# Tricky Issue, Need Some Advice on Sony HT-SS370



## JerseyJoeIII (Apr 13, 2011)

Hi all,

Long time reader, first time poster. There are some great minds on this forum, so I figured I'd pick some brains...

I recently picked up the Sony HT-SS370 Home Theatre System for my living room. Installation went smoothly, as did calibration. Cable box, BluRay, and Xbox360 all run and sound great. However, I've noticed a slight popping sound from the right front speaker. It does not happen frequently, and its actually kind of difficult to hear unless you're looking for it. It seems to happen on AMC, NBC, and ESPN, as well as during certain moments on certain games on my Xbox. It is definitely isolated to the right front only.

The kicker is that the right front speaker on my OLD system made a similar popping sound during the same broadcasts, only it seemed more pronounced on the old sound system (an OLLLLD Panasonic CD/Tape deck surround). 

Anyone know what could be causing this? Some notes:

--Using HDMI cables...running HDMI from cable box to receiever, HDMI from xbox to receiver, HDMI from BluRay to receiver, and HDMI out from receiver to TV.

--All components are plugged into a Monster Power strip. 

--The Comcast Cable coaxial runs from the wall to the Monster Power Strip, then another coaxial from the Monster Power Strip to the Comcast cable box. I recently purchased a new power strip...could this be causing me an issue?

--It's a new apartment complex so I believe I'm grounded properly. Never had a short of any kind or had to mess with the breakers in my bedroom.

--I've tested the system out by ensuring my computer, all lights, dryer, washer, etc are off, and the slight popping sound remains.

ANY help would be much much appreciated!!

Joe C.

EDIT: One thing, I noticed a certain part of The Killing was popping...so I rewound that part (thank goodness for DVR) and played it again over and over, every time reproducing the slight pops during that scene. In other words, it was consistent. It is reproducable on video games and tv.


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## GranteedEV (Aug 8, 2010)

I would start by finding out if it's not a defective speaker. Do this by swapping the speaker connections. If the popping switches places, then there's your problem.

Beyond that I would presume this is an amplifier issue. I've heard similar things from Sony integrated amps in the past, including a receiver I've got. I wouldn't go as far as to say the amps are oscillating, especially since we haven't truly diagnosed the issue, but that's where my guess would be.


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## JerseyJoeIII (Apr 13, 2011)

thanks for the quick reply! I plan to swap speaker connections tonight after work to ensure that it's not a speaker issue. 

the thing thats got me thinking is that my old system (different receiver, speakers, etc.) had the same issue: a slight pop in the right front speaker. 

i have not organized cables as well as i would like yet; there are power cables from other components probably coming in contact with the speaker wire. could interference be a cause?


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## gdstupak (Jul 13, 2010)

Does the AVR have an "ALL MONO" setting in which it combines audio signals from all channels and puts the same signal out to all speakers?
Next time you get the 'popping' in the right speaker, put the AVR in "ALL MONO" setting and see if the popping occurs in just the right speaker or all speakers.


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## JerseyJoeIII (Apr 13, 2011)

UPDATE:

I isolated the problem. My TV is actually the culprit. After packing up the HT-SS370 and preparing to return it to Best Buy, I noticed I was hearing some distortion on my TV speakers. Sure enough, I was able to reproduce that same slight pop on my TV speakers through two different components (watching tv through cable box on HDMI 1 and playing a game on Xbox 360 on HDMI 2, independent of any receiver or additional speakers).

Please note that I did try turning off the TV audio output through the TV menu while the HT-SS370 was hooked up, and still could not remedy the problem. 

As you can tell by now, I'm an audio noob. How can I handle this? There's got to be a way to bypass the TV all together...


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## gdstupak (Jul 13, 2010)

JerseyJoeIII said:


> How can I handle this? There's got to be a way to bypass the TV all together...


So originally you had the cable box and the Xbox going directly to the tv inputs, then from the tv out to the AVR?

You could go from the cable box and Xbox directly to the AVR inputs, then go from the AVR output to the tv input.
cable box --> AVR
Xbox --> AVR
AVR --> tv


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## JerseyJoeIII (Apr 13, 2011)

no, my original setup was cable box to receiver via HDMI, xbox to receiver via HDMI, BluRay to receiver via HDMI, and then HDMI from receiver OUT to TV HDMI 1 Input. Sorry for not being more clear. 

I was getting distortion with this setup. troubleshot for two days. HDMI cables are good, outlet good, power strip good, everything is in working order. however when im not even hooked up to a receiver, the TV speakers are imitating the same distortion i was getting from Surround Sound. it is repeatable when playing xbox or watching tv through the cable box. havent tested BluRay because two components making a "clipping" sound was enough for me.

would turning ARC off and adding a digital optical cable help in any way? i dont want my tv to handle ANY audio. i turned off the Audio Output from the TV menu when the receiver was hooked up, but this did not resolve the distortion issue.


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## gdstupak (Jul 13, 2010)

Here is a way to test if the tv is causing the outboard Sony sound system to 'pop:'

-leave the whole system connected normally.
-find content where the 'pop' occurs.
-now turn off the tv, unplug the tv power, and disconnect the hdmi cable between the tv and the AVR. now the outboard audio system should be isolated from the tv.
-replay the same content that had the 'pop' earlier.

If it still 'pops,' the problem probably isn't the tv.


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## gdstupak (Jul 13, 2010)

JerseyJoeIII said:


> would turning ARC off and adding a digital optical cable help in any way? i dont want my tv to handle ANY audio.


It would be interesting to see if using an optical cable would solve the problem.
But an optical cable will not pass the HD audio signal if you want that.


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