I had no idea plasma TV's made a buzzing noise. I should not have bought a plasma. - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

HotHotHeat · 12-31-2009, 09:09 AM

The picture is awesome, the black levels are amazing, but how are you supposed to watch a TV that sounds like a power station?

Everything I've read on the net about the TV says it's 'normal' to here buzzing from up to 10 feet away.

A 60 inch TV isn't the isn't thing to return. Sonova.

ken0042 · 12-31-2009, 09:47 AM

My 50" LG doesn't buzz- and I am the type to hear those extra noises.

(And if I now notice it because of you...........

)

GoinAllTheWay · 12-31-2009, 09:56 AM

I doubt they are all like that but I read about buzzing in a number of reviews, that turned me off them as well.

Who is the manufacturer?

You Need a Thneed · 12-31-2009, 10:03 AM

It couldn't be worse than any old CRT TV.

lostintokyo · 12-31-2009, 10:11 AM

I have only owned plasma's and have experienced your problem. They are basically neon signs when it comes to power consumption, so thats where the buzzing comes from. However, most newer models dont have this issue anymore. My previous one annoyed the hell out of me, so I was thankful it died, but my current Samsung doesnt make a noise at all. I'm sure that the bigger the TV and the cheaper models/brands will affect the amount of buzzing.

That being said, I will stick with a plasma any day. They have better picture quality and contrast compared to equivalent LCD's. Best bang for buck in my opinion.

As for your TV, this wont go away. So, return it now and get a different one before you are stuck with it.

Rerun · 12-31-2009, 10:42 AM

The Panasonic plasma I bought last year doesn't buzz either.

McG · 12-31-2009, 12:33 PM

i am guessing that you bought a samsung. iirc, there are some places on the intarwebz reporting that certain samsung plasmas have a slight buzzing sound; obviously the concept of slight is in the ear of the beholder. for the record...a huge chunk of my gear is samsung including my primary tv so not picking on the brand at all...just the models that i have read about.

i would defo try hear a different model or brand of tv to see if there is sound that affects you. and i would definitely do all that i could to return that model because you will never be happy with it no matter what.

i am right at the point of buying a new tv myself (plasma) so i am quite interested in which tv you got so that i can see if that bugs me as well.

my primary tv today is a samsung dlp and the dlp rainbow issue still bugs the crap out of me but i really love the picture so i put up with the rainbow effect.

please do let us know which model and manufacturer you bought.

Zevo · 12-31-2009, 01:45 PM

My Pioneer Elite plasma doesn't buzz. The picture is so beautiful, I wouldn't switch to lcd even if it did buzz.

Devils'Advocate · 12-31-2009, 03:36 PM

My Panasonic is completely silent with the volume turned down. Or at least I can't hear anything above the whir of my god-awful Rogers PVR.

Bob · 12-31-2009, 03:51 PM

Buzzing is something I don't think is dealt with enough by reviewers. Apparently it varies quite a bit with altitude, so the people sitting in New York and California doing reviews and hearing much lower levels than others. Also it varies with power consumption, so you can turn down the brightness and maybe activate a power saver function to try and limit the disruption--most of those things are way too bright to begin with anyway. Buzzing is a massive annoyance to those of us who don't keep the volume at insane levels. Plus if you're like me and have minimal furniture and wall hangings, the sound is really distracting and doesn't get dampened at all; if you have lots of stuff in the room (big curtains and the like) it can help a bit.

My old Pioneer plasma buzzed quite badly, but it did actually get better over time. It's still quite annoying to hear it in quiet scenes. My new Pioneer Elite still buzzes, but it's inaudible (even during quiet scenes or silence) 99% of the time. It too has gotten better over time.

Surround sound can help quite a bit, if you're sitting reasonably close to the surround speakers they tend to drown out the buzzing sound. Or you can just turn up the volume; that's what I did with my old TV and most of the time it was fine.

HotHotHeat · 12-31-2009, 04:20 PM

Lots of good info to read through here. It is a Samsung, yes. And I'm going to complain to Costco about it and see if they'll come pick it up (probably not). While I'm sure some sort of buzzing is normal, this isn't. It's terrible.

Ryan Coke · 12-31-2009, 04:43 PM

No buzzing from either of my Panasonic Plasma's.

Still love em.

Igottago · 12-31-2009, 05:06 PM

Watching a Panasonic plasma as we speak. No buzzing. Probably depends on the brand and the model.

Mightyfire89 · 12-31-2009, 05:09 PM

Weird, this is the first time I've heard about this issue. I own two Panasonic plasmas as well and have never heard a buzzing. Also, my wife has freakishly good hearing and she's never heard any buzzing either.

Tyler · 12-31-2009, 06:04 PM

You probably won't notice it if you turn the volume on

Regulator75 · 12-31-2009, 06:14 PM

Another reason why LCD is better.

StormShadow · 12-31-2009, 06:21 PM

No buzzing for me... 42" panasonic viera

12-31-2009, 06:44 PM

I have a Sammy plasma.... no buzzing.

It does give of a fair amount of heat tho.

FanIn80 · 12-31-2009, 07:00 PM

The "buzzing plasma" thing is nonsense. If your TV is buzzing, then your TV is broken.

Vulcan · 12-31-2009, 07:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FanIn80

The "buzzing plasma" thing is nonsense. If your TV is buzzing, then your TV is broken.

From what I've read I guess than all the new Samsung plasmas are broken.