Expert: Cleggsan - 12/28/2008

Question
My 12" Alpine Type E is making a popping and cracking sound when the bass hits and I was wondering what could be causing this.I have it in the same box and wired to the same Alpine V Power amp as my other Type E,but only this one is making the popping sound.

Answer
I am guessing a little because without hearing the sound myself it can only be a guess.  Here is my guess; either the voice coil is coming loose or the surround of the speaker is breaking.  In any event, it is most likely the speaker itself that is coming apart from heavy overdrive - not at all uncommon.

To make sure it is the speaker, do a swap; that is, at the back of the  amp(s) just revers the speaker connections.  If the popping stays with the same speaker even though it is connected to the other amp than you know the speaker is the culprit.  If the problem is in the amp the popping sound will stay on the same channel regardless of the speaker connected to it.  Make sense to you?   

That should help you narrow down the problem.

Assuming it turns out to be a defective speaker you can get it repaired.  There are many places that can fix the voice coil, the spider, the surround, or even a torn cone.  And it is not so expensive.....  Most big cities have speaker repair shops and you can send them in to other places.  I think Alpine may have a repair service they use as well.  Just google for Alpine Speaker repair service and you will find many possibilities.

Hope this helps.
C