How to Troubleshoot Home Theater Rear Speakers

Troubleshooting home theater rear speakers--also known as surround speakers--can be a tricky endeavor. You've shelled out lots of money on a home theater with surround sound and you hear this awful, obnoxious humming noise. Don't pack it up and return it yet! Follow these steps to pinpoint the problem.

Things You'll Need

• Home theater system
• Rear speakers

Instructions

1. Read your owner's manuals for specific troubleshooting tips. Each manufacturer will have specific tips for their units.

2. To pinpoint a buzz or hum, turn down all speakers but the rear speakers and disconnect everything from your receiver until the noise stops. Reconnect each item one at a time until you find out which device is causing the hum.

3. Determine if your cable TV box is causing the hum. If it is, disconnect the cable feed while the box is still hooked up to the receiver. If this stops the hum, the problem is the cable ground. To remedy this, buy a ground breaking transformer, but be sure it will work with your cable box.

4. See if the hum comes from your TV or projector. If it does, try plugging it into a different outlet or buy an isolation transformer. If there is no audio connection between the components, buy a video isolation transformer.

5. Check to see if your speakers still hum after disconnecting everything but the speaker cables. If they do, you might have a bad speaker cable. Inspect the cables for openings or discoloration. If the cables are good and you still hear a hum, check to see if the wires are picking up signal from your refrigerator or other nearby power source cords.

6. For speakers that are not humming, but simply not responding: Check to see that everything is properly connected, or change the fuse in the speaker.

Tips & Warnings

• Purchasing a power conditioner, which will isolate the electrical outlets, can often eliminate the hum.

• If you hear popping, try unplugging the amp for a while and let it cool off. If the popping disappears and then returns later, you know it's a heating issue.

• If you have other sound issues, try plugging your rear speakers into the front speaker output.

• Check out your owner's manual. There is often a troubleshooting section included.

• Running long cables from one room to another greatly increases your chances of picking up noise.