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Anyone good with music systems out there?

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BrummieDave
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Anyone good with music systems out there?

#221860

Postby BrummieDave » May 15th, 2019, 5:54 pm

A local business with which I'm associated in an advisory/non exec/non remunerated (!) role is experiencing an ongoing problem with its music system: every five minutes or so there is a 'cracking/popping' noise through all the speakers.

The components are:
1 X Behringer Ultrazone ZMX 2600 six channel mixer amp.
7 X Behringer Eurolive 208D active speakers.
1 X Behringer VQ1500D active subwoofer.

The arrangement is:
The input into the amplifier is a headphone jack feed from an iPad playing Spotify.
Three of the amp channels are used to feed three rooms.
Room 1. Is setup with 4 speakers daisy chained together, plus 1 subwoofer at the end of the chain.
Room 2. Two speakers daisy chained together.
Room 3. One single speaker.

All of the cable is high quality shielded cable, and everything is earthed.

We have tried all sorts of tests, all sorts of taking various components out, and everything else we can think of including non-music disconnecting other devices from the electricity. Later this week we hope to try a different amp.

In the meantime, any advice or suggestions please?

PrincessB
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Re: Anyone good with music systems out there?

#221864

Postby PrincessB » May 15th, 2019, 6:15 pm

If all of the speakers are 'popping' at the same time that means the noise is likely being produced by the Behringer Ultrazone ZMX 2600 six channel mixer amp.

Behringer are a budget brand and I understand that quality control is sometimes not the best and while the their components are hard to beat for value, they can be problematic.

My initial thoughs would be some kind of interference from the mains that is upsetting the pre-amp/mixer. If you've got that much space, you've likely got a number of high current drawing items such as fridges/freezers/air conditioners which are going to be turning on and off all the time. That might explain the pops.

Whether this is a problem with the mixer itself or a product of dirty mains current could be resolved by buying another mixer, the Behringer you mention is under £100 so not too wallet busting.

Dirty mains would benefit from something like an uninterruptible power supply to the mixer, but as these seem to cost more than a replacement mixer, I'd try that if the problem persists when you've got a new mixer.

B.

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Re: Anyone good with music systems out there?

#221969

Postby BobGe » May 16th, 2019, 4:31 am

If it repeats for a roughly similar period every five minutes or so (i.e. with some degree of regularity) it is likely an external cause. Check for something with a thermostat (or other switching device). It can just be grubby contacts or often when an electromechanical t/stat is coming to the point of begining to open (contact pressure reduces leading to a little arcing). A new t/stat can appear to fix it, but for a while only as it may (probably will) re-occur as the t/stat ages. A suppressor will normally fix the problem. You may find one already fitted which has failed, or one which is wrongly installed (some are, even by equipment manufacturers!) One side is generally acting as the aerial and the RFI in it needs soaking away to earth / ground.

Here's how to find it:
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/ ... /OfW24.pdf

The mixer amp appears to be balanced i/o. You say the input feed is from a iPad headphone jack of some kind - that will be unbalanced. This could be where the 'noise' (RFI) is getting in. The output to the powered monitors should be and likely is run balanced (as a LR pair, one assumes).

If you would like to know more about balanced v. unbalanced audio Google is your friend.

Infrasonic
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Re: Anyone good with music systems out there?

#222084

Postby Infrasonic » May 16th, 2019, 12:18 pm

The easiest A/B to find out where in the chain the noise is entering would be to turn the mixer down fully when it occurs.
If the noise volume reduces you know it is before the mixer, if it doesn't it will be after (unless the mixer itself has issues...).
I'd agree that the headphone socket/cable does seem like the weak point for RF interference.

I actually had a similar situation many years ago during a long theatre run, except the very loud pops (red lights everywhere on the amps) were extremely intermittent.
Eventually we traced it to an external active crossover unit with a cracked PCB.
In that case turning the mixing desk down made no difference but turning the amps down did.

Itsallaguess
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Re: Anyone good with music systems out there?

#222204

Postby Itsallaguess » May 16th, 2019, 6:36 pm

BrummieDave wrote:
In the meantime, any advice or suggestions please?


Is there a way you can test the minimum set of kit that reproduces the issue, and then take that kit somewhere else with a completely different power supply?

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

BrummieDave
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Re: Anyone good with music systems out there?

#222501

Postby BrummieDave » May 17th, 2019, 4:22 pm

Thank you to everyone who has responded above; a situation beyond my control took me away from connectivity a couple of days ago hence not being able to reply sooner.

All the suggestions have been forwarded to the business owner who is now diligently working through them and trying to sort the problem. I'm offline again for a few days now but will let you all know what the outcome is one it is established and I'm back online.

Thanks again.


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