New JBL GX328 dash speakers "crackling" (or something like that)

[wes8398]

Greetings! After plenty of reading up, I decided that I wanted to take a stab at a plug-n-play, tried & tested, upgrade for my factory Alpine system. Being 40-something, I wasn't interested in anything crazy, but wanted a little extra thump and a little more clarity and strength to the highs. After learning that the factory Alpine speakers are 2 ohm (actually 2.3 when measured), I decided to go with 2.3 ohm JBL GX328's (x3) for the dash, leaving the front doors alone (since they only get a low signal and seem to do fine), and replacing the rear doors with JBL GX962 6x9's. I also swapped the sub for it's slightly more stout Pioneer counterpart. Now, I'm very happy with how much 'brighter' and stronger my dash speakers are, and the bass is still relatively weak, but much, much tighter and more responsive. I'd almost be able to say that my expectations for this ~$300 venture were far exceeded, EXCEPT...

I've been noticing the highs coming from my front speakers - while so "bright" I've needed to adjust the treble down a bit - are "crackling" a lot... sort of like a really low-quality stream would. I've paid Tidal for hi-fi, i've pirated some hi-fi service from Spotify... still, many songs sound this way. Could this be connection issues from the adapter wires I bought from amazon? Speaker issues? Bluetooth issues?

 

[regal81455]

IMHO one of three things...

1. You've got a loose connection either at the speaker lead or at the speakers themselves.

2. They were blown b4 you got them or blew after install.

3. They're being overdriven ( ie you're turning the volume up too far for them based on the power they are receiving from the factory amp ) and you're on the verge of blowing them.


Does the crackling occur at all volumes or at a specific point in your volume control?

 

[wes8398]

IMHO one of three things...

1. You've got a loose connection either at the speaker lead or at the speakers themselves.

2. They were blown b4 you got them or blew after install.

3. They're being overdriven ( ie you're turning the volume up too far for them based on the power they are receiving from the factory amp ) and you're on the verge of blowing them.


Does the crackling occur at all volumes or at a specific point in your volume control?

Thanks for the insight. I seem to be hearing it at moderately low volumes, but it's definitely more prevalent at louder volumes. I haven't yet taken the time to contort myself around the dash to listen to each one individually, so I'm not sure if they're all doing it, or if it's just the one in front of me. I need to do that.

As mentioned, I used some perhaps questionable quality wiring adapters that I found on Amazon, but I did check the terminations, etc and they seemed ok. Really hoping they're not blown... if they were, would this be evident by any particular test? Resistance test across the terminals?

 

[Mb7640]

Thanks for the insight. I seem to be hearing it at moderately low volumes, but it's definitely more prevalent at louder volumes. I haven't yet taken the time to contort myself around the dash to listen to each one individually, so I'm not sure if they're all doing it, or if it's just the one in front of me. I need to do that.

As mentioned, I used some perhaps questionable quality wiring adapters that I found on Amazon, but I did check the terminations, etc and they seemed ok. Really hoping they're not blown... if they were, would this be evident by any particular test? Resistance test across the terminals?

You can try that and see if it has high resistance or not. Also you should google the part number from the factory speakers and try and get the specs. More then likely you bought speakers that are lower wattage then the factory speakers causing your issue or like said before then are just faulty

 

[regal81455]

You should be able to use the radio controls to atleast move all the audio to the front and one side or the other. This would allow you to listen to each side ( along with the center ) to see if it's coming from one side or the other or both.

Could also be something as simple as a pc of plastic or w/e that ended up on the cone causing it to bounce around when at enough volume. This could also sound like crackling.

I'd definitely start by isolating which one's the noise is coming from. Then I'd disconnect the one(s) and re-test.

 

[Black-Wolf]

There are a couple different ways to test the speakers - including using AlphaOBD to test the Amplifier channels and "low - mid - high" tones. You'll need to check the Ohms on the speakers though to determine if they're blown - if they are, you'll get inconsistent readings or readings that are outside of 2.1 - 2.5 ohms (2.3 Ohms +/-20%). More than likely it's a loose connector somewhere but blown is definitely possible. I don't know if you have amazon music or not, but there is speaker audio test album (from Sheffield Lab) - has hours of different tones, white/pink noise, all frequencies, music samples, etc. to help analyze and verify both positioning, speaker capabilities, and problems. You might be able to find it on other sources but IDK.

 

[regal81455]

@wes8398 were you able to figure out what was going on? just curious.

 

[turkeybird56]

CAN one of you Guru's jump over to the "No Volume" thread and help out a new member? I am not much help, I do not play with the audio systems, not knowledgeable...

 

[wes8398]

Thanks for the input/replies, and my apologies for ghosting the thread. I didn't get notified of the responses, and then life just pushed this post right out of my mind.

More then likely you bought speakers that are lower wattage then the factory speakers causing your issue or like said before then are just faulty

The speakers are not lower wattage, and they are a (rare) match in impedance.

You should be able to use the radio controls to atleast move all the audio to the front and one side or the other. This would allow you to listen to each side ( along with the center ) to see if it's coming from one side or the other or both.

Could also be something as simple as a pc of plastic or w/e that ended up on the cone causing it to bounce around when at enough volume. This could also sound like crackling.

I'd definitely start by isolating which one's the noise is coming from. Then I'd disconnect the one(s) and re-test.

There are a couple different ways to test the speakers - including using AlphaOBD to test the Amplifier channels and "low - mid - high" tones. You'll need to check the Ohms on the speakers though to determine if they're blown - if they are, you'll get inconsistent readings or readings that are outside of 2.1 - 2.5 ohms (2.3 Ohms +/-20%). More than likely it's a loose connector somewhere but blown is definitely possible. I don't know if you have amazon music or not, but there is speaker audio test album (from Sheffield Lab) - has hours of different tones, white/pink noise, all frequencies, music samples, etc. to help analyze and verify both positioning, speaker capabilities, and problems. You might be able to find it on other sources but IDK.

@wes8398 were you able to figure out what was going on? just curious.

What I'm hearing seems to come from every speaker when using the balance/fade to move things around. Thing is, it doesn't happen with every track I play. Some are more clear than others. This is leading me to believe that it's more of a source sound quality issue than a hardware issue - especially given that I'm only connecting via bluetooth. I'm leaning toward it being the new/better speakers actually exacerbating the issue of the source sound quality compared to the extremely dull OEM speakers which disguised the issue. Perhaps I'm a bit more of an "audiophile" than I thought; which makes perfect sense with my rather ocd personality traits. lol

New question for anyone who might still be following: My RA3 Uconnect is not android auto / apple carplay equipped. Does anyone know if I can play *downloaded/local* audio files in *lossless* formats if I plug my phone in via USB (center console)? I haven't had any luck *streaming* from my phone via USB, but I haven't tried playing local files yet. My worry is that the RA3 unit is limited to MP3 only, though...

 

[Black-Wolf]

Thanks for the input/replies, and my apologies for ghosting the thread. I didn't get notified of the responses, and then life just pushed this post right out of my mind.


The speakers are not lower wattage, and they are a (rare) match in impedance.





What I'm hearing seems to come from every speaker when using the balance/fade to move things around. Thing is, it doesn't happen with every track I play. Some are more clear than others. This is leading me to believe that it's more of a source sound quality issue than a hardware issue - especially given that I'm only connecting via bluetooth. I'm leaning toward it being the new/better speakers actually exacerbating the issue of the source sound quality compared to the extremely dull OEM speakers which disguised the issue. Perhaps I'm a bit more of an "audiophile" than I thought; which makes perfect sense with my rather ocd personality traits. lol

New question for anyone who might still be following: My RA3 Uconnect is not android auto / apple carplay equipped. Does anyone know if I can play *downloaded/local* audio files in *lossless* formats if I plug my phone in via USB (center console)? I haven't had any luck *streaming* from my phone via USB, but I haven't tried playing local files yet. My worry is that the RA3 unit is limited to MP3 only, though...

No worries. Not sure about all the lossless formats - however, I don't believe there is any difference in the way WAV or WMA are handled by the RA3 when comparing to MP3. Since is sounds like you have an audio source issue rather than a speaker issue, I'd say the following: Take some time, pull your center console following the guides that are available here or on Youtube. Check the connectors, verify there's NO OTHER odd wiring crossing or interfering with the wiring of your system - believe it or not, electrical signals from other sources CAN interfere with audio output.You may have already done this but if not, check around your speakers, where the wiring and magnets are. Make sure that your connectors are good and tight, and if you pulled the original factory connectors and didn't use the Metra adapters, then I'd check your crimping skills and verify you have good solid crimps. If you soldered the new speaker wires to the old harness, check that your solders are nice and you didn't accidentally cold solder or over heat the joins. Make sure they're all correctly insulated from other wiring.

Regarding how "bright" your new speakers sound: I ran into this with the JBL series speakers so I swtiched them for the Infinity Reference series - I love these speakers - They're crisp, clear, produce beautiful highs without overdriving them - not tinny, or too crystal, or too bright! But different people have different experiences. I also found that aiming the dash speakers straight up is better than trying to bounce the audio off the glass or aim it at the occupants in the front. Glass windshields, door rattle, loose mounting, wiring, wire joins, failing to use crossover's correctly - ALL affect the quality of sound, and can make things not "perfect".

If you still can't get the crackle out, consider taking it by an audio specialist (someone trusted preferabbly) and paying a small diagnostic/advice fee to have them see what they think is wrong. Beware that they'll probably try to upsell you on a new system though!

 

[wes8398]

Well, I did some more testing and came to realize that my streaming sources are the issue, not the speakers/setup. I had to find out how to get specific track information (bit rate, etc) from Spotify/Tidal/Deezer, and then I was able to confirm that information on the tracks that were making the bothersome noises. From what I could tell, every offending track was sub-standard quality. Although I've paid for "hi-fi"/premium/super-duper high quality service, I hadn't taken into account that these offerings were *UP TO* such quality and not all-inclusive. I think the new speakers just highlight the artifacts in sub-quality tracks, and my ears are apparently a little particular.

Worth noting: Despite downloading to my phone and attempting various formats and locations, I was never able to play any music via my USB connection. I *know* the cord I was using was capable of high speed data transfer, and I even messed with my phone's USB settings quite a bit, but to no avail. I assume it has something to do with the phone's file structure, and the RA3 being unable to locate the local files on it. *shrug*

 

[regal81455]

Glad to hear it was something easily fixed!