JBL LSR305- Clicking/popping, please help scared I am damaging the monitors.

conanthewarrior

New member
Hello, today I became the proud new owner of some JBL LSR305's. I am very happy, apart from one thing.

When I turn the volume up to past conversation levels, sometimes there will be a big loud "Pop" or "Click", but the music carries on playing.

Is this clipping, or something else? I have mainly been using them with the -10DB setting, as at +4 they was too quiet, and the manual said to change it to -10 if they were too quiet.

The popping happens at around 2 seconds, loudest just after 7 seconds, and then once more before the end. It's only 14 or so seconds so not long. YouTube 7 seconds, it kind of sounds like a really sharp snare, but it isn't.

I would be very grateful if you can help- I really don't want to have to send the speakers back if it isn't an issue. The speakers can go a lot higher than I am using them at.

Thanks for your help, Conan.
 
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This may not be the speakers , we could use some more info to help. Particularly your setup.
 
OK, I am using a 15", 2013 MacBook Pro, with a Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 interface.

I am using TRS to XLR cables to connect the interface to the speakers.

I tried using my old 2010 MacBook Pro with the same song- and there was no popping sound! This is a big problem, as I bought my 2013 MBP as it is a massive upgrade to my dual core 2 duo, with a quad core i7.

What could I do to troubleshoot this?
 
At +4 did they pop? Also.......does the popping come from both speakers or just one? You can test the JBL's by running a stereo out from a headphone jack from a home stereo or some other unit. If you happen to have a y cord that would work. That bypasses the AI and the computer. Crank it up and see. Try both the +4 and -10 settings. I doubt that it's the monitors but every test will begin to get you closer to the cause.
 
I have given myself a good slap.

Turns out it was the track- I listened with headphones, and sure enough at the time in the song I heard the pops, there it was in my headphones. It wasn't as loud, but it was there.

These are my first ever set of monitor speakers, and I knew they showed the good along with the bad of music, but not this much. I'm glad my speakers are not broken.

Thank you all.
 
To me and others comments I have read the high end of the JBL's is very transparent and does tend to show any sort of warts in a mix , which is good but a startling until you get used to them. I would recommend listening to a lot of commercially produced recordings to get a better idea of how they sound. Which is just good practice anyway. Also if you ever hear something that doesn't sound right you can use something known to test.
 
Mickster, at +4dB they only pop when I max out my interface output, and have the monitors above 7 and a half. Below this, they don't seem to do it with that track.

I must say, it is ONLY that track that does it. I asked someone else to listen with their monitors, and they said the couldn't hear the pops on the source track. But someone else with the JBL's said the same thing happens to them, and they know it means they are too loud when it occurs.

It is a very bass heavy, boosted track though on youtube, and is the only time I get these sounds. Under 7 and a half with that song, or any volume with any other song does not cause it.

I just think I was worried where it is my first ever set of monitors. They haven't popped at all in the last few days of use, and I have used them a lot.
 
Mickster, at +4dB they only pop when I max out my interface output, and have the monitors above 7 and a half. Below this, they don't seem to do it with that track.

I must say, it is ONLY that track that does it. I asked someone else to listen with their monitors, and they said the couldn't hear the pops on the source track. But someone else with the JBL's said the same thing happens to them, and they know it means they are too loud when it occurs.

It is a very bass heavy, boosted track though on youtube, and is the only time I get these sounds. Under 7 and a half with that song, or any volume with any other song does not cause it.

I just think I was worried where it is my first ever set of monitors. They haven't popped at all in the last few days of use, and I have used them a lot.

Active loudspeakers should employ electronic protection for the drive units. Pretty much mandatory in fact because people WILL put high level bass G through them or a screaming distorted guitar, solo signal at a level you would NOT consider a "hi fi" speaker would cope with. But...

It is technically very difficult to make speaker limiters that do not, in some cases intrude into the "wanted" region. People like PMC manage it at £3000 a pop but us impecunious mortals have to just cut our cloth to the shorn lamb!

All that waffle means, yes, you WILL find certain tracks at certain levels and frequencies that 'crack'. If things return to normal after, you have not damaged the speakers.

Have you acquired a sound level meter yet? Lost track.

Dave.
 
If you are clicking "when I max out my interface output" then I'd suspect the interface might be exceeding its ability to output a clean signal, rather than the speaker having a fault. I.e., changing the setting on the speaker does not change the 0dBFS=10dBu spec reality.
 
Mickster, at +4dB they only pop when I max out my interface output, and have the monitors above 7 and a half. Below this, they don't seem to do it with that track.

I must say, it is ONLY that track that does it. I asked someone else to listen with their monitors, and they said the couldn't hear the pops on the source track. But someone else with the JBL's said the same thing happens to them, and they know it means they are too loud when it occurs.

It is a very bass heavy, boosted track though on youtube, and is the only time I get these sounds. Under 7 and a half with that song, or any volume with any other song does not cause it.

I just think I was worried where it is my first ever set of monitors. They haven't popped at all in the last few days of use, and I have used them a lot.

Conan......I'm a little confused because you recently stated you heard the same noise at the same time in your headphones.

So......if as you stated...... you're cranking up the volume of your AI so loud as to distort within the AI output.......that would not be the fault of the monitors or the headphones.

If you're cranking up the AI volume all the way...........and are still able to stand hearing it (volume wise) on headphones and (near field) monitors......either your track was recorded at a fairly low level......or WOW......BE CAREFUL........you could be risking your hearing a bit.
 
I did state I heard the same noise in my headphones, yes.

I use a few different forums, and get a bit confused which one I have replied to. I'm brain damaged and this has impacted my memory, so quite often I get confused with things like this.
I thought I could hear the sounds on the headphones, but that may have been psychological, as no one else could hear it.

I have no intentions of ever actually using them this loud- it was just the first day, and I wanted to see how loud they could actually go. With a meter, the maximum I am listening on average is 85dB with some peaks into 89-90dB, but this is when I want to check something louder- usually I am around 80dB Max on average when mixing.

I don't think it is the fault of the speakers, I think it was mine trying to push too much from them. They work fine how I intend to use them, so thats all that matters really :)
 
Keith.Rogers, Sorry to sound dense, but I'm not fully clear on what this means exactly. I have the monitors set to the correct +4dBu setting now. Does 10dBu=0dBFS then?
 
Keith.Rogers, Sorry to sound dense, but I'm not fully clear on what this means exactly. I have the monitors set to the correct +4dBu setting now. Does 10dBu=0dBFS then?
If I read this stuff correctly, and to put it another way, the LSR305 spec has this:
Maximum Peak Input Level: +6 dBV / +20.3 dBu
-10 dBV / +4 dBu​
This means that at the -10 setting, you can exceed the speaker's maximum of +6dBV (if you hit the interface's maximum output), but, conversely, at the +4 setting, you can't exceed it until +20.3dBu, or 10dBu over the 0dBFS spec (your interface probably fried before getting that high). So, +4 is quieter, but you can now exceed the interface's maximum output well before the speaker maximum. Obviously, you really don't want to do either, but the less sensitive speaker setting could allow the interface to send a distorted signal. Basically, I think the lesson is to use the monitor level and calibrate the monitor so you don't risk either device.

But, with all that, I have my Yamaha HS5s dialed to +4 (it's not a switch but an analog knob with detents at MIN/+4/-10 - nb the Yammies do not have both a sensitivity and level control, so this does both) with my Focusrite Saffire, because at -10 the level knob has very little room to move before it's just too loud. So, in theory, I could turn it up to exceed a maximum with that setting, but I couldn't be close enough to the knob well before that because it would be too loud for me!
 
... but us impecunious mortals have to just cut our cloth to the shorn lamb!
...

"God darnit, Mr. Lamarr, you use your tongue prettier than a twenty dollar whore":D

Aye, these are the monitors I eventually hope to acquire for my modest home studio. The OP's monitors, that is :)
 
Ahh, I see.

I have been keeping it on the correct +4dB setting, I'm glad to know that its pretty much impossible for me to exceed the monitors maximum of +6dBV unless I actually managed to exceed my interfaces maximum setting.

Anyway, usually just past halfway is well enough, 3/4's is loud, and at maximum it is enough to hear outside. So I think the correct setting is more than enough for me, and I am very happy with the monitors.
 
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