I'm getting a significant popping noise when I skip chapters on a dvd.

Up until 2 days ago I was running a 950, an ICBM and 4 Adcom amps for a 5.1 set-up. With this, I had no popping noises at all.

Just a couple of days ago I moved up to a 7.1 set-up. I added an additional Adcom amp, a second set of rear surrounds and had to remove the ICBM from the line-up as it's only good up to 6.1.

Now, I get this annoying "popping" sound whenever I skip chapters or when the dvd plays through movie previews or when I skip through material I don't want to see.

Anyway to fix this without going back to my old set-up and 5.1?

Well, for what it's worth, the ICBM could remain in the system you described, since all of the modes offered by the 950 that generate surround back data (Dolby EX, DTS ES, and CES) do so in a mono format. You could set the 950 up for 6.1 and let the ICBM split the surround back channel into two for the rear surrounds without losing any information.

As for the popping sound, I'm a bit less useful there. The most likely candidate in my mind for this is the interface between DVD player and 950, and it sounds like the changes you've made are all downstream of the 950. Are you always in surround modes that provide a surround back channel (such as CES) when this happens? If so, can you drop back to straight Dolby Digital or DTS and see if it still does it?

I also get a quite loud popping noise whenever TV/Satellite audio is available in Dolby Digital and the 950 switches from PLII to Dolby D.

So basically 7.1 really isn't 7.1 but 6.1 with an additional speaker?

Yes, all changes are downstream of the 950 and player, less a new coax cable I installed which I will replace with the old, just incase.

First thing, like you suggested, I will drop back to a 5.1 sound field and see if it continues. If it does I will shut down the new amp I added and go from there.

I was running all 4 rear surrounds off one amp and I may return to that set-up if all else fails.

Unless you are running Logic7 or Pro Logic IIx, that's exactly correct.

Not running either of those.

Last night I isolated the center channel and wired the ICBM back into it and the popping was gone. Still not sure what is the source of the popping but it seems the ICBM is stopping it.

I did reset the processor on the 950 but haven't tested it yet. Also, my dvd player has a short in the coax rca connector. If I move the cable near the connector it makes that popping sound and kills the sound to the rig. I'm going to pick up a Toslink cable today and see how that works out.

So far this is leading me to belive the popping sound is somewhere between my DVD player and 950, once it hits the ICBM it's gone.

As an update I replaced my Coax cable with a TosLink. I completely rewired back in the ICBM and the popping sound is 95% gone. If I put my ear up to the speaker I can hear it but that's it. The ICBM is somehow stopping the popping sound from getting through to the amps.

I didn't care much for 5.1 sound through the 7.1 set up so I am back to 5.1. I am still using all 4 surrounds and both amps, I ran a "Y" splitter off the L / R surround outputs from the 950 to the surround amps.

Next up, I will retire my 2 year old dvd player and maybe a new one will completely do away with the popping sound.