Topic: Troubleshooting my playback system

[jbraveman]

I've been having trouble with my playback system and I'm hoping someone can help.
I was having trouble with one channel dropping out.  I have an Outlaw 1020 reciever and I thought I isolated the problem to the reciever.  I was able to switch the speaker cables and reproduce the problem in the switched channel.  All inputs were having the same trouble. The problem would go away briefly after I cycled the power on the reciever.  I sent the unit to Outlaw and they were not able to reproduce problem, but changed a component that was thought to be the problem.

In the meantime I started using my NAD 314 amplifier.  I started noticing that the volume in one speaker was slightly lower than the other (not the same channel that was problematic with the Outlaw).  When I turned the balance entirely over to this channel, the sound was heavily distorted.  I switched the speaker to the other channel and the problem seems gone.  This is driving me crazy and I wan't to get to the bottom of things before my other reciever comes back. 

The technician at Outlaw suggested I get a volt meter to measure the resistance in the speakers and perhaps this might indicate a problem with one of the speakers.  I got a multimeter (sperry 6a) from Lowes and measured the resistance across the speaker terminals and got 0 ohms for both speakers.  I get the feeling that I'm not doing something right or I don't have the right device. 

What I want to do is check the electronics of my speakers (Cambridge Soundworks Tower 3's).  I also have speaker wire that is run under the floor through the basement.  I'd like to be able to test this wire as well to make sure that this is not the problem. 

Any help is appreciated.

Other things I've done is to put banana plugs on the end of the speaker wire and check all connections to the reciever.

[dmonterisi]

  I was able to switch the speaker cables and reproduce the problem in the switched channel.  All inputs were having the same trouble. The problem would go away briefly after I cycled the power on the reciever.  I sent the unit to Outlaw and they were not able to reproduce problem, but changed a component that was thought to be the problem.

In the meantime I started using my NAD 314 amplifier.  I started noticing that the volume in one speaker was slightly lower than the other (not the same channel that was problematic with the Outlaw).  When I turned the balance entirely over to this channel, the sound was heavily distorted.  I switched the speaker to the other channel and the problem seems gone. 

I also have speaker wire that is run under the floor through the basement.  I'd like to be able to test this wire as well to make sure that this is not the problem. 

based on these three statements, it seems to me the problem may be in your speaker cables?

in the first statement in this quote where you say you "switched the speaker cables" and reproduced the problem in your switched channel, does this mean that you used entirely different speaker cables?  or did you switch the L and R speakers on the same run of cables?  if the latter, did the problem follow the speaker to the other channel or did it stay in the same channel?

i think that somewhere along the line, the negative and positive runs to the affected channel are coming into contact.  i guess this could be happening inside your speaker.  I think that most amps will shut down when the polarities are crossed, don't they?

if you have not tried connecting the speakers with runs of separate cable, this may be a good way to test...just get some cheap monster cable and see if you reproduce the problem.  my apologies if i misread your post and you already tried this, i wasn't exactly sure of your testing process.

[jbraveman]

  I was able to switch the speaker cables and reproduce the problem in the switched channel.  All inputs were having the same trouble. The problem would go away briefly after I cycled the power on the reciever.  I sent the unit to Outlaw and they were not able to reproduce problem, but changed a component that was thought to be the problem.

In the meantime I started using my NAD 314 amplifier.  I started noticing that the volume in one speaker was slightly lower than the other (not the same channel that was problematic with the Outlaw).  When I turned the balance entirely over to this channel, the sound was heavily distorted.  I switched the speaker to the other channel and the problem seems gone. 

I also have speaker wire that is run under the floor through the basement.  I'd like to be able to test this wire as well to make sure that this is not the problem. 

based on these three statements, it seems to me the problem may be in your speaker cables?

in the first statement in this quote where you say you "switched the speaker cables" and reproduced the problem in your switched channel, does this mean that you used entirely different speaker cables?  or did you switch the L and R speakers on the same run of cables?  if the latter, did the problem follow the speaker to the other channel or did it stay in the same channel?

i think that somewhere along the line, the negative and positive runs to the affected channel are coming into contact.  i guess this could be happening inside your speaker.  I think that most amps will shut down when the polarities are crossed, don't they?

if you have not tried connecting the speakers with runs of separate cable, this may be a good way to test...just get some cheap monster cable and see if you reproduce the problem.  my apologies if i misread your post and you already tried this, i wasn't exactly sure of your testing process.

It's been over a month since I sent away my reciever and I'm having trouble remembering exactly what the set of maneuvers was.  Rereading my post it does seem more likely that I have a cable problem.  Although at the time I thought it was the reciever.  Unfortunately right now everything is working fine.  I was hoping I could test the speaker and cables with something that might give me a more definite answer.

[dmonterisi]

It's been over a month since I sent away my reciever and I'm having trouble remembering exactly what the set of maneuvers was.  Rereading my post it does seem more likely that I have a cable problem.  Although at the time I thought it was the reciever.  Unfortunately right now everything is working fine.  I was hoping I could test the speaker and cables with something that might give me a more definite answer.

well, the fact that everything is working fine right now is kind of a pain.  sounds like there may be strands of cable somewhere in the speaker run that may be intermittently touching each other.  did you check the terminations on both ends of the speaker cables to make sure they are done right?  you could have just one or two strands of the negative run touching the positive run or vice versa.  what kind of cable is it.  i also noticed that you said the speaker run is under the floor...any chance that it's being chewed on by vermin?

[jbraveman]

The speaker cable under the floor is heavy guage speaker cable from home depot I believe. There terminations come right up through the floor to the speaker.  There aren't any wall ternimals.  The run that comes from the reciever  needed an extra length so I have some wire spliced together with electrical tape.  This might be the culprit.  I'm going to find something to properly splice the wire together.  Any suggestions?  My electical skills are limited.

I put some angled banana plugs on the ends of the speaker wire - the solderless kind from acoustic research that I bought at best buy.  The wire screws into the hardward.  I don't totally feel like it's secture.  I've been looking around on the web for another kind that will lock on better to the wire.

thanks for the help.

[dmonterisi]

The speaker cable under the floor is heavy guage speaker cable from home depot I believe. There terminations come right up through the floor to the speaker.  There aren't any wall ternimals.  The run that comes from the reciever  needed an extra length so I have some wire spliced together with electrical tape.  This might be the culprit.  I'm going to find something to properly splice the wire together.  Any suggestions?  My electical skills are limited.

I put some angled banana plugs on the ends of the speaker wire - the solderless kind from acoustic research that I bought at best buy.  The wire screws into the hardward.  I don't totally feel like it's secture.  I've been looking around on the web for another kind that will lock on better to the wire.

thanks for the help.

well, i bet that splice is the culprit, depending on how it's done.  given the fact that it's under the floor and intermittent suggests to me that it's getting jostled and wires could be touching.  personally, i would replace the entire run of speaker cable.  i don't really think that splices in the cable run are that great of an idea when you are using the level of components that you have, regardless of creating a possible short, you probably will suffer some loss of quality due to the splice.  short of replacing the cable, i'm not sure what the best way to splice speaker cable is, to be honest.  i don't know if electrical caps are a good idea or not, but they would probably be an improvement over a splice just using electrical tape.

as for the locking bananas...i have the same problem, i bought some monster locking bananas at best buy for my surrounds and they seem to do okay, but i think the wire would give with any modest amount of pull...i'd like to reterminate them at some point.  i'd appreciate any other suggestions on these.  for me, i'm just using regular monster speaker cable (the flat white kind) because these are pretty long runs to my surrounds (mounted high on the wall so the cable runs around door frames and windows...not worth spending good money on long cable runs for these, imo).

[jbraveman]

These bananas look nice: http://www.homegrownaudio.com/banana_plugs.htm

[som]

Unfortunately right now everything is working fine.

Geez, I HATE when that happens!