One speaker is louder than the other
Perhaps this is more of an audio question but I have a pair of Harmon Kardon Soundsticks connected to my Mac. It is full volume out of one speaker but very low volume out of the other. The same thing happens if I plug the speakers into an iPod. But I don't think the speaker is broken, because if I change my balance in System Preferences to favor the weaker speaker I can get them to be the same volume if I turn the volume high.
I can't swap speakers between ports because each speaker has a different connector. I did notice that when I unplug the working speaker (which is the one with the volume controls on it), then there will be no sound from the other speaker or the bass (subwoofer?), but perhaps that is normal. There's no cables I can see that are detachable to replace.
Anyone had this problem before and can tell me whether it's just a bad speaker? Perhaps the speaker connection part is not good and there is some chemical you can spray in there to get a better connection. Sorry if this post is dumb but I don't know much about audio.
I can't swap speakers between ports because each speaker has a different connector. I did notice that when I unplug the working speaker (which is the one with the volume controls on it), then there will be no sound from the other speaker or the bass (subwoofer?), but perhaps that is normal. There's no cables I can see that are detachable to replace.
Anyone had this problem before and can tell me whether it's just a bad speaker? Perhaps the speaker connection part is not good and there is some chemical you can spray in there to get a better connection. Sorry if this post is dumb but I don't know much about audio.
Comments
Perhaps this is more of an audio question but I have a pair of Harmon Kardon Soundsticks connected to my Mac. It is full volume out of one speaker but very low volume out of the other. The same thing happens if I plug the speakers into an iPod. But I don't think the speaker is broken, because if I change my balance in System Preferences to favor the weaker speaker I can get them to be the same volume if I turn the volume high.
I can't swap speakers between ports because each speaker has a different connector. I did notice that when I unplug the working speaker (which is the one with the volume controls on it), then there will be no sound from the other speaker or the bass (subwoofer?), but perhaps that is normal. There's no cables I can see that are detachable to replace.
Anyone had this problem before and can tell me whether it's just a bad speaker? Perhaps the speaker connection part is not good and there is some chemical you can spray in there to get a better connection. Sorry if this post is dumb but I don't know much about audio.
Prefs - sound - output - balance
Perhaps this is more of an audio question but I have a pair of Harmon Kardon Soundsticks connected to my Mac. It is full volume out of one speaker but very low volume out of the other. The same thing happens if I plug the speakers into an iPod. But I don't think the speaker is broken, because if I change my balance in System Preferences to favor the weaker speaker I can get them to be the same volume if I turn the volume high.
I can't swap speakers between ports because each speaker has a different connector. I did notice that when I unplug the working speaker (which is the one with the volume controls on it), then there will be no sound from the other speaker or the bass (subwoofer?), but perhaps that is normal. There's no cables I can see that are detachable to replace.
Anyone had this problem before and can tell me whether it's just a bad speaker? Perhaps the speaker connection part is not good and there is some chemical you can spray in there to get a better connection. Sorry if this post is dumb but I don't know much about audio.
More than likely you've got a bad contact somewhere. There is, in fact, stuff called "contact cleaner" designed to safely remove corrosion or contaminants from electrical connections. You need to make sure you get one that is safe for plastics. Radio Shack has some, can't vouch for it, but you can pick some up at Home Depot as well.
I would start with the volume control on the one speaker, then do anywhere else that you can get at-- unfortunately, this only works if the problem is corrosion or contamination, and can't help if there is a mechanical failure of some kind.
Since it sounds like all the cabling is built in, that's more of a problem, but: start by "working" everyplace something disappears into something else (take a bit of the cable closest to the case part and move it around a bit) while some music is on, to see if you can isolate where the problem is. Don't forget to work the stereo mini connector where things plug in to your speaker-- that is often a point of failure, and if you have any soldering skills you likely could replace that (assuming the case part come open in any way). Actually, if you have any soldering skills and the cases of things open up you can likely repair anything short of a bad amp.