Can you repair a blown speaker?

Jordan97 · 2 Jun 2011 at 17:10

I have a pair of high quality speakers that I have had for about 2 years now, but only one of them works. I have opened it up and all the wires are connected to the motherboard (it looks like some form of one anyway) and so I think that the speaker might be blown.

Is there anyway that I could repair this? They're good speakers, and don't really want to buy some new ones.

exia · 2 Jun 2011 at 17:16

Quick use of Google: How to Fix a Blown Speaker

My advice, take it to someone who knows how to fix them, or buy a new set.

dz1 · 2 Jun 2011 at 19:27

Did you buy them new?

If you did then you should be covered by the Sale of Goods Act and you should ask the seller to replace it.

Jordan97 · 2 Jun 2011 at 21:12

dz1 said:
Did you buy them new?

If you did then you should be covered by the Sale of Goods Act and you should ask the seller to replace it.

Never heard of this, and considering the receipt is now being used as a Coke can or something and the warranty ran out last year, I doubt anything I do is going to get me a free replacement or repair.

Jordan97 · 2 Jun 2011 at 21:12

Sorry, double post.

dz1 · 2 Jun 2011 at 22:17

Jordan97 said:
Never heard of this, and considering the receipt is now being used as a Coke can or something and the warranty ran out last year, I doubt anything I do is going to get me a free replacement or repair.

You don't need to have a receipt. A bank statement, credit card statement, etc would be equally acceptable as proof of purchase.

It does not matter if the warranty ran out last year. The Act states goods should last a reasonable amount of time. 2 years for new speakers is not reasonable so you should be covered by the Act.

You need to call or email the dealer and complain. If you get no joy then you write them a letter. Free templates for these letters are available online. Eventually you may have to take them to county court.

Get further advice on what to do from here :

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Diol1/DoItOnline/DG_195913

Nick1881 · 2 Jun 2011 at 22:42

What speakers are they? Are you getting no sound at all? I'm not sure all the drivers would go together so maybe something is wrong with the cross over.

Contact the manufacturer and ask them for help? I'm sure they will supply you with spares needed.

Jordan97 · 3 Jun 2011 at 11:38

Nick1881 said:
What speakers are they? Are you getting no sound at all? I'm not sure all the drivers would go together so maybe something is wrong with the cross over.

Contact the manufacturer and ask them for help? I'm sure they will supply you with spares needed.

Only the left speaker works. The other one I don't get anything from; not even a hum.

I'll contact Sony and see what they say.

dz1 said:
You don't need to have a receipt. A bank statement, credit card statement, etc would be equally acceptable as proof of purchase.

I don't have any proof of purchase, I paid with cash so I'm not going to get a credit card or bank statement.

Nick1881 · 3 Jun 2011 at 14:13

Have you tried swapping the wires between speakers? Just in case the amplifier channel has gone.

Jordan97 · 3 Jun 2011 at 16:02

Nick1881 said:
Have you tried swapping the wires between speakers? Just in case the amplifier channel has gone.

No, I'll try this and get back to you.

Turambar · 3 Jun 2011 at 17:36

Also try connecting the suspected broken driver to the crossover from the known working speaker.

I had a similar problem with my MS Mezzo II's, turned out to be a bad connection on the mid range driver terminal.

hellarda · 3 Jun 2011 at 18:30

had you been playing them loud for long lengths of time? If you have, did you notice and crackling or distortion before it went altogether? If you did, then you've probably melted the coil.

If it just stopped producing any sound, without any obvious crackling or distortion, then it is unlikely to be the speaker itself, more likely the crossover as other people have said.

If you have managed to melt the coil, by playing them too loud, then you probably won't be able to get any sort of refund/replacement as you were probably playing them beyond their stated capacity.

Are the speaker active? (i.e have their own amp built in?) or are they passive? (i.e do you have a separate amp for them?)

If they are passive and you have a separate amp for them, what is the stated wattage on the speakers? and the amp?

hope this helps

Zarf · 3 Jun 2011 at 19:34

I fixed the blown tweeter in my dads old 1980's pair of Bang and Olufsens (which were almost £1000 when new at the time, so worth the effort to fix). Hardest part was waiting for the parts to come up on fleabay, which took a few months but when they did it cost me less than £20 for a pair, including shipping from america. I did get scammed along the way a few months earlier, was sceptical about the whole eastern european / western union money order but diddn't think anyone would bother scamming on such a low value obscure item .... I was wrong.
Installation was a simple bit of soldering (two wires) and it's all good now (7 years later).