Advice needed: consistent faint pop using optical connection to receiver (1 Viewer)

[Matt Sweeney]

Hi everyone,
My first post here, but I've looked around here for a few weeks looking for cable/interconnect guidance. I recently purchased a HK AVR 520 receiver and a toshiba sd-3805 dvd changer. I initially had the sound from the dvd player hooked up via the analog rca outputs to my 520. I should mention that I tried using the optical output from the dvd player with a cheapie cable that I had, but got the same problem I am just about to describe. I just got an AR pro series toslink cable and tried using that with the 520 and I get persistent, faint random pops/crackles (I don't know how exactly to describe them in audio terms because it's not like a pop when you first power up / turn off your computer with speakers on or like the clipping crackle that I have read about on here). I have tried listening with my sony mdr-v6 headphones and the noise is still present then, too. My speakers are actually from an aiwa bookshelf system (still waiting to get some good ones - newly married = poor).

I have tried several different configurations of cable hookups. I have tried:
- connecting the optical cable to each different optical input on the receiver
- Connecting the optical output from the game theater xp (gtxp) breakout sound box on my computer to the receiver. This also crackles/pops for any of the optical inputs on the HK.
- I connected the optical out of the dvd player to the optical in on my gtxp. I did not notice crackle at all with this configuration, but I didn't know if this was because of the headphone out cleaning things up, so I hooked up my headphones to the main line out and cranked the volume up a bit and still didn't get the crackle. I also recorded output from the dvd player on the computer and tried to analize it to see if I could detect any distortions present in the recording, and I couldn't find any.

I have tried cleaning the optical outputs on my dvd player and gtxp with optical lens papers and cleaner, as well as trying to wipe a clean, soft, lint-free cloth across the lens. The cable I'm using is brand new. If I can't find a simple solution I'm simple going to pick up some digital coaxial cables to try that out (which is probably what some will suggest right away, I'm guess ).

Thank you in advance for any help you can offer.

-Matt

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

Welcome to the Forum, Matt!

Lots of people here have HK receivers, and I’ve never seen anyone complain of this problem. So if you don’t have any better luck using the coaxial cables, I’d get the DVD player replaced.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[Matt Sweeney]

Any reason the dvd player over the receiver besides that no one else seems to have had the problem? It does seem like the signal from the dvd player is clean when listened to and recorded on my computer.

I should mention that these sounds occur during dvd playback, cd playback, and mp3 playback from the dvd player (so pretty much all the time. Also, here are some of my receiver and dvd player settings:

HK: speaker size = small, crossover at 100hz.
I've tried all the different surround modes (including plain stereo) to see if it makes a difference.
DVD player: for digital output it is set to bitstream/pcm at 96 khz.

Also, I noticed that the pops continue when the dvd player is on but not playing anything. I will let everyone now how I make out with the coax cables. Thanks.

 

[Matt Sweeney]

Well, I tried a new digital coax cable and that didn't change the amount of popping at all, and I also tried a surge protector with a 35db noise filter on it and that didn't help either. I'll see if I can get a hold of another dvd player, but why would the computer and dvd player cause the same result if it was only the dvd player? Thanks for any help on this,

Matt

 

[Cees Alons]

I'd blame the receiver, because you only get those pops when the receiver is in the equation (either DVD player or gtxp) and not without it (the DVD player through the gtxp).

That doesn't necessarily mean that it's broke (it could be, of course). It may also be susceptible for variations in the power, but because you already tried a surge protector, there isn't much you can do about that now.

So try (lend, take yours to the dealer if possible, etc.) a different receiver, I'd say.

Cees

 

[Matt Sweeney]

I didn't think it would be noise from the electrical input, but I couldn't be sure. Could the digital processor simply malfunction like this?

Anyway, I'm taking it in to a service center tomorrow. I bought this unit as a refurb and my warantee is up soon, so I really want this to get resolved.

Thank you very much Cees and Wayne (and anyone else who read and even thought about it for a bit).