Popping sound during continuous low frequency playback

[robbit]

Hey fellas - as I dig around the forums, I thought I'd post my recent dilemma to the many experts here. Lately I've noticed that my speakers generate a popping noise whenever a continuous low frequency (bass) signal is played. This phenomenon has been observed with the following games:

Dead Space
Alien Breed Evolution (remake)

In each circumstance, the game was creating a low, continuous rumble to simulate engine noise from a distance. It is during these moments that I hear the popping noise. Here are some observations I've collected:

1. This popping noise seems to be coming from the smaller speakers. I have bi-polar tower speakers (Def. Tech.) and the woofers themselves seem to be fine (no distortion). The popping comes from the mid- to upper- levels of the speaker.

2. All speakers exhibit this issue. Even the surrounds make this noise when I orient the camera in a fashion that causes the sound to be directed through them. Same goes for the center channel (also a Def. Tech.)

3. Shorter instances of loud bass (explosions, etc.) don't seem to cause this. I watched Terminator Salvation the other night and never heard the popping despite having a bass-heavy DTS soundtrack.

And finally, some info about my setup:

1. Speakers are all Def. Tech. Bi-Polar Towers, Center, and Surrounds. The towers and center channel are wired with a single cable (no bi- or tri- wiring). The bass knob on the back of the speaker is rotated to about 50%.

2. I have a Denon AVR 3806 receiver. No other amps or processing equipment are "in the loop".

3. This issue has been observed on both the PS3 and Xbox 360. One is wired using HDMI, the other Component with Optical audio.

I think that should suffice for an initial take at the problem. Thanks so much for any help you can offer!

Rob

 

[Boerd]

Your (sub) amp may be running out of juice - at that point all the bets are off - there will be decent noise. Clipping an amplifier often results in damaged tweeters.
Try lower volume / shorter play for the bass and see if the pops stop.
What frequencies are you using while simulating? The lower you go the more load you put on the (sub) amplification. You may be trying to run low frequencies in the 18-28 Hz and your (sub) amp runs out of steam while in the movies the bass is higher (usually above 40Hz which is playable by most towers) and is not that difficult to handle.

 

[robbit]

Your (sub) amp may be running out of juice - at that point all the bets are off - there will be decent noise. Clipping an amplifier often results in damaged tweeters.
Try lower volume / shorter play for the bass and see if the pops stop.
What frequencies are you using while simulating? The lower you go the more load you put on the (sub) amplification. You may be trying to run low frequencies in the 18-28 Hz and your (sub) amp runs out of steam while in the movies the bass is higher (usually above 40Hz which is playable by most towers) and is not that difficult to handle.

I don't believe the amp is running out of juice. The sound level is not high at all (-34 I think) and the popping is fairly faint. In fact, I noticed last night that the popping increases in frequency (i.e. number of pops) when you move the camera around in the game. It's really wierd. Explosions, etc. are reproduced just fine. There's just something about that particular sound effect that causes this phenomenon.

 

[AVRat]

If you don't hear it when watching movies or anything else, then it's probably due to the source material such as those games.