Disaster has struck! Your subwoofer, which you loved and researched for days, months, or even years, has broken.

Your music isn’t playing the way it should. The bass sounds like muffled sighs, and it’s easy to see why you’re upset.

Will you have to replace the subwoofer, send it in for long repairs, or is there a third option?

Can you fix a subwoofer that has broken? Your subwoofer doesn’t have to be hard to fix like it used to be.

Read on to find out if your broken subwoofer can be fixed and how to do it.

Can you fix a blown subwoofer?

Yes, you can, to put it simply. Depending on what’s wrong with your broken subwoofer, the process can be quick and easy.

Complex problems can take longer and be harder to fix, so sometimes it’s best to hire a professional.

Today, we’ll look at blown subwoofers in more detail and show you how to fix the most common problems with them.

What is a subwoofer?

Before we talk about that, let’s quickly go over the basics for any newcomers in the room.

A subwoofer can be put in your car or used as part of a home sound system. It gives your music a deep bass.

Today, we’re only going to talk about those used in cars.

What type of subwoofer do I have?

Subwoofers usually come in two different types: powered or passive.

It’s important to know which one you have so that you can take care of it and fix it if it goes out.

A powered subwoofer gets its power from the radio in your car. The stereo receiver can power subwoofers and make them sound good, but it isn’t always the best choice, especially for subwoofers with a lot of power.

A passive subwoofer gets its power from an amplifier that is outside of it. To get the sound you want from a subwoofer, you would need the external amplifier.

Most of the time, passive subwoofers make sounds that are louder and have more bass.

Why did the subwoofer blow?

So, what could have blown your subwoofer? If your subwoofer is too weak or too strong, it can blow.

Each subwoofer can only handle a certain amount of power, which is usually written on the box when you buy it or in the instructions.

If the subwoofer is too big for the cone, it could damage the cone, the suspension material, and the spider. This would leave you with a broken subwoofer.

If the subwoofer gets too much power, it can damage the voice coil by separating it from the spider and the cone, and it can also hurt the coil itself.

If the subwoofer doesn’t get enough power, the speaker can get too hot, which can mess up its signals and damage the voice coil.

If you don’t want this to happen, you should give the amplifier a lot of power so that the signals are clear. Make sure your subwoofer can be powered by the external amplifier.

If the signal is messed up, it’s best not to turn up the subwoofer because that will do more harm. Your subwoofer has also blown if you hear a buzzing sound when you play music.

How to know when a subwoofer is blown

If your subwoofer isn’t making sound as it should, like we talked about before, with muffled or distorted sound, it may have blown. To fix the problem, you must first figure out where it is.

Most of the time, subwoofers blow, which hurts the voice coil or tears the speaker cone. These problems can be hard to fix, but we can figure out what’s wrong by taking the steps below.

You can use a multimeter to check the voice coil by connecting the terminals to the tool. If no resistance is found, the wire is broken and will need to be replaced.

If your coil is in good shape, check to see if the speaker cone is broken. In a subwoofer, the cone is easy to break and easy to find.

Take off the cover of your subwoofer and push along the sides to see if it moves. Don’t forget to look after this.

If the cone is stiff, this could mean that the voice coil is broken or stuck. You will need to look for small tears or holes; a flashlight can sometimes help.

Most of the time, the damage shows up in the cone or foam suspension. Putting in new foam can take a few hours, whether you use a kit or things you already have at home.

How to Fix a Blown Subwoofer

Now that we know what a subwoofer is, what can blow it, and how to tell if it has blown, let’s talk about how to fix it. If you need to fix your subwoofers, it’s best to do so in a clean, well-lit area.

Step one is to take your speakers apart. You can do this by unscrewing the speakers from where they are mounted and unplugging the wires. Once the speaker has been taken out, you can check it to see what’s wrong.

If you need replacement parts, they are easy to find and can be ordered online. We’ll now talk about how to fix some common problems that happen when subwoofers blow.

Stuck Coil

If the coil has stopped moving, gently press on the speaker cone to see if it moves. You can use a flashlight to see if the voice coil is out of place if there is no movement.

If the coil looks like it’s been lifted up, but the wires are still in place and connected, you can gently push the coil back into place.

If you push the speaker up on both sides, but don’t go too high, the coil can be reset.

If you can do this and nothing else seems to be broken, test the speaker before putting it back in. If you’re still having trouble, there may be damage that you can’t see.

Tear Repair

The cone of the speaker can sometimes get small tears. With a paper towel and some Elmer’s glue, this is easy to fix. It won’t be great, but it will be easy.

Take a single sheet of paper towel and cut it to the size of the tear. Make sure it only covers the tear. Spread enough glue on the paper towel to soak it. Make sure that the glue is not too thin.

Next, place the paper towel over the speaker and smooth it into place with a tool that won’t hurt the speaker, like a butter knife. Do the same thing for the speaker’s back.

When the glue is dry, you can spray it with matte black paint if you want to. With the glue and paper towel, this can help the fibres of a torn speaker stick back together. You shouldn’t hear a difference in the sound.

Replacing the Foam Surround

First, you’ll need to use a hobby knife to cut the foam if you need to and take off the gasket.

If you put the knife between the frame of the speaker and the gasket, you can slide it to pull the gasket off the frame. Make sure to clean the part of the gasket where the glue was once you’ve taken it off.

Next, cut the foam away from the speaker in a careful way. Scrape the frame of the speaker where the foam was to make sure there are no leftover bits. You can make sure the area is clean by using rubbing alcohol and a paper towel.

Once the area is completely dry and clean, you can put the new foam and glue on it. Put the glue on the foam’s inside lip, spread it out evenly, and then flip it over to stick it to the speaker.

Be careful when you push the foam around the cone, and give the glue up to an hour to fully dry. Next, put glue on the area around the gasket so that the foam’s edge can be stuck to it. Push the foam all the way into the glue and wait for about a minute.

The foam can then be put on the frame. Make sure the cone is in the middle by gently pressing down on each side.

You can make changes if you need to, and keep pushing the foam until it sits on the frame. Then you can wait for the glue to dry. To avoid hurting anything, it’s best to move slowly and carefully.

Once the gasket is dry, put it on. Put glue on the foam’s top edge and on the gasket that will go on top.

Press down and wait an hour for the glue to dry. You can put the speaker back in your car once the glue has dried.

Final Word

Your broken subwoofer can be fixed, as you can see. It’s important to take the time to figure out what’s wrong so you can fix it right.

Some problems can be solved quickly and easily if you just have a little bit of patience.

Remember that you should always think about whether it would be cheaper to buy a new subwoofer than to fix the old one yourself.

Most of the time, it’s better to replace an old subwoofer with a new one that will last longer and cause you less trouble in the long run.