How To Fix A Stereo Receiver That S Not Making Sound

But don’t toss your remote at the wall just yet. Instead, try these troubleshooting tips to get your brand new sound system up and working.

Causes of a Stereo Receiver Not Making Sound

Silent stereos are usually caused by low power, a wrong source selection, disconnected or faulty speaker wires, broken speakers, or a malfunctioning source component. However, similar to diagnosing a defective speaker channel, troubleshooting a stereo system that’s not producing sound begins by isolating the problem—a problem that usually isn’t revealed until the corresponding fix has been tried. That’s why it’s important to proceed through these troubleshooting steps in the proper order. The following steps will help guide you through the most common problems. Remember to always turn off the power to the system and components before connecting or disconnecting cables and wires. Then turn the power back on after each step to check for correct operation. Be sure to leave the volume low, lest you blast your ears once the audio is on.

How to Fix a Stereo Receiver That’s Not Making Sound

This should take around 30 minutes and can be done by anyone with basic receiver knowledge. Confirm that all units in the system, including any power strips or surge protectors, are able to turn on. If something doesn’t power up, test it with another outlet that you know functions properly. If all source components are good, connect them back into the original receiver and set them to play some input. Toggle through each input source on the stereo receiver one by one. If the receiver works with some input sources but not others, the cables connecting the component to the receiver could be the problem. Replace any suspect cables and try the original component again.