Crackling tweeters KG 5.5

[McMiRA]

Here is the heat shrink. I cut it about twice the length of the connector. only slide the shrink over the connector after it has cooled or else it shrinks before its entirely on. Heat shrink comes in many different flavors depending on the application your using it for. The shrink im using just fits over the connector.

[McMiRA]

And here is the finished product. You can use a blade to trim the end if needed. sometimes i purposely leave them long to help seal the connection when used out in the weather. You can apply this to some nice gold terminals or even banana connectors , high grade wire( read visually appealing), and add in some wire pants and it will look like those $1000 cables that some swear will make or break a system.

hope this answered the questions, i apologize for the multiple posts. it will only let me add one photo at a time.

[Aj72]

That is a great tutorial! Im sure I wont be the only one to benefit from this. Thanks a lot for taking the time.

AJ

[Aj72]

I need some more feedback guys on the crackling tweeters. Always the same parts of certain songs. For example, the main right channel crackles badly during one song at a certain point the left channel doesnt. Swapping over the speakers and the exact same crackling in the speaker that has been swapped. So both speakers crackle exactly the same way at that point in the song in the right channel. In another song the left crackles a tiny bit and after swapping speakers the same result occurs as the experiment detailed above. I'm looking for suggestions as to why this might be happening. Ive played the same music through two other stereos (not horns) and no problems with crackling at all. I have another old receiver which Im going to swap for the processor to see if that makes any difference. If not then is it possibly the speaker wire which is about thirteen years old. It still is a relatively minor issue as Ive only noticed it happening on Radiohead cd's but I play them a lot. If its the processor is this a common fault? Any further feedback appreciated.

Thanks

AJ

[lucky5115]

Well the commonality seems to be a component upstream. Again, as electronics age stuff goes bad. Also I'd pitch that RH CD.

ron

[garyrc]

... a component upstream, OR the CD.

Does it happen at lower volume? Could it be clipping caused by very loud peaks played loudly?

Do the passages have a lot of upper midrange and treble? Many, many tweeters will only take a couple of watts without distorting, but the treble in tweeter range is down many dB -- about 20 dB in classical -- in most music. But if Radiohead is really pushing the treble .....

Does a crackling occur when you turn down the volume, then wiggle the speaker wires? If not I seriously doubt it's the speaker wires. If so, it is probably at a connection site, perhaps with the wire connecting the crossover to the tweeter.

BE CAREFUL with the following: could vibration coming through the floor, or your component rack, be wiggling the interconnects or some circuitry connected to them? TURN down the volume -- way down -- and wiggle the cable between your player and your receiver. If the volume is up, or at a normal level when you do this, YOU COULD LOSE YOUR TWEETERS, so keep the volume very low when you wiggle. If you have separate power amps, DO NOT wiggle the wires going to them, since there is no volume control there with which to turn down the volume sufficiently to protect your tweeters.

If you had to describe the crackling without using the word "crackling," how would you describe it? This might give us a clue.

I once heard a subtle crackling in a video. I could only hear it through my Khorns, not with other speakers around the house with less treble. We determined it was the soloist's necklace rattling.

[Aj72]

Playing at low volume I still notice crackling. Sounds a bit like record player crackle around vocals in higher notes (still only Radiohead CD's seem to do it). Quite specific. Ive also noticed on my centre channel (from day one, upgraded once. Since including new centre channel, still does it) that during certain movie scenes (pod emerging and emitting first warning call before vapourising people does it most in War of The Worlds) I get the same crackle but never noticed my mains at all doing it for movies. Im used to it and it doesnt do it enough to make me really get the s.... But I would prefer it gone. I will try what youve suggested and see how I go. I still love these speakers!

[McMiRA]

My vintage marantz 4270 has a case of the crakle every now and then, that's usually followed up by dropping off the left. Rear quadrophonic channel. Mines a result of dirty volume knob. If I twist it back and forth rear quick it will usually clear. If you have another processor I'd swap it out and give it a go just to eliminate the chance of it being the processor. If its still there, then its another component.

[Aj72]

Ive managed to test everything except the preamp. I now know that it must be this component causing the issue as using old receiver played fine. power amp with receiver sounded much better and no problems either with Radiohead CD. It is only really noticeable with this music which is annoying as I happen to play it a lot. I bought from a dealer but unless you played the Radiohead music you wouldnt notice a problem (Im sure other music would do it to but havent found it yet). Still under warranty until the end of the year and a pain in the rear to take back and get checked but guess Ill have to. Crackling does happen at lower volumes. I would describe it as just like when the tuning dial on radio not quite on channel and you get a tiny crackle that lets you know its not tuned properly into the station.

[Aj72]

Update. Took the unit back and they had it for five weeks! Apparently got put on a shelf and forgotten about despite my regular calls. Frustrating. As far as the crackling goes no change. Still just as bad. They put a new DSP in the unit but wish I never took it back as Im now wondering if it sounds as good as it used to. Scratched volume knob to add to everything. Sound like a whingeing perfectionist but really Im not. Not sure whether to take it back and say not happy at all. I really liked the sound of this preamp but would be lucky to replace this unit through dealer as they no longer have it on sale. Has a further two years warranty. Any suggestions?

[garyrc]

Update. Took the unit back and they had it for five weeks! Apparently got put on a shelf and forgotten about despite my regular calls. Frustrating. As far as the crackling goes no change. Still just as bad. They put a new DSP in the unit but wish I never took it back as Im now wondering if it sounds as good as it used to. Scratched volume knob to add to everything. Sound like a whingeing perfectionist but really Im not. Not sure whether to take it back and say not happy at all. I really liked the sound of this preamp but would be lucky to replace this unit through dealer as they no longer have it on sale. Has a further two years warranty. Any suggestions?

Were you ever able to produce the crackling sound in the store, so they could hear it?

A problem is that the crackle is also audible at significantly lower volume. That may indicate it is on the CD, but just not revealed by inferior speakers or electronics you or the dealer have tried. Some components veil the sound. Klipsch speakers tend to be very revealing.

If you really decide it is in the unit and decide to take it back, be firm but polite. Say you are unhappy (being unhappy does not depend on the unit being responsible for the crackle -- the scratched volume control would be enough). Say you are looking forward to buying stuff from them in future years. Take a calm audiophile friend with you, one who has heard the crackle.

I doubt very much if you will have to use this, but, in America, we have something called "I want my meat." Someone buys meat from a supermarket and notices when she gets it home that it is abnormally dark in color in certain areas. She takes it back and the butcher says, "That won't hurt anything." She says, "It may not, but I want meat that is not dark." He says, "The darkness may be a sign of quality -- aged meat can be superior." She says, "That may be, but I paid for this meat, and I want it the color I'm used to getting." "He says, "I'm sorry, but I can't take a return on meat." She says, "I want meat that is normal in color." This goes on, and she stays very calm, but soon she just starts to repeat, "I want my meat," over and over again, no matter what he says. As the story goes, she got her meat. Her technique is taught in assertiveness training manuals and classes. I've seen it work several times.

[Aj72]

Thanks Gary, I still only pickup problems on the Radiohead CD's (on three of them). I've decided that I'll be chasing my tail if I take it back again only to find they couldn't fix it. So unless I notice anything with other music I will put up with it. I did give them the CD to play with the unit but on picking it up from the technicians no one could tell me if they noticed it. I may make a phone call to see if they can confirm whether there was anything unusual. I now need to move on and enjoy what Ive got rather than letting a few minor nuisances spoil the rest of the ride. Thanks for all the advice.

[garyrc]

Thanks Gary, I still only pickup problems on the Radiohead CD's (on three of them). I've decided that I'll be chasing my tail if I take it back again only to find they couldn't fix it. So unless I notice anything with other music I will put up with it. I did give them the CD to play with the unit but on picking it up from the technicians no one could tell me if they noticed it. I may make a phone call to see if they can confirm whether there was anything unusual. I now need to move on and enjoy what Ive got rather than letting a few minor nuisances spoil the rest of the ride. Thanks for all the advice.

I understand the need to get past this. I have some CDs I don't play, because I'm convinced that the problem is with the recordings.

Techs should write down all of their observations and give a copy to the customer. Because they did not give you a copy, and for other reasons, this dealer seems to be not so hot on customer service. My two favorite dealers were great that way, and one of their techs was deemed "The best in the (San Francisco) Bay Area. The other dealer was his own tech, and sent me detailed letters on options before I moved to his town hundreds of miles away. Both techs built me custom equipment. Such people are hard to find, but worth the search.

[Aj72]

Aaah bloody Ipad went flat as I was about to send message! Another thing Ive noticed is a faint buzzing in the right main, right rear and right rear back. Wasn't there before either. If Im honest I can sit down like tonight and watch a movie without noticing any of the issues with the unit. But they do bother me because they shouldn't be there. If I sell it I will have to disclose these things. Worries me that it just goes back in, they replace something and comes back no better but maybe worse as they didnt know the source of problem. Feels like chasing tail. I will have to think some more about this......

[garyrc]

Another thing Ive noticed is a faint buzzing in the right main, right rear and right rear back. Wasn't there before either.

Can you hear it from the listening position, or do you have to put your ear up to the speaker to hear it? I would worry that faint buzzes audible from the listening position would intermodulate with the music, particularly during the softest classical or orchestral passages (including film scores!). I don't know enough about it to know if that is plausible.

If you can hear it from your seat, I'd take it back so fast! I understand it's under warranty, so the factory might want to check it out.

If the store people listen for it, make sure they use a speaker as efficient as yours (102 dB @ 1 WT @ 1M ... I think). The typical speakers at a work bench are in the low 90s, so you may have to have them hook it up out on the floor. It might show up on a scope, but I once had a buzz/whine that was barely perceptable from the chair 14 feet away, using Klipschorns (105 dB/w/M at the "buzz/whine/ frequencies"), but didn't show up on the guy's scope. He put on a good pair of headphones, and there it was!