Theater Center Channel Just stopped working

[Waboman]

I had to unplug and move around some stuff, including a few of my Logans. Tonight when I went to fire everything up my Theater center channel is not working. I unplugged, replugged and rebooted everything I could think of. Still nothing. I did a speaker calibration on my pre/pro. All speakers but my center channel generated white noise. I then connected my center channel output to my right channel. Low and behold it worked. I'm completely mystified. What changed by simply unplugging my Logans?

 

[JonFo]

Since you proved the Theater speaker is working by plugging it into one of the other channels, I think we can discount a problem with the speaker itself or the cabling to it.

My guess is that when you unplugged your processor, it may have defaulted its surround modes to one with a phantom center, and that's why not even the test tones will come out the center channel.
Check your processor settings for speaker layouts again.

If that's all good, and you still have no sound, then it could well be a problem in your receivers center channel amp. Check the fuses and other troubleshooting guides from you receivers owners manual.

 

[Waboman]

My guess is that when you unplugged your processor, it may have defaulted its surround modes to one with a phantom center, and that's why not even the test tones will come out the center channel.
Check your processor settings for speaker layouts again.

That's exactly how it sounds. Like it's in phantom mode. All the center channel material is being routed to the main speakers. It's all very puzzling.

 

[Waboman]

You were dead on JonFo. Thank you. After further testing and removing the fuses from my amp, the culprit is my processor. Somehow the software defaulted to a phantom mode. What's so puzzling and frustrating is that on the processors menu it's NOT in phantom mode. :banghead:

 

[JonFo]

Good to hear you got it working again.

Debugging these types of problems is tough, what with the myriad of possible settings combinations a modern system has.

Assuming something went back to defaults when unplugged is usually a safe bet when facing a head-scratcher like this.

Now sit back and enjoy the music :music: