Speakers or earphone socket — worth telling apart
If the sound through headphones is perfect and only the speakers are silent, the audio circuit is fine and the speakers are the fault. If headphones are also affected, or the socket only works when the cable is held at an angle, that is the earphone jack instead. One test splits the two.
- Perfect headphone sound narrows the fault to the speakers themselves
- No headphone sound points at the audio circuit or the socket instead
- A socket that needs wiggling is a socket fault, not a speaker fault
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2 business days
Typical turnaround
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Free assessment
Both outputs tested separately
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3-month warranty
Parts and labour
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C$70–C$130
Depending on the cause
Speakers, priced by how much has failed
Fitted prices including the part and the labour. If the audio circuit turns out to be at fault instead, the third row is the one that applies and we will say so up front.
| Fault | Fitted price |
|---|---|
| One speaker Only one side has failed | C$70 |
| Both speakers The usual answer — and the second one adds very little to the work | C$95 |
| Audio circuit, board level Speakers and socket are both sound and there is still no audio | C$130 |
Audio is one of the few faults where the honest answer is often the middle row: the console is open anyway, so doing both speakers costs less than coming back for the second one later.
How we diagnose it
Four steps, and the first one is usually enough to tell you what you are dealing with before anything is opened.
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Step 1:Confirm where the sound stops
Speakers and headphones are tested separately. That one result separates the audio circuit from the socket, and each speaker from the other.
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Step 2:Measure each speaker
Both speakers are measured for continuity and resistance. A speaker reading open has failed; one reading correctly is not the cause and will not be replaced.
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Step 3:Replace and reassemble
Speakers are replaced as a pair where the second one is being done while the console is open. Board-level work only happens when the measurements call for it.
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Step 4:Test across the range
Audio is tested quietly and loudly, and through headphones. A speaker that has partly failed can sound perfectly normal at low volume.
Check the game's own volume first
Games carry their own audio settings, and a game slider left at zero looks exactly like a broken speaker — including in the menus, if the game is still running in the background. Volume up, nothing in the headphone socket, and the game's own level checked. It takes a minute and it is occasionally the whole answer.
- A game left at zero volume mutes the console as long as it is running
- Nothing in the headphone socket — the console routes audio there when it detects a plug
- If sound works in the dock but not handheld, that is the speakers rather than a setting
Speaker questions
Sound works with headphones. Does that mean the speakers are broken?
Almost always, yes. Headphones use the same audio circuit but a different output, so perfect headphone sound narrows the fault to the speakers themselves — which is the cheaper half of the possibilities.
Headphones are not working either. Is it still the speakers?
No. If neither output works, the fault is more likely in the audio circuit or the earphone socket, which is a different repair. Bring it in and the measurements tell us which, rather than us guessing and charging you for it.
A speaker only crackles occasionally. Is that worth fixing?
Yes — a crackling speaker is one that is failing, and it does not recover on its own. Replacing it now, while it is the cheap row, is better than replacing it later when the fault has had time to spread onto the board.
One speaker works and one does not. Do I have to replace both?
No, but it is usually worth it. The console is already open, so the second speaker adds very little, and the two tend to fail together because they fail from the same cause.
The sound stopped after a spill. Can it be fixed?
Often yes. Liquid damages speakers and the board around them, and which of those it reached decides the price. It is worth the assessment because the cheaper outcome is a real one.
Could this be a software problem rather than hardware?
Occasionally. A game's own audio setting and a corrupted update can both mute a console, which is why we check the game level and the headphone socket before opening anything. If those are clean, the hardware test settles it.
Tell us whether headphones work
Whether sound comes out of headphones is the single most useful thing you can tell us, because it splits the fault in half. Plug a pair in, then get in touch — the assessment is free.
No Fix, No Fee. Walk in at our Oakville workshop during opening hours, or send it to us.