MagniFi Max SR - Surrounds Popping (despite software updates)
tkirbydc
Posts: 2
The Bluetooth surround sound speakers for my MagniFi Max SR make startling popping sounds periodically and frequently in every form of use, whether HDMI input for a film/TV, aux/Bluetooth/chromecast for music or other audio sources. It was my understanding that this was a known software issue that would be resolved with a software patch. For the last 3 months I have been waiting for this patch, and while it has improved from awful to annoying, the issue persists. Is this actually a hardware issue? Will Polk ever fix this or replace the defective components? What is the time horizon for delivering the product that was marketed? My excitement has turned to disappointment.
Does anyone else have this issue?
Does anyone else have this issue?
Comments
I am on software version 79.
How do you determine firmware version you're system is on?
Using with Google Android TV on HDMI ARC I/O
1. If I don't connect it to the internet, will that prevent it from installing newer firmware that caused the popping issue? Or is the issue right out of the box?
2. I saw some posts that changing to 5G wireless seemed to help the speakers not pop, has anyone had any luck with this?
I know for a fact, there is a fix in the works, so I'm hanging in there.
What I have noticed is there is specific program content that triggers the chirp, and (for example) it occurs on the same network news show I watch nightly. It could be something in the transmission of the show from NY to my local ABC station, since it happens daily on that 6:30 program, but nothing else on that local station.
I watched the full series "Counterpart" on Starz, and almost every episode caused the pops and chirps. There are days at a time when there is no bad behavior from the MaxSR.
More to come, hopefully good a good fix coming down the pike,
Nice to see this forum is so active, I appreciate your replies.
I have random popping from the sub and chirping from the surrounds. Fw79
All TV's sound enhanced by Polk Magnfi Mini's.
Other; S60'S, M10 series II, M7C's, Hafler XL600 amp, RB-980BX, Parasound HCA-1500 amp , P5 preamp, all in storage. All speakers have had crossover rebuilds, resulting in a small fortune invested in Sonicaps, and tweeter upgrades.
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A few weeks ago, Polk asked me if I'd give their beta v85 a try.
(I don't think I signed an NDA- ah joke)
There were three of us that had the new software pushed onto their MagnifiMaxSR.
After three weeks of regular use, I've told Polk that there is a significant improvement in overall performance. NOTE: I had never experienced any sub problem with connection or irregular performance.
The harsh momentary burst of "chirp" (of the rear) has been eliminated. The faint pop in one or both (sometimes alternating) rear speakers has been dramatically reduced. Occasionally, I hear what sounds like a distant firecracker, but nowhere near as bad as it had been. There is still some room for improvement with the pop in the rear.
What I've come to feel about this whole issue is, that it is NOT an issue of transmitting signal from bar to remote speaker, but is related to some anomaly in the actual content or source of the content.
Example 1: After v85, watching a program on cable (xfinity xg1v4 box) there was a bright open caption and the rears gave the faint pop. I replayed the scene and it popped again at the same place. I have my devices connected to the Sony and then the ARC from the TV to the soundbar. I re-routed the cable box right to the soundbar, played the same scene and it popped that way too.
Example 2: After v85, while playing live "Homeland," which had no issues, all was fine until the credits. When they put the corner box of what's on next week, the rears started chirping quite a bit. Many short bursts. The oddity here is the program is in DD, yet when they play the next week clip, the audio from that material is almost inaudible. My feeling is that next week clip is in 2 channel, and somehow that is **** up the 5.1 the show is transmitted in. This 2-ch over 5.1 could be one of the things triggering the remaining infrequent chirp.
BELOW IS THE EMAIL I SENT TO POLK;
MagnifiMax SR Performance After Update v85
I received the MaxSR just after Christmas and have been using it regularly since. My TV is the Sony 75Z9D, and I use the ARC from the TV to the soundbar.
My cable provider (xfinity) installed their newest XG1v4 4K box when I got the TV mid 2017. I use the inputs on the TV for cable, Roku 4K device and Bluray player. The soundbar receives those devices through the (HDMI Out/TV) ARC input. Two other devices are hooked up to the soundbar, a Sony 4K player in HDMI1, and the Optical In from the Roku, so I can play Roku music channels without powering on the TV.
After making mention of the pops in the rear speakers (which I've described as sounding like distant fireworks) and a loud digital chirp, that lasts only a fraction of a second (also from the rear speakers,) I was contacted to beta test the version 85 software.
First off, the elimination of the digital chirp has been significantly improved. The faint pops, also less frequent, still seems to be an issue,
Before the update, the chirp occurred nightly for one broadcast I watch. ABC World News, a network half-hour program which is carried on my local ABC affiliate, chirped loudly, several times during the broadcast. Since the update, that is no longer a problem on that program. It had to be a problem with the way the program was being transmitted out of New York and received here in Palm Beach, by my local station.
When watching "Homeland" live, this past Sunday, the show played with no audio issue, but then during the closing credits, when they run a preview of the next episode (in a small corner box over credits) the rear speakers chirped several times. The show is 5.1 DD, and the preview at the end is in 2 channel stereo.
All my cables are certified 18Gbps, new when I got the TV last year. I switched the ARC cable when the audio problem became regular. There was no difference with a changed cable.
Apps like Netflix and Prime, both 4K sources from the Sony TV, (also on the ARC cable) play without chirps, but do have occasional rear channel popping.
Overall, the v85 is a major improvement in solving the issues. If I experience an occasional, faint, single pop, I feel it's something I could live with. Maybe other people's comments might steer you closer to completely eliminate these glitches.
Agree with your comment about the popping not being related to sound bar transmission to sub/surrounds & more to the system handling (or not!) certain sounds/signals from content . For example experienced rears popping the other night at the end of the opening scene of Skyfall just at start of soundtrack. Loaded DVD which came free with the Blu-ray & had pops/interference at exactly the same place which would seem to rule out damage to disc or intermittent loss of signal from the sound bar or WiFi interference.
Anyway thanks again.
I really hope that upcoming update will fix the problem. I wish that to Polk and myself.
Desktop rig: LSi7, Polk 110sub, Dayens Ampino amp, W4S DAC/pre, Sonos, JRiver
Gear on standby: Melody 101 tube pre, Unison Research Simply Italy Integrated
Gone to new homes: (Matt Polk's)Threshold Stasis SA12e monoblocks, Pass XA30.5 amp, Usher MD2 speakers, Dynaudio C4 platinum speakers, Modwright LS100 (voltz), Simaudio 780D DAC
As well what comes out of the subwoofer is not the same signal in the rear speakers. Anyway I hear noises from both, SW and SR speakers but never from bar.
The thing is, it shows on the Soundbar that the Sub nor the SR speakers are even paired. There’s no sound on the SRs and the only sounds from the Sub is the horrible out of sync thumping.
Unplugged the sub and tbe SRs and attempted to pair them...nada. They will not sync.