How to Troubleshoot Home Theater Central Channel Speakers

By eHow Electronics Editor

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Troubleshooting home theater central channel speakers can be much simpler if you break the process into steps. There are many things that can go wrong with a home theater system, so check out what's really broken before you buy anything new or return your current system. Here are some basic steps on how to troubleshoot center channel home theater speakers.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

Home Theater System
Center Channel Speaker

Step1

See if there is a buzzing coming from the speaker. Turn down the other speakers and disconnect the components from your receiver one at a time. When the buzzing stops, you've likely pinpointed the source.

Step2

Try unplugging the incoming cable, satellite, TV or projector feed. If any of these units are the the source of buzzing, you might want to look into a ground-breaking transformer.

Step3

Check to see if your speakers still hum after disconnecting everything but the speaker cables. If they do, check the cables for rips, kinks or discoloration. If the cables are good but you still hear a hum, see if the wires are picking up a signal from nearby power cords.

Step4

Unplug these nearby power sources. Power cables (especially long ones) often pick up signals from other appliances, like your fridge or computer.

Step5

Check for bad cables and outputs. Use a different cable for the central speaker, or plug it into a different output.

Step6

Turn off the amplifier for a while and let it cool down. Some of those pops and hisses may be due to overheating.

Tips & Warnings

Check out your user manuals. Your problem may be common enough for a solution to be included in the troubleshooting section.
Buzzes and hums are mostly due to grounding problems. Purchasing a power conditioner or an isolation transformer often solves this problem.