4replies
speakers make a loud pop when i start playing music
A pop at the start of audio is usually the amplifier waking from idle. Turn off audio power saving in the driver, or play a quiet background sound…
Lars Neumann
Electroacoustics Engineer at Sound Test
Lars Neumann is the Electroacoustics Engineer on the Sound Tester Audio Team. Conducts strict transducer distortion testing, frequency response matching, and ambient room noise profiling.
Lars Neumann is the Electroacoustics Engineer on the Sound Tester Audio Team. Conducts strict transducer distortion testing, frequency response matching, and ambient room noise profiling. Active in international acoustics engineering forums and Mastodon. Based in Germany. On Sound Tester he answers hum, noise and distortion discussions, and explains how room and wiring affect what you hear.
- Experience
- 6+ years
- Answers On Sound Test
- 5
What Lars Works On
Transducer distortionfrequency responseroom noise
Sound Tester Tools Lars Looks After
Speaker TestStereo balance, phase and polarity across bass, mids and trebleFree · Open tool Frequency SweepGlide 20Hz to 20kHz to find buzzes and dead spotsFree · Open tool Decibel MeterMeasure how loud a room is in dBAFree · Open tool
Discussions Answered By Lars
5replies
speakers humming buzzing when plugged into laptop charger
A hum that only appears while charging is a ground loop through the power supply. A USB audio adapter or a ground loop isolator on the audio cable…
3replies
popping noises in game audio
Pops in games usually mean the CPU is busy and the audio buffer runs empty. Set the sample rate to 48 kHz, close background apps and update chipset…
2replies
usb dac buzzes when my gpu is under load
Buzzing that changes with GPU load is electrical noise on the USB or power line. Use a different USB port, a shielded cable or a USB isolator.
3replies
headphones hiss when nothing is playing
A hiss at silence is often the noise floor of the audio output, and sensitive headphones reveal it. Lower the system gain or use a better DAC.
The Audio Team Behind These Answers
Brandon VanceAudio & Acoustic Performance Lead
Xavier CruzFrequency Sweep Specialist
Diana ChenHearing Test Architect
Alistair CrossHeadphone Benchmark Lead
Imogen BlakeBinaural Beats Engineer
Callum SterlingSurround Sound Auditor
Gemma GallagherTone Generator Validator
Harvey FinchSpectrum Analyzer LeadEach answer is written by the specialist closest to the topic and checked by a second team member. How we verify answers