Alpine Speaker Rattle when talking

I have a JLUR with the Alpine infotainment system. The front speakers have developed a rattle when on talk radio. I don’t really notice it on music stations or on non-talk media. When I put the balance in the rear it goes away even on talk.

I guess the Alpine speakers just need to be replaced with better ones. Any suggestions?


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Both or front driver's side?

I experience a rattle during phone calls when my iPhone is plugged in but not when connected with Bluetooth. I’ve tried swapping cables still happens. The Apple Music sounds fine though.


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Have you tried adjusting your EQ to see if it makes a difference? Perhaps it's a frequency thing?

Is it all speakers or one in particular? Also, it only happens on talk radio, ie Howard Stern or with music/phone calls sometimes too?

Subscribed. I have this as well. Alpine upgrade. Both front speakers on the dash near the windshield make the “rattle” sound specifically for spoken word (talk radio, audio book, phone call, etc.).

It IS the speaker itself making the noise, not the speaker grill or any other plastic around it, etc.

Popped off the speaker cover, removed a speaker, and replaced with another factory replacement speaker (same part ID).

Problem not solved. Swapped back to the original speaker, even though they’re identical.

My thought was maybe a bad crossover setting that’s letting too much bass through these speakers.


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aug0211 said:

Subscribed. I have this as well. Alpine upgrade. Both front speakers on the dash near the windshield make the “rattle” sound specifically for spoken word (talk radio, audio book, phone call, etc.).

It IS the speaker itself making the noise, not the speaker grill or any other plastic around it, etc.

Popped off the speaker cover, removed a speaker, and replaced with another factory replacement speaker (same part ID).

Problem not solved. Swapped back to the original speaker, even though they’re identical.

My thought was maybe a bad crossover setting that’s letting too much bass through these speakers.


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Click to expand...

Interesting.... I noticed this for the first time this past weekend when it was raining a bit. I never heard it before. Now that it’s warmed up, I don’t hear it.

Need to pay more attention to confirm it’s not there or just not with certain channels/talk format.

JAGS said:

Interesting.... I noticed this for the first time this past weekend when it was raining a bit. I never heard it before. Now that it’s warmed up, I don’t hear it.

Need to pay more attention to confirm it’s not there or just not with certain channels/talk format.

Click to expand...

Call this number when you want to test. It’s an automated voice/machine, so you can call any time of day without bothering anyone, and can get consistent/reproducible results.

(800) 972-3030‬

For me, this has been the most consistent way to reproduce the sounds.

I have played with the EQ a bit and thought for a while that bass contributed to the issue, but am not 100% sure of that.


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I have a rattle in the same area as well. At first I thought it was the speakers but what I found is the noise is coming from both sun visors. Try moving the visors down a bit to see if the noise stops. I added a small stick on foam rubber pad to the sun visor below the rubber bumper in the trim panel, problem solved. :crazyeyes:

JeepFan said:

I have a rattle in the same area as well. At first I thought it was the speakers but what I found is the noise is coming from both sun visors. Try moving the visors down a bit to see if the noise stops. I added a small stick on foam rubber pad to the sun visor below the rubber bumper in the trim panel, problem solved. :crazyeyes:

Click to expand...

This is a great point. There could be multiple sources of a rattle. It’s worth checking your visors, the kick panel area below the dash, and your speakers.

In my case, by removing the speaker cover and the screws that hold the speaker in place, but pulling it out while the plug was still connected, I was able to confirm 100% that it’s my speaker that is crackling/rattling/etc.

If you have a sound like this, JeepFan has a great point, it’s worth trying some of the other places - simply applying pressure to those spots can help confirm.


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I was experiencing an intermittent rattle on the driver's front and swore up and down that it was the speaker. I was able to localize it at the SGW and subsequently fixed it with a bit of folded Gorilla Tape.

This is the problem, the SWG module. I had the same issue, talk radio, bass heavy, etc.

Well documented in other forums. Easy fix. It’s the SWG connector behind your front drivers speaker.

Other went to the dealer, some for “6+weeks”, only to either get tape, epoxy, or no fix...

I fixed mine with a folded business card pushed into the SWG module bwt the female connector portion and the “housing”...



No more vibration, Charlie Brown sound or reverberation...

And no 6 week dealer visit...!


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Saddletramp said:

This is the problem, the SWG module. I had the same issue, talk radio, bass heavy, etc.

Well documented in other forums. Easy fix. It’s the SWG connector behind your front drivers speaker.

Other went to the dealer, some for “6+weeks”, only to either get tape, epoxy, or no fix...

I fixed mine with a folded business card pushed into the SWG module bwt the female connector portion and the “housing”...

View attachment 6327

No more vibration, Charlie Brown sound or reverberation...

And no 6 week dealer visit...!


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Click to expand...

Yeah, I’m jealous of those of you who had the SWG issue. Mine is definitely the speakers


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I get an occasional high pitched screech from the speakers. It seems random. Not the same problem it “sounds” like.

RMC2 said:

I get an occasional high pitched screech from the speakers. It seems random. Not the same problem it “sounds” like.

Click to expand...

I get that randomly as well. Somedays I'll go without hearing it, and others its definitely noticable. Only when they're talking. Never when there's music playing.
I usually have the volume at 21 when listening to music so when I hear that screech I'll turn it back down to around 10 and it stops.

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KS-Mike said:

I have a JLUR with the Alpine infotainment system. The front speakers have developed a rattle when on talk radio. I don’t really notice it on music stations or on non-talk media. When I put the balance in the rear it goes away even on talk.

I guess the Alpine speakers just need to be replaced with better ones. Any suggestions?


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Click to expand...

I actually get it on music too...


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Saddletramp said:

This is the problem, the SWG module. I had the same issue, talk radio, bass heavy, etc.

Well documented in other forums. Easy fix. It’s the SWG connector behind your front drivers speaker.

Other went to the dealer, some for “6+weeks”, only to either get tape, epoxy, or no fix...

I fixed mine with a folded business card pushed into the SWG module bwt the female connector portion and the “housing”...

View attachment 6327

No more vibration, Charlie Brown sound or reverberation...

And no 6 week dealer visit...!


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Click to expand...

Great feedback, I can’t tell from the picture where this is exactly...



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KS-Mike said:

Great feedback, I can’t tell from the picture where this is exactly...



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Click to expand...

It is the SGW. Look HERE for further information.

Great info guys, I have the same problem on my JLUR, horrible vibration just below the steering wheel, now thanks to you, I know it’s those connectors, great info.


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Charlie Brown Speaker Sound

Hello - I had the same issue, and here is how I solved it.

I often listen to audio books, and the sound seems to be most prevalent when playing the human voice at certain low tones. If you are unfamiliar with the “Charlie Brown” teacher voice, here is a reference from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ss2hULhXf04

After searching around the Internet, I found several solutions from fellow Jeepers and I selected the solution which seemed effective and least intrusive. And, I added one unique item to the solution I implemented. Again, credit for this fix goes to the other JL Jeepers who isolated the cause, and offered solutions and implementation tips.

There is a plug in connector directly above, and slightly in front of, the OBD2 interface port under the dash on the drivers side. This connector and/or module has a slight loose fit, and that loose fit inconveniently has a vibration resonance frequency which matches certain tones produced by the nearby speaker.

The solution is to eliminate the loose fit, and I selected the zip tie method I found in my searches for a fix. I also benefited from a suggestion to use a mirror to work under the dash rather than find a way to contort my head under there.

In the attached pic you can see my two zip tie fix implementation. I first firmly secured the cable going to the connectors with one zip tie attached to a metal under dash frame to prevent the cable from moving (my unique contribution). This is the zip tie closer to the shifter/center of the vehicle. The second zip tie applies some, but not too much, tension between the frame and the connector plug. The tension is just enough for the fix to remain snug, and eliminate the loose fit, without putting too much stress on the plug wires.