How come my speakers pop when light is turned on?

[erwin1978]

I've got my computer speakers plugged into a surge protector. How come whenever I turn on the light my speakers pop? I thought surge protectors are supposed to suppress surges or transients. Am I the only one? Do I need to get a different surge suppressor? Mine is an APC Pro8T2.

 

[Maximilian]

Hey mine do that too! My older ones. I think it might actually be the light itsself that does it. Dunno though.

 

[Ika]

mine do the same thing. might be a speaker thing.

 

[jondl]

I think its a speaker thing. I had my x-fi w/ my z-5500s and they popped A LOT. Whenever anyone turned on a light or any kind of electrical devices around me. When i switched to my current ht setup, all the popping stopped and everything is just perfect. A lot of people blame the soundcard but who knows. In my exp. it seems like it was the speakers.

 

[imported_goku]

You've got poor electricity going through your system... Meaning that when ever you turn on an electronic device like a heater the lights dim.. What you need to do is either replace your lines in your house and or put your house on a higher amperage circuit breaker (with out of course creating a firehazard).

 

[Xyclone]

My electric piano's speakers do that... lol.

 

[InlineFour]

yep, my z5500 used to do that too.

 

[Kraptor]

The problem is with shielding in your speaker systems. Since the ampifier is "built-in" the speakers and the shilding is quite thin your amplifier in the spekers will pick up any electrical waves. When you switch on a light, etc those things generate electrical waves and your amplifier picks them up. This is a shielding problem.

 

[thescreensavers]

Originally posted by: Kraptor
The problem is with shielding in your speaker systems. Since the ampifier is "built-in" the speakers and the shilding is quite thin your amplifier in the spekers will pick up any electrical waves. When you switch on a light, etc those things generate electrical waves and your amplifier picks them up. This is a shielding problem.

Wrap aluminum foil around them FTW for extra shielding

 

[Markbnj]

Originally posted by: goku
You've got poor electricity going through your system... Meaning that when ever you turn on an electronic device like a heater the lights dim.. What you need to do is either replace your lines in your house and or put your house on a higher amperage circuit breaker (with out of course creating a firehazard).

Well, probably not. Say turning the light on/off caused a surge or some other disruption in the normal a/c current waveform. To affect the speakers through the power system it would have to make it through the surge protector (if there is one), then through the transformer/rectifier in the powersupply, and then into the sound card or integrated sound chip.

What is actually happening is that when contact is made/broken the arc in the light switch is throwing off an electromagnetic waveform. It's broadcasting in other words. Poorly shielded electronic equipment that is exposed to the waveform has current induced in wires, traces, leads, etc., and this is what causes the pop. Better shielding can lessen it, but I don't think it is completely preventable.

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: Markbnj

What is actually happening is that when contact is made/broken the arc in the light switch is throwing off an electromagnetic waveform. It's broadcasting in other words. Poorly shielded electronic equipment that is exposed to the waveform has current induced in wires, traces, leads, etc., and this is what causes the pop. Better shielding can lessen it, but I don't think it is completely preventable.

Unless you get a genuine UPS, not the SPS (standby power supplies) that are sold as consumer-level UPSes. A genuine UPS always runs off the inverter, so it also should act as a good filter. They're also a lot more expensive though.

 

[Markbnj]

Originally posted by: Jeff7

Originally posted by: Markbnj

What is actually happening is that when contact is made/broken the arc in the light switch is throwing off an electromagnetic waveform. It's broadcasting in other words. Poorly shielded electronic equipment that is exposed to the waveform has current induced in wires, traces, leads, etc., and this is what causes the pop. Better shielding can lessen it, but I don't think it is completely preventable.

Unless you get a genuine UPS, not the SPS (standby power supplies) that are sold as consumer-level UPSes. A genuine UPS always runs off the inverter, so it also should act as a good filter. They're also a lot more expensive though.

True, but what if the current is being induced in the speaker wires? I think the wires a lot of people use aren't shielded very well.

 

[fr]

When I had a SB Live!, my speakers would pop when I turned on/off my computer. After I upgraded to Audigy 2, it didn't happen any more.