Possible dead speakers
 

We just bought a 98 Blazer 4x4 and the driver's side speakers don't work. The passenger speakers are working fine. I think its just odd that the dash and both doors don't work on one side. Is it just coincidence that the entire side is blown or is there some connection on the back of the radio that could be the problem. FWIW, its the stock CD with cassette on the console.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

It's not impossible for there to be a connection problem, however it is doubtful. The easiest speaker to get to is the dash one. Pull it out and check if with an ohm meter if you have one, if not do a pop test on it with a AA battery. If it measures some few ohms or makes a popping sound then there could be some kind of connection problem. If not try connecting another speaker to the wires temporarily and see if it plays. That will just about tell you which problem it is.

The factory speakers are well known for just deciding to quit working. When I got my Jimmy both back speakers didn't work and they were both bad.

it could be how the balance is set on the radio. not necessarily the speakers. check the balance and make sure that the knob is not split and giving you a false indication of where it would be set.
just my .02

Thanks guys. As far as testing, I don't know how to do anything electric. Don't have the tools for it either. I can do mechanical stuff but am a total noob when it comes to that. I'll see what I can manage to do to test it or just swap it out.

As far as the knob, I took it off and can turn the metal part for balance.

Another question is what are decent, easy to install speakers that can be driven by the stock head unit? Not looking for the best possible sound. Just looking to be at least as good as the stock sound, hopefully better, but at least that "quality".

Just about anything matches the quality of stock, they're really that bad, lol.

Polk Audio DB651's, JBL GTO628's, Infinity, etc. are all brands that most guys use to replace speakers in these trucks with pretty fair results. The two I specifically mentioned will replace the door speakers. If those are more money than you were planning on spending to replace them then the Pioneer and Kicker lines that can be had at Wally World will do you just fine.

Thanks. I'll look into those.

ha! i have the exact same year/model truck with exact same prob with speakers. havent bothered testing anything but I assume its dead speakers. My .02 if your happy with stock H.U. look at pioneers for budget option, I put em into my cavy and was happy with sound even with big subs.