CRT magnetic disturbance

[nasachusetts]

I just recently purchased a 36" Sony Wega CRT TV and am most pleased with the quality of this TV. I have had it for a few weeks now and just today noticed the color halos around the edges pretty stong. I do have 2 non-shielded floorstanding speakers both a little over 1 foot away from it. I immeditely moved the away from the TV but the halos were still there. I also have a shielded center speaker that sits on top of it so I moved that also, however, when I took it off the halo got stronger along the top of the screen. I turned off the set for a few minutes and then turned it back on and the picture was back to normal again. I put back the all the speakers and the picture was still fine. Does anyone know what happened? If I look at just a white screen I can still see a little hint of where the halos were but it isn't as obvious as it was for that moment. I thought it had to have been the speakers but I didn't have any trouble the whole time since I've had it and as I've said before the picture is fine now. Would you recommend that I buy expensive magnetically shielded floor speakers? Also, has anyone used a degaussing coil before? Do they work or would I risk permanently damaging the screen? I love this TV and I am not planning on moving to LCD or plasma anytime soon. Trinitron CRT's have a superior picture over any new format in my opinion the 16x9 enhanced option on this unit is amazing and is comparable to alot of HD sets that I've seen. Sorry for rambling on. Thanks for any help you may offer me in advance.

 

[TLS Guy]

I just recently purchased a 36" Sony Wega CRT TV and am most pleased with the quality of this TV. I have had it for a few weeks now and just today noticed the color halos around the edges pretty stong. I do have 2 non-shielded floorstanding speakers both a little over 1 foot away from it. I immeditely moved the away from the TV but the halos were still there. I also have a shielded center speaker that sits on top of it so I moved that also, however, when I took it off the halo got stronger along the top of the screen. I turned off the set for a few minutes and then turned it back on and the picture was back to normal again. I put back the all the speakers and the picture was still fine. Does anyone know what happened? If I look at just a white screen I can still see a little hint of where the halos were but it isn't as obvious as it was for that moment. I thought it had to have been the speakers but I didn't have any trouble the whole time since I've had it and as I've said before the picture is fine now. Would you recommend that I buy expensive magnetically shielded floor speakers? Also, has anyone used a degaussing coil before? Do they work or would I risk permanently damaging the screen? I love this TV and I am not planning on moving to LCD or plasma anytime soon. Trinitron CRT's have a superior picture over any new format in my opinion the 16x9 enhanced option on this unit is amazing and is comparable to alot of HD sets that I've seen. Sorry for rambling on. Thanks for any help you may offer me in advance.

Your speakers' magnets are magnetizing the CRT. It sounds as if your TV has degaussing coils that are activated on start up of the TV. This has improved the situation for now, however there is evidence of residual magnetization of the CRT. I doubt an external degausser would be very effective. You need a high AC field round the tube electrodes to do any good. Above all stop creating the problem.

Why are your mains so close to the TV? For best sound and spatial effect, the mains should be at least 8 ft apart and preferably 10ft. If they are that far apart they won't magnetize the CRT. If you refuse to space them away from the TV then you will have to put shields on the speaker magnets. The other option is to change speakers or TV

 

[Exit]

I had rainbows on my CRT from a speaker about a foot away too. Rainbows are definitely related to the presence of magnetic fields. You should move your unshielded speakers away from the TV or consider getting shielded speakers if you want to stay with a CRT. As far as I have read there is no practical way to shield existing speaker magnets yourself. The shielding has to be built in by the manufaturer of the speaker.

 

[j_garcia]

If you leave the speakers there for any length of time, the damage to your set will become permanent.

 

[billy p]

I just recently purchased a 36" Sony Wega CRT TV and am most pleased with the quality of this TV. I have had it for a few weeks now and just today noticed the color halos around the edges pretty stong. I do have 2 non-shielded floorstanding speakers both a little over 1 foot away from it. I immeditely moved the away from the TV but the halos were still there. I also have a shielded center speaker that sits on top of it so I moved that also, however, when I took it off the halo got stronger along the top of the screen. I turned off the set for a few minutes and then turned it back on and the picture was back to normal again. I put back the all the speakers and the picture was still fine. Does anyone know what happened? If I look at just a white screen I can still see a little hint of where the halos were but it isn't as obvious as it was for that moment. I thought it had to have been the speakers but I didn't have any trouble the whole time since I've had it and as I've said before the picture is fine now. Would you recommend that I buy expensive magnetically shielded floor speakers? Also, has anyone used a degaussing coil before? Do they work or would I risk permanently damaging the screen? I love this TV and I am not planning on moving to LCD or plasma anytime soon. Trinitron CRT's have a superior picture over any new format in my opinion the 16x9 enhanced option on this unit is amazing and is comparable to alot of HD sets that I've seen. Sorry for rambling on. Thanks for any help you may offer me in advance.

Before you bought your CRT display were you aware that your speakers where not magnetically shielded? If so, than you were better off buying a flat pannel because they are not effected by non shielded speakers.

My 2 cents

 

[nasachusetts]

I would move the speakers farther apart but there isn't anymore room available to do that. I guess I'll have to go speaker shopping. Does anybody know why the center speaker I have that is magnetically shielded make the halos considerably more apparent when I took it off the top? Also you are saying a degaussing coil would be useless in my case if there was any residual halos left over? That is permanent damage then?

 

[nasachusetts]

Could the magnetically shielded center speaker sitting on top of the TV possibly affect the picture? I did take it to the side of my computer monitor and it did produce rainbow effects.

 

[j_garcia]

I have my center sitting right on top of my CRT and it causes no effects. It has been there for over 2 years.

 

[Pyrrho]

Could the magnetically shielded center speaker sitting on top of the TV possibly affect the picture? I did take it to the side of my computer monitor and it did produce rainbow effects.

Unfortunately, there is no standardization for how much of a magnetic field is allowable for a "magnetically shielded" speaker. Not all speakers have the same amount of magnetic field around them. My advice for you is to move your current speakers away from the TV far enough that there is no visible effect. You can set your center channel speaker on top of something that you place on top of the TV. Or, you can place it on a shelf underneath the TV, whichever you prefer (it will probably be best to have its tweeter as close as possible to the same height as the tweeters in your right and left front speakers). You will have to experiment for yourself to find out exactly how far it must be from the set.

Unfortunately for you, the larger the CRT, usually, the more sensitive it is to magnetic interference. This is because of the way CRTs work, with magnetism being used to direct the electron beams emanating from the back of the CRT, and, generally, with larger CRTs, the distance is greater from the rear to the front, so a smaller deflection from perfection has a greater effect on the picture.

So, simply move your current speakers far enough away to have no effect, and the problem is solved. You will want to turn off the set and restart it as before, of course, but that will happen in normal use anyway.

If you do not have enough space to move your speakers far enough away, then you will need to either find a way of shielding the TV from the magnetism of them (you'll need to ask someone else about that), or you will need to replace the speakers (or TV). If you do buy new speakers to take care of this, make sure you buy locally from someone with a good return policy. Remember, there is no standardization of the amount of magnetism coming from a speaker, even if it is supposed to be "magnetically shielded", and as you can see from your supposedly "magnetically shielded" center speaker, such speakers can affect the picture.

 

[Seth=L]

I would just keep the speakers completly away from the TV for now until you can A.) get new speakers that have sheilding or in the case of the center channel, better sheilding or B.) get a non-CRT display, which might be easier.

 

[cerwinmad]

I dunno if this helps, but the samsung widescreen CRTs have a degaussing coil that is activated by unplugging the set and after 30mins, pushing the power button on remote (according to the manual). im not sure if the sonys have this feature, but maybe worth a try. ive had other CRT screens that only returned to normal after leaving it unplugged over night. also even if you can move your speakers half a foot further away it may help, try it.

 

[nasachusetts]

I would just keep the speakers completly away from the TV for now until you can A.) get new speakers that have sheilding or in the case of the center channel, better sheilding or B.) get a non-CRT display, which might be easier.

I did take away the 2 non shielded speakers from the TV and am planning on getting some shielded bookshelf speakers that I can mount on the wall far away from the screen. I am looking for a pair that would have a decent amount of pass with clear treble and midrange without costing >$150. Preferably <$100. I was looking at maybe purchasing these http://www.amazon.com/Sony-SS-B3000-Bookshelf-Speakers-Woofer/dp/B000OG6I6A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=audio-video&qid=1205546210&sr=1-1
But it doesn't say on the site if they are magnetically shielded does anyone know if they are and if they actually sound decent enough? I will have to find something for the center speaker to sit on for the time being, do they sell center speaker stands that sit on top of the TV? I am using one of those cheap KLH brand center speakers now so maybe I will upgrade that in the future as well.
Thanks for everyone's input so far it has been immensly helpful.

 

[Seth=L]

The KLH center speaker probably isn't sheilded well at all. You might as well get a matching center channel to go with those Sony's you picked out. I do think you can get better for your money on the speakers though. I am sure someone will chime in. More than likely better will be smaller, but don't equate size to quality.

 

[nasachusetts]

The KLH center speaker probably isn't sheilded well at all. You might as well get a matching center channel to go with those Sony's you picked out. I do think you can get better for your money on the speakers though. I am sure someone will chime in. More than likely better will be smaller, but don't equate size to quality.

Yeah I just did a test on the TV with the KHL and there was a difference at the corner when I lifted it off. I now have it sitting on top of a wooden box that is 6" tall on top of the TV. I have since replaced the floorspeakers with 2 of my shielded Sony surround bookshelf speakers farther away from where the old ones were. These speakers are also not really shielded that great either because I also tested it with the monitor with the same results as the KLH.

Should I not be using any of these so called magnetically shielded speakers anywhere near my set right now? Now I have all the speakers removed from the vicinity of the TV and there is still a slight greenish tint around the edges, so I am to understand that this is permanent and cannot be removed then even with a degaussing coil?

 

[Seth=L]

Yeah I just did a test on the TV with the KHL and there was a difference at the corner when I lifted it off. I now have it sitting on top of a wooden box that is 6" tall on top of the TV. I have since replaced the floorspeakers with 2 of my shielded Sony surround bookshelf speakers farther away from where the old ones were. These speakers are also not really shielded that great either because I also tested it with the monitor with the same results as the KLH.

Should I not be using any of these so called magnetically shielded speakers anywhere near my set right now? Now I have all the speakers removed from the vicinity of the TV and there is still a slight greenish tint around the edges, so I am to understand that this is permanent and cannot be removed then even with a degaussing coil?

It's possible a degaussing coil or turning the TV off then back on could restore the picture. A quick note however, turning the TV on and off repeatedly will not help, and could cause undue stress on your TV. Contact a television repair service and get an estimate for the degaussing service. Ask them if they guaranty results, and what they charge if there are no results. I hope the damage is not permanent.

Shielded speakers are better for placement next to CRT based monitors and televisions, but some of the less expensive ones aren't good for placement near or on the CRT. I have yet to own a center channel that did not interfere in some way with my TV. My solution for this is to just not have a center channel for the moment. I am perfectly happy with stereo sound. I would consider doing this and getting a good set of stereo speakers with proper shielding. Look in the used market. I am using Infinity IL10 bookshelf speakers and they blow my mind with just about everything I throw at them.

http://cgi.ebay.com/INFINITY-INTERLUDE-IL-10-Home-Theater-Stereo-Speakers_W0QQitemZ380006549605QQihZ025QQcategoryZ14991QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

There is a pair for less than $250 after shipping. Will the have the overall output of the Sonys you are considering, you might be surprised. Mine go to crushing levels in my living room, and they are about 8 feet apart and 9 feet from my listening position, so that gives you a perspective of how large the room is and how they are from the TV and my listening seat. Just to give an idea of the level of output I can get from them. I can place the Infinitys very close to the TV without affecting the picture. I can't set them "on" the TV, but I think you would be safe with such a set of speakers for stereo sound.

When properly set up you can get a very immersive sound stage with these speakers. Will it offer convincing surround sound, no, but it's a lot more involved than stereo speakers for movies and it's great for music.

 

[nasachusetts]

It's possible a degaussing coil or turning the TV off then back on could restore the picture. A quick note however, turning the TV on and off repeatedly will not help, and could cause undue stress on your TV. Contact a television repair service and get an estimate for the degaussing service. Ask them if they guaranty results, and what they charge if there are no results. I hope the damage is not permanent.

Shielded speakers are better for placement next to CRT based monitors and televisions, but some of the less expensive ones aren't good for placement near or on the CRT. I have yet to own a center channel that did not interfere in some way with my TV. My solution for this is to just not have a center channel for the moment. I am perfectly happy with stereo sound. I would consider doing this and getting a good set of stereo speakers with proper shielding. Look in the used market. I am using Infinity IL10 bookshelf speakers and they blow my mind with just about everything I throw at them.

http://cgi.ebay.com/INFINITY-INTERLUDE-IL-10-Home-Theater-Stereo-Speakers_W0QQitemZ380006549605QQihZ025QQcategoryZ14991QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

There is a pair for less than $250 after shipping. Will the have the overall output of the Sonys you are considering, you might be surprised. Mine go to crushing levels in my living room, and they are about 8 feet apart and 9 feet from my listening position, so that gives you a perspective of how large the room is and how they are from the TV and my listening seat. Just to give an idea of the level of output I can get from them. I can place the Infinitys very close to the TV without affecting the picture. I can't set them "on" the TV, but I think you would be safe with such a set of speakers for stereo sound.

When properly set up you can get a very immersive sound stage with these speakers. Will it offer convincing surround sound, no, but it's a lot more involved than stereo speakers for movies and it's great for music.

Those speakers look incredible but I really don't want to spend that kind of money on 2 speakers. Also, I used an old setup without a center speaker for years and after incorporating the center speaker, I cannot go back. Right now the discoloration is very, very subliminal, I can only see it with a white screen looking closely and that doesn't bother me. I just don't want any speakers that in the long run to end up permanently damaging my TV. I was thinking about going with this combination http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000OG6I6A/ref=pd_luc_mri?_encoding=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&v=glance and http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000OGA81Q/ref=pd_cp_e_3?pf_rd_p=250314601&pf_rd_s=center-41&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000OG6I6A&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0C5J2BENNAQ4TV18DFFM. Does anyone know how these would measure up? I would be setting the center speaker not directly on top but a few inches from the top and the front speaker at least 4 feet away. Do you think that this setup could still create long run problems? Also, does it matter if the speakers are a little more behind the TV?

 

[nasachusetts]

How about this combo? Polk Audio Monitor 40 2-Way Bookshelf Speaker
and Polk Audio Monitor Series CS1 Center Channel Speaker? Would that be substantially better that I would be able to tell a huge difference with?

 

[Seth=L]

Polk is better than Sony for speakers, by a long shot.

Also, Athena...

http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=ATLS100
http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=ATLSC100
http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=ATLS300

 

[nasachusetts]

And that combined with shipping would still be cheaper than the polk's. But which would sound better though? I see that Polk has a pretty good reputation with their speakers. I do like that curved design of the Athena's, I wonder if that really does make a difference.

 

[Seth=L]

The curved design helps to reduce cabinet resonance. I believe the Athena's are of a different level of speakers, the problem is getting them sometimes audioadviser takes their sweet time getting sold out items off their site. If you want the Athenas you need to act fast. They were much more costly than the prices they are selling them for.