Did you know that certain factors cause noise interference and lead to a bad audio experience?
To avoid them, we use speaker baffles, but are they actually good for car speakers? Let’s find out.
As a general rule, speaker baffles are mounted in cars to cancel noise interference and improve sound dynamics. They also offer protection to your door speaker from dripping water inside the car door and add extra cushion between the speaker and the metal door panels.
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Tip: The baffles I use are from Boom Mat and have fantastic quality. One thing I like the most is their high density and sizes perfectly matching the speakers. However, you have to remember to cut a small 1″ hole at the baffles’ bottom side for the wires.
Also, the sound will be flat without the hole because the small sealed connection would make the cone hard to move.
In the article below, I will dig deeper into how the speaker baffles work, their role in car sound systems, and their installation process.
How Do Speaker Baffles Work?
The speaker baffles are not much more than a foam case surrounding the back of your speaker. Speaker baffles are mainly used in large open areas, like in the car door speakers.
The Speaker baffles form a thin shock-absorbing layer between the speakers and the mounting surfaces. Such cushion helps reduce the transferred vibrations from the speaker cone to the car chassis, thus enhancing the sound quality.
As we all know that to produce sound, the speaker cone has to vibrate. At higher or mid-level frequencies, the mechanical vibrations of speaker cones pass to the mounting surface, and in the case of car door speakers, it is the door panel that receives the most vibrations.
The vibrations of the mounting surface interfere with the cone vibration, hence producing noise interference and collision-degrading sound quality.
If you have different speakers installed and all of them vibrating at different frequencies at the same time, that leads to an increased number of the transferred vibrations and, in effect, more noise.
To understand this aspect deeper, let’s look at what is the meaning of interference.
Interference of Sound Waves
Interference of sound waves occurs when two or more sound waves interact with each other, and as a result, the new soundwave is formed.
If the original waves have the same characteristics like amplitude or frequency, then the resulting waveform is twice the size and louder. It is called constructive interference.
If the two waves are out of phase, the result will be canceling both waves without any sounds produced. It is called destructive interference, and it happens when you don’t use speaker baffles.
The speaker driver vibrates at a particular frequency, so vibrating the air particles and creating sinusoidal waveforms.
As the sound waves pulse, their timing may differ, and the exact opposite of the desired sound waveform may reach our ears. In this case, both waveforms cancel out each other, and you hear no sound at all, or what you hear is distorted.
The foam baffles either minimize or eliminate the vibration from the speaker to the mounting surface by forming a tight seal of soft foam in between both surfaces.
What Are Speaker Baffles Good For?
A good foam baffle will cost you less than 20$ but helps protect speakers from external factors.
There are various advantages of installing speaker baffles, and the key ones I listed below:
- Speaker baffles help in keeping dirt away from the speakers, increasing the lifespan of speakers.
- Speaker baffles help to reduce noise by forming a layer between panel and speaker.
- Speaker baffles also prevent the sound cancellation from the waves in front and at the back of the speakers so that you can enjoy clear sound.
- The foam material from the speaker baffles prevents the road noise from interfering with the speaker cone, thus improving sound quality.
- Speaker baffles are waterproof and protect the back of the speakers from leaking water and moisture inside the door panels.
Should You Use Speaker Baffles in the Car?
Every car owner is cautious about making any changes in the car audio system. The same doubt came to my mind before I was looking to install speaker baffles in my car.
Not all speakers need plastic baffles for their enclosure. For example, if you use low-powered speakers that do not produce high resonance signals, there is no need to use speaker baffles.
However, if multiple drivers create different levels of frequencies, then you should install speaker baffles behind them.
The primary purpose of installing speaker baffles in car audio systems is to get good quality audio output.
Some people may argue that my car sound system is good and there is no need to remove speakers and install baffles.
Well, that may be the correct assumption, but what will happen if water gets into the speakers while you are washing your car or driving in the rain?
When you wash your car next time, check out how much water slips through the drain holes at the bottom of your car’s door, and this is when speaker baffles act like umbrellas protecting speakers magnets and internal wiring from water.
Also, some roads are full of dust, and car speakers are not specially designed to withstand these harsh external conditions. Therefore, if you want your speakers to last longer and remain protected from dirt and water, it is worth installing the baffles behind them.
Where Do Speaker Baffles Go?
The foam baffles are installed between the mounting surface and the speaker to eliminate the vibrations coming out of the speakers.
While selecting the speaker baffle for your speakers, you should always focus on their quality.
Here are the few things you should be looking at when it comes to choosing the right speaker baffles:
- Speaker baffles should tightly fit the speaker’s mounting surface. Otherwise, they will not be able to hold the speaker correctly, and there will be a gap between both surfaces that allows entering the water and dust.
- Speaker baffles should be soft and flexible, allowing them to adjust to the speaker’s shape.
- Speaker baffles should be made of a waterproof material like foam or rubber.
Do Car Speaker Baffles Improve the Sound?
You can install a great amp, expensive speakers but still experience low-quality audio output due to the noise created by speakers in their locations. To avoid this unwanted interference, I recommend using speaker baffles.
Car speaker baffles improve sound quality by absorbing the noise created by the frequency difference between speaker sides and eliminating vibrations in the door panels.
Let me show you an example:
As you throw a stone in still water, you will see the formed waves on the surface, which will start fading after some time. Likewise, the speaker baffles produce the same fading effect in the case of speakers.
Two main areas produce noise.
- When the vibrations are passed from the speaker to the mounting surface
- When the different speakers are installed into one open area like the car door, all drivers vibrate at different frequencies, and their waveforms collide, producing destructive interference or noise.
Car speaker baffles are made from materials that reduce these noises, thus improving sound quality.
Do Car Speaker Baffles Reduce Bass?
Installing speaker baffles is not meant to increase or reduce the bass but to improve overall sound quality. Imagine what will happen when the sound waves spread into the car door instead of the cabin interior.
If you don’t install a foam layer between the speaker and door, the vibrations get passed to the doors, damaging sound quality.
So, to get it clear, you need to install this foam cushion between the speaker and the metal door. Then, the music will become dynamic, and you will hear it more dynamic without distortion.
How to Install Car Speaker Baffles?
The installation of car speaker baffles is straightforward, and I clarify the process below.
In some cases, these steps may differ depending upon the model of your car.
To install a car speaker baffle, you have to first remove the car speaker from the mounting surface, make a hole in the baffle to pass speaker wires, and then place the speaker into the baffle. Now reinstall the speaker back to its place.
Here is the step-by-step process of installing speaker baffles into your car. You do need any special tools, just the basic ones to remove the door panel and the screwdriver to unmount the speakers.
If you do not have them in your garage, I added links to tools I use so you can order them directly from Amazon:
Blade Knife
Blade knife or cutter will help you to make holes into the foam baffle. These holes are required to pass speaker wires through them and for mounting screws. The knife is also helpful to cut other damping materials you may use.
Mounting Hardware
Also, you will need mounting hardware like screwdrivers, pliers, etc., to remove the speaker and fit the speaker back into its place after installing the speaker baffle onto it. However, I recommend that you use original mounting accessories.
With all tools available, now is the time to install the speaker baffles into your car.
- To avoid any electrical accident, first disconnect the negative terminal from the car battery.
- Use a trim removal tool to carefully remove the interior door panel because if you push too hard, it will break the plastic clips that hold the door.
- Remove the factory speakers by unscrewing them and disconnecting power cables.
- Place the speaker into the speaker baffle and see where you can make a hole for speaker wires. The hole for the cables should be at the bottom part of the baffle.
- After this, pass the speaker wire from the hole, place the speaker into the baffle, and re-connect the speaker wires. Make sure the connections are correct and do not reverse the polarity. Otherwise, you have to make the connections again.
- Now place the speaker into its original place and make sure your baffle tightly grips the driver.
- Finally, the last step is to tighten the screws and fix the speaker to the mounting surface. Double-check the screws because any loose screw can cause damage to the speaker.
Congratulations. You have installed speaker baffles into your car, and your speakers are protected from moisture, dirt, etc.
Conclusion
Speaker baffles are usually made from foam materials that act as shock absorbers, which reduces damage done to car audio by speaker drivers, and they are essential when it comes to quality sound output.
The car speaker baffles are just like any other speaker components that must be correctly placed in the car’s cabin.
A loose fit speaker baffle allows water to pass through it and ultimately leads to damaging delicate components of speakers.