DVE sweep reveals speaker rattle/buzz

[jostenmeat]

Can someone help me understand what I should do? I gave my HT many hours of love last night, and it had been a long time coming.

I did the rear speaker angles, readjusted PJ mount tilt/angle, plus redid zoom/scan/focus, and of course calibrated at 200hrs on the new bulb.

I ran the audio sweeps for fun and discovered my front left speaker rattles roughly between 70-110 hz! I *think* it's the speaker, anyways, lol. I will take a better physical look at the speaker later, but when I did last night, it looked perfect from the outside. Oh, the speaker is a PSB Image T55. The sweep was played at a very moderate volume. I'm going to guess perhaps at -15. Movie playback is usually higher at around -12 to -10, roughly.

Interestingly, the last sweep on the bluray calibration disc has all of the speakers running at the same time, and here there is no buzz with the front left speaker. It is only when it's the individual sweep for that channel.

I suppose I should swap left and right speakers to be sure to narrow it down to a speaker problem?

I want to know if this might mean some voice coil issue, what the worst case scenarios might be, and any other advice in diagnosing and repairing this issue.

During normal playback of movies, I have never once noticed a rattle coming from this channel. So, the system works fine for me, but obviously something is going on here.

Thanks for your time!

 

[djreef]

Can someone help me understand what I should do? I gave my HT many hours of love last night, and it had been a long time coming.

I did the rear speaker angles, readjusted PJ mount tilt/angle, plus redid zoom/scan/focus, and of course calibrated at 200hrs on the new bulb.

I ran the audio sweeps for fun and discovered my front left speaker rattles roughly between 70-110 hz! I *think* it's the speaker, anyways, lol. I will take a better physical look at the speaker later, but when I did last night, it looked perfect from the outside. Oh, the speaker is a PSB Image T55. The sweep was played at a very moderate volume. I'm going to guess perhaps at -15. Movie playback is usually higher at around -12 to -10, roughly.

Interestingly, the last sweep on the bluray calibration disc has all of the speakers running at the same time, and here there is no buzz with the front left speaker. It is only when it's the individual sweep for that channel.

I suppose I should swap left and right speakers to be sure to narrow it down to a speaker problem?

I want to know if this might mean some voice coil issue, what the worst case scenarios might be, and any other advice in diagnosing and repairing this issue.

During normal playback of movies, I have never once noticed a rattle coming from this channel. So, the system works fine for me, but obviously something is going on here.

Thanks for your time!

Sounds like one of the drivers has a loose screw, or maybe one of the internal wires is rubbing up against something, like the basket. I'd tighten everything down first and do a re-run. Sometimes it can be stuff rattling around in the room too. It just sounds like it's coming from the speaker. I had wiring in my walls making racket that I coulda swore was coming from my sub.


DJ

 

[jostenmeat]

I'd tighten everything down first and do a re-run.

Will do!

Sometimes it can be stuff rattling around in the room too. It just sounds like it's coming from the speaker. I had wiring in my walls making racket that I coulda swore was coming from my sub.

Yeah. From the LP, it sounded like it could be something in the area of the ceiling/sidewall boundary, but of course I wanted to find the source, and put my head close to the speaker while rerunning the sweep. I put my head directly in front, then sort of around the speaker, back to the front, and I think* it's the speaker. LOL.

Yeah, seems like I better swap the L and R after all. I will do that first. Then I will tighten down the "new right speaker" if the issue does indeed follow the speaker, and not the channel.

Thank you!

 

[lsiberian]

Sounds like one of the drivers has a loose screw

That's what I'd bet it is.

 

[Alex2507]

maybe one of the internal wires is rubbing up against something

The last few speakers that I have taken apart have had the wires inside foam sleeves. I guess that's why.

 

[Matt34]

Or the voice coil shield.

 

[Alex2507]

You could line your whole house with Peal & Seal.
Nothing will ever rattle ever again ... ever.

 

[highfigh]

Can someone help me understand what I should do? I gave my HT many hours of love last night, and it had been a long time coming.

I did the rear speaker angles, readjusted PJ mount tilt/angle, plus redid zoom/scan/focus, and of course calibrated at 200hrs on the new bulb.

I ran the audio sweeps for fun and discovered my front left speaker rattles roughly between 70-110 hz! I *think* it's the speaker, anyways, lol. I will take a better physical look at the speaker later, but when I did last night, it looked perfect from the outside. Oh, the speaker is a PSB Image T55. The sweep was played at a very moderate volume. I'm going to guess perhaps at -15. Movie playback is usually higher at around -12 to -10, roughly.

Interestingly, the last sweep on the bluray calibration disc has all of the speakers running at the same time, and here there is no buzz with the front left speaker. It is only when it's the individual sweep for that channel.

I suppose I should swap left and right speakers to be sure to narrow it down to a speaker problem?

I want to know if this might mean some voice coil issue, what the worst case scenarios might be, and any other advice in diagnosing and repairing this issue.

During normal playback of movies, I have never once noticed a rattle coming from this channel. So, the system works fine for me, but obviously something is going on here.

Thanks for your time!

Oure sine wave sweeps are hard for speakers to reproduce at high levels, which may explain why you heard a buzz. If it was at low SPL, you may have a bad voice coil.

 

[highfigh]

That should be 'Pure', not 'oure'.

 

[jostenmeat]

Buzz is gone. While I tightened down screws (nearly all being secure already), I noticed that the insulated 12 AWG Monoprice wire was coiled against the rear of the speaker, which I then pulled away. Since I did both of these things at the same time, I can't be sure which solved the problem, but I figure it must've been the wire.

Now, the right channel can buzz something on the left side, somewhere else in the home, heh. That I won't worry about.

Thank you all for the support, I appreciate it.

 

[valeriekee6368]

You could line your whole house with Peal & Seal.
Nothing will ever rattle ever again ... ever

 

[highfigh]

Buzz is gone. While I tightened down screws (nearly all being secure already), I noticed that the insulated 12 AWG Monoprice wire was coiled against the rear of the speaker, which I then pulled away. Since I did both of these things at the same time, I can't be sure which solved the problem, but I figure it must've been the wire.

Now, the right channel can buzz something on the left side, somewhere else in the home, heh. That I won't worry about.

Thank you all for the support, I appreciate it.

Was it the hard candy shell that was making the sound?

 

[Alex2507]

I actually have plans to add screws to my 6 1/2" drivers on my mains. A few little screws into waddled out MDF can't be enough. Sounds to me like you owe that poorly placed wire a debt of gratitude for getting you to tighten everything up. I think I can hear a smoother response in the speech discrimination band from here. Be honest, you think they sound better too, don't you?

 

[jostenmeat]

Was it the hard candy shell that was making the sound?

I actually have plans to add screws to my 6 1/2" drivers on my mains. A few little screws into waddled out MDF can't be enough. Sounds to me like you owe that poorly placed wire a debt of gratitude for getting you to tighten everything up. I think I can hear a smoother response in the speech discrimination band from here. Be honest, you think they sound better too, don't you?

Yes, I am lucky. I think. I've had issues pop up once in a while, and the culprit was always something really stupid.

Once I couldn't control my Onkyo receiver via the URC RF system. I don't remember what I suspected or tested, but I feared it was my receiver's IR receiver. Somewhere, somehow, the emitter got pulled along, yet was still sticking, I'm guessing anyways, because after putting the emmiter at a better spot did it work out.

Another time, with nearly a full house, watching a gift to me, Harold/Kumar/Guantanamo, the audio was making these intermittent loud pops! I started freak out, even bugged TLS Guy about diagnosing my amp/electronics, just to later find out that this BD has a defective DTS-MA track; only the lossy must be used (perhaps at least bitstreamed, I can't remember), and there was no replacement program at that time.

So, I'll take stupid culprit over major issue every day of the week! lol. I feel like there was something else, but I don't remember . . . In any case, coiled speaker wire is right up there!

 

[highfigh]

So, I'll take stupid culprit over major issue every day of the week! lol. I feel like there was something else, but I don't remember . . . In any case, coiled speaker wire is right up there!

One thing about stupid culprits- they're often harder to diagnose than major issues.

 

[mtrycrafts]

Buzz is gone. While I tightened down screws (nearly all being secure already), I noticed that the insulated 12 AWG Monoprice wire was coiled against the rear of the speaker, which I then pulled away. Since I did both of these things at the same time, I can't be sure which solved the problem, but I figure it must've been the wire.

Now, the right channel can buzz something on the left side, somewhere else in the home, heh. That I won't worry about.

Thank you all for the support, I appreciate it.

You are lucky. Finding rattles when you sweep it can be tricky and time consuming besides rerunning the band where it rattles long enough to find the rattle. You lucked out, it seems.