Bass Blockers: What They Are and Why You Need Them

If you enjoy listening to loud music in your car but don’t want the sound to get distorted — bass blockers are the way to go. With bass blockers, you won’t need to put up with the rattling or shaking of your car’s speakers anymore, and you can enjoy a more clear sound.

Bass blockers are a simple solution to a common problem. They are accessible, cheap and easy to install. So, what are bass blockers and why do you need them?

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What Are Bass Blockers?

Bass blockers are high-pass filters that prevent low frequencies from damaging your speakers. They can be very useful tools that you can use in all of your speakers that weren’t meant to reproduce bass. Furthermore, they can provide a clear signal and control the equalization of your speaker system.

Additionally, bass blockers cut out low bass frequencies from the signal going through the filter. Low-frequency sounds can sometimes be the culprit for rattling noises in your car. Moreover, bass blockers are a cheaper alternative to external equalization devices. They are installed between the speaker and the receiver.

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Moreover, bass blockers are specifically designed to enhance the performance and power of tweeters and midrange speakers. Most of them can handle the power of up to 50 watts. Finally, bass blockers can help protect your speakers from receiving any damage caused by low frequencies.

How Do Speakers Work?

Loudspeakers are essentially a system of mass-springs that vibrate each time the speaker receives electric current. The performance of loudspeakers depends on what frequencies are coming in.

Moreover, different speakers have different responses, and this is why you have different types of speakers in your car.

What Do Bass Blockers Do?

Installing a bass blocker helps you unify the frequency response in your car speaker. Having a unified frequency response corrects three things:

You will get a much clearer and sharper bass sound
You won’t have to worry about low frequencies blowing your car speakers
No more rattling noise coming from your car

Cars that have a small speaker in the dash and a bigger speaker in the door are both on the front channels of the radio. The problem occurs if you want to add an amplifier or change your radio.

Both your bigger and smaller speaker would be getting the exact same signal. If they are both getting the same signal, your bigger speaker will be playing a lot more mid-bass. Consequently, your smaller speaker would be overcompensating, which can cause a distorted sound or can even destroy your speakers.

Since you don’t want to ruin your speakers, you would only have to use the smaller one. That way, your bass wouldn’t sound distorted. However, why would you only want to use half of your car’s speaker potential? In order to get maximum use out of your speakers, you would need to get bass blockers.

By installing bass blockers, you don’t have to worry about harsh bass sounds coming from your speaker that will ruin your listening experience. Furthermore, bass blockers are a much less expensive alternative to equalization devices.

How to Install Bass Blockers

Installing bass blockers isn’t difficult. You don’t need to go to a mechanic to get this done — you can do it all by yourself. Here, you will learn how.

Components

Before you start installing your bass blockers, there are a few components you will need to prepare:

Bass blockers
The vehicle’s repair manual
A screwdriver set and a ratchet set
Wire cutters and crimpers
Male and female spade connectors
Electrical tape

Installation Process

Here’s how to install bass blockers (step by step):

Open the hood of your car and disconnect the negative battery cable.
Consult your vehicle’s repair manual on how to remove the interior components. You will need to remove the interior components in order to get access to the back of the speakers.
Find and cut the positive speaker wire connector. Use your wire cutters for this.
Strip approximately 9mm (3/8 inches) of insulation from both ends of your positive speaker wire.
Crimp the male spade connector to the positive speaker wire. The female spade connector should be crimped to the stereo-side. Use your wire crimpers for this.
Connect the female spade connector and the positive speaker wire with the bass blocker.
Likewise, connect the male spade connector to the positive stereo-side.
Wrap electrical tape around the bass blocker’s terminal connection.
Finally, reconnect the negative battery cable.

Where Can You Buy Bass Blockers?

Bass blockers have become a common product in stores and are not that hard to come by. Most larger retail stores in the US carry bass blockers.

However, if you can’t find them at your local retailer, the Internet is always a great solution. Web shops like Amazon offer a wide variety of bass blockers for purchase.

Lastly, there is an alternative to buying bass blockers. You can make your own and save yourself a purchase. You will see how in the next segment.

How to Make Your Own Bass Blockers

Making your own bass blockers might sound difficult at first. However, all you will need are a few tools and this simple guide.

Here’s what you need to do:

First, decide which frequency you want to block. Bass sounds are usually under 150Hz. The 150Hz frequency is a good common value to use.
Next, you will need to find the impedance of the speaker or speakers you want to make the bass blockers for. The impedance is usually on a sticker located at the back of the speaker. It is measured in ohms.
Calculate the capacitor value. Use the Farad unit. There are calculators online to help you with this step.
Once you’ve done that, source the correct impedance capacitors using your capacitance value.
Next, you will need to splice the capacitors to the speakers in order to connect them. Do this before the signal reaches the speaker.
Finally, connect the splices using a soldering iron and cover them with electrical tape. If you are connecting more than one capacitor — keep them in parallel. Also, remember that positive terminals go with other positive terminals and vice versa.

The Downside of Bass Blockers

All things considered, the pros far outweigh the cons. The only issue you can run into with bass blockers is if you haven’t installed them properly. As a result, you might hear some static noise coming from your speakers. Furthermore, you can get a harsh bass sound.

The worst case scenario would be blowing your speaker. Blowing a speaker might sound scary. However, even if this happens — no need to worry. You can follow five simple steps to get that pristine sound again.

The instructions you’ve seen in the article should help you install your bass blockers perfectly. Moreover, there are some instructional YouTube videos you can follow if you need some more assistance.

Bass Blockers: Yes or No?

So, you’ve seen the what, where and why. The final question is who. Who are bass blockers for? The answer is — almost everyone.

If you are someone who enjoys loud music with a lot of bass, you should get bass blockers. Equally, if you are someone who wants a cleaner and crisper sound coming from your speakers, you should get bass blockers.

Finally, whether you want to make your own bass blockers or purchase them from the store, bass blockers are a great way of getting the most out of your speakers.

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By CarRoar