killed radio star

maybe it's the speakers. the hot subwoofer problem is always quickly addressed. why is it that this one is always avoided?

hey guys, it's been a while! anyways, i had this exact same problem. i finally tried to correct it when i got an acoustic edge for christmas. unfortunately, it's still happening, to a lesser extent. i've noticed that some of my SBLive! drivers were still on my computer. leave it to creative to make uninstall software that DOESNT work. i'm going to uninstall the A.E. and delete all sound drivers, then reinstall. hopefully that'll do it. unfortunately, i purchased my speakers in july, so my warranty's void, so it's not like i can complain to klipsch.

so wait... i've been shutting off power to my speakers since day 1. i've noticed that, while i've been at school, shutting them off causes a strange noise, similar to the little squeal that a monitor makes after being turned off. is this something i should be concerned about?

i think i might go with the santa cruz, since you've had good results with it; i've heard mixed results with the AE on these forums.

i paid a visit to creativehelp.com and went through their cleansweep process of the sblive drivers. all seemed to be going well until i tried installing the new drivers. as per usual, i didn't get a peep out of the speakers once the new drivers were running. it's strange, the windows mixed shows that there's output. i should probably switch sound cards regardless - creative software is awful. i tested the back channels with my portable cd player - once again, crystal clear. i'll try to coerce someone to let me borrow their box temporarily

i normally have main at 100%, wave and cd and midi at 50%. but that's just straight out of what klipsch suggests.

quote: Originally posted by Dan F: If it works in 2.1 mode and distorts in 4.1 you probably can rule out the speakers as a cause. You can confirm by testing the 4.1's purple plug (rear channels) in a portable CD player. This will rule out the possibility of a short in the rear speaker plug. Maybe you can temporarily swap sound cards with someone else to see if your card might be the problem? Everything about it suggests a problem with the drivers, though. That's really odd. i'll be sure to try the cd player test. my dad actually suggested that i swap cards, heh. i'll see if i can try that. as for me switching drivers, i could not get the drivers to work. creative's software is just plain awful. the uninstalls remove practically nothing. i'll give it another shot today and tell you what happens. thanks a bunch.

quote: Originally posted by Dan F: Yeah, Klipsch TS sees it a lot, but it seems like everybody's solution is a bit different. 9 times out of 10 it's a software or driver problem. The recommendations I usually make are to first check to make sure you have the most upgraded sound card driver; then check the version of the software for any updates. Sometimes the software has to be reloaded to pick up the new driver. heh, creative's drivers wouldn't work for me. everytime i'd try to update, i'd get silence. literally no sound. it was pretty annoying. so ultimately, i'm back to the original drivers. quote: MP3 player software in particular is notorious for snapping and popping sounds. This is particularly true with slow processors, low bit rate files, old sound cards, etc. After that, I tend to go to the other end, and work my way back. First, if the speakers work fine when used with any other source (like a walkman, portable CD or MP3 player), then the problem is narrowed down to the the sound card, or the aforementioned software/hardware compatibility issues. ok, i actually did quite a bit of testing with this a few weeks ago. the only time i get any crackling is with 4.1 mp3s and 4.1 cd playing . unfortunately that's not very conclusive - that implies the soundcard or software in both cases, no? because when i switch to 2.1, or hook up a portable cd player, it plays quite clearly (note: i haven't been able to test 4.1 with the portable cd player, i dont have the proper jack). can i conclude that the speakers aren't the issue? it's strange, i never recall any crackling when i was still at home (i'm at college now). the power sources here probably aren't the best - i don't suppose that could have anything to do with it? regardless, thanks for the reply, i hope we can get this resolved soon. PIII 733 384 megs ram sound blaster live! value i think that's about all that's pertinent.] This message has been edited by killed radio star on 09-26-2001 at 05:35 PM

i'm sure klipsch has dealt with this problem plenty of times. it'd be nice if they could give an answer to us all; right here, right now.

naw, no reason to be sorry, justin. i really appreciate the help.

yeah, i can afford it. it's just really disappointing. i was reading in the 2.1 forum that some guy tried the acoustic edge and got crackling, but not with a sblive! value. heh.

well, i tried the procedure the creative tech gave you justin. it didn't work. at all. i'm quite upset with creative. they will never, ever, ever see a single dollar from me.

heh, don't sweat it justin, you got all that stuff before for darkhelmet and i. i really appreciate it. i know what post it is, i just haven't had a chance to do all that stuff that creative suggested. it's kinda scary .

oh really? excellent, i'm glad to hear that stopped the crackling. sorry you got a defective set though i was thinking about the acoustic edge.

argh. i just wrote out this post, only to find i had the wrong password entered. anyways. i've had a problem similar to others - i've been getting crackling in the front left speaker, as well as a little in all the other channels. when i switch my computer settings to two speakers, the crackling dissapears. the channels are crystal clear. i bought a 4.1 system, though. i'd like to use it as such. i've got a sblive! value soundcard - after some discussion in other threads, i was under the impression that this was probably the source of the problem. but it appears that subsequent discussion has revealed that, in a case very much like mine (see heifetz's thread), the soundcard couldn't be the problem (see justin's post). i've checked my wiring MANY times; it looks fine. some other oddness at hand: mp3s and cds played through the computer produce the crackling in 4.1 instant messenger sounds, eudora sounds, other basic computer sound effects also crackle in 4.1 video games (e.g. counterstrike) do not appear to crackle in 4.1 i'm just puzzled.

quote: Originally posted by DarkHelmet82: thanks man.. thats really cool of you. i appreciate it

well i'm glad that, although we both had to suffer, we at least suffered similarly, which allows us to resolve this awful mess. my temporary solution is to play mp3s in 2.1 and games in 4.1 (it doesn't cause fuzz here...hmm). and hehe yeah i tried to switch the front left with the back left, which resulted in no difference.

ok an update on the situation: it turns out everything isn't ok. i have the exact same problem as my fellow SB Live! user darkhelmet in that when my settings are at "2 speakers", they work perfectly. 4, however, is causing the buzzing. my guess is that when both audio out jacks are in use, quality decreases. but why just the front left speaker? but perhaps it's as justin mentioned before - a dirty power source.

lol, do i have a story to tell . i tried installing liveware! 3.0 drivers, only to find that it totally killed my sound. there was none. zippo. it was as if my system was muted. after much headache, i reinstalled my originals. my sound is clear now. WEIRDNESS.

ok i took to trying the tips justin gave in this topic to remedy my solution. when i used a cd player, the speakers sounded great. so it can't be wiring, i guess (although i'm still looking to replace this). i took a look inside my computer, everything seems fine. the sound card is positioned 2nd from the bottom, with no card beneath it, and no card for two spots above it. so i pretty much ruled out the idea of interference from other cards. upon closing the case and starting things back up, stuff sounded good - for a few minutes. now the fuzz is back with a vengeance. i have a SB Live! value model. ick.

amy? someone? please? i wouldn't be so hasty about this, but i have no backup speakers here, and the sound i'm getting from these is pretty egregious.

quote: Originally posted by justin_tx_16: the soldering is only to make the connefction easier to make and better. our old HT system's wires were not soldered and never had a problem. the only reason that that could create a prob is if the extruding wires are touching anything. this might be it, i'm not really sure. the two protruding copper wires don't really extend far enough. quote: that blast of sound could have hurt the speaks now that i think of it but it will take someone like Dan F or Amy to tell you that. Might want to email one of them, they are both great ppl and very kind. i had concerns about this, but i'm not so sure anymore. if it was the actual speakers, then the sound distortion/crackling would be around even after i switched wires, no? the front right speaker has great clarity now, so logic tells me it has to be a wire issue. regardless, thanks for the insight, right now i'm looking at the wire replacement idea.

ok, first of all, hi everyone - i'm new to the forum. i own a set of promedia 4.1s, which i purchased in the middle of july, 2001. after moving into my dorm this august, i've noticed something rather alarming concerning my speakers. in the last week or so, the right front satellite would created lots of crackling and fuzz whenever the volume exceeded a certain level or intensity (FAR from the range of these speakers, we're talking about a relatively normal level of sound). it would occur especially in music with intense mid to low-range sounds. i decided to check the wiring. it seems to be the case that the wiring was switched around: i had the wires for the front right satellite going into the front left channel in the back of the subwoofer, and vice versa for the front left. so i switched it. immediately, the static was gone. i was relieved to see that it wasn't the actual speaker that was the problem. however, the front left now produces an identical crackling. upon further investigation, the positive wire for the front left speaker had a bit of the copper wiring sticking out from the casing. i pushed it back in, leaving only the soldering exposed. it remedied the problem for a few minutes, only, to my dismay, to return. it's quite unnerving, and i really can't enjoy anything i listen to right now. so, amy, or whomever can help me - is this a wire replacement issue? side note: i have accidentally had the "wave" volume bar all the way up briefly (some program i was using changed my setting of the recommended 50%), causing, well, some really intense sound. but seeing as switching the wires alleviated the static, i imagine that the speakers survived the high-volume encounter perfectly. **ADDENDUM**: upon even further exploration of the wiring, i have discovered that two strands of the copper wiring are not bundled with the rest and are not soldered. i assume this could definitely cause a problem. am i correct? This message has been edited by killed radio star on 09-05-2001 at 04:42 PM