# Subwoofer popping noise...



## mvision7m

Hi all, I searched "subwoofer popping" and "subwoofer popping noise" to see if my question has already been answered elsewhere in H.T.S. but got no results that did. 

My subwoofer keeps emitting an occasional "popping" sound. Sometimes it's a really quick double pop others a single. This occurs randomly and only occasionally whether I'm using the system or everything is off (stand by mode). 

There is no hum at all in any of my speakers including the subwoofer whether in use or not, they're all dead silent. 

I have all my equipment plugged into an APC H15 power conditioner that detects no faults in the outlet with the exception that sometimes the 'wiring ok' LED will go off (indicating a fault in the outlet's wiring). Other times that LED will be on indicating no fault is present. I called APC and the rep said it could be caused by a normal fluctuation in the outlet which is triggering that LED to turn off/on along with the fluctuation so I took that to mean everything is ok and the H15 is functioning properly. 

I recently upgraded my subwoofer from a 100w 10" Realistic to an SVS SB13 Ultra, the popping noise was occurring with the old sub and its now occurring with the new sub as well so I know the problem is elsewhere. I somewhat recently moved into a new place and I was getting this same occasional popping sound in my old sub even in my previous place. At that time I was using a good surge protector power strip but not a "conditioner" as I'm using now. 

My previous place was a lot newer with a lot newer electric and I still had the popping even using the old surge protector and my old subwoofer. I'm guessing there's a problem with my AVR's sub out which is a Yamaha RXV-3800 but don't know how to know for sure whether it is or isn't. I don't that that popping from any other speaker in my set up (5.1), just the subwoofer. 

Has anyone else ever experienced this same issue? If so, have you ever found a definitive answer as to what was causing it and how did you correct the problem? 

I apologize for the really long post but I tried to include as much pertinent info as possible to give the clearest picture possible about my set up and situation. 

Thanks in advance for any and all advice and assistance.


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## tonyvdb

Do you have the sub set to "always on" or auto? It could be an issue with something thats on the same circuit like a florescent light or a fridge.


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## mvision7m

tonyvdb said:


> Do you have the sub set to "always on" or auto? It could be an issue with something thats on the same circuit like a florescent light or a fridge.


Sub set to "auto"


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## tonyvdb

Im wondering if your receiver is somehow sending a "pulse" of sound for some unknown reason?


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## mvision7m

tonyvdb said:


> Im wondering if your receiver is somehow sending a "pulse" of sound for some unknown reason?


Hmm. Good question. I can't figure it out. I googled "subwoofer popping sound" and saw similar questions asked by a lot of other people but I couldn't find any definitive answers. I know these types of things are very difficult to diagnose properly but I thought that if I was going to have a good shot at finding an answer, it'd be here in H.T.S. 

I think you we're right in your first reply. Something to do with another appliance that is sharing the circuit maybe. Thankfully I'll be replacing my AVR soon, I hope that fixes the issue altogether. 

Thanks for the suggestions.


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## tonyvdb

I would disconnect the rca cable from the sub out on the receiver and see if the problem goes away at least then you will know where its coming from.


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## ALMFamily

Can you run the power off an outlet that is on a different phase/leg in the panel? If it is another appliance, wouldn't putting it on a different side remove said appliances?

I am by no means an electrician - just tossing an idea out.


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## mvision7m

tonyvdb said:


> I would disconnect the rca cable from the sub out on the receiver and see if the problem goes away at least then you will know where its coming from.


Since my old sub exhibited the same occasional popping sound while in a different house and plugged into a different surge protector (same receiver) I'm assuming the issue lies with the "sub out" on the receiver. I'm wondering what may be the cause though and if its something that can be fixed/corrected. 

In spite of the fact that I suspect the receiver is faulty in some way, I figured that maybe someone else here in H.T.S. may have experienced the same thing that I'm experiencing and actually have pinpointed the culprit and found a way to resolve the issue whatever it is. Outside of tossing the receiver altogether which I'm not quite ready to do. 

Thanks for the suggestions though, it's good to have a place to go to bounce ideas and thoughts around that may help nail down the cause of my issue.


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## mvision7m

ALMFamily said:


> Can you run the power off an outlet that is on a different phase/leg in the panel? If it is another appliance, wouldn't putting it on a different side remove said appliances?
> 
> I am by no means an electrician - just tossing an idea out.


Unfortunately for me, my set up is in my living room which has limited space and I think most, if not all of the outlets in the room are on the same circuit. I think it's time for that new pre-pro I've been wanting. 

Thanks again.


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## tonyvdb

I have that issues with my Sherwood Newcastle R972 even inf the power is off if i use any remote control to turn on say the TV and DVR it makes a mild "thump sound" in the sub Only if the remote sensor on the receiver sees the signal LOL its annoying but its livable.


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## The Yeti

May be a bad cable to the sub. Is it the same cable you used for the old sub? Did you try disconnecting the cable for awhile (but leaving the sub ON, not AUTO) to see if the popping goes away?


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## mvision7m

The Yeti said:


> May be a bad cable to the sub. Is it the same cable you used for the old sub? Did you try disconnecting the cable for awhile (but leaving the sub ON, not AUTO) to see if the popping goes away?


Different cable. 

I didn't try your second suggestion only because I was having the same issue at my old place that had newer electric than my current place and with a different sub and different sub cable. For that reason I was excluding the sub itself as the possible source. I even went from a good surge protector to a power conditioner that has isolated and filtered outlet banks etc. and the issue remains. Maybe I'll try your suggestion anyway, it certainly can't hurt anything. 

Different house, different outlet, different (better) surge protector/power conditioner, different subwoofer, different sub cable, same receiver, same problem. 

It's not a huge deal, it didn't seem to hurt my old subwoofer but it is annoying to say the least. I have a new pre-amp planned to replace my AVR in the near future anyway. I was really just hoping someone had a similar experience and definitively found the source and a fix to get me by until I can pick up that new piece. 

Thanks again for all the input everyone.


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## mvision7m

tonyvdb said:


> I have that issues with my Sherwood Newcastle R972 even inf the power is off if i use any remote control to turn on say the TV and DVR it makes a mild "thump sound" in the sub Only if the remote sensor on the receiver sees the signal LOL its annoying but its livable.


While mine doesn't happen with remote control use, it does happen even if everything is off. I heard it last night when all my AV equipment off for the night. 

You're right, it is livable but severely annoying.


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## mvision7m

Ok. For those interested or having the same issue. My system is completely dead silent except for the occasional "popping" sound coming from my subwoofer whether its in use or not. There's no rhyme or reason to when the sound occurs. It does't coincide with anything else turning on/off within the system or in the house and it doesn't happen in any particular pattern or time intervals. This is the second sub that I've had that does this, different brands and completely different subs altogether and my old sub even did this in my old apartment as well. Both subs have done this in my new place too. Very strange. Anyway...

One night last week I unplugged the subwoofer signal cable from the sub to see if the sub still made the sound. It did. After looking exhaustively online, I found someone who had the same issue and said they corrected it by switching the "power mode" from "auto" to "on". I tried that and it worked. No more errant popping out of nowhere from my sub. I have stable power at the outlet and a power conditioner protecting my gear. So, I don't know how or why it was happening but it's gone. Hopefully this helps others experiencing similar issues.


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## ALMFamily

mvision7m said:


> Ok. For those interested or having the same issue. My system is completely dead silent except for the occasional "popping" sound coming from my subwoofer whether its in use or not. There's no rhyme or reason to when the sound occurs. It does't coincide with anything else turning on/off within the system or in the house and it doesn't happen in any particular pattern or time intervals. This is the second sub that I've had that does this, different brands and completely different subs altogether and my old sub even did this in my old apartment as well. Both subs have done this in my new place too. Very strange. Anyway...
> 
> One night last week I unplugged the subwoofer signal cable from the sub to see if the sub still made the sound. It did. After looking exhaustively online, I found someone who had the same issue and said they corrected it by switching the "power mode" from "auto" to "on". I tried that and it worked. No more errant popping out of nowhere from my sub. I have stable power at the outlet and a power conditioner protecting my gear. So, I don't know how or why it was happening but it's gone. Hopefully this helps others experiencing similar issues.


Wow, that is a really odd one. Glad you got it figured out.


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## hjones4841

If the popping sounds are coming from the receiver, it sounds like a bad electrolytic capacitor somewhere in the audio chain.

To rule out the sub as the problem, direct connect an iPod, a DVD player, or really any source directly into the RCA jacks on the back of the sub. Turn the sub amp volume all the way down and start playing the source. Then bring the sub amp volume up until you can hear the music. Listen for a while (I know it is not pleasant listening with only the sub, but we are troubleshooting here). If the popping noise is still there, it is the sub amp. If not, it is coming from the receiver OR something else in the house.

It is also possible that an appliance like a refrigerator is causing the pops when it cycles on and off. Not as likely as a problem with the receiver, but worth running another test to see if the pops coincide with the appliance turning on and off.

Is the sub wireless? Not many are, but if so that could also be the culprit - WiFi from either your router or a close by neighbor or a microwave oven or cell phone.

Just some more things to try before replacing more gear.


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## the_rookie

It might be a lose connection from the RCA. I know i get a popping sound, pretty loud though...from the connection being partially broken if i pull it out halfway, and it pops, and if i keep it there it hums.


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## koyaan

If the popping is still there when the RCA cable is disconnected from the sub and goes away when the auto on is disengaged, that's got to be the culprit. The mistifying part is that its happened with to diffrent subs. Glad you found a solution.


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## mvision7m

koyaan said:


> If the popping is still there when the RCA cable is disconnected from the sub and goes away when the auto on is disengaged, that's got to be the culprit. The mistifying part is that its happened with to diffrent subs. Glad you found a solution.


Absolutely a mystery to me. I cannot figure out a valid reason/explanation for how or why it has occurred with two different subs at two different residences. I am just happy the problem is gone, it hasn't happened once since switching the subs power mode from auto to always on. 

Thanks for all the input and suggestions.


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## roaringbiz

how do you turn power mode off/auto??
i can not find it anywhere. thanks in advance


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## Tonto

Before I tried anything expensive, I would try another power cable for the APC. If you still get it I would try replacing the rca cable. Just in case they have a short in them. The APC should filter out anything coming through the outlet.


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## Tonto

Before I tried anything expensive, I would try another power cable for the APC. If you still get it I would try replacing the rca cable. Just in case they have a short in them. The APC should filter out anything coming through the outlet.


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## bryanthecrab

Hey guys!
I found some good insight, so far appears to have solved the issue.

So my speakers were making this horrible thundering sound, at random. I suspected loose cabling, but it wasn't the case. Random moments of using wireless usb devices syncing with the thunder were just coincidental. Reading some forums the nuggets were that the output voltage from my pc to my 2.1 setup was too low, causing the auto-on/off power saving feature to trip back and forth. I was running my speaker's output volume at max and my PC volume low- so I just switched the two around to ensure max signal from the PC to the speakers, and then limited it from the speaker control. So far so good 

EDIT:
It lasted about an hour :'|
I think theres some hardware damage with mine, its a pretty cheap setup. Perhaps this will still work for some of you though!


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## ryleeandjaxson2005

mvision7m said:


> Ok. For those interested or having the same issue. My system is completely dead silent except for the occasional "popping" sound coming from my subwoofer whether its in use or not. There's no rhyme or reason to when the sound occurs. It does't coincide with anything else turning on/off within the system or in the house and it doesn't happen in any particular pattern or time intervals. This is the second sub that I've had that does this, different brands and completely different subs altogether and my old sub even did this in my old apartment as well. Both subs have done this in my new place too. Very strange. Anyway...
> 
> One night last week I unplugged the subwoofer signal cable from the sub to see if the sub still made the sound. It did. After looking exhaustively online, I found someone who had the same issue and said they corrected it by switching the "power mode" from "auto" to "on". I tried that and it worked. No more errant popping out of nowhere from my sub. I have stable power at the outlet and a power conditioner protecting my gear. So, I don't know how or why it was happening but it's gone. Hopefully this helps others experiencing similar issues.


Hi, Can you explain how you switched the power mode from auto to on??? TIA


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## twroy

mvision7m said:


> Hi all, I searched "subwoofer popping" and "subwoofer popping noise" to see if my question has already been answered elsewhere in H.T.S. but got no results that did.
> 
> My subwoofer keeps emitting an occasional "popping" sound. Sometimes it's a really quick double pop others a single. This occurs randomly and only occasionally whether I'm using the system or everything is off (stand by mode).
> 
> There is no hum at all in any of my speakers including the subwoofer whether in use or not, they're all dead silent.
> 
> I have all my equipment plugged into an APC H15 power conditioner that detects no faults in the outlet with the exception that sometimes the 'wiring ok' LED will go off (indicating a fault in the outlet's wiring). Other times that LED will be on indicating no fault is present. I called APC and the rep said it could be caused by a normal fluctuation in the outlet which is triggering that LED to turn off/on along with the fluctuation so I took that to mean everything is ok and the H15 is functioning properly.
> 
> I recently upgraded my subwoofer from a 100w 10" Realistic to an SVS SB13 Ultra, the popping noise was occurring with the old sub and its now occurring with the new sub as well so I know the problem is elsewhere. I somewhat recently moved into a new place and I was getting this same occasional popping sound in my old sub even in my previous place. At that time I was using a good surge protector power strip but not a "conditioner" as I'm using now.
> 
> My previous place was a lot newer with a lot newer electric and I still had the popping even using the old surge protector and my old subwoofer. I'm guessing there's a problem with my AVR's sub out which is a Yamaha RXV-3800 but don't know how to know for sure whether it is or isn't. I don't that that popping from any other speaker in my set up (5.1), just the subwoofer.
> 
> Has anyone else ever experienced this same issue? If so, have you ever found a definitive answer as to what was causing it and how did you correct the problem?
> 
> I apologize for the really long post but I tried to include as much pertinent info as possible to give the clearest picture possible about my set up and situation.
> 
> Thanks in advance for any and all advice and assistance.


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## twroy

Ok so I have martin logan speakers with a martin logan 700w sub with a yamaha Rx880. when watching TV with my system on I get a random burping noise. It is just sporadic and does not coincide with doing anything. So started out swapping all cables and wires to new ones still had issue. Then martin logan swapped out sub for a new one thinking something in the amp. still having issues they advised has to be from receiver. Yamaha swapped out receiver for a brand new one, uggh still having issues. was told possibly issue coming from cable dvr box so had that swapped and still having problem . Have no idea what it is and why its happening. any other suggestion what to try. I saw where someone said turning sub from auto to on, mine just has off or auto on. Any other suggestions of what to try.


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## Mikeyboy76

mvision7m said:


> Hi all, I searched "subwoofer popping" and "subwoofer popping noise" to see if my question has already been answered elsewhere in H.T.S. but got no results that did.
> 
> My subwoofer keeps emitting an occasional "popping" sound. Sometimes it's a really quick double pop others a single. This occurs randomly and only occasionally whether I'm using the system or everything is off (stand by mode).
> 
> There is no hum at all in any of my speakers including the subwoofer whether in use or not, they're all dead silent.
> 
> I have all my equipment plugged into an APC H15 power conditioner that detects no faults in the outlet with the exception that sometimes the 'wiring ok' LED will go off (indicating a fault in the outlet's wiring). Other times that LED will be on indicating no fault is present. I called APC and the rep said it could be caused by a normal fluctuation in the outlet which is triggering that LED to turn off/on along with the fluctuation so I took that to mean everything is ok and the H15 is functioning properly.
> 
> I recently upgraded my subwoofer from a 100w 10" Realistic to an SVS SB13 Ultra, the popping noise was occurring with the old sub and its now occurring with the new sub as well so I know the problem is elsewhere. I somewhat recently moved into a new place and I was getting this same occasional popping sound in my old sub even in my previous place. At that time I was using a good surge protector power strip but not a "conditioner" as I'm using now.
> 
> My previous place was a lot newer with a lot newer electric and I still had the popping even using the old surge protector and my old subwoofer. I'm guessing there's a problem with my AVR's sub out which is a Yamaha RXV-3800 but don't know how to know for sure whether it is or isn't. I don't that that popping from any other speaker in my set up (5.1), just the subwoofer.
> 
> Has anyone else ever experienced this same issue? If so, have you ever found a definitive answer as to what was causing it and how did you correct the problem?
> 
> I apologize for the really long post but I tried to include as much pertinent info as possible to give the clearest picture possible about my set up and situation.
> 
> Thanks in advance for any and all advice and assistance.


Mines making a pop noise also I can’t figure what’s causing it when ever volume is load enough for a good movie bad hits it makes a pop like speaker blown I turned down bad don’t really help my little speakers don’t even work unless I do speaker test I’m thinking of buying another brand one I used to have one with my ex she kept it and it works find almost same as what I have now I don’t even know what to do I’m a truck driver so I can only do stuff when home on weekends hard to mail out etc


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## Mikeyboy76

There 


Mikeyboy76 said:


> Mines making a pop noise also I can’t figure what’s causing it when ever volume is load enough for a good movie bad hits it makes a pop like speaker blown I turned down bad don’t really help my little speakers don’t even work unless I do speaker test I’m thinking of buying another brand one I used to have one with my ex she kept it and it works find almost same as what I have now I don’t even know what to do I’m a truck driver so I can only do stuff when home on weekends hard to mail out etc


there a you tube video of speaker doing a that but doesn’t do a thing or say anything what it it etc


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