Speakers Crackling

[TheCase]

Hi,

I just got a new sound card SB X-Fi Audio but when I am playing a game the back speakers crackle when a loud boom comes but they where working fine on the old sound card does this mean I need new speakers? Sounds like they cannot support the loudness also happends at a loud point in a song.

Thanks

 

[Cinders]

Is there a chance that you have the speakers connected incorrectly at your amp? If you accidental switched the + and - lines and the speakers are moving the voice coil into the speaker instead out of the speaker and away from the speaker magnet base plate then the voice coil may be hitting the base plate and causing the distortion. Your amp may also be the cause of the distortion because maybe it's not powerful enough to reproduce sound that loud. Check the speaker surrounds for cracks. If there are tears or cracks you will need to replace the surrounds or purchase new speakers if you can't find new surrounds. If that's not the case then you may want to turn the back speakers down a bit and or bring up the bass crossover frequency if you can.

 

[zipperman]

Speaker testing

Did you do all the SB speaker tests ?
Is it set for your type of speakers ?
Do the Speaker test.

 

[TheCase]

bringing up the bass crossover frequency helps.

Thanks

 

[Rovers_robin]

If the output from the PC is set really high, the best thing to do is lower the PC's volume level to about half/three-quarters of the way and use the speaker's volume control to adjust the volume.

If the levels coming from the PC are too high for the speakers, then crackling will occur.

 

[TheCase]

Still not any good. I can hear distortion when up high. With having the SB X-Fi Audio sound card do theses speakers go well or are they a waste of money. Im not to sure how to set up 7.1 around the room, I got 5.1 now 1 front left, 1 front right, 1 center, 1 back right, 1 back left I guess I put them on the wall if it goes there Im sure I can find a 7.1 set up I am in a very small room though.

http://uk.europe.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=4&subcategory=113&product=10321

My current speakers (specs to the right)
http://www.alteclansing.com/downloads/251 sell sheet.pdf

Any improvement? I have about £100 can anyone suggest anything better? Thanks

 

[zipperman]

2 comments

Creative sound cards have speaker tests.You also have to check that
their set to 5.1 in your case.I feel 5.1 is all you need for Dolby Surround
DVD movies.My Audigy 4 has all this and a remote control.

My Logitech 5.1 install manual shows how to place evey type.
2.1 to 7.1.Speaker stands are an optinial accesory.
Also do a dxdiag sound and music test.

 

[Cinders]

I took a look at both sets of speakers and the second set seems to be about the same as your current set except it's 7.1 instead of 5.1. If you're looking for very loud high quality sound then you're looking at the wrong set of speakers. They don't have enough wattage and the amp probably will not be able to control the speaker well at high levels to be able to please an audiophile.

Most likely your current amp located inside your sub woofer box is inducing distortion into the sound you're hearing and/or it's over driving your speakers and they are producing the distortion. I had an old amp when I was much younger that would distort my music at very high levels. It would make the sound muddy. I had an eighty watt per channel stereo amp and three-hundred and fifty watt speakers and if I wanted to go deaf listening to very loud and clear music I'd have to listen it on my headphones.

Speaker quality is a matter of experience and taste. Your best bet is to audition a set at you local computer store and then purchase them on the web at a discount price.