Crackling bass

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Rachel
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Crackling bass

Post by Rachel » Tue Aug 24, 2010 2:12 pm

Hello.

I have replaced all the volvo speakers and headunit in Lucy with the ones I had in my old 480 and I was hoping that it would cure a problem I had of crackling bass when you turned it up the vloume or the bass. At first I thought one of the speakers had blown, but the problem remains with the new speakers and headunit. Could this be a dodgy earth or something?

I haven't had much of a good look yet, but I thought someone with more knowledge might know exactly what it is ;)

Adam, you might know what this is if you were aware of the problem :D

Cheers
'95 Storm Grey 323 Manual Turbo, Richmod
----------------------------------------------------------
'95 Flame Red Celeb, Nos.191, 2 litre, LPG, used to be Adams ;) SOLD
'95 Vase Green Turbo~ Vanessa~ 'Serendipity' manual, Richmod. RIP
'90 Light Blue 480 Turbo auto....RIP
'68 VW Type 3 1.6 auto Lotus White,Swedish import. SOLD
Audi 80 coupe Gold...pimp my ride! RIP
'76 Bug, Ocean Blue, lowered, Empi wheels.RIP
'72 Bay window VW Camper 1600 twinport. Sold

ned zeppelin
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Re: Crackling bass

Post by ned zeppelin » Wed Aug 25, 2010 9:36 pm

Hi Rachel,
crackling bass?
usually bass problems stem from speakers being driven too hard and the voice coil in the centre bottoms out, or could be lose wires, I always solder my speaker wires to the terminals that stops them from coming off or having a bad connection.
try that see what happens?
Gordon

Rachel
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Re: Crackling bass

Post by Rachel » Wed Aug 25, 2010 10:17 pm

Nah...speakers were fine in my old car....could more than handle the bass. The problem was there with the old speakers and headunit so is a problem with the wires I'm sure...or maybe bad earth??
'95 Storm Grey 323 Manual Turbo, Richmod
----------------------------------------------------------
'95 Flame Red Celeb, Nos.191, 2 litre, LPG, used to be Adams ;) SOLD
'95 Vase Green Turbo~ Vanessa~ 'Serendipity' manual, Richmod. RIP
'90 Light Blue 480 Turbo auto....RIP
'68 VW Type 3 1.6 auto Lotus White,Swedish import. SOLD
Audi 80 coupe Gold...pimp my ride! RIP
'76 Bug, Ocean Blue, lowered, Empi wheels.RIP
'72 Bay window VW Camper 1600 twinport. Sold

Rachel
480 Is my middle name
Posts: 1567
Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2006 2:21 pm
Location: Bucks

Re: Crackling bass

Post by Rachel » Thu Aug 26, 2010 4:20 pm

Getting fed up now.Even took it to my local audio man who said it has to be speakers or headunit. I isolated the speakers and tested one with a bit of speaker wire just touching the connector at the back of headunit....perfect. No crackle at all, so it has to be the wires. I'm now toying with the idea of bypassing the orig wiring and redoing it, but then there is the issue of getting the wires throught the door...how hard is that.?...would be a simple case of unplugging the rubber thing with all the wires in and threading them through that?

Cheers.
'95 Storm Grey 323 Manual Turbo, Richmod
----------------------------------------------------------
'95 Flame Red Celeb, Nos.191, 2 litre, LPG, used to be Adams ;) SOLD
'95 Vase Green Turbo~ Vanessa~ 'Serendipity' manual, Richmod. RIP
'90 Light Blue 480 Turbo auto....RIP
'68 VW Type 3 1.6 auto Lotus White,Swedish import. SOLD
Audi 80 coupe Gold...pimp my ride! RIP
'76 Bug, Ocean Blue, lowered, Empi wheels.RIP
'72 Bay window VW Camper 1600 twinport. Sold

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Dan the 480 Man
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Re: Crackling bass

Post by Dan the 480 Man » Thu Aug 26, 2010 5:53 pm

I feel your pain Rach!

From memory, you do do exactly that. It is a bit of a pig when you're down in the footwell mind you... And if I remember correctly, it's also a pain in the rear to get the plastic trim back on that's near your feet (the part where the bonnet release is!).

I found getting a pipecleaner looped round the wire and feeding that through was easy as it could just pull through. But be prepared to scrape a few fingers...and it might be worth rubbing a bit of WD40 along the wire's sheath to assist it when pulling through too. I'd go to an audio shop or similar and get some proper audio cable. It shouldn't be too expensive, and will be far better quality than the stuff on there already...

Good luck! :)
[size=75]My website: ::: [url=http://www.dcmoore.co.uk][color=black][b]dcmoore.co.uk[/b][/color][/url] :::[/size]

Rachel
480 Is my middle name
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Location: Bucks

Re: Crackling bass

Post by Rachel » Thu Aug 26, 2010 6:13 pm

Hello mate!! It's been a while ;)

Cheers for you suggestions....I just can't figure out what could be wrong wit the wiring?? Really odd tbh.....I would understand more if you could hear the crackle all the time, but it's fine up to a certain volume :?

Good tunes are so important to, as you know. I'm fully missing my sub, and because of the lpg tank it won't be easy to fit another without serious planning. Although the lpg don't work today :angry: , so half thinking about removing it if it is going to be a pain :(

Anyway, great to hear from you :hopping:
'95 Storm Grey 323 Manual Turbo, Richmod
----------------------------------------------------------
'95 Flame Red Celeb, Nos.191, 2 litre, LPG, used to be Adams ;) SOLD
'95 Vase Green Turbo~ Vanessa~ 'Serendipity' manual, Richmod. RIP
'90 Light Blue 480 Turbo auto....RIP
'68 VW Type 3 1.6 auto Lotus White,Swedish import. SOLD
Audi 80 coupe Gold...pimp my ride! RIP
'76 Bug, Ocean Blue, lowered, Empi wheels.RIP
'72 Bay window VW Camper 1600 twinport. Sold

User avatar
Dan the 480 Man
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Re: Crackling bass

Post by Dan the 480 Man » Thu Aug 26, 2010 6:54 pm

It may just be that at low volumes it's not noticeable... It could be a dodgy contact somewhere. eitherway, replacing the wiring (as much of an arse as it is) should cure the problem I would have thought. I don't think a bad earth would affect it to be honest...

I know how important tunage is in the car: I'm running standard door speakers and tweeters in my car at the moment... :sick: I do have a stereo setup in mind, but as we're finally getting ready to move into our first house, an install is a loooooong way off!

Change the wiring and let us know how you get on: i'll try to remember to pop my head back in the door to see how you get on!
[size=75]My website: ::: [url=http://www.dcmoore.co.uk][color=black][b]dcmoore.co.uk[/b][/color][/url] :::[/size]

Rachel
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Location: Bucks

Re: Crackling bass

Post by Rachel » Thu Aug 26, 2010 7:24 pm

Dan the 480 Man wrote:It may just be that at low volumes it's not noticeable... It could be a dodgy contact somewhere. eitherway, replacing the wiring (as much of an arse as it is) should cure the problem I would have thought. I don't think a bad earth would affect it to be honest...

I know how important tunage is in the car: I'm running standard door speakers and tweeters in my car at the moment... :sick: I do have a stereo setup in mind, but as we're finally getting ready to move into our first house, an install is a loooooong way off!

Change the wiring and let us know how you get on: i'll try to remember to pop my head back in the door to see how you get on!
Cheers Dan...I hope you do pop in again.....things are quite different round these parts now.

Anyway....it might turn out to be a good thing.....I will have a chance to do a proper job....should be fun ( I hope)

Good luck with the house move....all the best to you and yours :hopping:
'95 Storm Grey 323 Manual Turbo, Richmod
----------------------------------------------------------
'95 Flame Red Celeb, Nos.191, 2 litre, LPG, used to be Adams ;) SOLD
'95 Vase Green Turbo~ Vanessa~ 'Serendipity' manual, Richmod. RIP
'90 Light Blue 480 Turbo auto....RIP
'68 VW Type 3 1.6 auto Lotus White,Swedish import. SOLD
Audi 80 coupe Gold...pimp my ride! RIP
'76 Bug, Ocean Blue, lowered, Empi wheels.RIP
'72 Bay window VW Camper 1600 twinport. Sold

Rachel
480 Is my middle name
Posts: 1567
Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2006 2:21 pm
Location: Bucks

Re: Crackling bass

Post by Rachel » Fri Aug 27, 2010 3:49 pm

I found the source of the problem...silly really...I disconnected the rear rear speakers that Adam had added, and didn't insulate the wires properly . The 2 connectors on the speaker wires were touching thusly causing the crackle :lol:

But do i still redo it and get quality wire in there?? This is the question.

I definitely want to get a sub sorted....can't live without that, but the lpg tank is gonna make this trickly...doable though I think, with some imagination :D
'95 Storm Grey 323 Manual Turbo, Richmod
----------------------------------------------------------
'95 Flame Red Celeb, Nos.191, 2 litre, LPG, used to be Adams ;) SOLD
'95 Vase Green Turbo~ Vanessa~ 'Serendipity' manual, Richmod. RIP
'90 Light Blue 480 Turbo auto....RIP
'68 VW Type 3 1.6 auto Lotus White,Swedish import. SOLD
Audi 80 coupe Gold...pimp my ride! RIP
'76 Bug, Ocean Blue, lowered, Empi wheels.RIP
'72 Bay window VW Camper 1600 twinport. Sold

User avatar
Dan the 480 Man
480 Is my middle name
Posts: 2269
Joined: Thu Jan 08, 2004 7:42 pm
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Re: Crackling bass

Post by Dan the 480 Man » Sat Aug 28, 2010 2:42 pm

As if! Glad you have sourced the problem. With regards to re-wiring, it depends.... Do you want to run all the speakers off the amp, or keep them running of the headunit? If they are aftermarket speakers, i'd upgrade the wire anyway, but thats just me!

If you're not too fussed about access, this was my 480 boot....

Image

Image

Image

But I don't know how much space you have in there! And I still managed to get all my camping gear in for the Cumbria meet too....

Image

Is your tank just loose in the boot?
[size=75]My website: ::: [url=http://www.dcmoore.co.uk][color=black][b]dcmoore.co.uk[/b][/color][/url] :::[/size]

Rachel
480 Is my middle name
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Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2006 2:21 pm
Location: Bucks

Re: Crackling bass

Post by Rachel » Sat Aug 28, 2010 5:41 pm

Hi Dan.

Nah the tank is properly bolted down....wouldn't want that floating about :scared: It takes up all the room that your sub and amp takes up basically. I'm thinking of maybe doing something on top of the tank maybe?? Dunno really. Least of my worries though atm tbh....heating stuck on, lpg not working....got to get all this stuff sorted now :angry:

Your boot looked gr8 btw.....I loved the Persil....where is she now?? :D
'95 Storm Grey 323 Manual Turbo, Richmod
----------------------------------------------------------
'95 Flame Red Celeb, Nos.191, 2 litre, LPG, used to be Adams ;) SOLD
'95 Vase Green Turbo~ Vanessa~ 'Serendipity' manual, Richmod. RIP
'90 Light Blue 480 Turbo auto....RIP
'68 VW Type 3 1.6 auto Lotus White,Swedish import. SOLD
Audi 80 coupe Gold...pimp my ride! RIP
'76 Bug, Ocean Blue, lowered, Empi wheels.RIP
'72 Bay window VW Camper 1600 twinport. Sold

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kev
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Re: Crackling bass

Post by kev » Sat Sep 04, 2010 8:49 pm

If your just using the head unit I would stick with the original wires . I don't think you would hear any gains for all the effort involved . Never stopped me though ! You could chuck the spare out and put a sub there ?
[img]http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n282/aelhead/480-1.jpg[/img]

timrosser
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Re: Crackling bass

Post by timrosser » Thu Nov 11, 2010 2:24 pm

Hi Rachel, as a fellow LPG tanked 480 owner with crackling rear speakers can I ask your advice? How do you open up the back speaker pods to have a look at them? I have crackly treble on both sides in the rear, this is most likely the speakers just getting tired?

Just out of interest did you go to Warrington Autogas?

Rachel
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Re: Crackling bass

Post by Rachel » Wed Dec 08, 2010 3:11 pm

Hi.
Only just saw this....reply notifications are vague to say the least!

The rear speaker cover just pops off, but if you have the ones that sit inside the rear pockets then I'm not sure as I have never had those. I hear they are not very good, so at a guess I'd say they probably do need replacing. I had extra speakers running in the rear into a parcel shelf...these were the ones cracking. I removed these and it was as simple as the wires touching causing the crackle :lol:

No, don't think I've been to warrington autogas.....My lpg needs looking at as it didn't pass the emissions when I presented it switched to lpg for the mot, although it flew through on petrol so got to be the system. No one locally to me does lpg though so I have just turned it off at the tank for now and just use petrol. How do you find it? I found it made the car run noticably hotter.

I hope you've sorted the speakers :D
'95 Storm Grey 323 Manual Turbo, Richmod
----------------------------------------------------------
'95 Flame Red Celeb, Nos.191, 2 litre, LPG, used to be Adams ;) SOLD
'95 Vase Green Turbo~ Vanessa~ 'Serendipity' manual, Richmod. RIP
'90 Light Blue 480 Turbo auto....RIP
'68 VW Type 3 1.6 auto Lotus White,Swedish import. SOLD
Audi 80 coupe Gold...pimp my ride! RIP
'76 Bug, Ocean Blue, lowered, Empi wheels.RIP
'72 Bay window VW Camper 1600 twinport. Sold

timrosser
Advanced 480 rookie
Posts: 546
Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2010 2:22 pm

Re: Crackling bass

Post by timrosser » Wed Dec 08, 2010 5:09 pm

HI Rachel,

THANK YOU!!!!!!! I really was getting ready to strip the whole inside of 480- not easy getting around that gas tank ether I bet ;-) I recon there is a litte tweeter in there too so cant wait to pop them out and get something suitably glam in there!

Thanks again, very grateful!

Tim

Rachel
480 Is my middle name
Posts: 1567
Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2006 2:21 pm
Location: Bucks

Re: Crackling bass

Post by Rachel » Wed Dec 08, 2010 6:19 pm

No there is no tweeter in there but the same size speaker as the front....well easy to change over.

Glad I was of some help :D
'95 Storm Grey 323 Manual Turbo, Richmod
----------------------------------------------------------
'95 Flame Red Celeb, Nos.191, 2 litre, LPG, used to be Adams ;) SOLD
'95 Vase Green Turbo~ Vanessa~ 'Serendipity' manual, Richmod. RIP
'90 Light Blue 480 Turbo auto....RIP
'68 VW Type 3 1.6 auto Lotus White,Swedish import. SOLD
Audi 80 coupe Gold...pimp my ride! RIP
'76 Bug, Ocean Blue, lowered, Empi wheels.RIP
'72 Bay window VW Camper 1600 twinport. Sold

timrosser
Advanced 480 rookie
Posts: 546
Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2010 2:22 pm

Re: Crackling bass

Post by timrosser » Mon Dec 13, 2010 2:11 pm

Hi Rachel,

Yep thanks again the back covers flew off really easy with a little more violence than I was prepared to use without your pathfinding ;-)a very easy job in the end!

Tim

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