I've owned an RCA home theater system for about 2 years now, and, during the last couple of months, I've noticed a peculiar audio issue that seems to only make itself apparent when I first switch on the system:

At first, there's no sound coming out of the speakers, at all. Then, over a period of several seconds, the audio will slowly come up, all the while popping in and out like a machine gun. Finally, once the volume reaches its peak at what I have it set to, the popping subsides and everything's fine.

Any ideas?

Hard to say. Something in the power supply or amplifier itself. Don't turn it off and the problem may be "solved" but that is not really a solution.

It's broken.

When the receiver component of a home theater system starts making popping noises, it means it's broken and time to replace it. I had it happen on our 12-year old Marantz stereo receiver we bought in 1983. 12 years was a long time before it started making popping noises during volume changes... but it's also better quality than RCA, so 12 years vs 2 years makes sense.

Bummer... well, thanks... I may try and see if I can replace it. Right now, I'm a little strapped for cash, and I don't buy anything on credit.