[_mark_]

I recently brought some single crystal copper speaker cables. While the sound is clearer overall, I’ve started to notice a ‘crackling’ on some recordings.

It’s most noticeable on heavily produced music and hip hop; when there is a transient peak in levels of the music, there is sometimes a ‘crack’, and with horns there is sometimes a ‘crackle’. On many of my CDs, though, the effect is not present at all. The effect is unaffected by changing the volume on my amp.

Does anyone know how this could be caused by my new speaker cables or any of the rest of my system?

Crappy marantz CD player -> Perpetual Technologies PA1A -> PA3A -> RWA Signature 30 -> Rogers LS6a

[brj]

How are your cables terminated?  Spades, bananas, bare wire, etc.?  The crackling could be from a loose connection, and is essentially micro-arcing.

My speakers have the Cardas patented posts, but they weren't installed quite straight.  Since a single knob tightens both spade connections, the slightly tilted installation means that the positive spade clamps down before the negative.  If I don't really crank down on the spades in order to tighten the negative terminal, I get crackling as well.  I hadn't noticed that the crackle cooresponded to specific musical passages, but it was definitely intermittent.

[_mark_]

Thanks a lot for the advice.

I have adjustable banana plugs, and have checked and reconnected them to no effect.

The 'crackling' does seem to be specific to particular recordings, and it is present on both channels. Because of this, I'm coming round to the idea that the cables 'revealed' this sonic garbage rather than producing it, but I'm at a loss as to what to do about it.

[BikeWNC]

Do the new cables cross or get very near power cords or power supplies?  Do they cross or touch other ICs?  If so, try to route them away from other cables.  Do they lay on carpet? 

Andy

[_mark_]

I'll try to move things about abit.

The cords do lie on carpet - is this a problem?

[BikeWNC]

I've found that cables can pick up static electricity from carpets and cause problems as you have described.  Try to raise them off the carpet.  You can use small clay flowerpots (upsidedown is more stable) if you have them. 

Andy

[nathanm]

If _mark_ gave specific examples of the recording and time frame in question others would be able to corroborate the existence of these crackles.

[Frihed91]

Turn off the TV, computers, radios you have, anything tha generates RF.  Does that change anything?

[_mark_]

If _mark_ gave specific examples of the recording and time frame in question others would be able to corroborate the existence of these crackles.

The worst offender is Cannibal Ox by EL-P

Turn off the TV, computers, radios you have, anything tha generates RF.  Does that change anything?

My amp is battery powered, and everything else that's plugged in nearby is a component of my stereo. It is all on a multi-socket extension lead though. is that bad??

A musician friend of mine has mentioned that he sometimes intentionally adds tape hiss or the background from a scratchy record to tracks, and I think that the 'resolution enhancement' of my DAC might bring this into the foreground as it is reduced (but not removed) when I take this out of the line. I think I may have some kind of 'anti-synergy' going on.????

[Gordy]

Mark,

Have you tried reinstalling your old cables to confirm the crackle/noise is indeed related to the new cables? 

[Wayner]

Could be the music. I have overloaded my DAT recorder on occasion when mastering and when it goes into red line, you get crackle. The style of music you are listening to has the want for maximum volume, especially bass and I'm more than sure there are plenty of digital read errors on the disc. The music producers are probably assuming that most of the listeners are listening in car systems with the bass turned loud, no one would notice the digital read errors that show up as crackling noise. Now you have a revealing high quality system that is exposing the true quality of the recordings. My motto holds true many times. The music is the weakest link in any system.

(Added) Play some of your CD's that make the crackling noise and see if the noise repeats on the same spot on the same song, then at least you will know it's the CD that's doing it>

W

[avta]

Mark:
Any tube gear in your system?
Guy

[kfr01]

It isn't your speaker cables.

Have you just recently installed your P1A - P3A combo?

[_mark_]

Have you tried reinstalling your old cables to confirm the crackle/noise is indeed related to the new cables?

Unfortunately, I gave them away straight after replacing them.

Could be the music........ Play some of your CD's that make the crackling noise and see if the noise repeats on the same spot on the same song, then at least you will know it's the CD that's doing it

It does. The same CDs do the same things every time. Having said that, while I do listen to alot of bass-heavy/electronic/overproduced stuff I also listen to a lot of Jazz and instrumental stuff and some of that (but less of it) causes problems too. I would hate to find out that ~1/3 of my music is recorded badly. Is there any way of 'curing' this kind of thing digitally (with EAC for example?).

Any tube gear in your system?

Nope.

It isn't your speaker cables. Have you just recently installed your P1A - P3A combo?

I have had the PT stuff for several months now, and I never noticed any crackling before. However, the 'resolution enhancement' of the P1A really seems to bring the crackling into the foreground to the point of making some recordings unlistenable. When I take this out and leave just the P3A DAC, I can still hear the crackling but it is reduced and much more integrated with the rest of the music.

On other recordings I really like the P1A, as it has the effect of making the music much more three-dimensional.

Is there some kind of problem with these things I don't know about??

[Wayner]

I would suggust you talk to Frank Van Alstine about his D to A converter. Maybe it could help. I always hate to suggest to people to buy something to fix their problems, but this might. Frank's D to A converter is very, very good.

W

[avahifi]

It sounds to me like your problem is simply a defective CD with data destroyed in some places beyond the capability of the error correction circuits to cope with.  This will cause a crackling sound.  Try the CD(s) on a different system, if the problem still occurs, the CD is at fault.  If the problem only shows up on your system, then your CD transport is probably not handling errors well.

If the problem shows up worse on the first tracks on the CD, then it likely is a combination of a defective CD and inadequate transport performance.

The CD is read from inside to outside (the opposite of a record) and spins much faster on the first tracks, making read errors more likely on the early tracks.  An out of round, not flat, or slightly damaged CD can cause problems on one transport, and play just fine on another, depending upon the transport's error correction capability.

Frank Van Alstine

[RH Customs]

I agree it is the Cd's or perhaps a dirty lens. I build a quite a bit of cables and there are some recordings I love to listen to, but there is a problem. The inherent recording of the tracks were flawed from the start. The higher resolution equipment you use the easier it is to here these flaws in the recordings.

RH

[LightFire]

...I have overloaded my DAT recorder on occasion when mastering and when it goes into red line, you get crackle...

W

This is more likely to be your problem.