What might cause a front right door speaker to buzz, and how do I fix it?

Question

I have a 99 Eclipse and I've put $250 Alpine Type R 6.5" in my doors. My passenger side door speaker buzzes specifically when the bass hits. I've thought of building my own mounts/boxes for the doors because the stock speaker mounts required some cutting to fit the speaker into the mount. I've also lined the area with foam padding, but it has done nothing to quiet the buzz (which sounds like plastic on plastic or plastic on metal vibration buzz).
HOWEVER, if I remove the interior door panneling, the buzzing stops. What can I do?

Answer 1

1- You may have blown the speaker. (Most common reason) You may have turned it up too loud or it is crossed over too low. Does the speaker have a separate crossover? If it does, you may have the frequency for the woofer set too low and it blew. Most speakers -when bought new, have a warranty and you can take them back to where you bought it and have them send it in for a new one, usually just for the cost of shipping.
2- Another option is that you may not have enough airspace for the speaker to operate. You may have put too much foam padding in the door- and you are not giving the speaker the airspace that it needs. Look in the owners manual for how much airspace it needs, or go to Alpine's web site.
3- Or you may have crossed the speaker wires (positive to negative) and are causing them to play out of phase.

Answer 2

So its a rattle? If its a rattle then you need to get some dynamat. Dynamat is a very sticky pad that you put under the speaker mount that way the bass that causes vibration is filtered out because the dynamat stops the vibration from going any farther then the speaker. Sounds like you need just one sheet. I work at best buy and we sell it for 20$. If that's not the problem then you made the mounts to big and the speaker surround is hitting the back of the door panel. In that case you will need to trim it down or trim some of the back of the door panel down if possible.

Answer 3

If the buzzing stops when you remove the panel, then the speaker is fine. The speaker may be making contact with panel, or the panel may just be rattling. Hard to pinpoint. Try pushing on the panel a bit and see if that causes the buzzing to stop. If not, you may need to modify the speaker mounting....

Answer 4

It sounds as though 1 of 2 things is happening. Either the speaker is not mounted flush and the surround is actually 'warped' slightly, or you are merely getting residual rattling from the door panel itself. Sounds like it may be actually hitting the door panel as it operates. Make certain you have enough clearance between the speaker and the door panel to allow for proper operation of the speaker.

Answer 5

You have a vibration that is caused by an incorrect mount. You can try using a foam rubber stick on insulation (like is used on doors) to line the interior door panel before mounting it. that may help the vibration. Lowering the bass and not playing the radio excessively loud will also help.

Answer 6

It sounds like a problem with the door trim. You mentioned using foam padding, but unless it is an acoustic material like Dynomat, you may not eliminate the vibration. I suggest you identify the exact location of the vibration (while parked) by pressing on the trim in different locations until the buzzing stops, then apply acoustic material between the trim and door in that location.

Answer 7

Your speaker cone moves in both directions. I might be wrong but it sounds like the speaker is hitting the door panel itself.

It would most likely solve your problem by recessing the speaker if at all possible. Color the inside of your panel with white chalk (or something to that effect), replace it, play some tunes and see where it's hitting.

Educated guess..

Answer 8

Buy some sound deadening material and line the inside of your door panel and door with it (where the panel meets the door). They also make a rubberized coating in a spray can that might work. I would use both of them. You should be able to find them both at an auto parts strore.

Answer 9

you might have to check that all the door clips are present and inserted in the door, there is probably one or two that were not installed so the door panel is rattling against the door. I have this problem on my door cause the panel is not fully against the door so it rattles and buzzes.

Answer 10

if you say you remove the paneling and the buzzing stops, maybe something is making contact w/ the speaker, or something is not being put back securely thus creating the buzzing.