How to measure power to speakers

vmaxer

Is there a easy way to measure the power going to your speakers with a decent multimeter?? I am trying to trace the cause of one of my speakers playing louder than the other and want to ensure thay are getting the same output from the amp.

quadzilla

If you're using a multimeter, I'd just run a continuous sine wave and measure the voltage at each speaker. But if the speakers have multiple drivers, it's also possible that a single driver is out. I know that happened to me after I pushed a 1000 watts into each of my RTi12s.

Bubinga99

How about just swapping the speaker wires

DarqueKnight

quadzilla wrote: »

If you're using a multimeter, I'd just run a continuous sine wave and measure the voltage at each speaker. But if the speakers have multiple drivers, it's also possible that a single driver is out. I know that happened to me after I pushed a 1000 watts into each of my RTi12s.

Bubinga99 wrote: »

How about just swapping the speaker wires

These are good suggestions. You will need to use a test tone because music varies too much in sound level and frequency and it causes too much instantaneous variation in the speaker's impedance.

Another thing to consider is that there could be some acoustic imbalance in the room (wall proximity, furniture placement, etc.) that causes one speaker to seem louder than the other.

There might also be an imbalance in the outputs of your preamplifier, source, or amplifier. Some small variation in output level between the channels of a stereo amp is not unusual, but when the difference is audible, some adjustment should be made. Channel imbalances in source components are rare. Balance controls in preamps sometimes develop more noise in one channel than the other.

You might also have a combination of two or more of room acoustic effects, source channel imbalance, preamp channel imbalance, amp channel imbalance, and something wrong inside the speaker.:(

Problems with the source or preamp can be ruled out (or in) just by switching sources or switching preamps.

To determine if there is any imbalance in your amplifier channels. Use a sine wave test tone and measure the output voltage at both channels with either an 8 ohm resistor or the same speaker used for loading.

If the amp output levels are close to each other, connect each speaker in turn to a single amp channel. Measure the output voltage with each speaker connected and use a sound level meter to measure the sound output at the same distance in front of each speaker. To negate any possible room effects, measure each speaker at the same location in the room.

If the amp tests ok and the speakers test ok, swap the location of the speakers to see if the louder speaker becomes the quieter speaker while both are playing the test tone.

If the amp is ok and one speaker is actually much louder than the other, then you will need to test the lower volume speaker's drivers. Hopefully it will be a driver issue and not something wrong with the crossover.

Tracing the source of sound level imbalances is about as much fun as tracing the source of a ground loop. They both are only slightly less aggravating than a mild toothache.

Have fun.

vmaxer

Thanks a lot DK, Bubinga99, and quadzilla....:)

I would prefer the mild toothache any day as this isn't any fun at all to me.:o

Hopefully, I can do this over the week-end, it has been bothering me for a while.

tonyb

Could also be as simple as having the plastic coating from the speaker wire inside the speaker connection. Check both ends,speaker and amp.

hearingimpared

vmaxer wrote: »

Thanks a lot DK, Bubinga99, and quadzilla....:)

I would prefer the mild toothache any day as this isn't any fun at all to me.:o

Hopefully, I can do this over the week-end, it has been bothering me for a while.

I don't envy that job.

quadzilla

Based on what DK and Tony just said, another thought has occurred to me. What are you using for speaker wire termination? Bare wire? Spades? Bananas? Could those be damaged? Or was anything heavy rolled over/put on the speaker cable which could have damaged the cable itself by breaking the conductor?

crogers227

I had to do the same thing and it took me two days of messing with it a little each day to realize one of my banana clips was causing the problem. I dont envy you one bit. Good luck.

vmaxer

quadzilla wrote: »

Based on what DK and Tony just said, another thought has occurred to me. What are you using for speaker wire termination? Bare wire? Spades? Bananas? Could those be damaged? Or was anything heavy rolled over/put on the speaker cable which could have damaged the cable itself by breaking the conductor?

I bought a set of PNF Audio cables a 2 - 3 months ago with bananas and haven't damaged them. I had the problem before the change also??

Thanks for the tips, I will also check them.