There is nothing most frustrating than when you try to impress your friends with your audio system noticed that there isn’t any sound coming from speakers but the amp is on. So, I was wondering what the issue is. I did check many ways to get this bad boy to works and here’s what I found.
So, why is there no sound coming from my speakers but the amp is on? Reasons why are:
- The speakers are blown
- The fuse on your amp is blown
- The speaker jack is not plugged in correctly
- The amp is on the wrong input
Each of these issues requires its own solution, but they’re fairly easy to fix.
Below I’ll explain step by step how to check and fix these issues so that you can get your speakers working again.
How Do I Get Sound Through My Speakers?
In order to isolate what’s causing the issue, you may have to try a few things, or you might get lucky and the first thing you try will fix it. Here are the different issues that could be causing it and how to fix them in order of difficulty:
| Issue | Difficulty to test and fix |
| Speakers are blown | Easy |
| The fuse on your amp is blown | Medium |
| The speaker jack is not plugged in correctly | Very easy |
| The amp is on the wrong input | Very easy |
1. The speakers are blown
Your speakers can blow if they were turned up too loud. Or, there was a power surge
How to fix it
To test whether your speakers are blown you should plug some headphones into your amp. Take out the jack point where your speakers are plugged in, and plug your headphones in. In a car stereo, you plug your headphones into the AUX port.
Standard in-ear headphones will work, and this will tell you whether it’s your speakers which are causing the issue. Or whether it’s something to do with your amp.
If you are getting sound through your headphones, then something is wrong with your speakers. They could either be blown, or the connection could be loose.
Why it happened
According to LedgerNote.com , the most common reason your speaker could be blown is if you played them too loud.
Each speaker has a recommended maximum volume. To stop your speaker from blowing you shouldn’t play the volume too loud. Generally, if the volume feels uncomfortable, then it’s too loud for your speakers, and you’ll run the risk of blowing them.
But, you might have left the volume up on a high volume when you turned it off. If you start playing speakers on a high volume when they just turn on it can damage them.
It’s always best to play them on a low volume for a minute or so to warm them up, and then slowly turn the volume up.
There are a few signs that your speakers are blown, or will blow soon. These are:
- The cone is torn
- You get distortion
You may notice the cone is torn. And prior to them not working at all, you might have noticed you are getting distortion even at low volumes.
2. The fuse in your amp is blown
Working with fuses is very dangerous, and you need to make sure that there is no power going to the amp at all. There is a serious danger of being electrocuted and I accept no responsibility for any injury or damage to your speakers.
It’s always best to talk to a licensed electrician or audio expert before working with your fuse.
With that being said many people replace their fuses themselves, and it’s very easy to do.
To check whether the fuse is blown you need to visually inspect the fuse. The fuse is small and detachable. If the fuse is blown, you will be able to see that the internal wire is broken and there might be some ash or smoke marks where the fuse wire used to be.
In a car stereo amp, you’ll want to completely disconnect it, and before doing that you’ll want to disconnect your car battery. For a home theater amp, you’ll want to unplug your amp from the wall, and any devices that are attached to it.
How To Fix it Is No Sound Coming From The Speakers
You can’t fix a fuse, and you’ll just want to replace it with a new one. The good news is, fuses are designed to be easily replaced.
You can simply, just open up the area where the fuse is, take the damaged fuse out, and put in a new one. Each amp is different so you’ll want to take a look at the user manual for your specific model.
You can usually find them online, if you do a Google search for the make and model and type ‘manual pdf’ at the end. For example ‘Panasonic X123 manual pdf’. You might not be able to find the exact manual.
But, if you can find a similar model it will typically have the fuse in a similar spot. Or, you can work it out from there. Here’s a quick video by a gentleman that shows how to replace a blown fuse on an amp.
Why it happened
A blown fuse happens when there is too much electricity flowing through your amp. This can happen if it isn’t wired correctly, or if there was a power surge. If the fuse keeps blowing over and over you’ll want to have a professional take a look at your wiring set up or your arm.
3. Speaker jack isn’t plugged incorrectly
The speaker wires can be a bit loose, or not plugged in all the way, and therefore the audio output won’t get to your speakers, and they won’t play.
How to fix it
With the volume turned all the way down, unplug the jack point where the speaker plugs into the amp, and plug it in again. You’ll typically get a satisfying click to let you know it’s incorrectly.
Why it happened
It may have come loose if you tripped over the wire, or a pet got caught in it.
Sometimes, though the jack point can be worn out. This can happen if the end of the jack point gets bent repeatedly. This makes the inside of the wire break. You can test for this by using a different cable that connects from your speaker to your amp.
This is a bit more involved because you’ll need to disconnect the wire from the back of your speaker. Here’s a full guide about how to do that. But, it’s easier – if you have one around – to use a whole different speaker that’s already all connected.
4. The amp is on the wrong input
If your amp is on the wrong input setting you won’t get any sound from your speakers.
How to fix it
You can adjust the input in the settings for your amp. For example, if you’ve plugged your phone into your amp, and you’ve got a song playing, but it’s not playing through the speakers.
Then you should set it to ‘AUX’: AUX means auxiliary cable and will change the input of your amp to the auxiliary cable that’s plugged into it.
The usual way to change is with a button called ‘Source’. This will allow you to scroll through the different lines to put it on the right one. But, each amp can be a bit different, and if you don’t know how to change the input/source then take a look at your manual.
Amps will have different ports where you can plug a device into. Sometimes these are labeled Line 1 and Line 2.
Related questions:
How do I play sound through HDMI speakers?
To play sound through HDMI speakers you need to plug them into an amp or a receiver. Once they’re plugged into an amp you set the output to the HDMI port that they’re plugged into. For example, HDMI1 or HDMI2.
Then you set the input on your receiver or amp to the device you want to get the audio from, for example, a smartphone, or TV.
Sometimes an amp or a receiver will auto detect them. And if you can’t work it out it best to read your user manual to see how to play sound through your HDMI speakers.
How can you tell if your amp is blown?
inspecting the fuse. The fuse will be broken, and you’ll be able to see that the fuse wire is disconnected. Each amp has a different location for the fuse.
So, you’ll want to check the user manual for your amp to see where it’s located. You NEVER want to inspect the fuse without completely disconnecting from the power source. There is a very high risk of being electrocuted. Fuses are designed to be replaced and it’s very easy.
Other than that there could be an internal wiring issue, and you’ll want to have an audio specialist take a look at it.