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1mongus

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Mar 18, 2022
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Recently I've been hearing popping/clicking noises from music and other audio. I at first thought it was an issue with my headphones, so I tried others, but it stayed the same. I thought the issue was my DAC so I used my phone, same issue. I thought it might be a coincidental issue with multiple devices so I used Bluetooth headphones, same thing. To be clear, it's not random popping, but extremely consistent clicking noises that become audible at points in certain songs or other audio.

Here is a track I can hear it very clearly on:
.
It's very clearly there at 2:30, but is also intermittently there on other parts of the song.

I'm starting to think this is some sort of issue with my ears. I tried wax removal and it didn't help. It could just be hearing loss but I'm in my twenties and can still hear everything perfectly fine besides these popping noises. Does anyone have experience with this sort of thing? Is it an issue I have with multiple devices or do I have some sort of ear infection?
 
Judging by what I see on the RTA is just a very bad recorded song down,there's energy down low going to DC.
Can you measure it with a DMM while playing?
What's your gear?

On the other hand nothing extraordinary happens at 2:30,nothing I can see at the RTA at least.
 
Judging by what I see on the RTA is just a very bad recorded song down,there's energy down low going to DC.
Can you measure it with a DMM while playing?
What's your gear?

On the other hand nothing extraordinary happens at 2:30,nothing I can see at the RTA at least.
Not sure what a DMM is, I could try but I wouldn't really know what I'm doing. I'm using the SMSL DL200 as a DAC and the audeze lcd-xc but as I said this occurs on different headphones, without the DAC, on my phone, with bluetooth audio etc.
 
Not sure what a DMM is, I could try but I wouldn't really know what I'm doing. I'm using the SMSL DL200 as a DAC and the audeze lcd-xc but as I said this occurs on different headphones, without the DAC, on my phone, with bluetooth audio etc.
It's the song that's probably triggering some protection or something near the DC (DC is the 0Hz that should not exist in a recording but despite that some have it,or near it anyway) .
It's definitely not the headphones (I listened to it through LCD-X) or your ears.Just a bad recording,you may find more.
 
It's the song that's probably triggering some protection or something near the DC (DC is the 0Hz that should not exist in a recording but despite that some have it,or near it anyway) .
It's definitely not the headphones (I listened to it through LCD-X) or your ears.Just a bad recording,you may find more.
If it's a problem with the song, why can't you hear it? And I've heard the same exaxt sort of popping in other audio like in-game sound effects.
 
If it's a problem with the song, why can't you hear it? And I've heard the same exaxt sort of popping in other audio like in-game sound effects.
Because how ultra-low frequencies and DC are handled varies from equipment to equipment. Music should NOT contain DC - it's faulty if it does. It also is pretty pointless having anything below 15Hz - it's inaudible and just wastes power. So quite a lot of gear blocks DC and also very low frequencies. My DAC does so by default (although I can switch this filter off). Someone listening to music or games or films with ultra low frequencies or DC using equipment that filters it will not hear anything wrong, someone listening to the same music with ultra low frequencies or DC but using equipment that does not filter it could hear splats and bangs etc
 
I confirm there is nothing wrong with that track. I don't hear any artifacts and the ADI-2 Pro's DC protection does not kick in, either.
 
Because how ultra-low frequencies and DC are handled varies from equipment to equipment. Music should NOT contain DC - it's faulty if it does. It also is pretty pointless having anything below 15Hz - it's inaudible and just wastes power. So quite a lot of gear blocks DC and also very low frequencies. My DAC does so by default (although I can switch this filter off). Someone listening to music or games or films with ultra low frequencies or DC using equipment that filters it will not hear anything wrong, someone listening to the same music with ultra low frequencies or DC but using equipment that does not filter it could hear splats and bangs etc
So how can I fix this? If it's a problem with the DAC and my phone and my bluetooth headphones, how can I fix them?
 
Update: I've noticed that the issue is mostly audible in my left ear, but still partially there in my right. I think this is definitely an issue with my ears rather than my equipment at this point.
 
Update: I've noticed that the issue is mostly audible in my left ear, but still partially there in my right. I think this is definitely an issue with my ears rather than my equipment at this point.
Start with getting your ears checked by an audiologist, and wax professionally removed if necessary.
 
Gear? connections? imagination? hard to know....
 
Well, in the track's composition there are some sounds in the left channel that can be described as clicking at those positions, but they are mild and have nothing to do with artifacts, distortion or clipping, it's just part of the music.
 
Well, in the track's composition there are some sounds in the left channel that can be described as clicking at those positions, but they are mild and have nothing to do with artifacts, distortion or clipping, it's just part of the music.
I'm not hearing anything I'd describe is a pop or click around 2:30 - listening via speakers.
 
I'm not hearing anything I'd describe is a pop or click around 2:30 - listening via speakers.
It's around 2:26 in the left channel. I can hear it both on speakers and with headphones (more clearly on speakers), but it's because OP told us to look for them. I wouldn't have paid attention otherwise.
 
Well, in the track's composition there are some sounds in the left channel that can be described as clicking at those positions, but they are mild and have nothing to do with artifacts, distortion or clipping, it's just part of the music.
If it doesn't sound out of place then it's not what I'm talking about.
 
Here's an example of what it sounds like:
. Many people in the comments reporting hearing clicking/tapping noises at certain frequencies. I'm aware in this instance it's probably caused by youtube itself, however the tapping I hear in this video is exactly the same as I'm hearing in downloaded audio, games, everything. I know it really seems like a gear issue and it really sounds like it is, but if it is I don't understand why I can hear it on multiple different devices and my family can't hear it at all.
 
Just had this issue myself,almost like morse code ,turned out to be my router too close,moved it away and it goes,move the router back and it comes back.(router is very close to my kit)
 
Just had this issue myself,almost like morse code ,turned out to be my router too close,moved it away and it goes,move the router back and it comes back.(router is very close to my kit)
Tried going outside my house, same issue.
 
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