Troubleshoot common amplifier problems before taking the gear to a repair technician.
A stereo amplifier supplies the muscle to power audio components connected to a sound system, including speakers, CD player, tape deck, turntable, MP3 player or iPod, and other equipment. If the amplifier develops a problem, the stereo will not work. Troubleshooting common amplifier problems, such as loose cables and bad speaker connections, should take only a few minutes and could save a trip to the repair shop.
Instructions
1. Push the power cord on the amplifier completely into the wall outlet or check the surge protector if the amp is connected to a power strip to verify that electricity is getting to the system. Also check the circuit breaker for the room where the system is connected to determine if a power surge tripped the breaker.
2. Check the audio cable and speaker wire connections from the back of the amplifier to the components and speakers. Tighten loose speaker wires to the terminals, and push the plugs on the audio cables firmly into the jacks on the amplifier and other components.
3. Press the speaker buttons on the amplifier to verify that a pair of speakers is activated on the amp. If the push buttons for the speaker system pairs are not pressed in the lock position, the amp will not power the speakers. Check the volume control to confirm it is not dialed down to zero. If the speakers are equipped with surge protectors, press the button on the back of each speaker to reset.
4. Adjust the balance control knob on the amplifier. If sound can be heard in one speaker but not another, the balance control may be turned to favor only one of the speakers. Similarly, check the fade control knob if the rear speakers cannot be heard.
5. Dial the selector knob on the amplifier to different components to isolate the problem. For example, if the tape deck operates normally with the amp set to the tape deck selection, but the CD player is not producing sound, the problem may not be the amplifier but the CD player.
Tags: tape deck, balance control, common amplifier, common amplifier problems, control knob, knob amplifier
