Sub half as loud in cold weather?

[microhaxo 10+ year member]

AHH VODOO MAGIC!!!

Then would it benefit me to get a second small battery or a large farad cap?

 

[kush-divinity 10+ year member]

Mine are quieter in the cold as well. And it is not a voltage problem at all.

It seems to me that all ported boxes not forward firing get quieter in the cold.

 

[microhaxo 10+ year member]

yea, mine is ported :\

 

[99grandprixGT 5,000+ posts]

something i noticed is when its around freezing though, my batteries will show as high as 15.2v until the truck warms up

i thinks thats becuase your motor revs higher when its cold to warm up, i have a cold air intake on my car and this howls like a mofo when its cold outside, 2min later shes back to normal ready to rock

same here my volt meter shows 15 volts!!

 

[scoob8000 10+ year member]

Does it get louder once the engine is up to operating temps (but the trunk is still cold?)

Perhaps it could be the alternator too if thats the case. Battery voltage drops overnight, alternator is working hard to recharge it at first and with the draw of the amp it's just not enough.

I believe the cold supension parts too. I've noticed my systems are usually a bit quieter in the freezing cold (but not as bad as you say).

Feel the suspension of the sub when you first go out in the morning. I bet it feels a lot stiffer than it would in the summer.

Just my .02

[EDIT]

Just did a google search and found this:

4.10 Can I use my subs in the winter? [MS]

The following applies to all speakers in extremely cold conditions, but the question most often occurs in reference to subwoofers.

The suspension of the speakers will stiffen considerably at very cold temperatures (lower than 30 degrees F). So will certain cone materials which may become more brittle.

If a very cold speaker is played very hard there is a small potential for damage because more stress is placed on the cone's neck. The likelihood of damage is minimal for well-constructed and well-designed automotive speakers, however.

Thermally, the danger is minimal because the ambient temperature and the coil temperature are so low that it is highly unlikely that a coil will overheat and burn, despite limited movement and ventilation.

At temperatures between +20 degrees F and 0 degrees F, it is a good idea to play the system at a moderate level until the car's heater has warmed the vehicle interior. As the speakers warm up, they will play louder and lower signifying that their suspensions are warming up and returning to nominal compliance.

If the temperature is extremely cold (less than 0 degrees F), you should avoid playing the system at all until the vehicle interior is warm. This is to avoid stress fractures in the surround material (especially with rubber surrounds).

Link

 

[skmfkr 5,000+ posts]

something i noticed is when its around freezing though, my batteries will show as high as 15.2v until the truck warms up

i thinks thats becuase your motor revs higher when its cold to warm up, i have a cold air intake on my car and this howls like a mofo when its cold outside, 2min later shes back to normal ready to rock

thats your alternator

 

[microhaxo 10+ year member]

I notice that the bass gets SLIGHTLY louder when its been played for about 20 min vs just turned on, i might do a test by bringing my amp inside and warming it up and then quickly hooking it up and seeing what the output is like.

Even when my cab is really warm the bass is still atleast 3db lower than in the summer.

Also, the rubber on the sub is pretty stiff in the cold.

There is no way i can heat up my trunk, so the ported box and sub are open to all the cold, my trunk NEVER gets warm in the winter :| im almost sure the speaker doesn't perform as well when it is cold, i dont think it has anything to do with the battery. It doesnt just suddenly drop off, i notice differences in performance at 50 degree weather, 30 degree weather and sub zero weather. When its below zero my subwoofer doesnt actually make any bass at all for the first 1 - 2 min of playing it. And i play at less than half volume at those temperaturs but it sounds like my amp isnt even powered on for those first two min. Then it SLOWLY comes to life but again sounds extremely weak.

 

[dragnix 5,000+ posts]

Does it get louder once the engine is up to operating temps (but the trunk is still cold?)
Perhaps it could be the alternator too if thats the case. Battery voltage drops overnight, alternator is working hard to recharge it at first and with the draw of the amp it's just not enough.

I believe the cold supension parts too. I've noticed my systems are usually a bit quieter in the freezing cold (but not as bad as you say).

Feel the suspension of the sub when you first go out in the morning. I bet it feels a lot stiffer than it would in the summer.

Just my .02

[EDIT]

Just did a google search and found this:

Link

i win

 

[mlstrass 5,000+ posts]

Is your battery sealed or can you open it to check the water level? It will evaporate faster in colder weather.

Does your car seem to be cranking over slower when you start it? I'm thinking your batt is the issue. I'd look for a stronger batt up front as 500watts shouldn't be dimming at all...

 

[headless 10+ year member]

It's not just your sub...it's your entire car. You may simply have a car that when it's hot resonates totally differently (and alot more) than when it's cold. Remember, everything's going to resonate to your sub...seat upholstery, metal panels on your car, plastic door panels...all of it changes when it's very cold, and turning on the heat in your car doesn't do anything to heat up any surface that is still exterior to the 25f temperature outside. If you don't believe me, turn your heat up to full, let it run 30mins, then pull off your door panel and touch it and behind it...all still cold as ****. Ambient temperature is a big deal.

 

[scoob8000 10+ year member]

i win

I've always heard and thought the cold had some effect. I was actually surprised your the only one that commented on it. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

I'm sure the surround material has a lot to do with it. Some folks say they don't notice a change, perhaps their surround is more foam than rubber.

Rubber changes a lot with temps. Think about sticky summer tires, how hard that rubber gets when it dips below 40-50 degrees out.

OP, maybe (very carefully) try heating up the sub with a hair dryer to prove it's the sub?

 

[B_Campbell 10+ year member]

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Does_sound_travel_faster_in_cold_air_or_hot_air

might have something to do with it, the batteries, suspension and such play a factor too.

 

[microhaxo 10+ year member]

As of right now its 37degrees out, the bass is stronger than yesterday but still a far cry from summer.. I took an electric heating pad and wrapped it around my amp and heated it up. Then i played songs and i didnt notice any change. Im pretty sure its the rubber / subwoofer that is causing the low output.

Sadly there is no fix for this :|

 

[skmfkr 5,000+ posts]

you really need a meter to measure the decibels. but i have noticed mine is like 3 tenths lower sometimes. but you cant hear a difference. i just burped a few tenths lower like last thursday night, but then this weekend at the comps i went to it was normal

 

[microhaxo 10+ year member]

Well i believe its CONFIRMED that its my amp, just did a 50hz test and in summer the amp output 45 volts = 506 some watts, today using exact same setup it outputs 37 volts which is about 342 watts and this is under the ideal 0 db bass, during regular play im not getting more than 170 watts. before i would average 380 - 448 506 on one line in the song Put on by jeezy.

So my amp is only efficient for a sub that does 300watts and under. I need a new amp my friends.

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