Dead HDMI Board on Marantz AV7005

[drumace]

Hello,
I have an Marantz AV7005 which was purchased few years ago.
I had an HDMI issue with my AV7005 (unable to view video content on any HDMI input besides HDMI1).
I was guided by the Marantz support to contact a local repair store since it seemed like a hardware failure.
I took the AV7005 to the official repair service in my country (which provides repair services to the official Marantz importer).
They checked the AV7005 and suggested a replacement of several components on the HDMI board.
Unfortunately, the repair did not succeed and now none of the HDMI inputs can display video/audio content and the HDMI board needs to be completely replaced.
The problem is that the repair store cannot find such a board in a reasonable price and now I have no solution and left with no ability to use my home theater.
Please help me find a solution.
Thanks,
Tal

 

[TLS Guy]

Hello,
I have an Marantz AV7005 which was purchased few years ago.
I had an HDMI issue with my AV7005 (unable to view video content on any HDMI input besides HDMI1).
I was guided by the Marantz support to contact a local repair store since it seemed like a hardware failure.
I took the AV7005 to the official repair service in my country (which provides repair services to the official Marantz importer).
They checked the AV7005 and suggested a replacement of several components on the HDMI board.
Unfortunately, the repair did not succeed and now none of the HDMI inputs can display video/audio content and the HDMI board needs to be completely replaced.
The problem is that the repair store cannot find such a board in a reasonable price and now I have no solution and left with no ability to use my home theater.
Please help me find a solution.
Thanks,
Tal

This is the third report this week. One of our long term members ad this issue and Marantz were out of HDMI boards, and probably for ever, as only one run of a board is usually done. Marantz gave this member a refurb of a different model.

What country are you in? Was the repair shop buying the board from Marantz? HDMI boards are expensive. If Marantz do have the HDMI board in your country you will have to pay the price.

I'm not surprised the board repair failed. Boards like that have for some time been constructed in a manner were repair is impossible.

Since this seems to be a problem board your best solution is probably a new receiver.

I have just tried one commercial parts site here and they don't have that board.

Your only option is to see what Marantz can do for you. If they can't help, then get a new receiver. I would not pay a lot of money for a new board, I see on AVS website, that owners have had this board replaced multiple times on the 7005. You are better off putting your money in a new receiver.

 

[slipperybidness]

This is the third report this week. One of our long term members ad this issue and Marantz were out of HDMI boards, and probably for ever, as only one run of a board is usually done. Marantz gave this member a refurb of a different model.

What country are you in? Was the repair shop buying the board from Marantz? HDMI boards are expensive. If Marantz do have the HDMI board in your country you will have to pay the price.

I'm not surprised the board repair failed. Boards like that have for some time been constructed in a manner were repair is impossible.

Since this seems to be a problem board your best solution is probably a new receiver.

I have just tried one commercial parts site here and they don't have that board.

Your only option is to see what Marantz can do for you. If they can't help, then get a new receiver. I would not pay a lot of money for a new board, I see on AVS website, that owners have had this board replaced multiple times on the 7005. You are better off putting your money in a new receiver.

I was thinking along the same lines.

What really gets to me is all of the praise that all of the mainstream publications have given to this particular Marantz unit. But, now that we may be seeing problems pop up, I have never seen these same publications come back and inform their readers that the long-term reliability may be in question.

I'm letting my S&V subscription expire. 2 main reasons--I preferred the Home Theater mag before it merged with S&V, and I absolutely disagree with their constant insistence that a USB connection is the best choice for streaming audio to your DAC.

 

[drumace]

This is the third report this week. One of our long term members ad this issue and Marantz were out of HDMI boards, and probably for ever, as only one run of a board is usually done. Marantz gave this member a refurb of a different model.

What country are you in? Was the repair shop buying the board from Marantz? HDMI boards are expensive. If Marantz do have the HDMI board in your country you will have to pay the price.

I'm not surprised the board repair failed. Boards like that have for some time been constructed in a manner were repair is impossible.

Since this seems to be a problem board your best solution is probably a new receiver.

I have just tried one commercial parts site here and they don't have that board.

Your only option is to see what Marantz can do for you. If they can't help, then get a new receiver. I would not pay a lot of money for a new board, I see on AVS website, that owners have had this board replaced multiple times on the 7005. You are better off putting your money in a new receiver.

Hi there and thanks for the detailed response.
I'm from Israel.
I already contacted Marantz's support and their only respond after few days of waiting was "please contact the support in your region". Well done Marantz. You've became one of those companies.
Anyway, I'm so frustrated. If I knew there's a risk I'd never take the AV7005 to repair in the first place and rely on a single HDMI input. Now I have nothing.
Buying a new product from a company that creates such an unstable and unreliable products seems risky to me but on the other hand, there are not too many choices I'm aware of with similar features.
Right now I'm looking for a used AV7701 or AV7702 but again, it's a risk...
If I had the budget I'd switch to Emotiva XMC-1 but I cannot afford it at the moment.

 

[TLS Guy]

Hi there and thanks for the detailed response.
I'm from Israel.
I already contacted Marantz's support and their only respond after few days of waiting was "please contact the support in your region". Well done Marantz. You've became one of those companies.
Anyway, I'm so frustrated. If I knew there's a risk I'd never take the AV7005 to repair in the first place and rely on a single HDMI input. Now I have nothing.
Buying a new product from a company that creates such an unstable and unreliable products seems risky to me but on the other hand, there are not too many choices I'm aware of with similar features.
Right now I'm looking for a used AV7701 or AV7702 but again, it's a risk...
If I had the budget I'd switch to Emotiva XMC-1 but I cannot afford it at the moment.

Marantz should give you better service. However the problem is not entirely down to Marantz. I have a son who designs lots of chips so I do have something of an inside track.

The push in chip design has not been increased computing power, but efficiency and speed of operation. This requires the semiconductor layers be much smaller to achieve both. The good news is that this means less power consumption and less heat. In the proper environment life can be long.

However a receiver with multiple power amps is no longer a proper environment, if it ever was.

Manufacturers need to face this and make small neat pre/pros and keep the power amps away from increasingly heat fragile chips.

Now is the time to consider prepros, or at least receiver with preouts, and disconnect power to the power amps as soon as the unit is out of warranty.

 

[drumace]

Now is the time to consider prepros, or at least receiver with preouts, and disconnect power to the power amps as soon as the unit is out of warranty.

But I'm already using a prepro - the AV7005 has no power units, I'm using an Anthem power amp for that.

 

[slipperybidness]

Marantz should give you better service. However the problem is not entirely down to Marantz. I have a son who designs lots of chips so I do have something of an inside track.

The push in chip design has not been increased computing power, but efficiency and speed of operation. This requires the semiconductor layers be much smaller to achieve both. The good news is that this means less power consumption and less heat. In the proper environment life can be long.

However a receiver with multiple power amps is no longer a proper environment, if it ever was.

Manufacturers need to face this and make small neat pre/pros and keep the power amps away from increasingly heat fragile chips.

Now is the time to consider prepros, or at least receiver with preouts, and disconnect power to the power amps as soon as the unit is out of warranty.

Yup, and as semiconductor feature sizes decrease, the likelihood of defects goes up!

 

[TLS Guy]

But I'm already using a prepro - the AV7005 has no power units, I'm using an Anthem power amp for that.

Sorry, you did say it was the AV7005. The the units were the SR7005. How old is that unit? This is disturbing that this issue is affecting a number of products. Its not just Marantz either.

 

[drumace]

Sorry, you did say it was the AV7005. The the units were the SR7005. How old is that unit? This is disturbing that this issue is affecting a number of products. Its not just Marantz either.

Well I did mention it is AV7005. See the first message in this thread. Anyway, the unit was purchased around 2012. It was purchased used from someone who used it with only one HDMI input so he wasn't even aware of the initial issue. I managed to live with that issue for around two years since I used only a video streamer with the unit. Recently I purchased a blu-ray player so now I have two inputs to feed so I decided to fix the unit. Unfortunately it resulted in a dead unit (only audio inputs work).

 

[lovinthehd]

Perhaps it is the fact that it was purchased used with a pre-existing issue that is the primary problem. Caveat emptor, especially in the used market.

 

[slipperybidness]

Perhaps it is the fact that it was purchased used with a pre-existing issue that is the primary problem. Caveat emptor, especially in the used market.

True enough.

Honestly, I'm surprised that the shop even attempted to repair the board at all.

Modern SMDs are not easy to work on! I do it fairly routinely for Xbox Controller Modifications, it takes steady hands and good magnification, and realizing that you might make a mistake or fry something is just part of it.

 

[mtrycrafts]

... But, now that we may be seeing problems pop up, I have never seen these same publications come back and inform their readers that the long-term reliability may be in question.
....

Then they would not get their advertisement revenue.
Unfortunately Consumer Reports don't do such reporting either as they would not hesitate to do so.

 

[KEW]

Now is the time to ... disconnect power to the power amps as soon as the unit is out of warranty.

How difficult is this?

 

[TLS Guy]

How difficult is this?

I can't be sure, but I suspect not difficult. I suspect there is a pin connector from the power supply to the power amp section. Most likely it is just a matter of unplugging it. You would have to open it up and have a look around.

 

[KEW]

I can't be sure, but I suspect not difficult. I suspect there is a pin connector from the power supply to the power amp section. Most likely it is just a matter of unplugging it. You would have to open it up and have a look around.

Thanks, I'll be back in touch when/if I'm ready to do this and have you double check me!

 

[slipperybidness]

Then they would not get their advertisement revenue.
Unfortunately Consumer Reports don't do such reporting either as they would not hesitate to do so.

Yeah, that is a good point and that is also a main reason that I don't go to CS any longer either!

I used them for research for a vacuum cleaner and microwave, and I no longer have either of those!

 

[slipperybidness]

Thanks, I'll be back in touch when/if I'm ready to do this and have you double check me!

Like TLS said, likely a pin connector. But connectors add cost, so it could be directly soldered, which really shouldn't be much of a problem either.