Speaker or subwoofer is popping

My speaker or subwoofer is popping! Is it broken? What can I do?

Hearing a "popping" sound? You may need to update your firmware.

Still having issues? Submit a ticket here for personalized support.


What are other reasons I might hear this sound?
  1. Crappy speaker poles: When standard speaker poles are used, the speakers may "bounce" on the poles, causing a rattling that can sound like the woofer popping. To eliminate this as a possibility, test them when not on poles, and always use high-quality poles, such as K/M Ring Lock Distance Rod speaker poles.
  2. Poorly made or broken cables: Bad cables have been found to be the cause of issues that were initially blamed on the speakers. Intermittently bad cables can cause popping noises. The making and breaking of signal-level contacts makes a sound like the speaker is popping.
  3. Signal level clipping: To evaluate whether this is the case, eliminate all electronics between the controller (or whatever the source of the music is, such as CDJ and DJM setup,) and the speakers.
    1. Turn the "Master" level all the way down, leave the EQs at flat, and turn the input level on the controller up all the way, both the trim and the channel fader. Connect the speakers directly to the master outputs of the controller and put them in preset 1. Turn the signal input all the way up on the speaker.
    2. Barely move the output level above "off" and listen to the sound coming out of the speaker. Is it crystal clear and perfect? If it's not perfect, lower the input trim until it sounds perfect.
    3. Raise the output higher until the speaker shows the -3dB LED. All good or anything popping? If no popping, raise the level more until the limit LED is coming on.
    4. Any popping? If there's any popping under these circumstances, there may be issues with an internal contact, the woofer or the DSP. Submit a ticket here.
    5. When going into any mixer from a controller, a line-input must be used. Running a controller into a mic input can cause that input to clip, causing distortion that might cause popping noises. If popping only happens when a secondary device is in use, look for the cause there.
Doing any signal processing in any other device could cause internal clipping or could cause the signal reaching the speakers to be so bass-boosted that it's unrealistic to expect the speaker to reproduce it. Test with all the filters in the mixer bypassed. If the popping doesn't happen when the source is connected directly to the speakers but does happen when other equipment is connected, then the other equipment is likely causing the issue.

Notes on Performance from David Lee

There are always what one might call "practical limitations" to speakers. The DV12 and the SV9 are not subwoofers. They can produce a fair amount of bass, but the woofers also plays midrange, which all woofers do more easily and efficiently than they make bass. To put that another way, for the same amount of power input, any woofer will make much more midrange than bass. Most people listening to dance music want more bass than midrange, which is what necessitates subwoofers. 

To give an idea of how much the demand for bass is above midrange, and the relative ease with which midrange can be made, the ratio can be as high as 4:1 of subwoofers to tops. Trying to get a level of bass that's close to what's desired in modern music from a single 12" or single 9" top cabinet is going to push that top's driver past its limits.

Two high-powered 12" tops could be used with 6 or 8 single 18" subwoofers and the tops would easily keep up. They will definitely "outrun" a single 15" sub. If the DV12 or SV9 cabinet is being run in full-range mode with heavy bass music, it may be that it's giving all it can and that's the limit. In this case, the speaker will make a popping sound, indicating that it has exceeded its performance abilities and should be turned down, and ideally paired with a subwoofer (or two).

This issue is only present in the absence of sufficient bass output, so providing the system with sufficient low-frequency output for your genres and output needs will fix this problem. 

    • Related Articles

    • Is DV12 low-level background noise with no music playing normal?

      For the most part, it is normal. In louder environments, it's not noticeable. At a party or event, it won't be noticed. When high-gain electronics are connected to high-sensitivity loudspeakers, sometimes the lowest level of the amplifier's output, ...

    • Video | Understanding subwoofer to speaker ratios

      David Lee discusses the optimal ratio of subwoofers to top speakers. Hi, I'm David Lee from BASSBOSS. And we get asked, what's the right ratio of subs to tops? Now that all depends on the tops themselves and the subs as well, so there's no simple ...

    • Video | Vertical or horizontal subwoofer configurations

      In this video presentation, we delve into a detailed analysis of the various factors influencing subwoofer positioning, carefully examining the advantages and disadvantages associated with each orientation option. Dive deep into the realm of ...

    • Can I purchase speaker boxes only, or with no amplification?

      Q: I'd like to buy just BASSBOSS speaker cabinets, or with drivers and use my own amplification. Do you sell only cabinets? BASSBOSS products are sold exclusively powered and processed. We offer both in-cabinet and rack amplification, but our ...

    • Video | Why Watts Don't Matter - The Truth about Speaker Amplification

      At BASSBOSS, we've long needed clarification on the speaker industry's overemphasis on watts as the primary indicator of a loudspeaker's performance. As the designers and innovators behind our powerful audio systems, we believe it's time to challenge ...