How to Repair a Speaker: Learn Some Troubleshooting Tips on How to Repair a Speaker

How to Repair a Speaker: Learn Some Troubleshooting Tips on How to Repair a Speaker
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Dealing with Blown Home Theater Speakers

Anyone who’s ever blown or broken a speaker knows how frustrating it can be, especially if it’s only one of the speakers. It’s annoying to go out and buy a new set of speakers just because one isn’t working. You may, however, be able to repair the offending home theater speaker. So, here are some suggestions to how to diagnose and how to repair a speaker.

Changing a Speaker Fuse

First of all, you need to figure out which speaker has been blown. You can do this by shifting the sound balance to one speaker at a

time. Or, you can do it the old-fashioned way, and just raise the speakers to your ears until you can figure out which one doesn’t have any sound.

The reason for a speaker not working can range from a blown fuse to faulty wiring to a tear in the cone. Since wiring is the easiest to fix, look and see if a wire is pulled out. If so, just plug it back in. If not, it still may be worth it to try unplugging and reattaching the wires in case it was a loose wire.

If that doesn’t work, it’s time to take the speaker apart. Carefully remove any fabric, and unscrew the speaker’s faceplate. If it’s only one speaker that’s not working, it could be a fuse. Try removing a fuse from another speaker and replacing the one that isn’t working. If that causes the speaker to work again, simply order another fuse.

Voice Coil and Speaker Cone

Next, check the voice coil. Does it look damaged or melted? If the voice coil is severely damaged, you will have to replace the entire speaker. If not, then try moving the coil. Does it move easily? If not, you need to replace the driver. If there is a gap in the voice coil, this won’t allow sound to come through. See if you can fix the gap. If not, you will have to replace the speaker.

A torn speaker cone can also be fixed if that is the problem. Look at the cone, and see if it has a hole in it. If so, try using tape to cover it, or rubber cement to seal it. Then, test the speaker.

Cleaning the Connectors

You should also try cleaning the connectors, especially if the sound is noisy or muffled. Another thing to consider is the speaker polarity. You need to ensure that the positive and negative wires are attached to the receiver or other audio device correctly.

Ordering Replacement Parts

If replacement parts are necessary, you can order them from the manufacturer or any other third-party that sells the parts. Once received, simply replace the old parts with the new. You may have to solder wires.

Once the part is installed, check to see if the speaker is working properly. If not, verify that you have correctly installed the replacement parts. If not, reinstall the parts. If that doesn’t work, you may need a new speaker, or you may need to take it to a shop to be repaired.