Popping Sound with loud noises

[godfreja]

Hello.

Last night I hooked up my new LG-BD390 player and watched the first Pirates of Caribbean movie. Overall, it was a pretty good experience, but on occasion when there were loud noises I got a loud popping sound out of my front speakers (almost more like a crack then pop.) Cannon shots were a prime culprit. If I turned down the volume it would get better, and if low enough go away.

My stereo is a Sony STR-DE835 rated for 100 watts per channel, which are hooked up to Infinity RS-5's rated for up to 200 watts. That makes me doubt that I am overdriving the speakers. One thought I had was that I was clipping at the receiver. However, I still had a ways I could turn up the volume knob (probably not a good measure of headroom for the receiver, but enough to make me wonder.)

My player is hooked up to the receiver with analog cables, if that makes a difference.

Any thoughts on what could be going on?

Thanks

[Fors*]

Originally Posted by godfreja

Hello.

Last night I hooked up my new LG-BD390 player and watched the first Pirates of Caribbean movie. Overall, it was a pretty good experience, but on occasion when there were loud noises I got a loud popping sound out of my front speakers (almost more like a crack then pop.) Cannon shots were a prime culprit. If I turned down the volume it would get better, and if low enough go away.

My stereo is a Sony STR-DE835 rated for 100 watts per channel, which are hooked up to Infinity RS-5's rated for up to 200 watts. That makes me doubt that I am overdriving the speakers. One thought I had was that I was clipping at the receiver. However, I still had a ways I could turn up the volume knob (probably not a good measure of headroom for the receiver, but enough to make me wonder.)

My player is hooked up to the receiver with analog cables, if that makes a difference.

Any thoughts on what could be going on?

Thanks

You are probably right that it's something to do with the receiver, but not really the volume level. What setting in the receiver do you have the speakers set at? I am talking about whether they are set as "Large" or "small" and at what db level and the crossover as well. These things can add undue hardship if not properly set-up and really make your fronts overwork and perhaps clip. Did you use the auto-calibration set-up that most receivers have? If you did and made no changes to it afterwards, a lot of time the auto-calibration set-ups will set your fronts to "Large" which would send the low frequencies that should go to the sub only, to your fronts as well. This could be why the cannon shots is when you heard the "popping", as that signal that should be provided to the sub only is being pushed out to your fronts too.

[Woody]

Since you are running analog cables to your receiver, you need to go into the setup menu of you BR player and see if you can change your speaker settings to "small".

What you are describing clearly sounds like your receiver clipping.

[Twitch9]

To me it sounds like you may have blown 1 or possible both speakers, or the woofers have torn away from the magnet, i would open the up the speakers and check them as well.

[DarkDune]

Originally Posted by godfreja

Hello.

Last night I hooked up my new LG-BD390 player and watched the first Pirates of Caribbean movie. Overall, it was a pretty good experience, but on occasion when there were loud noises I got a loud popping sound out of my front speakers (almost more like a crack then pop.) Cannon shots were a prime culprit. If I turned down the volume it would get better, and if low enough go away.

My stereo is a Sony STR-DE835 rated for 100 watts per channel, which are hooked up to Infinity RS-5's rated for up to 200 watts. That makes me doubt that I am overdriving the speakers. One thought I had was that I was clipping at the receiver. However, I still had a ways I could turn up the volume knob (probably not a good measure of headroom for the receiver, but enough to make me wonder.)

My player is hooked up to the receiver with analog cables, if that makes a difference.

Any thoughts on what could be going on?

Thanks

I had this happen on our Center Channel a few weeks back. Turned out that one of the leads inside the speaker was loose. Tightening the screws, etc fixed it. Check the speakers first, then the receiver. If you don't think you know what you're doing, get them serviced.

[prerich]

Originally Posted by godfreja

Hello.

Last night I hooked up my new LG-BD390 player and watched the first Pirates of Caribbean movie. Overall, it was a pretty good experience, but on occasion when there were loud noises I got a loud popping sound out of my front speakers (almost more like a crack then pop.) Cannon shots were a prime culprit. If I turned down the volume it would get better, and if low enough go away.

My stereo is a Sony STR-DE835 rated for 100 watts per channel, which are hooked up to Infinity RS-5's rated for up to 200 watts. That makes me doubt that I am overdriving the speakers. One thought I had was that I was clipping at the receiver. However, I still had a ways I could turn up the volume knob (probably not a good measure of headroom for the receiver, but enough to make me wonder.)

My player is hooked up to the receiver with analog cables, if that makes a difference.

Any thoughts on what could be going on?

Thanks

Are they RS-5 (the ones with the Emit tweeters and wide baffles or are they the slim floorstanders)? Either way it goes do you have a subwoofer - if not, you are making the bass drivers bottom out. I would also go with a better receiver - especially if they are the RS-5's with Emit's - they are 4ohm speakers and like their juice. That's what's making the pops (bottoming out - and like Woody stated - you are possibly driving your receiver to clipping also)

[dolphinc]

Originally Posted by godfreja

Hello.

Last night I hooked up my new LG-BD390 player and watched the first Pirates of Caribbean movie. Overall, it was a pretty good experience, but on occasion when there were loud noises I got a loud popping sound out of my front speakers (almost more like a crack then pop.) Cannon shots were a prime culprit. If I turned down the volume it would get better, and if low enough go away.

My stereo is a Sony STR-DE835 rated for 100 watts per channel, which are hooked up to Infinity RS-5's rated for up to 200 watts. That makes me doubt that I am overdriving the speakers. One thought I had was that I was clipping at the receiver. However, I still had a ways I could turn up the volume knob (probably not a good measure of headroom for the receiver, but enough to make me wonder.)

My player is hooked up to the receiver with analog cables, if that makes a difference.

Any thoughts on what could be going on?

Thanks

I had a problem with the 390 last month with audio issues and my Denon 789. I returned it and bought a Samsung 3600 and I have had no problems at all. I think it may be the LG 390 needing a update.

[prerich]

Originally Posted by dolphinc

I had a problem with the 390 last month with audio issues and my Denon 789. I returned it and bought a Samsung 3600 and I have had no problems at all. I think it may be the LG 390 needing a update.

The fact that it goes away while turned down leads me to belive that the LG is not the culprit. His receiver is an old Dolby Prologic analog only model, so the what happens in his surround sound 2 channels matrixed to 5 - clearly a issue with the speakers and receiver.

[dolphinc]

Originally Posted by prerich

The fact that it goes away while turned down leads me to belive that the LG is not the culprit.

Yeah maybe, I just was so angy because I really wanted that unit. I tried 2 of them and had the same problem, my PS3 had no problem with audio full blast but the LG 390 would cut audio every 30 seconds for 3 second periods. You could set your watch to it. I now have the Samsung 3600 which has given me no problem with anything.

[prerich]

Originally Posted by dolphinc

Yeah maybe, I just was so angy because I really wanted that unit. I tried 2 of them and had the same problem, my PS3 had no problem with audio full blast but the LG 390 would cut audio every 30 seconds for 3 second periods. You could set your watch to it. I now have the Samsung 3600 which has given me no problem with anything.

Hate to get off subject, but - did you ever think that your HDMI cable (or other digital audio cable) could have been the culprit? Where did you get yours from (HDMI cables). One user corrected his problems by replacing his HDMI cable with an Audioquest cable (premium price - but it solved his problem). If you are going out optical or coax - that too could have been a problem (especially optical - my best one has been a piece of Kimber that has lasted me 14 years - retired it when I went HDMI).

[godfreja]

Thanks for all the replies.

I switched my BD player speaker settings to "Small". The problem went away, but I lost a lot of depth to the sound. Interestingly. if I send the signal digitally to my receiver the problem also seems to go away and I maintain my depth. (I have the speakers set to Large on my receiver, but they are also set to -6dB if I remember correctly.) The downside there is that I forgo the lossless audio if I use the digital link.

When I use the analog option with the speakers set to small, it sounds to me that the lows are no longer going to the front speakers, but also aren't being sent to the subwoofer either.

I wonder if I should rewire my setup so that my front speakers use the crossover circuitry in the subwoofer.

[Deciazulado]

I think the popping sound is your cones being thrown out with so much force the "woofer" on the speakers bottom out, and now with no lows going to them they can handle it. About the re-routing of the lows with different speaker settings, you could use a test disc with channel/tones to confirm if lows are being sent or not to the fronts/sub etc when you switch.