Help Requested - Clock Radio with Fuzzy Sound

[Doug]

I just found this group. Sorry to ask what is probably an elementary
question for you folks.

I have had a clock radio (digital tuner and cordless phone) for
several years. I believe that it is a "Frontgate" label - but don't
know who the manufacturer is. Pretty much all of the sudden, the
sound has gotten very fuzzy soft - and even if I crank up the volume
it is still on the softish side.

Is this normal for a (not so expensive - but not cheap) piece of
consumer electronics? I seem to recall an earlier digital clock radio
that also seemed to go "fuzzy" after several years. I got rid of that
for the radio/phone combo (in order to reduce the clutter on the night
stand).

If this is "normal", is there a better manufacturer of clock radios
out there that won't have this behavior? Or should I just plan on
replacing my clock radio every 5 years or so.

thanks
doug.

 

[hr(bob) [email protected]]

I just found this group. Sorry to ask what is probably an elementary
question for you folks.

I have had a clock radio (digital tuner and cordless phone) for
several years. I believe that it is a "Frontgate" label - but don't
know who the manufacturer is. Pretty much all of the sudden, the
sound has gotten very fuzzy soft - and even if I crank up the volume
it is still on the softish side.

Is this normal for a (not so expensive - but not cheap) piece of
consumer electronics? I seem to recall an earlier digital clock radio
that also seemed to go "fuzzy" after several years. I got rid of that
for the radio/phone combo (in order to reduce the clutter on the night
stand).

If this is "normal", is there a better manufacturer of clock radios
out there that won't have this behavior? Or should I just plan on
replacing my clock radio every 5 years or so.

thanks
doug.

Unfortunately, this is the case any more with many consumer
electronics... In some respects, you are lucky it has lasted as long
as it has. We are living in a throw-away society, parts for repairing
that type of electronics are more costly than replacing the entire
unit, assuming you can even get the parts any more.

I use Consumer Reports as a somewhat reliable source of reliability
information, but for the no-name brands, you are taking a crap-shoot.

Good luck with your next thow of the dice.

H. R. (Bob) Hofmann

 

[James Sweet]

I just found this group. Sorry to ask what is probably an elementary
question for you folks.

I have had a clock radio (digital tuner and cordless phone) for
several years. I believe that it is a "Frontgate" label - but don't
know who the manufacturer is. Pretty much all of the sudden, the
sound has gotten very fuzzy soft - and even if I crank up the volume
it is still on the softish side.

Is this normal for a (not so expensive - but not cheap) piece of
consumer electronics? I seem to recall an earlier digital clock radio
that also seemed to go "fuzzy" after several years. I got rid of that
for the radio/phone combo (in order to reduce the clutter on the night
stand).

If this is "normal", is there a better manufacturer of clock radios
out there that won't have this behavior? Or should I just plan on
replacing my clock radio every 5 years or so.

thanks
doug.

Well stuff like that is a crapshoot, though fuzzy sound could be something
simple like a cracked solder joint if it happened suddenly. You might also
check to see if some bits of crud fell down into the speaker, they usually
face up and a few crumbs of something can make it sound nasty.

 

[Trevor Wilson]

I just found this group. Sorry to ask what is probably an elementary
question for you folks.

I have had a clock radio (digital tuner and cordless phone) for
several years. I believe that it is a "Frontgate" label - but don't
know who the manufacturer is. Pretty much all of the sudden, the
sound has gotten very fuzzy soft - and even if I crank up the volume
it is still on the softish side.

Is this normal for a (not so expensive - but not cheap) piece of
consumer electronics? I seem to recall an earlier digital clock radio
that also seemed to go "fuzzy" after several years. I got rid of that
for the radio/phone combo (in order to reduce the clutter on the night
stand).

If this is "normal", is there a better manufacturer of clock radios
out there that won't have this behavior? Or should I just plan on
replacing my clock radio every 5 years or so.

**Mechanical switches and electrolytic caps, would be my first suspects.

 

[Arfa Daily]

**Mechanical switches and electrolytic caps, would be my first suspects.

Or the speaker itself. If it has an earphone socket, might be worth plugging
one in just to see how it sounds on that.

Arfa

 

[Sam Goldwasser]

Unfortunately, this is the case any more with many consumer
electronics... In some respects, you are lucky it has lasted as long
as it has. We are living in a throw-away society, parts for repairing
that type of electronics are more costly than replacing the entire
unit, assuming you can even get the parts any more.

It could just be the loudspeaker or a bad connection and they are both
worth checking out. If it's relatively new, then most of the electronics
is probably one or two chips.

--- sam | Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/
Repair | Main Table of Contents: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/
+Lasers | Sam's Laser FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/lasersam.htm
| Mirror Sites: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/F_mirror.html

Important: Anything sent to the email address in the message header above is
ignored unless my full name AND either lasers or electronics is included in the
subject line. Or, you can contact me via the Feedback Form in the FAQs.

 

[Doug]

Thanks to all of you for resonding.

I have taken some compressed air and blew out any dust (especially off
the speaker) to no avail. I'm not too electronically inclined, but I
have been known to heat up a soldering iron on one or two occasions.
I'll check for loose connections tonight.

doug

 

[Fred McKenzie]

I have taken some compressed air and blew out any dust (especially off
the speaker) to no avail.

Doug-

As Trevor suggested, there could be a leaky electrolytic capacitor in
the audio amplifier, possibly one connecting the speaker to the
amplifier.

Could liquid have been spilled into the speaker? If the speaker cone
had warped, the voice coil might be rubbing against the magnet's pole
piece. It is possible to apply pressure to a speaker cone in such a way
that you can feel it rubbing (or not) to see if that might be what
causes the fuzzy sound.

Fred

 

[Sam Goldwasser]

Thanks to all of you for resonding.

I have taken some compressed air and blew out any dust (especially off
the speaker) to no avail. I'm not too electronically inclined, but I
have been known to heat up a soldering iron on one or two occasions.
I'll check for loose connections tonight.

If you have any sort of small loudspeaker kicking around (like a PC
speaker), it would be worth substituting it or even just jumpering it
in parallel with the internal speaker to see if sounds any better.

--- sam | Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/
Repair | Main Table of Contents: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/
+Lasers | Sam's Laser FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/lasersam.htm
| Mirror Sites: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/F_mirror.html

Important: Anything sent to the email address in the message header above is
ignored unless my full name AND either lasers or electronics is included in the
subject line. Or, you can contact me via the Feedback Form in the FAQs.