Sound is only coming from one speaker
 

I went on my computer and it simply didn't come out of the right speaker. Connection is fine, I checked different audio files to make sure it wasn't just the game, then I switched audio balance completely to the right to make sure it wasn't just my imagination and it was not.

Right is the primary speaker

Sounds like a hardware problem. Namely the speaker.

Buy new speakers.

Alternatively: Try hitting it.

I would change the wires first. Probably the wires.

well think its working now, for absolutely no reason. of course now that I think about it, they are like, 6 years old. Might be time to buy new ones anyways

[edit] what about the wires? I see no breaks and its connected fine

I'm assuming these are external speakers... speaker wires tend to be really breakable and they're insulated so you can't see where the break is. If one of the speakers goes out try either moving the wire around to see if can get a connection or just replacing it completely.
Wires always look ok on the outside but unless you cut open the insulation is hard to tell.

This is what I assume Smarty means.
 

Wires age poorly and sometimes the actual wiring inside can get worn, break, etc. without any outward signs of trouble. In some appliances like toasters and what not, this can cause house fires even if the wires look ok. Which is why you are supposed to, ideally, check wires for any melting from time to time.

Changing them would be pulling them out, getting new wires, and then soldering them back in.

In my opinion, unless you have a surround sound system of some sort, it's really not worth it for computer speakers.

Unless, I guess, you're lucky enough to have speakers with wires that detach completely.

Edit: Ninja'd like a mofo.

Yes that's what I mean. And for some reason every speaker cable I have ever had was made of like pulped cardboard and they disintegrate all the time.
Depending on your setup you may not even need to solder them, if the contacts are large enough you can just wrap a new wire around, is good way to test.

well the wires pretty much never get moved, but they were like, 10 dollar speakers. Guess I will just go looking for some new ones. While topic is here anything in particular I should pay attention to while shopping for them?

I couldn't live without at least a decent 2.1 system.
 

Ah, the cheap speakers. I have a set for another machine for testing things and the random times I want to pull video on it instead of the one with the big speakers. The left speaker cut out for a while. I jiggled the wires to no avail. Then it started working again after several months.

Long story short the cheap speakers are exactly that.


As for recommendations about what to look for, that depends on what you're going for with computer speakers.