There's no denying that basic car stereo audio is quite tedious. Yet, if your car stereo sounds distorted or muffled, there's definitely something wrong with the sound system. So, why does your car stereo sound distorted?
Sometimes the reason is simple, a blown-out speaker or faulty head unit. Making wrong adjustments to the bass, treble, and mid-range is also responsible for noisy stereo audio.
You can fix these issues by getting good-quality speakers, an amplifier, a subwoofer, high-pass filters, and an aftermarket head unit. Finally, using high-resolution audio files is also essential to get rid of distortion.
In this article, we'll get into the details of why your car stereo sound is distorted and find out some easy solutions. Let's dive right in.
Table of Contents
Distorted Car Stereo Sound - Causes and Fixes
To get the best out of your car stereo, the head unit must start with a clear signal that does through a powerful amplifier and compatible speakers to handle the power. Distortion occurs when any part of the sound system is missing, damaged, or incorrectly adjusted.
If you're wondering why does my car stereo sound distorted, here are the possible causes and effective solutions.
Cause 1: Incompatible Or Blown Speakers
Your car stereo speakers aren't suitable for producing top-level sounds at high volumes. Also, these small speakers can't reproduce the low frequencies like larger and better ones. So, if you're increasing the speaker volume up to 75% or more, the audio will come out distorted.
Similarly, a blown speaker won't be able to process the audio as it should. As a result, the stereo sound becomes unpleasant.
The Fix: Use Good-Quality Speakers
Even mid-range car speakers can produce decent sound with higher clarity. If you have the budget, get four advanced car speakers to enjoy rich tones and low frequencies.
Cause 2: No Amplifier and Subwoofer
Both amplifier and subwoofer are dedicated sound equipment that can vastly improve your stereo's sound quality. You won't be able to enjoy the high notes and low frequencies without these devices.
Also, without an amplifier and subwoofer, your speakers will strain faster due to the extra power.
The Fix: Install Aftermarket Amplifier and Subwoofer
Whether your vehicle has a factory-installed amplifier or not, you should always install a better one to take the strain off of your car speakers. Besides, an amp will prevent distortion at higher volumes.
On the other hand, the subwoofer is a must-have if you want to enjoy the bass and safeguard your speakers. Without a sub, your speakers will overheat and stop working eventually.
Cause 3: Boosting Bass
Too often, we tend to turn up the bass to compensate for the road noises. However, boosting the bass can cause sound distortion and harm the speakers.
When you turn the bass up, the speakers move more and produce unpleasant noise.
Typically, the factory amp and speakers of your vehicle aren't designed to reproduce low frequencies at higher bass. As a result, increasing the bass strains your sound system and causes distortion.
The Fix: Turn Up Your Subwoofer Instead
Keeping your bass at zero and turning up the sub will provide better audio quality without causing any distortion. So, keep the bass low and boost the sub instead for the best experience.
Cause 4: Wrong Audio Adjustments
On your head unit, you can adjust the equalizer settings, treble, bass, and volume as you wish. If you have no idea how to correctly adjust these settings, you might end up with distorted sound.
The Fix: Change the Settings As Needed
First, try not to increase the stereo volume by more than 75%. This way, you won't hear the annoying noises and the speakers will function optimally. Also, set the bass and treble to medium or low and turn up the amp and sub instead. It will help you enjoy both low and high frequencies without any distortion.
Cause 5: Low-Quality Music Source
Everyone wants to appreciate the rich and deep tone of their favorite bass singers.
However, playing low-quality music with boosted bass can create unacceptable noises. Also, playing music from your phone can be the reason why your car stereo sounds muffled.
The Fix: Use High-Resolution Audio
Instead of boosted bass music files, use larger, less compressed, higher-resolution files to eliminate distortion. As the music played from your phone also creates unwanted noises, try playing original CDs for better sound quality.
Cause 6: Faulty Wires and Cords
If any wires or cords along the sound path are frayed or stripped, your speaker will create a buzz that interrupts the original audio.
So, if you're thinking why does my car stereo sound muffled, this is the answer.
The Fix: Check and Replace the Cables
Thoroughly examine all the cables connected to your car stereo and speaker. If the wire is frayed or the outer coat is stripped, replace and connect them with new ones to get clear audio.
Final Words
So, now you know all the possible reasons why car stereo sounds distorted. As you also know the easy fixes, getting the best out of your car stereo. Apart from the mentioned solutions, you can also use high-pass filters and equalizers to eliminate distortion for good.
However, if the problem persists, don't hesitate to take help from an expert.
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