diff --git a/src/main/java/com/threerings/openal/ClipBuffer.java b/src/main/java/com/threerings/openal/ClipBuffer.java
index 6440bdd9..e5f85f81 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/threerings/openal/ClipBuffer.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/threerings/openal/ClipBuffer.java
@@ -147,6 +147,7 @@ public class ClipBuffer
 
         // create our OpenAL buffer and then queue ourselves up to have
         // our clip data loaded
+        AL10.alGetError(); // throw away any unchecked error prior to an op we want to check
         _buffer = new Buffer(_manager);
         int errno = AL10.alGetError();
         if (errno != AL10.AL_NO_ERROR) {
@@ -203,6 +204,7 @@ public class ClipBuffer
      */
     protected boolean bind (Clip clip)
     {
+        AL10.alGetError(); // throw away any unchecked error prior to an op we want to check
         _buffer.setData(clip.format, clip.data, clip.frequency);
         int errno = AL10.alGetError();
         if (errno != AL10.AL_NO_ERROR) {
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/threerings/openal/SoundGroup.java b/src/main/java/com/threerings/openal/SoundGroup.java
index 8d86f51f..885f9859 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/threerings/openal/SoundGroup.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/threerings/openal/SoundGroup.java
@@ -124,6 +124,7 @@ public class SoundGroup
 
         // create our sources (or as many of them as we can)
         for (int ii = 0; ii < sources; ii++) {
+            AL10.alGetError(); // throw away any unchecked error prior to an op we want to check
             PooledSource pooled = new PooledSource();
             pooled.source = new Source(manager);
             int errno = AL10.alGetError();
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/threerings/openal/SoundManager.java b/src/main/java/com/threerings/openal/SoundManager.java
index 914ecd9d..75f1026a 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/threerings/openal/SoundManager.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/threerings/openal/SoundManager.java
@@ -202,6 +202,8 @@ public class SoundManager
     {
         _rqueue = rqueue;
 
+        AL10.alGetError(); // throw away any unchecked error prior to an op we want to check
+
         // initialize the OpenAL sound system
         try {
             AL.create("", 44100, 15, false);