Either that or there is some kind of weird interference. It’s separates, with the right hand speaker cable running behind the cabinet under the tv where there are plenty of other cables etc.

The kids are watching Octonauts on iPlayer and this strange muffled voice keeps coming on the right hand speaker. Does not sound like next door, does not sound like a conversation either. More like someone giving some kind of status via radio. Nothing’s changed since we moved in 8 years ago and it’s never happened before.

What could it be?Maybe next door are suddenly into short wave radio and I am picking up their transmissions? This is unlikely.

It could easily be one speaker cable acting as an antenna and causing it to pick up a broadcast from something on a very specific wavelength or frequency. It used to be really common to pick up taxi broadcasts, but it almost never happens now.
You could try moving the cable away from the other wiring, and coil any excess, wrapping it in aluminium foil, which might act as a shield.
Worth a try, cost nothing, may well work.

Have a look for some big make shift aerials in neighbouring gardens – radio ham transmissions can be powerful enough to play out through the speakers in other peoples houses, even when their stereo isn’t switched on

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ua94OV9Ter8[/video]

Also check you lift hatch hasn’t been opened and there are people living in your attic with knives

In the early ’90s my friend had a WEM PA which he used as an electric guitar amp. It would pick up Bensham Taxis whenever they went past his house. Many an Yngwie Malmsteen solo was ruined by orders to pick up straight away from the Royal British Legion.

I had some computer speakers that would pick up a Spanish radio station on the left speaker, even though I was up in York at the time.

There is a radio ham type aerial about 80m away, but as said that has been there for years and it has never happened. Taxi is a possibility, but don’t they all use a digital display thing nowadays instead of voice radio?

Home built on a disused burial ground?

Taxi is unlikely these days, but it could be anything, really. Back in the days of CB radio there used to be a wierd twittering noise that dropped in frequency, and which you could follow by switching channels as the noise went away. It was nicknamed Woodpecker’, and was, in fact, Russian over-the-horizon radar.
It might be worth getting a length of aerial co-ax and use the centre core as your speaker cable, and Earth the copper braid to something convenient. Core makes a good quality speaker cable anyway, and you have a built-in shield.
Again, dead cheap, it might work, and you’ve got some decent speaker cable for peanuts.

Can anyone else hear the voices or is it just you?

Countzero beat me to the Answer, but pretty rare but used to happen to older HIFI components

Subliminal messages in octonauts? Lets hope your kids don’t suddenly start behaving strangely…

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9aENGodu5A[/video]

Molgrips house last night…

Ferrite choke on the speaker cable should sort you. Trouble is these days things are so badly shielded that this type of emi it’s getting worse.

Do you have any powerline networking kit? That would do it. Evil stuff and should be banned.

Depends on the antenna the house nearby is running. If it is a ham and they have changed their station at all recently or you the layout of your hi-fi that could be it too.

If it is a ham station though and assuming they are transmitting in accordance with their license conditions there’s naff all you can do and the official advice would be to put a ferrite choke on the speaker cable. That said us hams are, as a rule, friendly folk who would usually only be too happy to rule out station in or out and suggest remedies accordingly.

powerline networking kit…Evil stuff and should be banned.

Why? I was just thinking of getting some.