Help, My Home Theater Speakers Don't Work

Speakers don't often break, really, they don't. But when they do you're sitting there hurting without the music. Fortunately speakers are pretty simple things, there just isn't much to them. As often as not  if you're not hearing the music it's another link in the audio chain that's causing the problem. Let's examine the flow of the audio and music in a typical home theater system first.

 

Banana plugs

1. We're going to assume that all the electronics are plugged in and receiving electricity. Right? Is your surge protector plugged in?
2. In most cases the example above where the cable, blu ray player and TV all feed into (and out of in the case of the TV) AV Receiver via an HDMI port. Check these first.
3. If any of your connections are via a RCA or Digital Optical Cable then you should check these next. 
4. After securing all the cables check the to be sure all your speaker cables are plugged in, and not touching each other. If you wear glasses, use them please. It's easy to miss one strand of speaker wire hitting an adjacent terminal and shorting out you sound. Using banana plugs helps eliminate this problem. 
5. If some of your speakers are working and others are not and the wires are correct then try swapping out the speaker from one side to the other to eliminate that it's the receiver that is malfunctioning. 
6. If the speaker sounds muffled, or tinny then one of the drivers might be out. Here's where it gets tricky. It's generally easy to replace a speaker in a cabinet but unless you purchase it from the manufacturer you risk having distinctly different sound from that speaker.

This all assumes that we're looking at an all wired system. If your surround sound speakers are wireless surrounds or you're feeding the audio or audio and video via bluetooth from a phone or tablet, you'll need to check that source as well.

I know the check list above sounds basic but you cannot imagine the number of times someone has called me and one of the above was the culprit. 

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Wireless TV Speaker for Easier Listening

If you are hearing impaired or just want to not disturb your partner while watching TV in bed at night a wireless TV speaker might be just the thing for you.

Although soundbars and sound bases sound great and can increase your ability to hear a TV from a distance, a Wireless TV speaker can sit next to you on your night stand or end table as you watch TV.

Best way to hear a TV in your bedroom at night

A portable, wireless TV speaker is often a better solution to hearing a television at night than a soundbar or even wireless headphones. Soundbars are too far away and the volume they need to be at may disturb your partner or other household members. Headphones can be uncomfortable and could wake you if you fall asleep with them on.

A portable, rechargeable TV speaker can sit in it's base by the TV and on your night stand at night offering clear, easier to hear sound without blasting out the entire house.

How do wireless TV speakers work?

Regardless of the technology used, the basic principal is a base unit takes the output from the television and sends it to the speaker across the room. If your TV is less than 30-40 feet from the speaker it will often be a bluetooth speaker, not that the technology matters that much.

Is my TV compatible with these speakers?

If your TV is less than 15 years old the answer is likely yes. You'll have either an audio in the form of a headphone jack or a pair of RCA plugs that can output the audio to the base unit.

What are the best TV wireless speakers I can get?

We could only find one pre-packaged TV audio solution we'd recommend if you're not technically inclined. That is the Serene Innovations TV portable speaker (pictured above). It does not require extra components and setup. If you have even a little savvy in the tech department you can hook up almost any bluetooth speaker using a bluetooth adapter like those shown below. It may also require some accessories.

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