Issue with binding post terminal

[SameName]

I have a pair of Audioengine P4 (passive speakers) I use in a spare room. I have an issue where one of the speakers goes in and out. To get it to work again, I have to press on the binding post terminal. It sometimes will work for a few minutes until it goes out again. Sometimes I’d have to hold my finger on the speakers for them to work at all. It’s not a wire connection issue. I’ve plugged and unplugged dozens of times and even pulled out the binding post terminal from the speaker to see if I could see anything loose.

Any thoughts on what the issue is and how I would fix it? Maybe something just needs to be re-soldered?

 

[swechsler]

First thing I'd do is remove the binding post and connect the speakers wires directly to the internal wires using a clip lead (i.e. a wire with an alligator clip on each end). If that works, then the problem is with the posts themselves. If that doesn't solve the problem, my next step would be to pull the crossover (which will probably necessitate removing the woofer) and make sure all connections are good, and probably reflow the wire connections to the crossover. There's no one pat answer here, but assuming that the entire speaker is going out (rather than just the woofer), and assuming you've swapped the left and right speakers to rule out anything else, it's very likely to be one of those.

 

[SameName]

Awesome, thank you. Will give that a try. I've never done much work on speakers but done plenty of dismantling/rebuilding of turntables and other audio equipment so should be able to figure it out.

 

[RTally]

What kind of binding posts are they using? Pics would help. Are they plastic, metal, accept banana plugs, etc. What type of cables are you using - prefab or DIY?

Since you say you plugged and unplugged multiple times, I assume you are talking about banana plugs. If so, I suggest making a direct wire connection instead of using banana plugs. You may also wish to switch speaker cables between the speakers to see if the issue stays with the speaker or moves with the cables.

 

[SameName]

What kind of binding posts are they using? Pics would help. Are they plastic, metal, accept banana plugs, etc. What type of cables are you using - prefab or DIY?

Since you say you plugged and unplugged multiple times, I assume you are talking about banana plugs. If so, I suggest making a direct wire connection instead of using banana plugs. You may also wish to switch speaker cables between the speakers to see if the issue stays with the speaker or moves with the cables.

Thanks RTally, I've plugged via direct wire connection and tried banana plugs. I don't think it's that. I've also switched speaker wire multiple times. I'm certain it's something wrong inside the speaker. The binding posts are gold plated as seen below. Thanks again!

 

[the skipper]

It looks like by removing four screws you can gain access to the speaker's guts.

Try connecting the speaker wire to the inside connection of the binding posts and see what happens.