Hi all,

I have a Onkyo HT-SR600 HTIB that's been working pretty well for me, but that now has been making crackling/popping noises. I am trying to troubleshoot but am out of ideas, so I was hoping you guys could provide me some options to try.

I have a HDTIVO connected via component, audio RCA and optical to the receiver, then component back to the TV. I also have a Series 2 Tivo connected via s-video the TV and the TV connected via RCA back to the receiver (because the receiver has no s-video inputs).

The crackling occurs on both sources, but only when the speakers are actively producing sound. It seems to occur reproducibly, i.e. in the same place of recordings, and varies with the volume of the receiver. It occurs in all three front speakers simultaneously; it is not restricted to one. On the HD Tivo, it occurs if the RCA audio is disconnected as well as if the optical is disconnected. It does not appear to be the source material, because it even occurs on Tivo noises. In particular, the du-dum sound you get if you advance to the bottom of the list causes it, but only if it repeats a few times in succession - only one doesn't cause it.

What might be the problem here? I seem to have isolated it to the receiver. Could be be bad contacts? A short somewhere? Cable interference? A ground loop? Or something more serious with the insides of the receiver? I've checked the speaker cabling and it seems fine. But it is bare wire, and its the stock cabling that came with the unit, so I believe it is 20 gauge wire. I have a small apartment living room, so I never felt the occasion to upgrade - should I?

Any suggestions would be helpful, and thanks!

As an update, I connected a DVD player with optical and played most of a DD movie without noticeable crackling. So I am just not sure what is going on.

It can't be the TV signal, because both TiVOs are crackling during sound effects. I even disconnected the Series 2 Tivo from coax, and the crackling is still there.

It seems to happen more often on DD soundtracks, at least through the TivoHD, but I have heard it with Dolby Pro Logic. Changing surround sound modes doesn't seem to change it. It only occurs in a speaker when sound is being sent to that speaker, and only intermittently.

I am moving soon and upgrading to an HDTV, so at this point I guess I can hope it's a connection/grounding/something inside my dying CRT that's contributing. But I'd still appreciate ideas.