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Question:

Is my top speaker blown on my tower speaker?

I have two big speakers that each have a two speakers inside of them with a total of four speakers with both big speakers. These speakers were originally TV sound system speakers, but I wanted to use them for my laptop. So I have their speaker wire in an amplifier and then I have the amplifier hooked up to my computer with a red and white cable to stereo output jack. When I play some music only the bottom speakers work, so that makes only two speakers out of four speakers working. I have also tested it on my iPod so I know that its not just my computer. So is it maybe a problem with my cable? Or are those two top speakers just blown? All my connections are good and I get good sound.Thanks for any answers in advance?

Answer:

That sounds very exciting. But I am not going to answer with high end audio name dropping. You will probably get every upper-middle class manufacturer's name in your answers, and a few obscure upper class names that you've never heard of. Bose is a cuss word with most audiophiles, largely because their mainstream marketing and popularity creates the hype. The only way to do this right, identify value, and be truly happy with the components that you purchase for this project is to do the footwork and research yourself. Go to electronic showrooms, large and small, and listen to their floor models. Loud. That's what they're there for. I do believe that you will find speakers from Polk audio, Klipsch, Acoustic Designs, etc. have a flatter (more flat) frequency response than Bose. This means that the speaker is better understanding that a speaker's goal to be perfect means exact reproduction of an audio signal, equal in all frequencies. Combine this quality with power handling, and you have an expensive speaker. But you may prefer the sound of Bose. Their speakers frequency response curve is not an accident, mistake, or coincidence. Only your ears can tell. Good luck!
I am kind of shooting from the hip here; I could tell you more if I could see them so this is largely assumption. Firstly, it is doubtful that the speakers are blown. The likelihood that two identical speakers would go out at the same time is extremely low. Secondly, I believe that what you are referring two as a big speaker with little speakers inside of them are actually two three-way speakers. Now, a three-way speaker uses a tweeter to produce high-frequency sound, a woofer to produce mid-range frequencies, and a woofer to produce low frequencies (in a two-way speaker a single woofer produces the low and mid-range frequencies). Now, to the possible problem. From your description of your hook-ups, I find it a little suspect. It being that this configuration would cause the speakers to work the way they were designed. There is little you could do to resolve the problem short of finding another way to attach your speakers to your computer. Also, stereo outputs are rather old-school and were not intended to be used with even TV speakers. They simply do not have the capacity to transfer enough information to the speakers. Finally, the speakers may be rated TruSurround speakers. Which means that these speakers are designed to, albeit poorly, simulate a surround sound experience with just two speakers. If this were the case, then those top speakers will only work with inputs that exceed stereo. Because in a stereo setup, only two speakers function, the left and right fronts. The two top speakers on your TV speakers may be designed to reproduce the rear signals. Therefore, they simply have nothing to reproduce when attached to a stereo source.

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