Speaker troubleshooting

[tinobeat]

So I was gonna put this in the Audio thread, but its more of a simple fix question rather than a larger "what should I buy" kind of thing.

So:
I have a NAD 2200 power amplifier going into two Bose Model 21 bookshelf speakers. The speaker output on the power amp is one of those that could possibly be used for banana clips, but they also screw out so that you can weave the speaker wire in and screw it back in. The inputs on the speakers look like the bottom +/- (red/black) inputs on the photo below. So the way I have the speaker cable going in is that I shave a little bit of the plastic coating off the cable and have the ends go into the holes (making sure the + goes with + and the - with -). Its worked fine this way for the three years I've had the setup, but in the last 6 months or so, the left speaker has been shitting the bed. Its crackling out, and somehow related to someone's proximity to the speaker. if you walk around near the speaker, it crackles in and out, and when you're not near the speaker, it basically decides whether it wants to be on or not, and sticks with it, with small crackles in and out occasionally. So I've taken the cable out tons of times, made sure there's nothing in the way on either side, and I just can't find anything wrong. It looks just like the right speaker, which is working fine, and I can't tell whether its a) the speaker, b) the cable or c) the amp. I'm inclined to think its something with the cable, because moving it around seems to affect it, but there's no pattern I can discern (i.e. sometimes pulling up on it makes it come back, but sometimes it doesn't).

Its really annoying, though, as you can imagine, so I'm wondering if there's anything you can suggest. Is the way I'm inserting the speaker cable into the speaker dodgy? it seems it, but that's how I've always seen it done.

[the Pawnbroker]

I am no expert so my advice may be of limited value.

-what kind of cable do you have (is it rip-type cord with exposed wire at either end)?

Here is what I would do:

1. Run to www.matadorrecords.com and ask Patrick for help. Oh, wait . . . You can also try posting in the forums on www.audioasylum.com, which are usually pretty helpful.

2. Make sure there are no other electromagnetic sources nearby, such as a TV. If there are, try moving them and see if it makes any difference.

3. Disconnect everything (cable/component/speaker/everything) and reconnect as if you were setting up the system for the first time.

4. Try wiping off the exposed portion of the cable at each end. If you have enough cable length, you could cut about 1" off the end and re-strip the cable.

5. I assume you don't have a spare set of speakers or a spare cable. If you do, swap them, one at a time, and see if it makes any difference.

[tinobeat]

-what kind of cable do you have (is it rip-type cord with exposed wire at either end)?

that's the one

1. Run to www.matadorrecords.com and ask Patrick for help. Oh, wait . . . You can also try posting in the forums on www.audioasylum.com, which are usually pretty helpful.

haha.. yeah, I figured if the matador audio knowledge base couldn't help, I might try elsewhere, but we'll see. I trust you guys

4. Try wiping off the exposed portion of the cable at each end. If you have enough cable length, you could cut about 1" off the end and re-strip the cable.

I've done this once or twice, and its worked up to a point, before it craps out again.

I think I might try the "unhook everything and rewire the whole goddamn thing again" route. It looks like a bird's nest behind my components, no matter how hard I tried to keep it neat. Maybe I'll just try harder...

[Patrick]

That bird's nest has got to go. Tons of potential for short-circuits and various EMF and RF fields.

It sounds to me like something's wrong with the cable on the troublesome speaker. This should be cheap to test - just get some 50-cent per foot cable from Rat Shack or wherever and swap it in.

If that doesn't work, post again.

Patrick

[the Pawnbroker]

What sort of strategy do you recommend for addressing an audio cable birds nest? Are there any cable management systems you like?

Most of them seem way overpriced for what amounts to some twist-ties.

[tinobeat]

I'll probably take apart my system this weekend and just rewire the whole thing and add a new speaker cable, and try to be neater about it.

I figured that would be the answer, but hey, never hurts to ask...