<br>My car is supposed to arrive in mid-December. ...<p>What's the etiquette on "warming up" one's car stereo during cold weather? I.e. , should I play at low volume first to let the speakers and the amplification circuitry "thaw" or otherwise loosen up before cranking up the volume in the cold ?<p>responses appreciated<br>-K.<br>'99 A4 1.8T QMS<p>

<br>I'm used to electric motors being slow in the cold, but speakers? I would think that the newer synthetic materials would be fine. CD player might have fits though. Where dooo you live?<p>Todd W

Unless temperatures get rediculously low, I don't think you have to worry about anything.

...on other cars (A4 hasn't been that cold yet), when it's REALLY cold (low teens and colder). I haven't noticed it so much, since I got a garage 6 years ago, but it's still noticeable after it sits outside overnight on weekend ski trips. I leave the stereo off or low volume, until the cabin is nice and toasty. I don't know if it damages the speakers or not; sounds muffled since the cone doesn't have full travel, when cold. Maybe we need a heated speaker option. 8^)<p>CraigB<br>'98 1.8TQM

here in Atlanta GA it doesn't usually get below 10 degrees F, but I intend to go up into the mountains during ski season. <p>I think it should be possible to set the DC offset in the loudspeaker voice coil so that it "warms up" the speaker and loosens everything up. during that time the max. volume should be limited so that the sound doesn't suffer from clipping noise due to the DC offset. After 15 minutes (for example), the DC offset is removed and you're ready to play at full volume. Voilà! (?)<p><br>$0.02,<br>-K.<br>'99 1.8T QMS

The inner windings of a speakers voice coil are so slim, that "warming them up" is accomplished in the first 30 sec. of listening at even low to medium levels. As for the cone or surround material, you would be hard pressed to warm them up at all, simply due to the metal or plastic basket the speaker is constructed around is mounted in a steel door cavity, or bolted to the rear steel package tray. In cold weather, you will probably never warm them up more than a few degrees within the time it takes to cook your own internal organs with the Audi heater. As for any amplifiers, they like the cold weather, and can produce more power in the long run when cooler. Your only concern should apply to the rule of going from one temperature extreme to the other, which would be accomplished only by getting into a freezing vehicle and outright cranking the sound system. Two-three minutes at best will sufficiently warm any of your concerns. <p>Michael

Michael...we looked for you on Saturday night...I was not aware that the place was way out in that valley. Anyway, did you make it there? We saw two unidentified A4s in the parking lot there....a Black 1.8T with unknown aftermarket wheels....and a Silver one from SoCal somewhere. I searched several times in the restaurant for you....<p>Steve S.<br>97 2.8QM<br>

I'm sure it doesn't like temps below freezing...

Speakers actually work better when cool. The voice coil has a lower DC resistance when cold and therefore is more efficient. As the voice coil heats up and its DC resistance rises, that extra resistance converts more of the amp's voltage to heat instead of sound. (This is referred to as power compression. By the way, a typical cone speaker is only somewhere between 5% and 15% efficient. This means if you have an amp pumping out 100 watts, you may only get 5 watts of it converted to sound. The rest in converted to heat - mostly in the voice coil.)<br> As noted by Kaiser, amplifiers (and other electronics) work best when cold, also. The only problem I've ever had with a car CD player and temperature is having the disc and lens fog up from the cold. Obviously this goes away and causes no permanent damage (except maybe a dirty lens).<p> However, speakers themselves should ideally have a break-in period where they are played at lower levels. This will help loosen-up the surround and spider. The surround is the flexible part around the outside of the cone, and the spider is a flexible piece behind the cone. Both pieces have the function of allowing the cone and voicecoil to move in and out while holding them in place, and they also return the cone to its normal resting position when the signal is removed (much like springs allow a wheel to move and the shocks dampen its movement).<br> The surround and spider will loosen up and become softer as a speaker is played over time. Most of this change occurs early in it's life, and this will lead to a gradual change in the sound of the speaker. Ideally the speaker should sound its best when it has been fully broken in. If the speaker is played very loud when brand new, the surround or spider could become "ripped" slightly. This damage may not be visibly noticable, but it will make a difference in the sound of the speaker, and the speaker will never break in the way it would have otherwise.<br> Of course all these possibilities depend on the listener. Some people would never notice any change in the sound, and that's fine. Others, who have ears which are more "trained", let's say, may be terribly bothered by it. I work in the audio business, so my ears are a little more "trained" than others (it really is a practised skill). I could hear the changes as my brand new /a/d/s speakers broke in. (Thankfully, they sounded better after break-in and not before!)<br> How long is a speaker's break-in period? Doesn't the A4's manual list that somewhere? :-) Seriously, though, it really depends on the speaker, but I would say a few hours at moderate listening levels should be sufficient in most cases. If you really wanted to go nuts then play at a slightly higher level for a little while, then a little higher, etc. Of course most people don't care - maximum SPL now!<p>Jim Meyer