From: pka@engin.umich.edu (Payman Khalili)
Newsgroups: rec.video
Subject: Re: Sony *pop*! (was Re: Sony 696 remote question)
Date: 28 Jan 1993 19:51:18 GMT
Organization: University of Michigan Engineering, Ann Arbor
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: ptrans.engin.umich.edu

In article <106872@netnews.upenn.edu> kupiec@hp800.lasalle.edu (Bob Kupiec) writes:
>In <1k5acoINNeol@srvr1.engin.umich.edu>, pka@engin.umich.edu writes:
>>I'm compiling a list of people who own Sony 595 or 696 VCRs who have
>>the same annoying popping problem with the HiFi audio.  So, far I have
>>9 people on my list.  
>
>Same problem here.  I've heard it once or twice. (the VCR is only a week
>old)  I've been thinking as what this may be.  Here are my guesses:
>
>1) Tape is of slightly low grade.  Buy the better tapes.

Actually, I've had only a few tapes which make *few* popping sounds.  
Definitely, some (pre-recorded) tapes are better that others in this
respect.  I was told by several people on this net that this popping
sound is due to the fact that the VCR is unable to track the audio 
signal.  The auto-tracking mechanism will choose the best *video* signal
and not necessarily the best audio.  

If the machine which recorded the tape had mis-aligned video and audio
heads (which I understand is quite common in mass-produced tapes), then
this will cause the dreaded popping in the HiFi track.

>2) Tape defect / wear

Tape defect and wear can also cause poor audio.  A technician which was
taking a look at my machine told me that the stereo audio track is on 
the bottom portion of the tape (although I thought that it was recorded
all the way across the tape - these technicians have been known  to be full of
it at times, though).  He said that if the tape is crinkled 
especially in the bottom region, then it would cause sound problems.  
This is indeed true.  However, the sound problems are not at all similar
to the "popping" sound which I get on my VCR.  I'm pretty sure that 
the popping is due to a tracking problem.

>3) Static buildup(?)

Probably not.  I do not have any popping problems on the tapes which 
I record on the machine.  If it were a static buildup problem, then 
all tapes would have the popping problem.

>4) VCR is trying to do "auto-tracking"

Like I said above, I think this is the main problem.

>5) Just a bad VCR (actually a whole bunch of them! 585, 595, 696, + more?)

I've compiled a list of about 15 people so far which have had problems
with the 595 or the 696.  Several 585 owners have sent me email telling
me that they have never had any audio pop problems on their units.  
Some other 696 owners have told me that they exchanged their units for
others and the problem persisted.  It seems more like a design flaw, if
you ask me.  

On a related note, someone just sent me email saying that they just 
bought a SLV-696 HF/B and that they did not have this annoying popping
problem.  I think that my unit is the plain SLV-696 HF.  So, it could
be that Sony has indeed found out about the flaw and corrected it in the
/B version of the 696.  

>
>Has anyone talked to a Tech for Sony for an answer here?
>

Well, here goes.  I just took my SLV-696 in to the Sony Repair shop yesterday.
A couple of weeks ago, I took it back to the store I bought it from.  Their
local tech did a check on my VCR and said that there was nothing wrong with
it.  Thus, I called up Sony and ended up taking it in to their repair shop.
Hopefully, I'll know more about what's wrong in a week or so and I'll let
you guys know what's happening.  

If Sony already knows about the problem, then perhaps their repair shops
will be knowledgeable enough to correct them (I hope).  Well, let's see
what happens.  

>Another observation:  Does the VCR *RECORD* any pops?  I've only had them
>in random playback.  It doesn't seem to be ON the tape.
>

My VCR does not *record* any pops.  When I record shows off the air, for
example, I have never encountered the popping problem.  

Furthermore, I know that it is not a defect on the tape (such as tape 
fallout or a scratch).  When I hear the popping sound, I can rewind and 
replay the same portion of the tape *without* any popping sounds.  
Thus, it cannot be a problem which is *on* the tape.

Well, enough said.  Let's see what happens.

-Payman