We’ve got a home theater unit w/ DVD player that will occassionally blast a louder-than-normal static / white noise sound when it’s left on but the input device (such as the cable box) is turned off It doesn’t matter which input it’s set to, and there’s no pattern to when it does this. It happens typically once a month, sometimes less frequently. It’s happened probably about 15 times or so in the last two years, and the unit has to be powered off/on to make the noise stop.
It’s a problem, because I typically use the timer on the cable box as an alarm clock—the TV turns on at the appointed time and the sound wakes me up. So I leave the receiver that it’s connected to turned on so the sound will come out when the cable box switches on. But every now and then (as happened last night), it mysteriously blasted a godawful static, way louder than the volume control is set to. It doesnt’ always happen at the same time of night, and my first thought was that it was switching over to the FM tuner, but that doesn’t appear to be the case. Anyone ever heard of anything like this?
I think TBG is on to something here. I know having the speaker wires hooked up incorrectly (ground wires and hot wires reversed) can cause static problems and degrade your system but I believe that would be a constant static sound problem.
What components are running through your receiver?
I had thought the same thing initially, but I can’t imagine what it would be–it only happens in the middle of the night when we’re sleeping (but that’s really because the unit is either in use, or off, during the day. Nighttime is the only time when I have it turned on but have no sound going into it)
The receiver has a the built-in DVD player, and also has a cable box and a Nintendo Wii plugged into it, both of which are always off when this is happening.
And it’s really loud–the static comes out almost twice as loud as anything else would at that volume setting. It’s a steady static, too, not like the kind you get on the radio that comes in and out. Just a loud blast of steady noise.
So you’re positive you dont have your speaker wires crossed? I always thought it didn’t matter as long as you are consistent with your wiring to all speakers but then I was set straight by someone more knowledgable then me and was even shown in the manual to my system that it does matter. Apparently, it changes the polarity if you use the striped wire (or whatever) as pos assuming it should be neg and can cause static and eventually ruin your system.
Hopefully someone can either confirm this or call bs on it.
