Static From Front Speakers When Bass Hits

So I'm wondering if anyone has either had similar issues or can help me discover why the issue occurs.

I have Rockford Fosgate's T1650's and T1650-S, powered by a 1200w 2 channel Planet Audio Amp and an

$85 Audio Control LC2i 2 Channel Line Out Converter with AccuBASS and Subwoofer Control

Audio Control LC2i with stock head unit.

The amp and converter used to be in my car and powered 2 12inch JL audio subs and never had an issue.

For the Tacoma I got everything professionally installed (though wasn't happy how the first place installed them) I went to another company to properly tune my amp and they trimmed the doors so they fit better.

Now everything was sounding MINT especially once the speakers got broken in but now sometimes when the bass hits in songs there's bad static that comes from the front speakers. It's random, doesn't always happen, and sometimes just goes away but it's definitely annoying.

I've lowered the back seat so the amp could air out, but doesn't resolve the issue. Could it possibly be an amp issue (its roughly 10yrs old) or connection issue like bad grounding?

I get I could go back to the place that installed them but would like to get a better idea first because I told fully trust the place anymore and don't wanna spend too much.

Thank you!

 

Did they set those components with a high pass filter or are they playing full range? If so, where are they crossed?

 

Shit honestly idk, the crossover is in the door panel and I haven't popped it open to look yet. Ideally how should it be?

 

Those shouldn't be playing any lower than 80 Hz. Is this 1200W amp just playing these components? Can you take a photo of the settings? What's the amp model?

 

From what I understand, the bass crossover needs to be below 100 Hz and still well above the bottom end of your mids (door speakers).

Static or feedback, especially sporadic, sounds like a grounding issue to me.

 

Yeah, could be wiring. OP said he wasn't terribly confident in the install, so no telling what's going on there. If it's not happening at the same volume in the same songs, it would point to a ground more than the tune. Or a failing amp, but it would be an unusual failure.

 

my bad guys I definitely should've waited until I was home and not at work smh I'll send pictures tomorrow and look at it.

I have noticed the ground wire is screwed next to the amp but isn't sanded down to the metal its screwed down over the paint.

It's just really weird cause the static happens randomly and will some times go away even during the same song or it'll stay the whole truck drive

 

Haven’t popped the doors off yet but idk if this gives a better idea

the amp is set to low pass filter

 

WTF, someone got carried away with the tek screws! I'd be pissed if someone did that to my truck & I paid for the install. But with that many screws, even without sanding to bare metal, it's probably grounding fine.

When I installed my ground I didn't want to simply use a self tapper. I installed a rivnut, I've never don't that before for a chassis ground. I felt like it was a good idea though & better than a tek screw.

 

Is the switch all the way to the left not high pass? Can't tell from the photo. If so, looks like it's in the right position but hard to tell what's going on from those photos. If the pot is turned all the way down you'd wanna bump that up to where 80 - 100 would be and use a shallower slope if that's available (~12 dB/oct).

Wow that ground. And that was a car audio shop? I mean yeah, there's a chance the tappers are improving conductivity, but also maybe not. It certainly doesn't look like they prepped the surface. Whoever did that shouldn't be in this line of work. Wonder if they nailed the wires together on the LC2?

 

That is not an adequate ground. You need to rework that and use a proper bolt.

Regarding the static, it’s hard to diagnose without being able to hear it. All I can suggest is that you clean the amplifier pots (unless they are sealed). It’s got some age on it and it’s not uncommon for them to get dirty. Exercising them would probably reveal if that’s causing your problem. I service thousands of amplifiers and on occasion dirty pots will exhibit this symptom. Most of the time you just lose audio until the pot is exercised or cleaned.

 

Another vote for WTF is up with that ground?

 

I would be beyond furious if someone pulled that shit on my truck.

That's why I do my own installs. Not because I'm skilled (ha, no), but because I can't get mad if I'm the one that's colossally fucking up my own shit.

 

yep, that ground is walmart-bubba-grade. it's what i expect from paying a friend in discount pizza and water from the hose(not even bottled water!). if i 'splurge' and get the nice pizza and beer for the friend-install, that's unacceptable!


agreed on the 10yr old amp pots/knobs starting to go. just exercise them, and they ought to stop acting up some.

 

When troubleshooting, always start by assuming you have a bad ground. Always. 9 times out of 10 it will save you time and aggravation. If it isn't a bad ground, recheck all your crimps, and solder where possible.

 

fyi, soldering isn't always the best option, especially in a vibration-prone vehicle environment. a proper crimp can be better than a quality solder job in a vehicle environment. crimps just have gotten a terrible name from all the incorrect methods of doing them.

this article/video is worth a watch
https://hackaday.com/2020/04/27/grace-under-pressure-shelley-green-celebrates-crimped-connections/

there's a reason that OEM's use mostly crimp connectors. a ton of it has to do with the frailty of the solder joint just before the connection. it inherently makes the wire more brittle by consolidating vibration and reduced flexibility to a singular point just before the terminal connection. i used to solder everything. i've been soldering for the past 15+ years, so it's never been an issue of available tooling or skill level for me. but i've moved more towards crimps lately after investigating the why's behind oem's not soldering many connections.

 

Hey guys! Sorry I really appreciate everyone's input! Frustrating enough the issue hasn't been happening so it's hard to diagnose at the moment. This is the more annoying thing is it happens randomly, sometimes a lot and then not at all. I'll definitely start with the grounding, it is unfortunate that this was a "professional" install.

What do ya'll mean exercise the knobs? Also sorry for the photo's its screwed behind the rear passenger seat

 

Just turn them all the way up and down a few times. With everything turned off

 

Well put. I've seen the video before and it is compelling. But....it all hinges on getting a quality crimp. I've seen too many "professional" aftermarket crimps to believe that quality crimps are the norm. Done correctly, a crimp is nearly bullet proof. I'd personally risk a soldered connection over a substandard crimp.