rfpete
rfpete's picture
Offline
Last seen: 13 years 1 month ago
Joined: Aug 3 2007 - 11:48am
Amp Making Popping/Crackling Noises
JIMV
JIMV's picture
Offline
Last seen: 6 years 1 month ago
Joined: Jan 31 2008 - 1:46pm

Your description needs fleshing out...Is the noise coming from both speakers or just one side?

To be honest, this sounds more like dirty contacts than an amp problem...I would suggest you get a good contact cleaner. disconnect the speakers, clean the daylights out of the contacts at both ends of the cables, reconnect them and see if the problem goes away.

rfpete
rfpete's picture
Offline
Last seen: 13 years 1 month ago
Joined: Aug 3 2007 - 11:48am

I'm nearly positive the noise is only coming from the left channel outputs. I'm going to run the L channel outs to the right speaker and see if the noise switches sides.

I'm also going to try plugging the amp into a different outlet.

I did clean the connections with rubbing alcohol. It wasn't a thorough cleaning, but I've only had the cables (banana plugs) for about 6 months. I'd be surprised if dirty connections were the problem.

We'll see what happens.

rfpete
rfpete's picture
Offline
Last seen: 13 years 1 month ago
Joined: Aug 3 2007 - 11:48am

JIMV, it seems you were correct. The crackling has stopped, as far as I can tell.

I cleaned the ends of my banana plugs three times with rubbing alcohol. Before cleaning, the bit of metal exposed at the connections was discolored or tarnished looking.

What causes the discoloration and why does this lead to crackling noises? Also, I had my last pair of banana plug cables for 2 or 3 years and never had any problems like this. Should I worry, or just keep them clean?

Thanks for the help.

JIMV
JIMV's picture
Offline
Last seen: 6 years 1 month ago
Joined: Jan 31 2008 - 1:46pm

I would recommend investing in Detox or Kontak, both reasonable and long lasting. I have found I need to clean connectors at least every couple of year or something will get noisy.

http://www.musicdirect.com/product/74454

rfpete
rfpete's picture
Offline
Last seen: 13 years 1 month ago
Joined: Aug 3 2007 - 11:48am

The intermittent popping noise is back. It was loud enough to wake me up last night. I've determined that it's definitely not the speaker. And probably not the speaker cables or power supply. I'm going to monitor it a few more days to be sure that it is the amp creating the noise. Then I'll go to the dealer and take advantage of Rega's warranty.

tom collins
tom collins's picture
Offline
Last seen: 11 years 6 months ago
Joined: Apr 3 2007 - 11:54am

you could try taking it to a friend's house and see if you get the same problem. or simpler, try plugging into an outlet on a different circuit if you are able to isolate a different circuit through your breaker box. also, try unplugging or turning off every appliance in your house that you can.
just some thoughts.
good luck.

tom

rfpete
rfpete's picture
Offline
Last seen: 13 years 1 month ago
Joined: Aug 3 2007 - 11:48am

Tom, thanks for the ideas.

The noise only comes out of the left channel speaker outputs. If the problem is the outlet, or house wiring, could the noise be isolated to the left channel only? My intuition says the noise would come out of both channels simultaneously, but I'm not an electrical engineer.

Any engineers out there want to provide their expertise?

roadster
roadster's picture
Offline
Last seen: 8 years 9 months ago
Joined: Apr 16 2008 - 4:51am

If the noise is only in the left speaker the problem is not house power. Try disconnecting any equipment that is connected to the Mira and see if the sounds percists. If so you know where the problem lies. If not begin plugging your equipment back into the amp one piece at a time until the noise returns.
Keep us posted.

donglee
donglee's picture
Offline
Last seen: 5 years 1 month ago
Joined: Feb 7 2019 - 10:29am

Just like the other person above, no matter where I set with volume control, same loudness of popping noises with irregular interval.
I wonder whether it is caused by power transister.it frose push pull transisters one by one. No change in the noise. I froze I want make sure before i I replace it.
Please advise.

justlooking
justlooking's picture
Offline
Last seen: 2 years 10 months ago
Joined: May 5 2021 - 11:28pm

I'm getting the same problem. Using a NAD 368 and getting random pop sound on left channel speaker. Any fixes out there?

Old Audiophile
Old Audiophile's picture
Offline
Last seen: 3 months 1 day ago
Joined: Jun 15 2017 - 7:34pm

Don't know if this will help but here's an experience I had that sounds very similar.

I had (still do) a Sansui 2000X receiver I bought in 1972 (solid state circuitry design). Around 10 years ago, I started hearing an EXTREMELY faint and only occasional crackling noise coming from both speakers when no music was playing. I could hear it with the volume anywhere between 0 or full out and it didn't seem to get any louder at higher volume settings. I couldn't hear this when music was playing but I could during silent passages in some music. I asked my wife to listen and she couldn't hear it. It was very, very faint. I thought it was me, at first, but I definitely wasn't hearing things. So, I had the receiver bench-tested at a local shop. The technician had it for about a week, or so, and he never heard it. He asked that I bring in my speakers, a pair of Ohm C at the time, so he could test the speakers and the receiver together. After another week or 10 days, he still couldn't replicate this noise and told me the receiver performed to original specifications. I brought everything home, hooked everything up, paying extremely close attention to all the basics (i.e. clean & secure contacts; etc.) and this noise was still there. The wife still couldn't hear it. I knew it wasn't me! At this point, the speakers were about 27 years old and I'd already had them re-foamed twice. I wasn't going to do that again and concluded the speakers had just aged out. So, I decided to replace them with a pair of new Paradigm Monitor 9. The noise was still there! The receiver was around 28 years old at this point. I thought maybe it had done its tour of duty. So, I thought it was time to replace it, as well. I replaced it with a new Yamaha receiver and the noise was history.

Several years later, someone told me this phantom noise I was hearing was probably a capacitor(s) or transistor(s) wearing out.

So, I guess I'd recommend: do all the basics, first, and if that doesn't do it, have a good, reputable technician look under the hood.

Good luck!

Log in or register to post comments
-->
  • X