio and media. Both exhibited the same issue.

 

[G70LEbyAdoom]

Yeah, I checked the settings last night and also power cycled the system. No change. Dash speaker and rears all seem to be fine. Doors and subs seem to be the main issue.

I tried different sources, radio and media. Both exhibited the same issue.

it may be time to take the door panel off and make sure some sound dampening material didn't get in-between the speaker and the outer door panel.

 

[RedCal]

Factory reset the head unit, and maybe pull power from the amp

 

[Chark]

Occasionally, my speaker soundstage position will adjust without any input from me to back center. I then need to go into the sound setup menus and re-center it. It's annoying. I believe it has to do with connecting my phone to the system, either corded or via bluetooth.

 

[G70LEbyAdoom]

Occasionally, my speaker soundstage position will adjust without any input from me to back center. I then need to go into the sound setup menus and re-center it. It's annoying. I believe it has to do with connecting my phone to the system, either corded or via bluetooth.

if its going to the rear, try updating your headunits software, I think they fixed that.

 

[stoopid]

I was also thinking the sound position settings were pulled to the back.

The subs are tough to diagnose because of their location, but are you sure they're also losing signal? Is zero sound coming out of the speakers in question, or just a very low level? Have you put your ears up to the lower speakers on the door to verify this?

Other thought was that the tweeters were aftermarket, and fell into the door (my first hot gluing attempt resulted in this happening and needed to pull the door off to re-glue).

Lastly could be bad connections in the trunk where the amp is, if the subs share the same wiring bundle heading to the front of the car that might explain why so many speakers are affected.

 

[Dan1028]

The smarter they make these cars, the more confused they get.

With respect to the fader, it's not that. I had the same random fade to back issue as described and had the head unit replaced a year ago under warranty and that issue went away. It's also not a previous issue (which occurred maybe twice) I had with the old head unit where absolutely no sound would come out of any speaker but, after letting the car sit turned off for hours overnight, everything would work again.

Again, I was able to reposition the sound to the front and refine it to the front left and then front right. Sound came out but extremely softly and muffled from the front left and front right doors. Subwoofers were offline. Front center channel was fine, rears were fine.

I let the car sit once more overnight two nights ago and restarted it yesterday morning to get to work. Voila, sound is normal again, door speakers are working again, subs are thumping again.

 

[D.J.]

The smarter they make these cars, the more confused they get.

With respect to the fader, it's not that. I had the same random fade to back issue as described and had the head unit replaced a year ago under warranty and that issue went away. It's also not a previous issue (which occurred maybe twice) I had with the old head unit where absolutely no sound would come out of any speaker but, after letting the car sit turned off for hours overnight, everything would work again.

Again, I was able to reposition the sound to the front and refine it to the front left and then front right. Sound came out but extremely softly and muffled from the front left and front right doors. Subwoofers were offline. Front center channel was fine, rears were fine.

I let the car sit once more overnight two nights ago and restarted it yesterday morning to get to work. Voila, sound is normal again, door speakers are working again, subs are thumping again.

Congrats on fixing it by doing nothing... easiest repair ever.

 

[Dan1028]

Congrats on fixing it by doing nothing... easiest repair ever.

I did nothing, @D.J. I did absolutely nothing and it was everything I thought it could be.

All of this after the issue with the coil packs affecting the sound system. I've never had this many quirks with any other vehicle's audio system.

 

[Cheyenne]

There are several reasons why this could be happening:

• Firstly, double-check your connections and wiring for any looseness or damage. This could be the cause of the poor sound, particularly if it affects all front door speakers. Secure the speaker wires tightly and ensure that there is no damage.

• If the wiring connections are good, it could mean that there's an issue with the amplifier.

• Another reason for muffled speakers could be dirt or debris accumulation inside the speaker cones. Remove the speaker grills and visually inspect the cones for any obstruction.

• Lastly, consider the possibility that the problem lies with the audio source. Try playing music from different sources like Bluetooth, AUX, or the radio.

For more information on diagnosing and fixing muffled speakers, I recommend checking out this helpful article. It covers various tips and tricks to help you get your audio system back in perfect working order.