Audio Troubleshooting Tips From a 20-Year Pro in Indiana, PA
My name is Bob Rout. I'm an audio/visual and electrical professional based in Indiana, PA with over 20 years of experience. In that time I've troubleshot just about every audio problem you can imagine — from dead car audio systems to home theaters that suddenly stopped working to commercial AV installations with mysterious hum issues. Here's what I've learned about diagnosing audio problems quickly and efficiently. Start Simple Before touching a single cable, check the basics. Is everything powered on? Is the correct input selected? Is the volume turned up at every point in the signal chain? Is anything muted that shouldn't be? You'd be amazed how many service calls I've been on where the fix was this simple. Work the Signal Chain Audio travels from a source through a processor or amplifier and out to speakers. When something breaks, the key is figuring out exactly where in that chain the signal is being lost. Start at the source and move forward step by st...