winter bad for subs?

[UMWDawg92 10+ year member]

yea I've just never really noticed... I'm guessing it's probably because during the spring and summer my windows are down winter they're not... did't think of that till now

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

so where i live it gets pretty cold in the winter and i've heard the cold weather isn't very good for your subs. is this true? should i keep the volume low when it gets cold or is it ok to play it loud?

Speaker suspension parts, like many fabric or rubber materials, become more brittle as they get cold. I dont think Ive ever heard of a spider tearing due to playing the stereo too loud too quickly on a cold day, but it definitely stiffens the suspension and under certain circumstances can make an audible affect on output until the suspension reaches operating temps and nominal compliance.

Wrong. Cold air is more dense and therefore it is more difficult for sound to travel. Any car I have been in has been louder on warm days. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/fyi.gif.9f1f679348da7204ce960cfc74bca8e0.gif
On the other hand, the constant cold will keep the voice coil(s) cool, so in theory, they should be able to take more power.

Wrong, just the opposite. Basic law of physics, the more dense a material, the easier it is to transfer energy through it. This is why you could reach higher levels of compression with sound waves under water. Its also why sound waves can travel further under water. Ever notice your stereo seems louder at night? Aside from less background noise, the main reason is lower air temps. Many SPL competitors actually run their AC while staging in the lanes.

^^^hot air rises and the opposite for cold air. sound waves tend to "bend" in the direction of colder air. the colder the ground temperature, the more waves are bent towards your ears. if its hot, the ground heats up and the waves bend up and away from you.

What? No. Just... no.

 

[gmanguy 10+ year member]

I've always noticed a huge difference in loudness with different temperatures

same and its always way louder in warm.

 

[Wingman0121 10+ year member]

My old Crossfire CFA1000D stops working if it's colder than 25 degrees ambient temperature, it plays weird low-tone oscillating noise until it warms up then it's fine.

Cold makes rubber surround harder and sometimes even brittle, I've used a passive Sony home theater sub in a car before and the thing barely moves when it's below 40 degrees out, but eventually it played better when warmed up. I suppose high-quality surrounds and spider shouldn't be bothered with temperature.

So I have problems with winter. I'm contemplating taking my subs out for this winter.