Why Do Subwoofers Get Hot? (How To Prevent Blowing)

Wondering Why Do Subwoofers Get Hot? There are several reasons why. The first reason why they get so hot is that the heat of the bass driver is radiated up and into the cone.

Why Do Subwoofers Get Hot?

So while the woofer is getting hot, the driver cone is also getting hot. This makes for very strong bass sounds. However, this can have a drawback as well. If you don’t have a properly vented enclosure, then there is the potential that some of the sound will escape to the floor.

If you place your subwoofer too close to the wall or even too far away from the wall, you will lose the deep bass that you were looking for. The same goes for ceiling fans and floor-standing speakers if you place them too close to the ceiling.

Also, with a properly installed subwoofer enclosure, the sound will not be disturbed by anything outside of its range.

The woofer can get very hot because of the heat it radiates, making the bass sound dull.

Many people think that installing a subwoofer cabinet will enhance the sound, but it will just ruin it. It’s like putting the cabinet in the bathroom next to the tub. Subwoofers tend to produce bass sounds that are deeper than other styles of speaker because of the shape of the cone.

A cone shape is a contour that allows the sound waves to vibrate more easily. The more shapes there are, the more vibrations of the sound waves have to make.

This means that the bass sounds are more complex, and therefore, produce deeper bass sounds.

So, when you are listening to music with a subwoofer, don’t expect the same quality of sound from every song.

The bass effect can change depending on the song, and if your subwoofer or enclosure isn’t designed well, then you won’t be getting the quality that you expected.

The same can be said for surround sound systems. You will be paying extra money for a better enclosure, but if you put enough bass into the mix, then you will still hear the clanging sounds of the drums and bass.

You can get a lower quality subwoofer enclosure, or you can install a good subwoofer. Both will affect the sound quality, but to get the best result, you will probably need both.

Why do subwoofers get so hot? Because of all the extra work involved in properly installing subwoofers.

Is it normal for subs to get warm?

Many people ask this question when they already have good music and videos in their car. Wondering if it is normal for the subwoofer to get warm. The subwoofer is one part of a car audio system that can enrich your experience with great music and videos.

It is important that subwoofers must be placed in the correct position for the proper result. But some people are still unsure whether their subwoofers will produce good sound.

The answer is yes. It is normal for it to get warm especially if you place them in the wrong position.

It’s due to the bass that produces the sound. As we all know, the bass is the one responsible for the strong sound.

So, if your subwoofer can’t generate enough bass to produce a strong sound, it will result to poor sound quality. This will make your car sound dull.

You might find many reasons why your subwoofer will warm up. Some vehicle models come with factory-installed bass port. On the contrary, there are also some vehicles without port. So, it will be dependent on the type of subwoofer you have.

If you have one with a port, it will be expected that it will produce strong bass and because of that, your vehicle sound will become warm.

When You Install New Speakers

Another reason for getting it warm is when you install new speakers. New technology will also affect it. 

For example, a flat-panel monitor will produce sound in your vehicle. The same goes for LCD monitors.

Your subwoofer also has an effect on sound quality. The less wattage you put in, the lesser the wattage it produces.

Less wattage will reduce the efficiency of the amplifier. At the same time, the wattage that you put in affects the quality of the sound.

When you add more wattage, you will get more bass but it will also generate more noise. The more noise it generates, the harder it is to hear sound clearly.

The last question that will help you understand is it normal for subwoofers to get warm. You have to think about the way the signal comes into your amplifier.

Subwoofers usually have a mid-frequency that is tuned to produce deep bass and therefore, it produces more heat.

It is important to make sure that you keep the wattage at least twenty percent higher than the RMS of your subwoofer.

Can a subwoofer catch fire?

You have just purchased a brand new high performance subwoofer and you are now anxiously watching its performance in your car every time you take it out for a drive.

The salesperson tells you that the box is specially designed to withstand great heat, so there’s no need to worry about it catching fire.

You’re skeptical and wonder how they can tell that without actually seeing it burn up in your hand. Well, not so fast! Here are the facts.

Heat damage is one of the worst nightmares that come with owning a subwoofer.

Imagine what would happen if the subwoofer caught fire and burned up in your car while you were driving – that’s not fun at all.

Although most subwoofers can be successfully repaired after a fire, it is still a serious problem and you certainly don’t want to bring it to the local repair shop and have them spend a lot of time, money, and resources to get it back in shape.

Watch this video

Why Does Subwoofers Get Hot (and Catching on Fire)

Here are some common causes of a subwoofer getting on fire and what you can do to avoid having to deal with it yourself:

1). Engine Overheating

While a subwoofer can handle loud sounds and high decibels of sound, it can easily overheat when the engine is overheating.

The problem is that the engine creates heat when the engine runs because of all the exhaust gases that get pushed into the engine. When the engine heats up, it creates vibrations that result in loud sound.

Since the subwoofer is connected to the amplifier in your car, any vibrations that are created due to the engine will also travel to the subwoofer and cause it to overheat.

Make sure you keep your subwoofers’ drawers well away from the engine so that there won’t be any vibration induced by the drawers and so that they won’t overheat.

2). Short Circuits

A subwoofer is a fairly small part of your car. It sits inside the engine and produces the sound that your passengers are hearing.

Because of the size of a subwoofer, it’s easy to think that it will never cause a fire or explosion in your car, but it can.

If a small section of the subwoofer’s wiring gets hot, it can short out and cause an explosion of sound.

3). Bad Attachments

Other than overheating, the other main cause of a subwoofer caught on fire is because it’s stuck with something.

Sometimes, people will add extra accessories to their subwoofers without realizing that it could be dangerous.

Car audio cords are often used to hook up and disconnect speakers and subwoofers, which can sometimes come off and become lodged in the engine.

This can lead to dangerous electrical currents that can get transmitted through the vehicle. Not only can a subwoofer catch fire but it can explode as well if left unattended.

Is it possible that a can a subwoofer catch fire? Although it’s not likely, it’s definitely something to think about.

Subwoofers can be dangerous and cause fires, so you have to take special precautions when using them.

Always keep your subwoofers and car audio cords away from heat sources and away from anything that could short them out. Knowing how a can a subwoofer catch fire?

A subwoofer is usually placed in the back of the car in order to save space.

The back of the car would also be a good place for subwoofers if you want your surround sound system to be loud.

However, subwoofers produce lots of sound waves, and it is normal for them to make some sort of racket.

This can be annoying at times, especially when you have an important presentation to attend or if you just want to enjoy that jazz song in your car.

If you notice that your subwoofer is making lots of noise, then there might be several things wrong with your vehicle. If your subwoofer produces a lot of low frequency noise, then it might be time to look for a replacement.

If you feel that the problem is with your subwoofer and not your car, then the first thing you should do is check out your factory speakers. If they are still in good shape, then your problem might be with the cables.

Make sure that the wires are not damaged in any way. Sometimes, if a cable is too long or it is twisted in any way, it can create a lot of sound problems.

You can stop your subwoofer from blowing by fixing the cables first.

Another common problem with subwoofers is that sometimes they come equipped with bad wiring.

Bad wiring makes your subwoofer act strange or even start buzzing constantly.

You can stop your subwoofer from blowing simply because you need to replace the bad wiring.

This can be easily done if you follow the instructions that come with your subwoofer. If you can’t seem to find the right instructions, then you might want to call a professional to help you.

Another common problem with subwoofers is that sometimes the music sounds great, but when you turn the volume up, the sound is distorted. Sound is always vibration and compression.

This means that when you increase the volume, the vibrations and compression increase as well. This can cause your subwoofer to sound distorted.

You can stop your subwoofer from blowing simply because you need to match the amplifier power with the wattage of the sound.

If you follow these tips on a daily basis, you should be able to solve any of the questions you might have on how to stop my subwoofer from blowing.

Conclusion

As I said before, subwoofers come in all different sizes, so there are a ton of reasons why one would experience problems with them. I know this because I’ve had problems with mine in the past, and they were all related to either too much or too little power.

Either way, you need to make sure that you fix the problem before it gets worse. Hopefully these tips will help you out!