Center speaker not working in 7.1 setup. What to check first?

[mrblotto]

Greetings peeps,

Just a couple days ago I noticed that the 'center' speaker on my 7.1 setup is not working.

I wasn't sure where to check first, so I did the following with no joy

-checked the connections
-restarted the 'puter
-tried a different speaker in the oh geez...whaddya call it.....it's the 'box' where all the cables plug in to
-checked the connections on the sound card itself

Edit: The 'Box' is the subwoofer lol

Still, all the speakers work except for the 'center' one.

How do I know this?

The soundcard is an old-timey Azuntech (sp) Prelude, and it comes with some software to adjust various settings. Here's a screenie of it:

When I mash the 'Noise' button, the software goes around in a circle and makes a static noise to each speaker. What I've circled is the 'center' one which does nothing, even with a different cable and speaker attached

So, my question is: Where would/could I start in my PD? Is it-
-A loose connection in the sound card itself?
-some connection busted in the 'box' that everything plugs into?
-software? Is there some software I could use to test all the speakers? *shrugs* I'm hesitant to use a restore point just yet


A couple notes:
- I did just start using the optical out on the card to port audio to my Home Theater Speaker system. I have not merely 'unplugged' that cable yet.
Other than that, I've made no changes.

- The mobo does have it's own audio chipset (5.1 I think, which is disable in the BIOS). Perhaps I could use that somehow to test?


What say you, eggheads of AT?
Blah-Toe

 

[denis280]

A couple notes:
- I did just start using the optical out on the card to port audio to my Home Theater Speaker system. I have not merely 'unplugged' that cable yet.
Other than that, I've made no changes.

Did you try it so far

 

[Paperdoc]

What you describe could be a fault inside the speaker enclosure itself, or in its wiring. There's a relatively easy test for that. You need a single 1.5V battery and a couple wires. Shut down your system and unplug the center speaker from the Sub-woofer. I suspect it has an RCA connector on the end, or maybe a 3.5mm male jack. In either case there are two contacts on the connector. With wires and battery, temporarily connect the battery to the speaker contacts, then disconnect. Try this a few times. A battery voltage will cause an audible click or scratchy sound, but not a continuous sound. If your speaker makes a noise this way, it is OK and the problem is elsewhere. If it makes no noise with this test, the problem is either in the wiring or inside the speaker enclosure. I once had an intermittent problem with a speaker in a 5.1 setup. When I opened its case I found a soldered connection from wire to terminal on the speaker that was never soldered! An easy fix.

IF the speaker does not work in that test and you open the enclosure, you can then test further. First, you can use the same battery and wires to apply voltage directly to the two loop terminals of the speaker itself to verify whether it is working. If it is, use a resistance meter or something to check the continuity of wiring from the jack contact on the end of the wire to the ends of the leads inside the speaker enclosure.

On the other hand, if the initial test of battery to speaker wire connector shows that the speaker itself is OK, you're looking for another fault location. For the nest test, unplug the leads from the back of your audio card to the speaker system. Each of them probably is a 3.5 mm jack with a "tip-ring-sleeve" configuration. Each uses the sleeve part as a common Ground, and the tip and ring are separate contacts for two speakers. You can apply the battery and wire test to those contacts with the speaker system powered up, and each speaker should make a noise. For the one line that supplies the sub-woofer and center speaker, one of those is the tip, and one is the sleeve. See if you can identify whether the entire speaker system can produce sounds properly from all of its speakers, or whether there is a failure for the center speaker only. This will help you decide where the fault is.

Once you've done your testing, plug all the leads from the speaker system back into the sockets on the back of your audio card BEFORE powering up the computer. I don't know about your card. I have an on-mobo sound system with an interesting feature that allows re-defining which signal goes out of which socket. But one of its quirks is that, if it is turned on with no line plugged into a socket, it forgets what was there before and insists that you have to tell it what you plug in later. If you don't tell it, it sends nothing out of that socket and appears to be faulty. That's why I advise reconnecting all your speaker lines BEFORE turning ion your system.

 

[mrblotto]

What you describe could be a fault inside the speaker enclosure itself, or in its wiring. There's a relatively easy test for that. You need a single 1.5V battery and a couple wires. Shut down your system and unplug the center speaker from the Sub-woofer. I suspect it has an RCA connector on the end, or maybe a 3.5mm male jack. In either case there are two contacts on the connector. With wires and battery, temporarily connect the battery to the speaker contacts, then disconnect. Try this a few times. A battery voltage will cause an audible click or scratchy sound, but not a continuous sound. If your speaker makes a noise this way, it is OK and the problem is elsewhere. If it makes no noise with this test, the problem is either in the wiring or inside the speaker enclosure. I once had an intermittent problem with a speaker in a 5.1 setup. When I opened its case I found a soldered connection from wire to terminal on the speaker that was never soldered! An easy fix.

IF the speaker does not work in that test and you open the enclosure, you can then test further. First, you can use the same battery and wires to apply voltage directly to the two loop terminals of the speaker itself to verify whether it is working. If it is, use a resistance meter or something to check the continuity of wiring from the jack contact on the end of the wire to the ends of the leads inside the speaker enclosure.

On the other hand, if the initial test of battery to speaker wire connector shows that the speaker itself is OK, you're looking for another fault location. For the nest test, unplug the leads from the back of your audio card to the speaker system. Each of them probably is a 3.5 mm jack with a "tip-ring-sleeve" configuration. Each uses the sleeve part as a common Ground, and the tip and ring are separate contacts for two speakers. You can apply the battery and wire test to those contacts with the speaker system powered up, and each speaker should make a noise. For the one line that supplies the sub-woofer and center speaker, one of those is the tip, and one is the sleeve. See if you can identify whether the entire speaker system can produce sounds properly from all of its speakers, or whether there is a failure for the center speaker only. This will help you decide where the fault is.

Once you've done your testing, plug all the leads from the speaker system back into the sockets on the back of your audio card BEFORE powering up the computer. I don't know about your card. I have an on-mobo sound system with an interesting feature that allows re-defining which signal goes out of which socket. But one of its quirks is that, if it is turned on with no line plugged into a socket, it forgets what was there before and insists that you have to tell it what you plug in later. If you don't tell it, it sends nothing out of that socket and appears to be faulty. That's why I advise reconnecting all your speaker lines BEFORE turning ion your system.

Thanx Paperdoc! That's what I do usually - process of elimination. I just wasn't sure where to start. I already know a different speaker also doesn't work, so I can narrow it down to either the 'output' from the soundcard on that particular channel (center), or inside the subwoofer itself where all the connections are. When I get home I'll start with the sound card jack test

Thanx again!

 

[mrblotto]

Update:
OK - so I did the battery/wire test on each speaker(s). They all made a pop/static noise. I then unplugged all the wires from the soundcard and did the same thing on those ends - same thing. Plug everything back in - all of them are working lol. Go figure. I'm guessing one of them may have come a little loose just enough for me not to notice while I was back there drilling the hole for the optical cable thru the floor.

Thanx again PD - I'll know how to proceed when something similar comes up

 

[Paperdoc]

Congratulations on defeating the digital gremlins!