Thank you both!
It looks like I've got some new places to check when I get home from work this afternoon.
I'm not sure how to check to see if the speakers have faded to the rear...I've been reading the little instruction booklet and it's far more complicated than the stupid-easy stereo in my truck.
Perhaps my assumption that the speakers are wired to the lights somehow is wrong, it just looks like the wires are all interrelated when I peek behind the cabinet door up there. I had no idea the wiring and connections for that is behind the fridge, but they have to be somewhere, so that's as good as any! At least it's easy to check. Unfortunately, I don't have a volt meter (I normally borrow one from my boss here at work, but he's on vacation in Alaska right now), so I can't check the lights.
Thanks for the ideas!
-Dan