Strange Sound: Hiss & Clicks

[BoschRock]

Well, tonight I was re-arranging my room and I noticed a strange noise coming from my speakers. It was a hiss that would not go away--not when I turn the sound down or muted the sound completely--as long as the receiver was on, I could hear the sound. What's even stranger is the fact that I could hear a click in the static/hiss (it sounded similar to the sound speakers make when you have a cell phone near, just before your cell phone receives a call).

I know most speakers hiss, however, I could hear the noise from 3+ feet away.

What is wrong?! I am about to go crazy!

[Blu-Dog]

Originally Posted by BoschRock

Well, tonight I was re-arranging my room and I noticed a strange noise coming from my speakers. It was a hiss that would not go away--not when I turn the sound down or muted the sound completely--as long as the receiver was on, I could hear the sound. What's even stranger is the fact that I could hear a click in the static/hiss (it sounded similar to the sound speakers make when you have a cell phone near, just before your cell phone receives a call).

I know most speakers hiss, however, I could hear the noise from 3+ feet away.

What is wrong?! I am about to go crazy!

It could be induction noise from another set of wires - the usual culprit being AC wiring to another appliance nearby. If your speaker wires are near an appliance, this could be the problem.

It could also explain the clicking noises. If somewhere on the circuit for an AC wire you have a motorized device (a motor, a fan, something like that) or a device with a relay that opens or closes (air conditioner, room heater), it can cause noise on the AC line - and not necessarily to the one with wires near the speaker wires. As long as it's on, it will cause inductance.

Also, take a look at how your wires are managed near the receiver and equipment stack itself. Make sure you don't have speaker wires wrapped around AC wires for your equipment - keep them as separated as possible. Don't bundle them together for neatness.

Finally, the condition of all wires should be checked. Loose or poor connections can cause noise with the speaker wires themselves - and if they're thin, they can have limited connectivity.

You also want to check the conditions of all of your connectors from your equipment - especially RCA connectors from DVD's, tape units, etc. One good test is to disconnect them one at at time, see if bad cables are sending spurious signals to your receiver.

Good luck - I just went through this a couple of months ago, turned out to be speaker wires too close to power cords.

[BoschRock]

Originally Posted by Blu-Dog

It could be induction noise from another set of wires - the usual culprit being AC wiring to another appliance nearby. If your speaker wires are near an appliance, this could be the problem.

It could also explain the clicking noises. If somewhere on the circuit for an AC wire you have a motorized device (a motor, a fan, something like that) or a device with a relay that opens or closes (air conditioner, room heater), it can cause noise on the AC line - and not necessarily to the one with wires near the speaker wires. As long as it's on, it will cause inductance.

Also, take a look at how your wires are managed near the receiver and equipment stack itself. Make sure you don't have speaker wires wrapped around AC wires for your equipment - keep them as separated as possible. Don't bundle them together for neatness.

Finally, the condition of all wires should be checked. Loose or poor connections can cause noise with the speaker wires themselves - and if they're thin, they can have limited connectivity.

You also want to check the conditions of all of your connectors from your equipment - especially RCA connectors from DVD's, tape units, etc. One good test is to disconnect them one at at time, see if bad cables are sending spurious signals to your receiver.

Good luck - I just went through this a couple of months ago, turned out to be speaker wires too close to power cords.

Thanks for your input, Blu-Dog. I tried what you've suggested, but it seems the problem still persists.

I called Sony and they gave me some ideas, which also didn't seem to stop the issues. Finally, they said it may be a defective unit and gave me a number to a local company that will fix the AVR under the Sony warranty.

[TENSE]

your screwed pal!

[JJ]

Originally Posted by TENSE

your screwed pal!

??

[BoschRock]

Originally Posted by JJxiv1215

??

I had no idea what he meant by that.