[Dark_Lotus]

Everytime that I turn on my iMac and wait for the chime the speakers make a very loud 'crackle and pop' sound, not so much crackle that it is pop though. Then it chimes, and makes a lower volume noise again. What could be causing this?

[ghporter]

The amplifiers turning on causes this sound. When they come on they put a constant DC voltage on the speakers, which makes a "pop!" sound. It's normal to hear this sort of thing, particularly with good-quality amplifiers.

[Dark_Lotus]

Yea, I have JBL Creature II speakers, but it really doesnt sound healthy.

[ghporter]

It doesn't hurt a thing. The only thing it does is sort of "pre-tension" the cone in the speaker so that when the sound comes it will be ready to give you the best quality. Think about this: that "pop" isn't that loud, but it is a relatively high frequency sound, and when compared to a really powerful guitar rif, it's nothing.