Aspire 1410-2801 speaker problem. Help?

Background: I got my 1410-2801 backin the beginning of January. I couldn't be more happy with it. Awesome machine and by far the best netbook/notebook I've seen for the price-to-preformance ratio.

I've scowered the Internet and forums doing my research trying to find out a solution to the problem before starting my own thread.

Problem:
The left speaker does not work anymore. I did at one time but I recently realized that it's not working. When I go under the sound options and do the "test tone" to check the speakers both sounds, left and right, come out of the right speaker. The "right" sound is slightly louder than the "left" and both cpmming out of one speaker. Make sense? I of course tired uninstalling and reinstalling the drivers. Problem persists. I then opened up the netbook tinder if possibly the connector was out of place. Un plugged then reseated and the speaker is still not working. So I resorted to restoring the entire machine back to factory defaults. No go on the speaker working.

I've run out of ideas other than RMA'ing it. Which takes 10 days. And I know you all understand it sucks to be without your machine for more than a couple of days.

Does anyone have any ideas that I missed?

 

Try to check the balance, maybe the slider is a bit on right channel. If not then do rma...

 

Messed with that too. If I put it all the way to the left no sound. If all the way to the right sound would come out of only right. Weird... I think I'm going to have to rma...