Speaker shielding quesiton...

[jdchess]

I have heard that placing a speaker directly next to or on top of a CRT TV can cause some wierd things to happen with the picture as far as distortion goes, and can also cause permanent damage to the TV. Is this true?

Also, if a speaker is shielded then it doesn't cause any color shifts or picture distortion. Is this correct? If the speaker is shielded and doesn't cause any distortion, can it STILL DAMAGE the CRT?

My reason for asking is because I want to place my center speaker on top of my TV because this is about the best spot I can find for it. I just want to make sure it won't hurt the TV. The speaker is a Pioneer S-CR400-K Center speaker. Thanks in advance for any input!

 

[MDS]

Yes, the magnetic field of the speaker can cause picture distortions but not always. It is often sufficient to just get it a little bit away from the tv. I currently have my center on top of a CRT and it does not cause any distortions.

 

[jdchess]

So can the shielding keep it from damaging the TV as well as stopping the distortion?

 

[j_garcia]

Eventually the discoloration caused by the magnetic field more or less becomes permanent - the stronger the magnet, the more likely the damage will be serious (I know from experience). I haven't had any shielded speakers cause problems with my CRTs to date so try it out.

 

[mtrycrafts]

So can the shielding keep it from damaging the TV as well as stopping the distortion?

Yes, to this question. But it has to be a shielded speaker from the maker, not some other stuff people think might shield it.

 

[mulester7]

.....it blows your mind the first time you see this....I thought my old 35 inch Mitsubishi was finally taking a dump....it tickled me when I moved the speaker away from the tv and it was healed.....

 

[jdchess]

Thanks for all the help and input guys. The only thing now is this...is there a way to find out for sure if a speaker is shielded? These Pioneer speakers are an older discontinued model and Pioneer said that there was no mention of whether or not they were shielded in the manual. A tech guy at Pioneer said that they had been shielding all of their speakers since well back into the 90's and these were bought new around 2002. So I'm pretty sure they are, but is there a way to tell for sure?

 

[mtrycrafts]

Thanks for all the help and input guys. The only thing now is this...is there a way to find out for sure if a speaker is shielded? These Pioneer speakers are an older discontinued model and Pioneer said that there was no mention of whether or not they were shielded in the manual. A tech guy at Pioneer said that they had been shielding all of their speakers since well back into the 90's and these were bought new around 2002. So I'm pretty sure they are, but is there a way to tell for sure?

Probably. Carefully move it close to your TV and observe any color changes, smearing, or a color aberration on the tube.
Try an email to the company?
Or, if you cave a compass, see if the needle swings towards the drivers when you bring it close to it.

 

[jdchess]

Is the compass trick a reliable way to tell?

 

[Hi Ho]

Placing a speaker near a TV will not damage it instantly. It takes quite a long time to actually cause permanent damage. Modern TVs automatically degauss (demagnetize) when they are turned off/on. That gets rid of any distortion still present after the magnetic field has been moved away.

 

[mtrycrafts]

Is the compass trick a reliable way to tell?

Not sure but I bet that an unshielded speaker will react more than a shielded one

 

[mulester7]

Not sure but I bet that an unshielded speaker will react more than a shielded one

.....winging an answer is a loss of 5 points, haha......