Troubleshoot a speaker channel on a receiver before taking it to a repair shop.
Home stereo receivers may occasionally need to be checked for problems such as a clipping sound coming from one of the speakers, or no sound at all. Troubleshooting the stereo channel could lead to a quick fix rather than an expensive visit to the repair shop. Checking the connections and controls only takes a few minutes and is worth the time to avoid disconnecting all the equipment and pulling it from the stereo rack or home entertainment center.
Instructions
1. Turn the balance control knob all the way to the left and then to the right to verify both channels are working. If the knob is turned accidentally to one extreme or another, the opposite channel cannot be heard and it may seem as though the channel is not working. For example, if the knob is turned all the way to the left, the right channel will be silent. Do the same for the fade control knob if more than one pair of stereo speakers is connected to the receiver.
2. Press the "Surround Sound" button on the receiver or its remote control to activate and test any surround speakers connected to the system. The center and rear channels will not make a sound unless the surround feature is activated.
3. Check the speaker wire connections to make sure the two wires on each end are firmly connected to the terminals on the back of each speaker and the terminals for each channel on the back of the receiver. Lift the spring clips on each terminal to confirm the wire is inserted in the hole underneath and is not broken or frayed.
4. Clip worn speaker wire at its end, then remove a half-inch of insulation and reattach the wires, connecting the red wire to the positive terminal and the other wire to the negative terminal.
5. Press the "reset" button on the back of each speaker if equipped with a surge protector.
6. Disconnect the speaker from the wire with the problem channel, then connect a different speaker to determine if there is a problem with the original speaker or the receiver.
7. Replace the speaker wire with a new wire to determine if the problem is a broken speaker wire.
Tags: speaker wire, back each, back each speaker, control knob, each speaker, knob turned
