Help, Speaker Static

[Johnsongc]

Serious Novice here when it comes to stereo equipment.

Background - a year ago, I had the guys at Neptunes put a new system in my '01 Ski Nautique. Pioneer deck (hard wired remote + wireless remote), two memphis 10" subs (separate amp), and four memphis 6" speakers (separate amp) in the stock locations. All in all I have been tremendously happy with the set up.

I have the boat out and am doing some routine maintenance (oil, impeller, blah blah) and have been listening to the radio as I work. Couple of days ago, I went to turn it on and got a very loud static noise coming from one of the 6" speakers. I have isolated it to the back driver's side speaker (when disconected all other speaker operate normally).

Need some help. I don't even know where to start. Is it a power issue, bad speaker, or something else? Connections look good.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Greg

[AuMDLST]

Try and move the speaker to a different channel on the amp - see if condition still exists.
If you have a four channel amp just switch around a pair of pos and neg wires.

[EarmarkMarine]

Greg,

As with all diagnosis, its pointless to begin until you've verified that the voltage is normal.

There is noise that only appears in step with the music or volume which would indicate a problematic speaker.

Then there is noise that appears even when the volume is low or all the way down which is an indication of problematic electronics.

To isolate the source, switch the left and right output channels. If multiple (more than one) amplifier channels share an output from the source unit then its unlikely to be anything but the amplifier. You can follow the same procedure of reversing RCAs at both ends to isolate the source, RCA cables or amplifier.

Also, do a physical check on all connectors. Its possible that you have signal connectivity without a securely seated RCA shield.

David
Earmark Marine

[Cam003]

Listen to David@Earmark they know their stuff. and if it was not clear from david you may have low voltage on the batteries so charge them up and see if the problem persists. You have been running the stereo with the boat off and i doubt you have had a charger on it all winter so try that.

[Johnsongc]

Gents,

Thank you for the replies. I have had a charger on the battery a few days ago and I was getting right around 10 volts last night. Could it be as simple as not having enough power? Also, I was checking the speaker wire connections with the meter and when I checked that certain speakers pos and neg, it sparked and blew the fuse in the meter. All of the other speaker wires tested normal.

All of the RCA connections looked good.

I am really confused. I think that I will start with the basics and replace the battery first, then move to the amp and redo the connections if the problem remains.

Also, just for grins, I called the guys that installed it and of course it looks like they have gone out of business. So much for that great warranty that they were going to supply. Thanks again!!
Greg

[AuMDLST]

Could be wrong but I would doubt that the "one" speaker issue is due to the battery.

[EarmarkMarine]

Greg,

I'd be concerned about the amplifier speaker terminals that blew a fuse in your meter. That's unusual to see that much current at that point. I'd get that amplifier bench checked before it damages a speaker.

David
Earmark Marine

[Johnsongc]

I was finally able to swap the speakers and isolate that it is an amp issue with that one channel. Took it in today to get tested. It is less than one year old, I hope there is a warranty on it!!

Thanks for the help. If interested I will post the problem.

Thanks again for the replies.

Best,

Greg

[TravisFling]

Who makes the amp? Kicker has been wonderful to work with. I had a problem with a channel and i sent the amp to them, they fixed it and sent it back. Problem solved. They were very easy to work with.

[Johnsongc]

So I just wrapped this up, finally. It was a Memphis amp, but since my dealer went out of business I had no way of proving that it was less than a year old and under warranty. Sooooooo, I bought a refurbished one from Audio Savings, installed it last night and am back up and running, sounding great. Memphis wanted $125 just to look at it plus cost of shipping, blah blah blah... I bought the refub for $160 with no shipping with one year warranty. I still have the old one, but not sure what to do with it. I guess the board was screwed up. Two of the channels went bad. I am wondering if someone other then Memphis can fix it. Maybe I would throw it in one of the cars??

Thanks for the help gents!!

Greg

[Johnsongc]

Help??? I put the new amp in, worked great in the garage (as my previous post indicates). Put the boat back in the water on Saturday and (wouldn't ya know it), the exact same **** problem, just a different speaker. So I am guessing that I might have a power issue somewhere that is either shorting or screwing with my amp?? I am **** frustrated and don't know where to start.

Any more thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Greg