Troubleshooting an external DAC

[dparm]

My Audinst DAC is refusing to output any sound to my speakers. The headphone jack works fine but there's no sound coming to the speakers. The speakers definitely still work.

Is there a way to use a multimeter and look for voltage or something on the speaker outputs (standard RCA jacks)? If so, what should it be?

EDIT: suddenly I'm thinking the speakers do NOT work. I bypassed the DAC or tried a different source (my phone), and even used a different cable and BOTH have no sound. They're JBL LSR2325 monitors. They are powered. I'm wondering if the unbalanced inputs are dead.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Standard RCA jacks are not speaker outputs. They are line-level outputs which typically go into an amp to get amplified, and then the amp sends it to the speakers using speaker-level outputs. Or do your speakers have built-in amps (power speakers)?

In any case, at full signal strength you should see somewhere between 0.5V to 1V on the line level outputs, I think. That's for consumer audio. Professional audio would be a little higher.

 

[jdeare]

Wouldn't you need to send a test tone to the DAC also? I would think it would be variable otherwise. Although maybe that would be OK too.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: jdeare
Wouldn't you need to send a test tone to the DAC also?

Yes, that's a given. Sorry for not spelling it out. You need to be feeding it something, loud music, test tones, something. And yes, the voltage will fluctuate depending on what it being played.

 

[dparm]

It's not the DAC. I can't even get sound out of either monitor when using a different cable or different source.

JBL Pro support says they don't know what the issue is, but thankfully there's a 5 year warranty.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Strange that both speakers went out at the same time.

 

[dparm]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Strange that both speakers went out at the same time.



Even the JBL guy said that. I have them on an APC power strip so no surge issues, and the lights are both on so the fuses aren't blown either.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Current malfunction aside, how do like those monitors? Do you run them alone or with a subwoofer?

 

[dparm]

Hah, turns out the building lost one of the power phases which would explain the odd behavior. ComEd came out, fixed it, and they work again.



The JBLs are awesome. I had a set of Mackies before and after demoing the JBLs at Guitar Center I had to have them. I'll be adding the matching sub sometime soon, hopefully.