Right here goes. Last week the left speaker on my stereo started just playing on the tweeter, right is fine. This is what I’ve done to fault find:

1. Plug in different speakers – same problem.
2. Change the lead from the source (3.5mm to RCA) connecting Alexa to amp, running off Spotify – same problem.
3. Change input to turntable – same problem.
4. Swap over the RCA inputs – same problem.
5. Swap the speaker wires around – same problem.

Unless I’m having a senior moment, and have missed something obvious, I don’t see how, with the changes I’ve tried, that the same speaker continues to have the same fault. At least the fault should have at some point gone over to the right.
Please help, my uneven stereo is doing my head in (First World problem fully admitted).

Can only guess it’s a problem with the amp. What amp are you using?

What source, it sounds like you’ve eliminated source as a potential issue though.

If you have swapped speakers around and you get the same problem, it would suggest the amp is at fault? Are the speakers bi-wired?

Speakers are bi-wired and the amp is a Yamaha AV amp. Surely thought swapping the RCA inputs would still change the problem speaker even if the amp was faulty,.aaaarrrrggghhh.

Have you tried bridging the two sets of speaker terminals (I.e. bass and treble for the same speaker – at the speaker end of the cables not the amp end ) together? If this resolves it the issue is with the amp or cables.
If it does then un-bridge and swap the bass and treble cables over – does the problem move or stay where it is? Alternatively bridge at the amp end to see.

On most amps the two sets of outputs for biwiring are connected together inside the amp (unless it’s aftually bi-amped), so running both sets of cables from one set of terminals is electrically the same but just less convenient.

I believe that it’s now accepted that biwiring itself doesn’t actually improve the sound but that’s a different discussion.

If it’s an amp or speaker cable issue, the problem should switch from the left speaker to the right speaker, if you swap the cables over at the amp speaker outputs.

I believe that it’s now accepted that biwiring itself doesn’t actually improve the sound

I’d agree with that, you’d have to bi/quad amp and bi wire to see improvements, assuming your running 2 way speakers.

But we digress, getting into strokey beard territory.

If the problem is;
the same with multiple sources
the same if right speaker and cable are connected to left channel on amp

Then problem is odd. As it’s an AV amp, does it have large/small settings for all channels? Any chance left channel is set to small? Otherwise fault in power amp, bit unusual though.

Scratch that.

I can’t see how it wouldn’t have swapped sides if it was an issue with the amp.
Odd.

Or did you swap the speaker cables completely, rather than just at either the amp or speaker end?

Also, have you swapped the RCA to a different RCA input altogether, or just L&R?

I’ve swapped the RCA to a different input and what mattyfez is right, it’s impossible that it’s not swapping over to the other speaker as I swap cables. I’ve entered the Twilight Zone.
Anyway, I’m a few beers down and listening to the vinyl version of Massive Attack v Mad Professor. Absolutely sublime, even in mono.

What mattyfez sez. You say you swapped the speaker wires around but you don’t say at what end. Similar when you tried new speakers. I would be disconnecting and redoing the connections as it sounds cable related

I swapped the cables round at the amp end so I’m still jiggered but thanks for replies all.

Speaker crossover broken?

So just to check:

When you disconnect both speakers, then plug in right speaker and cable to the left amp output, you only get treble through the right speaker?

Rich (in the unlikely event that you’re still following this) the problem is that only treble comes out of the left speaker whether it’s plugged into the right or left on the amp.
I’m going to try some completely different cable next as it’s the only thing I haven’t swapped out.

Hang on. So whatever source you’re using, and however that source is connected, and whichever way you wire the speakers from the amp, one particular speaker only plays from its tweeter?

Does this not just suggest that particular speaker is shagged?

Swap the speaker cable at the amp AND speaker end, bi-wired first then if the problem persists (but now on the other speaker), single wire and link the crossover.

Had a similar problem years ago, turned out mices had eaten the treble wire!

Hang on. So whatever source you’re using, and however that source is connected, and whichever way you wire the speakers from the amp, one particular speaker only plays from its tweeter?

Does this not just suggest that particular speaker is shagged?

If only it were so simple, I’ve tried different speakers.

I’m away from home at the moment and have frankly forgotten the myriad different set-ups I tried but I’ll give Fettlin’s approach a go.
Cheers.

as above, something wrong with the speaker not the other components.

worth opening them up for a look, sounds like the crossover isn’t working, which due to it having capacitors in it which can age and fail, is worth checking

I’ve changed the speakers to another set but thinking about it, despite changing all inputs to the speakers, I think it’s always been the same physical cable going to the duff speaker. I’m thinking mice.

Rich (in the unlikely event that you’re still following this) the problem is that only treble comes out of the left speaker whether it’s plugged into the right or left on the amp.
I’m going to try some completely different cable next as it’s the only thing I haven’t swapped out.

I am still here, **** knows why!

The trick to this is to be totally methodical and change one thing at a time.

So with biwiring, you’ve got a +/- coming out of the amp. The cable splits into a +/- for the tweeter, and a +/- for the woofer.

Next steps for me would be:
If you’ve got a multimeter, buzz between amp ends and woofer ends of cable. – and + should not buzz to each other, but – to – and + to + should.

If – and + were shorted, I would expect the treble to not work as well.

Alternatively;
1.Play music, confirm no bass from left speaker. Mute amp.
2. At speaker end, swap tweeter and woofer connections. Unmute amp.

If you’ve now got no treble but you’ve got bass, then it’s definitely the cable. More likely to fail at the connector (if you’re on banana plugs), can you unscrew/remove the cover and take a look?

1.Play music, confirm no bass from left speaker. Mute amp.
2. At speaker end, swap tweeter and woofer connections. Unmute amp.

If you’ve now got no treble but you’ve got bass, then it’s definitely the cable. More likely to fail at the connector (if you’re on banana plugs), can you unscrew/remove the cover and take a look?

That’s good, I like that. Cheers

P.S. I’m at work, I hope the reason you’re still up involves coke and hookers.