As I was watching Once Upon A Time in the West, I noticed that the audio had a very annoying ringing sound-----I'm not sure what chapter it first started on but this problem does not happen throughout, but it just pops up TOO often. It's not the usual "hiss" sound that old movies possess, I know that Patton" has a small "hiss" sound throughout but it is very low so it doesn't get in the way of disrupting the viewing experience. I'm just wondering if my disc is the only copy that does this. Has anybody else heard this ringing sound that I'm talking about? Cuz if it's a flaw in my disc only, i'll be more than happy to go exchange it.

Throughout the feature? How about the special features disc? I viewed it in 5.1 and it sounded suprisingly expansive. I'm not hearing the "ringing" though. Could you be more specific with the times?

I noticed that a few times on my disc as well. It's very faint, but there's definately something there. I thought it may have just been my ears at first, but I paused it for a while then continued to confirm otherwise. I was hoping it was just my copy, but I guess it's happening to other people too. I think I'll take it back anyway just to make sure. It's not really bad, but it's just perceptable enough to be mildly annoying.

See, Joe knows what I'm talking about...thanx.....I'm not alone

Now that we've established that. Any specific scenes?

I'm just wondering if this isn't in the soundtrack - Morricone has some really strange sounds in his beautiful score. I just finished watching it last night and stopped it a couple of times (after reading this thread) and found some whistling noises and such which evidently are supposed to be there.

Yes exactly, which sometimes if you stand by the surrounds, you can hear it even more. You can hear the overtone of the harmonica in some scenes, almost a hollow vessel whine.

Do you hear the ringing with the mono soundtrack, 5.1 or both?

I'll tell you where the sound flaw is. The sound cuts out right after the car action scene, and continues on disc 2... fifteen minutes before the intermission. You know what, so does the picture! I must have a defective copy.

I think you stood too close to the monitors at a Who concert.

I believe you are thinking of Once Upon A Time In America, not Once Upon A Time In The West. I didnt notice any sound problems with my copy of OUATIW, but then again, I was listening to the mono track on television speakers.

Yup. My mistake.

The Australian R4 disc has the same problem and I found it incredibly irritating, and very disappointing given how fantastic the disc is in every other respect. And I'm amazed none of the reviews I've read have picked up on it.

A good example of the problem is about an hour into the movie, just after Cheyenne asks Mrs McBain if she knows anything about a guy playing a harmonica. The ringing starts during a quiet moment and is quite noticeable here.

Personally I never noticed anything except.... how stunning the picture quality is!!

I hear ringing all of the time. Maybe it's due to tinnitus. I also do hear a buzzing in my surrounds but that's probably due to a nail in speaker wire.

Actually watched parts of disc 1 and most of disc 2. I did not hear any ringing that I don't normally hear. Could it be that you are mistaking the harmonica for ringing?

Not a chance. I have no doubt that this sound ain't meant to be there (it's not on the foreign mono tracks) - maybe it's more noticeable in the PAL disc because it's at a slightly higher pitch or something....

I just watched it again with Mono this time, and I didn't notice any whistling. It's only on the DD 5.1 track appearently.

I only listened to the mono track and didn't notice anything. I'll check the 5.1.

That's what you get for listening to bogus surround mixes

I just finished watching it for the 2nd time in two days. I cranked the treble and whaddya know, I hear ringing. It is most noticable at the end during . It's a ringing like a bell. It happens to be a sound effect, hammer against rail, the sounds of the progressing railroad's construction.

And yes, I spent too much time too close to the speakers at many Who, Judas Priest, Led Zep, etc concerts.

No, that's not it either. It's most definitely not a sound effect or a music cue, or anything that's meant to be there. It's like the noise you hear from a cheap TV with the volume turned off.

It's on the 5.1 track only (unfortunately the R4 doesn't have an English mono track), and seems to be (although I'd have to double check this) focused in the center channel.

Has anyone checked the scene I mentioned?

Okay, I checked it again, and there is something there even on the English Mono track, and like bwana said it's right there when Cheyenne asks about the guy playing the harmonica. It also happens earlier in the same scene right after Cheyenne says "What I don't understand is the why." I switched back and forth between the Mono and 5.1, and I've heard it on both of them. And no it's not just my ears ringing, because when I pause it the ringing stops. It's not very loud, just loud enough to be slightly annoying. I think I'm just going to take mine back and hope for the best with another copy. If not, I suppose I can live with it.

Well...I just watched this and never noticed a thing....even turned it up in spots mentioned here....I think y'all are cuckoo

Sigh, I guess this means there's not much chance of Paramount putting out a reissue any time soon - damn this stupid superhuman hearing of mine!