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Can someone explain how one bass note can cause buzz distortion in powered audioengine A5+ ...

post #1 of 9
1/7/13 at 6:08am
Thread Starter 
My Audioengine A5+ speakers play flawlessly with exceptional bass however I cant understand how on three songs out of 225 cds a bass note causes buzz distortion in only one speaker.One of the songs is by Blue Nile called From Rags to Riches.The song starts with bass part that goes down to a place where a note sets up a buzz distortion that can be heard at moderate volume out of the active left speaker.
It soon goes away when that note is not hit.Its not a particularly loud bass note but it triggers that buzz.Rest of my music that goes from rock to acoustic to electronic with all kinds of bass notes or effects plays clean,loud and distortion free but every time I play Blue Nile song or other two which the buzz comes off an acoustic bass note the distortion is present but only when note is played.
I cant really say my speakers are faulty for Im sure i would hear distortion in other songs.Ive tried all kinds of tests like switching cable,speaker locations etc.and the distortion is coming from the woofer but only on these three songs.Ive even played the song through MP3,WMA,regular cd and Mog and spotify service and get the same distortion from all sources.Im at a loss to explain this.
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post #2 of 9
1/7/13 at 6:27am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mattg3 View Post

My Audioengine A5+ speakers play flawlessly with exceptional bass however I cant understand how on three songs out of 225 cds a bass note causes buzz distortion in only one speaker.

That speaker may be defective. Swap the speakers between the L & R channels and see if the buzz stays with the source or the speaker.
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post #3 of 9
1/7/13 at 6:38am
Thread Starter 
Ive tried that and yes the buzz does stay with the same speaker.Why would only three songs out of thousands cause this bass buzz?If speaker was defective would i not here it on songs with similar low bass patterns?
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post #4 of 9
1/7/13 at 7:14am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mattg3 View Post

Ive tried that and yes the buzz does stay with the same speaker.Why would only three songs out of thousands cause this bass buzz?

Admit it, you haven't actually tested thousands of recordings at all possible levels of loudness. ;-)

The standard way to test speakers for buzzes is a recording of a tone slowly swept through the bass range.
Quote:
If speaker was defective would i not here it on songs with similar low bass patterns?

If they were similar enough.

I bet that if you played the music louder, you'd hear the buzzing with more recordings.

It is now quite clear that you have a bad speaker. Repair or replace!
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post #5 of 9
1/7/13 at 7:18am
Maybe it only buzzes in resonance with unusual notes, like B# biggrin.gif

If you're really lucky maybe you just have a screw loose. Err, sorry, I mean maybe your speaker just has a screw loose.
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post #6 of 9
1/7/13 at 7:38am
Quote:
Originally Posted by JD in NJ View Post

Maybe it only buzzes in resonance with unusual notes, like B# biggrin.gif

If you're really lucky maybe you just have a screw loose. Err, sorry, I mean maybe your speaker just has a screw loose.

Good point. Boosting the loudness usually broadens the frequency range that causes the buzz.

Loose screws often cause buzzes. In one case a push-on electrical connector caused a problem and just squeezing it carefully with pliers did the job.

Most speakers are disassembled by removing the grille and then the woofer.
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post #7 of 9
1/7/13 at 8:06am
You could have a resonance at that frequency in that speaker. That definitely seems to be the case.

The CAUSE of the resonance could be several things.

One could be a slight tear in the cone surround

One could be something loose in the mounting.

One could be the speaker vibrating against the table; try putting four 3M stick-on rubber feet on the bottom of the speaker. (there could be a slight unevenness in the bottom surface of the speaker). The rubber feet might fix it no matter what is causing it.

Another could actually be the grille assembly; have you tested this with the grille OFF?

Does this speaker have an amplifier circuit board in it? The board mounting could be the problem, or a component ON the board could be resonating. This can be damped by using some silicone rubber compound to stabilize the vibrating part.
Edited by commsysman - 1/7/13 at 8:13am
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post #8 of 9
1/7/13 at 8:23am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by commsysman View Post

You could have a resonance at that frequency in that speaker. That definitely seems to be the case.
The CAUSE of the resonance could be several things.
One could be a slight tear in the cone surround
One could be something loose in the mounting.
One could be the speaker vibrating against the table; try putting four 3M stick-on rubber feet on the bottom of the speaker. (there could be a slight unevenness in the bottom surface of the speaker). The rubber feet might fix it no matter what is causing it.
Another could actually be the grille assembly; have you tested this with the grille OFF?
Does this speaker have an amplifier circuit board in it? The board mounting could be the problem, or a component ON the board could be resonating. This can be damped by using some silicone rubber compound to stabilize the vibrating part.

This company does not use a grill for their speakers and,yes i have tried it raised up on rubber stand that goes with the other Audioengine speaker (A2) that i own.Unfortunalely none of this has stopped the buzz.Im still in warranty period but I guess im just in denial and trying to find a way to avoid sending these speakers back which is always a pain.Thanks to all help here. Im going to give company a call and I will play the buzz sound over the phone to them if they need to hear it.
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post #9 of 9
1/7/13 at 9:27am
Thread Starter 
Company shipped a new set of speakers after phone conversation and my playing section of music with bass distortion over the phone.No questions asked and shipping tag included with new speakers to send old pair back.This is a great company.
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AVS › AVS Forum › Audio › Audio theory, Setup and Chat › Can someone explain how one bass note can cause buzz distortion in powered audioengine A5+ speakers.