There may be a few reasons as to why your speaker(s) are rattling at all or some frequencies. The most likely scenario is that the surround has deteriorated or the glue has come loose.  A few factors which can cause this to occur are:

 

Age:

  • Surround: After many years of use the surround (usually made of rubber or foam connecting the woofer cone to the basket) deteriorates and eventually wears causing small tears in the material itself. 



  • Glue: After many years of use the glue used to attach the surround to the cone or basket also deteriorates and eventually fails.  


Amplifier:

  • Power: Using an amplifier with a power rating significantly higher than that of the speaker, will cause premature surround & voice coil failure. This generally occurs if the speakers are being driven at high volumes or for extended periods of time.
  • Failure: An amplifier that has failed can sometimes output DC – Direct Current to a speaker. This high output of power will generally cause surround, glue, and cone failure.

 

Solution to Amplifier Power:

  • Do not be fooled by the Volume Control of your receiver/preamplifier. It only adjusts listening level—it is not a “power-output” dial. The amount of power actually used at a given Volume Control setting depends solely on the nature of the music you are listening to. At a given Volume Control setting a quiet section of music will use less amplifier power than a loud section.


 To verify which of the factors is the root cause start by removing the grill and inspecting the surround visually.  If one of these doesn’t remedy the problem, or you are not sure how to proceed, please contact the local dealer or Paradigm Customer Support team about your specific speaker model – some speakers can have their woofers/mids replaced while others may need to be rebuilt.