Facepalm please! I am going nuts...

Please note that when I say doing this all the time, I mean as the volume is changed up or down, it is likely making the noise.

 

Why would you worry about this? As the doctor told the man who said "it only hurts when I do this" Don't do that! It only clicks at a specific point on only one track on only one CD and only if you're adjusting the volume that specific moment? Honestly I would not worry about it. How many times as your listening to music do you change the volume especially during the same track anyway? Not a lot I would hope. My guess. Static electricity.

 

It is a tick click sound like those vinyl.

I tried with my DVD player and same result.

It makes the sound ONLY when the volume is changed.

Thanks for the assurance yes only when the volume is moved up and down rapidly it makes the click sound.

Thanks.

 

I would like to know how your amps behave in the following scenario:

Disconnect all the input RCAs and power on the amplifier with the speakers.

In mine, if I turn any of the controls I hear a noise in the speakers proportional to the volume.

If the input RCAs are plugged in, the noise is far far less. But it is there. It is almost inaudible in the full volume but it is there.

Can you tell how it is on your setup?

 

Does the clicking or noise only happen when you have the phase matched bass boost enabled?

And the recording you notice this happening is the 2000 reissue of Dire Straits "Dire Straits"?
http://www.discogs.com/Dire-Straits-Dire-Straits/release/624189

 

It is more pronounced if I turn the bass full and if phase matching base is enabled.

The CD is 1996 Remastering of Dire Straits by Dire Straits.

Is it happening on your end too?

 

I checked it again and yes it becomes very very prominent with the Phase Matching Bass on.

 

I don't have that CD. But my local library system does. I've requested it. When I get it I'll give it a listen to see if there's anything strange going on.

I don't have the Onkyo receiver. So I can't try that. But I can try the CD to see if there's anything strange with the CD mastering.

Anyone know what the Onkyo phase matching bass boost does?
Could the bass boost be causing strange clicks or noise if the source material has some wonky bass phase going on?

 

Should the amplifier be dead silent when all inputs are disconnected and volume put at maximum?

 

Sounds like you're getting interference. Got anything electrical noisy near by? (EG: Computer monitors/TVs - especially CRTS/floruestect lights, microwaves, anything like that).

Also, in general, I don't condone running your volume at max, ever, even with nothing playing, because sooner or later you will accidentally send signal and quite possible blow something.

Really, though, jsut about anything will hum or make other low level noise if you engage enough gain.

 

I have computer and it's LED monitor room lights but it happens when I switch off everything too. I turned off everything, turned on only the amp with the speakers attached. Removed the inputs. As I increase the volume I here a kirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr from the speakers.

Has this got anything to do with the clicking sound?

 

Not necessarily. Some amps can pick up more RFI (radio frequency interference) than others.

The noise you hear can be either inherent hum from the transforms and electronics or may be due to radio frequency interference. RFI can come from sources like your electricity lines, a nearby mobile phone, nearby wi-fi routers, a HAM radio in your area, the CIA, black helicopters, and other sources.

One thing you can try are RCA shielding plugs. Open RCA jacks can pick up RFI and amplify it. Especially phono (turntable input) jacks because phono jacks have more gain than standard RCA line inputs). There are two types of plugs; shorting and non-shorting. The shorting style can be used for RCA input jacks. The non-shorting style can be used for RCA output jacks (like the pre-out or tape-out) or input jacks. The shorting plugs have a center pin and the non-shorting plugs do not. eBay looks to be the best source for those sorts of shielding plugs. Cardas and Audioquest also sell them if you're willing to pay that sort of audiophile price. I have some shorting style RCA plugs that came with a pre-amp. They were for the phono (turntable) RCA jacks. If you aren't going to connect a turntable you are supposed to put the shielded shorting plugs on the phono RCA jacks. Google can tell you more about them.

Also check that you're using well shielded RCA cables. Some RCA cables aren't shielded or well shielded. Try some well shielded RCA cables made from coax.

Make sure your power is clean and filtered.

Minimize RFI from mobile phones, wifi, microwaves, HAM radio, and other sources as best you can.

Route your signal cables so that they are not near power cables.

Hum noise from the electronics in the amp and from the transformers should sound like a hum. RFI will usually sound more like crackle or static or a very low level white noise signal, a low level radio signal, or something similar. Try to identify whether your dealing with hum or RFI or something else.

 

Clean your volume pot (control) if you can. If not that, it seems to be related to the volume circuitry or Base boost. Try to duplicate it with a wide variety of CDs.

 

I would like to provide an important information and update to this thread.

This morning I called up Onkyo service center in my city and talked to the Chief there. He explained a few things to me. These amplifiers are not fully analog amps and have a digital volume circuitry. With no input RCAs attached and often with not so liked inputs (like say a portable radio driven by battery) the controls will give a click at every incremental position and when the control is moved rapidly these click noises will chain up and form a "zipper noise". Google for more. This noise does not happen on full analog amps.

HOWEVER, with the inputs properly plugged in there should be no zipper noise. (There isn't any in my set)

This takes care of one of the issues.

For the click and pop of the Dire Straits track, I will wait for others valuable feedback.

 

I got the CD from the library. The library catalog had it listed as the 2000 Remasters Series release. But the CD in the case turned out to be a 1983 target [WB 3266-2]. The cover booklet and the back cover are for the 2000 Remasters Series release though. Sigh. Neat to find a target CD like that. But it's the wrong version for being able to compare what you're listening to.

So I'm not going to be able to do a listening test to see if there is something wonky with the bass in that mastering.

I am suspicious that the bass in that song is doing something funky with the phase and that may be triggering the processing in the amp to cause the clicking noise you hear. But without being able to hear the same mastering and view the song in a stereo phase meter I can only guess.

 

Thanks Ham Sandwich. Much appreciated.

 

Does the volume step up and down or is it smooth? What I mean is, does it have a constant analog control or is it done in little steps like a digital kind of control. If it's little steps, that's possibly your problem. The step causes the soundwave you hear to have a massive jump in position causing a click. It's most noticeable on a big low frequency sine wave such as those found in bassy electronic music, but can occur in a quiet patch.

EDIT: Ah, I see this has already been explained... So, amp has digital volume. The zipper noise can still happen when music is played and that's possibly what you are hearing, and as I said it's most noticeable on bass. Probably the reason you get the zipper noise with nothing plugged into the amp is because having nothing plugged in will cause a low level hum - which is quite a bassy noise? I'm only guessing though...