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low volume popping/crackling noise in some movies

post #1 of 33
6/1/09 at 9:22pm
Thread Starter 
Hi Guys,

I'm posting again regarding an issue I've had since I first setup my HT 8 months ago.

The issue is that at specific points in some movies I notice a low volume popping or crackling noise, it's not loud because I've at certain times confused it to be part of the soundtrack but now im pretty convinced its not, if I rewind the scenes where it happened the popping sound is present at the exact same moment and also if I turn down the volume.

The popping noise only ever seems to occur in quieter scenes, especially with dialogue, in very loud scene's with explosions, gun fire etc the sound seems flawless.

I first had this issue when using:

B&W 685's as mains
No Center
No Rears
Denon 2309
12" Sub (not involved as I turn the sub off while testing)

I've since upgraded and added to the setup:

B&W 683 mains
Xindak XA-8800MNE Monoblocks (powering the mains)
B&W HTM61 Center
B&W 685 Rears
Denon 2309 (powering center & rears)

The issue is still occurring, I've managed to rule out that the issue is not with the source as I've tested with both my PS3 & HTPC, it's not with the 685's as they are now the rear speakers and the issue occurs when testing with the 683's in stereo, I don't believe it's the receiver as in stereo the mono's are amplifying the mains.

I'm completely stumped guys, the only thing I can possibly think of is that I have a 'dirty power' issue, but this still doesn't make sense to me as wouldn't this then occur on a random basis and not be able to be recreated as all the popping noises I have can be recreated time and time again by rewinding, even if the volume is substantially lowered.

I don't think it's just me or that im being to picky as this issue would drive any audiophile crazy, it's not like u have to listen hard to hear it, it's very distracting.

Off the top of my head I've noticed the issue with scene's in the following movies:

Gomorra(practically heard throughout the entire movie)
The Dark Knight(morgan meeting with the chinese dude, after firing the gattling gun)
The Island(lots of scenes)
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans(the counsel meeting scene and lots of other dialogue focused scenes)
Haute Tension(start of the movie when the girls are driving)

This happens in more movies but these are the ones that have irritated me the most lately

All of these movies were watched with at least a DTS soundtrack and in most cases a HD soundtrack.

Please help
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post #2 of 33
6/2/09 at 4:14am
Thread Starter 
Does anyone have any idea's, i'm literally loosing my mind over this ****.

The shawshank redemption Blu-ray is another one that is killing me with the distortion during dialogue, this one in my opinion is actually un-watchable on my system, I have the movie encoded in H.264 with DTS on my HTPC and I have the blu-ray disc for the PS3, it has the same issue on both.

The most noticable scene is when they line up for the wardens intro to the prison, when gaurd Hadley says 'you got that you maggot d***....' u get the point.

Pulp fiction blu-ray is another one with a major problem with dialogue distortion.

Just found this thread which describes a very similar problem to what i'm having: http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/...-tweeters.html
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post #3 of 33
6/2/09 at 4:26am
It appears as though you've ruled out everything except your receiver. Is there anyway you could borrow another receiver? Or install your receiver into another system? I guess that would be my next move. One more thought, you could try borrowing a different DVD player just to rule out the PS3, or try playing your most troublesome DVD's on another system.

Good luck.
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post #4 of 33
6/2/09 at 5:30am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the reply DogEarz.

receiver was what i was thinking until I hooked up the monoblocks, I thought with seperate power amps running the mains that it ruled out the receiver, I guess somehow the receiver could still be interfering, I'll have a chat to the dealer and see if I can have them come round to try a replacement receiver in my current setup.

As for swapping the DVD player I've already pretty much ruled that out by trying the same content via a HTPC connected with an optical cable and then on the PS3 connected via HDMI.

Has anyone ever experienced something like this that ended up being a fault with the receiver?
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post #5 of 33
6/2/09 at 7:52am
Did u make a calibration to your speakers? Because,if you boost everything at +10db on levels they can distort at higher peaks.
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post #6 of 33
6/2/09 at 8:40am
Thread Starter 
Yep I've done the audyssey MultiEQ calibration, I've got dynamic EQ/MultiEQ enabled with dynamic volume disabled.

I've ruled out calibration as the issue though because I've recalibrated 3 times now (each time I added a new equipment) and the last time I took no chances and did a microprocessor on the denon, this is essentially like a factory reset.

Before running the calibration again I tested the problem scene's in a few movies and I could still hear the distortion the same as before.
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post #7 of 33
6/2/09 at 10:37am
You may already know this, but with Dynamic EQ, you are more or less applying an equal loudness curve. Therefore, imperfections in the source at the low and high ends will be more audible. Not sure if that's your issue, but it is something to consider. I believe there has been some discussion of this on the Audyssey thread in the amps forum.
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post #8 of 33
6/2/09 at 12:57pm
I have this problem. I have had it on 5 different receivers/amps, 3 different brands of speakers, and 4 houses. I believe it to be a mixing or microphone problem. Most movies I have watched have this problem. The problem is significantly lessened in a properly treated relatively dead room. One of the places I tested it was in a room with very absorbant walls, and the problem almost was gone. Now I am in a different room with bad acoustics. 4 acoustic panels later, it sounds a little better but not perfect. Still have 2 panels to go.
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post #9 of 33
6/2/09 at 7:15pm
This problem is becoming more and more common as you search about it on the web. I've ruled out my Denon receiver and my Monitor Audio RS speakers being at fault. I've switched speakers, cables, and even receivers. It is indeed a bad recording mix. You will go crazy analyzing and trying to solve this. Just enjoy and hobby and let it be.
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post #10 of 33
6/3/09 at 3:29am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lancehizon View Post

This problem is becoming more and more common as you search about it on the web. I've ruled out my Denon receiver and my Monitor Audio RS speakers being at fault. I've switched speakers, cables, and even receivers. It is indeed a bad recording mix. You will go crazy analyzing and trying to solve this. Just enjoy and hobby and let it be.

I think you are right, payed a visit to my dealer and tested one particular movie (The Dark Knight BD) that I have problems with in several scenes, the issue was there on every speaker/receiver combo we tried, looks to be an issue with the recording.

I assume the other movies doing this are just the victim of bad recording aswell. This should be much easier to ignore now knowing that it's not a fault with my gear

I also have wondered why reviewers don't ever mention these kinds of issues, I guess it could be that the distortion occurs at a high frequency that becomes less audible with aged ears.
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post #11 of 33
6/3/09 at 6:03am
I think most people who notice the distortion are people who have small listening space or have badly treated rooms. It's only an assumption but I definitely fall in that category.
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post #12 of 33
7/8/09 at 4:44pm
Wampy, can I ask if you only notice this with Blu-ray movies or DVDs too? I recently got a Panasonic BD-35 and I hear alot of popping/crackling noise during the dialog sequences of Blu-ray movies that I rent from netflix. Gran Turino, Frost/Nixon, Revolutionary Road, even the Curious Case of Benjamin Button. I connect my Blu-ray player up to my DD/DTS processor via optical cable (mine doesn't have DTS-MA or TrueHD) and I hear it all the time. The funny thing is I currently don't have a center channel in my setup, and I was postulating that maybe since I don't have a center channel, the center channel audio is trying to get routed to the front L&Rs and getting screwed up. This is a very REAL and very FRUSTRATING problem that affects multiple movies. I have only noticed it only on Blu-rays and not on DVDs. So the only thing I could believe it to be would be my Blu-ray player because I've never heard it before on DVD. Or it could be a mastering problem with Blu-rays. The other funny thing is I've only noticed it on Blu-rays I've rented, none that I own. So maybe the discs are getting slightly damaged and that's what's causing the problem. Or maybe it's only on Blu-rays that have DTS-MA. I'm not convinced yet as to the source, but I hear it all the time and it really sucks.
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post #13 of 33
7/8/09 at 5:14pm
I have my dvds (not blu rays) ripped to my hard drive in perfect quality, and still have distortion/crackling. I have tried one thing which seems to help somewhat....activating pro logic IIx cleared up the dialog quite a bit for some reason.
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post #14 of 33
7/8/09 at 6:32pm
Pretty sure this is just due to a faulty mix. More than half of my DVD collection does this. To me it's quite noticeable and just sounds like a harsh distortion on dialog.
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post #15 of 33
7/13/09 at 1:31pm
I have a really hard time believing this is a faulty mix issue. If it were, thousands of people would be complaining about this problem. This is the first I have experienced.
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post #16 of 33
7/13/09 at 1:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by film235 View Post

I have a really hard time believing this is a faulty mix issue. If it were, thousands of people would be complaining about this problem. This is the first I have experienced.

Well I tried 3 different versions of the movie Troy(One mine, one from a friend, and one from blockbuster). All 3 distorted on the exact same dialog sequence on 4 different speaker/amp combos. They also distorted on 4 different sets of TV speakers and one computer/computer speaker combo, all on the same dialog sequence.
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post #17 of 33
7/13/09 at 2:46pm
Quote:


I have a really hard time believing this is a faulty mix issue.

I think a lot of people genuinely do not hear the problem. Maybe if they listened for it, but not if just watching a movie. Also many people may listen at lower volume levels, in which case the distortion may not be as noticeable.
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post #18 of 33
7/13/09 at 8:16pm
You will hear it if all you attention is focused on hearing the distortion/sound that bothers you.

Try buying a new subwoofer and focus your ears on the bass issue and you will likely not hear any distortion from the center at all.
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post #19 of 33
8/17/09 at 1:52am
From what I've read here, it appears to be some kind of digital distortion in the transition from digital disk to the AVR. Maybe something caused by the DTS (or Dolby) compression/expansion of the audio track (high frequencies need more data bits).

Can anyone with an Oppo (or other high end BD unit) confirm that it happens on their player too? If so, we can eliminate the player and ask Hollywood to do a better job with audio compression in movies.
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post #20 of 33
8/17/09 at 3:24am
Uh, what type of snacks are you eating when you experience these noises?

-Max
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post #21 of 33
8/17/09 at 4:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by maxcooper View Post

Uh, what type of snacks are you eating when you experience these noises?

-Max

As the guy with an orange dick told his doctor:

"I spend most of my time watching porn and eating Cheetohs".
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post #22 of 33
8/17/09 at 5:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mlkstudios View Post

from what i've read here, it appears to be some kind of digital distortion in the transition from digital disk to the avr. Maybe something caused by the dts (or dolby) compression/expansion of the audio track (high frequencies need more data bits).

Can anyone with an oppo (or other high end bd unit) confirm that it happens on their player too? If so, we can eliminate the player and ask hollywood to do a better job with audio compression in movies.

+1
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post #23 of 33
8/17/09 at 5:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by maxcooper View Post

Uh, what type of snacks are you eating when you experience these noises?

-Max

LOL......I love this "dialog" we're having. I love this sport.
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post #24 of 33
8/17/09 at 3:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MLKstudios View Post

From what I've read here, it appears to be some kind of digital distortion in the transition from digital disk to the AVR. Maybe something caused by the DTS (or Dolby) compression/expansion of the audio track (high frequencies need more data bits).

Can anyone with an Oppo (or other high end BD unit) confirm that it happens on their player too? If so, we can eliminate the player and ask Hollywood to do a better job with audio compression in movies.


I have a BDP-83 and yes I can still hear it on that player.
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post #25 of 33
8/18/09 at 5:08pm
Quote:


Can anyone with an Oppo (or other high end BD unit) confirm that it happens on their player too? If so, we can eliminate the player and ask Hollywood to do a better job with audio compression in movies.

From what I have heard elsewhere, it is the recording that is at fault...the human voice is dynamic and hard to capture correctly with the mics.
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post #26 of 33
8/18/09 at 5:32pm
I wish I had not read this thread Now I am going to be listening for something I have not heard before in movies. Actually maybe I have but the few times it was clearly in the mix of the movie and did not think about it.

For me the problem in in music (especially the better ones) I hear distortion or pop and think my speakers have blown. After test it turns out to be someone taking a deep breath, turning a page on sheet music, or even bumping into the mike. I guess when you start getting into hi end gear you hear things you don't want to.
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post #27 of 33
8/18/09 at 6:15pm
Does this happen at one spot on the disc, and one spot only, or more than one spot. The reason I'm asking is, have we ruled out the glitch at the "dual layer" part of the disc. BTW Poochy, does the OPPO have a built in "buffer" that will eliminate this. I'm thinking about getting it.
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post #28 of 33
8/19/09 at 2:32am
Quote:


Does this happen at one spot on the disc, and one spot only, or more than one spot. The reason I'm asking is, have we ruled out the glitch at the "dual layer" part of the disc.

My dvds are stored on my hdd...no dual layer glitch.
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post #29 of 33
8/19/09 at 7:26am
I use a BD-35 and a Yamaha RX-V665 and yes, I've heard the same noise. I THINK I've noticed it only after upgrading to blu-ray and DTS-HD Dolby-HD audio. So I initially attributed it to errors in the decoding of the HD audio; accepted it as compromised quality of converters. I wonder if it occurs with high-end processors\\decoders.

One experiment might be to A\\B between mult-outs of a BD player and HDMI of the player, bypassing the decoders in the receiver/processor. But the BD-35 doesn't have multichannel outs.
Anyone? . . . Anyone? . . .

My gut feeling is that it's on the disc.
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post #30 of 33
8/19/09 at 8:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by sound dropouts View Post

My dvds are stored on my hdd...no dual layer glitch.

Why no glitch?
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