Does anyone know of a way to check a single speaker circuit other than with a known good speaker?

lscott24

Have right front speaker with no sound.  All connections are good and cone is not frozen.  Is there a way other than having (removing one of the good ones) to check that circuit?  On a Clarion system 4 ohm if it matters.

midweste

Yes! You can use a battery to make the speaker pop. This will also check the correct polarity of the speaker wires. 

1. Find the wires going to the speaker 
2. Tape the negative speaker wire to the negative surface on the battery 
3. Take the positive speaker wire and start tapping the positive surface of the battery. 
4. Observe which direction the speaker cone is moving. If the speaker cone is moving outward when charged from the battery, the speaker wire polarity is correct. If the speaker cone sucks inward, the speaker wire polarity is reversed. 

If you don't get a response from the speaker, it may be disconnected at the rear terminals, or blown. 

I use an 18V cordless drill battery for this task, and have made a set of leads for checking speakers that are far away, or not in direct sight. A simple D cell battery will work in a pinch also. 

I hope this helps. 

MW

lscott24

Thank you both.  The battery is a great idea and a 9V works fine.  Easy to carry.  I confirmed with a good speaker as well, but also found you can check with and AC meter and it will show if the channel is putting out a signal.    In my case, it is not.