Topic: speaker loosing contact with receiver

[Gordon]

so the other day I notice only my right speaker was working.  checked the wire to make sure the cats hadn't chewed through it etc.  redid the wire and connected it back up.  worked fine for a little while.  then it dropped again.  I check the terminals on both ends and they were as tight as can be.  isolated it to the receiver end b/c sometimes just a gentle touch or wiggle on that end will bring the speaker back on.  again it's as tight as it can go!  the terminal is the twist on kind not the snap kind.  the speaker end is also the banana type and they make it easy to insert the wire and twist it around before screwing it down.  the receiver end does not make this possible.  you are lucky to get them unscrewed enough to get the wire in let alone twist it around the inside posts. so basically you can just get it in and twist the connection on tight.  had the receiver for 5 or 6 years and never had this issue till a few days ago.

not sure of the gauge wire but it's pretty thick but not too thick for the terminal.  it seems it's coming "loose" just from the vibrations on the hardwood or the little one barely bumping the entertainment center.  it may work for hours or it may for five mins.  no real rhyme or reason to it.

any thoughts on this?  you can't easily replace the terminal can you?  is the receiver terminal shot?  I'm itching to get a new one with HDMI to cut down on the number of cable runs I have now but the wife would not go for that unless it's absolutely necessary.

[YYzepp]

If you don't think it's a loose connection it could be the solder joint inside the unit. It could have oxidised enough to start giving you problems. Can you reflow the joint?

[runonce]

It doesnt sound like the amp is going into protection..since you can wiggle it and it will start to work again. (and only affects one speaker)

Pull the top look at the other end of that binding post - years of clamping down on that post may have twisted the wire off the other end - or loosened it at the board.

I have similar issues with some on my vintage amps with bigger speaker wire - the copper twist is so soft that makes it difficult to get the wire snug...just moving the wire a bit can loosen it.
Tinning the ends of your speaker wire can help - but I hate to resort to that.

Depending on the amps age - I might also wiggle any selectors or switches. They can occasionally cause a channel to drop...

[Church-Audio]

And remember one thing.. Get this fixed because some receivers have protection circuits for "no load" situations some dont. This can cost you $$$ if you have to get a ic module replaced. An amp should never ever be run with out a load or speaker connected to it. And this can and will cause damage to the amp in the long run causing a much more expensive repair in the future. Get an ohm meter disconnect the speaker wire from your amp and test it you should see anywhere from 3ohms to 9 ohms. If you see a reading only when you wiggle the cable you know where the problem is. You dont want to you amp to figure out why your speaker is not working And if you do figure out its the receiver take it to a professional and have them figure out why. If you cant do it your self.

Chris