New DENON AVR-S950H - No Sound

[AllNightPony]

Hi All,

I just bought this receiver yesterday. Unboxed it, opened the new speaker cable (12 gauge Amazon 99.9%), opened the new banana plugs, put the plugs on the speaker ends after carefully exposing the copper wiring, and nothing. Haven't heard so much as the first test tone yet. I tried removing the banana plugs and going direct, but still nothing.

I'm replacing an Onkyo receiver that blew, but had no issues with the sound.

- Denon AVR-S950H
- Pioneer Andrew Jones speakers, except center channel and sub are Pioneer Elite
- TCL 65R625
- Xbox One

Only HDMI cables are being used for the connections. Xbox going into Game HDMI port on Denon, HDMI out port 1, into HDMI port 3 on the TCL. (I also tried port 4, with ARC). And yes, I do see the Xbox on the TV, and I can access the Denon menu on the system as well.

BTW, I notice that there is nothing at all when connecting/disconnecting speakers. No crackling, no pops, nothing at all. Just silence from this thing.

Anybody have any ideas? If so, greatly appreciated!

Best,

ANP

 

[Trebdp83]

How many speakers did you hook up? Which speaker inputs did you use? Did you run speaker configuration/assign in the setup menu?

 

[AllNightPony]

5.1, using the first 5 inputs I believe, which leaves out the Back Surrounds if I recall. Sub input 1, I confirmed red/black are all correct. I did do the manual speaker assignment after the assistant didn't work, but still nothing.

 

[M Code]

Sounds like the unit may be DOA out of the box...
Before sending it back for exchange I would suggest try a couple of things..

• Hook up (1) pair of loudspeakers, Front L/R
• Power up the AVR on Tuner, any output for FM?
• Connect an HDMI cable from the HD display to the AVR
• Switch on the OSD, is their any Menu image shown?

The above should give U some hint about any AVR issues.
In today's transportation options, frequently units are handled very rough during transit.

Just my $0.02...

 

[Trebdp83]

Might sound silly, but is the "mute" light blinking? Turn HDMI-CEC off in all devices. Make sure HDMI AUDIO OUT setting in the Denon is set to AVR and not TV.

 

[lovinthehd]

You made connections with the receiver powered on?

 

[AllNightPony]

My feeling was that it was DOA, and likely from shipping :-(

Thank you for the suggestions, I will give them a go tomorrow!

No, the mute is not on, lol, but you never know

I completed all speaker connections while the AVR was unplugged. Once I was having no luck, and started jiggling, and moving the speaker cables around, I noticed there was literally no sounds when the speaker connections were touched or disrupted.

 

[lovinthehd]

Before returning it I'd try a microprocessor/factory reset of the avr. I'm generally leaning towards DOA, tho....

 

[AllNightPony]

Super disappointing, if DOA. Everything's out of stock!

 

[lovinthehd]

Crossing fingers for ya!

 

[VMPS-TIII]

I would call the company you bought it from and ask for an RMA to return it. Check out the return policy for DOA product.

If it doesn't work using the setup assistant and the volume is on it needs repairs and you don't want to deal with paying shipping to send it back to Denon.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Was this bought Brand New or Refurbished?

 

[AllNightPony]

It's a Denon refurb, signed certifications & all, full warranty, etc. Was having a lot of difficulties finding inventory that fit my needs and price point, this seemed like worth giving a shot.

I'm certainly open to suggestions, as I'm pretty much a noob. Prior to this receiver I had only bought two HTIB from Onkyo.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

...Denon refurb...

Ah, that’s says EVERYTHING right there.

Panurgy is the authorized repair center for DM. They do all refurbs for DM.

I do hope DM wakes up and fire Panurgy and use someone else.

If Panurgy can’t fix something or return something to you and it’s still broken, their go-to reason is, “UPS or FedEx damaged it in transit”, even though the box looks great.

My recommendation is if you buy a Denon or Marantz, only buy brand new.

If you must buy refurbished, I would recommend a Yamaha for 2 personal reasons. I say “personal“ because it’s based on my personal experience. Not everyone agrees.

1. Yamaha might be #1 in reliability.
2. Yamaha doesn’t use Panurgy.

 

[AllNightPony]

Oh damn, I had no idea. I assumed Denon was personally refurbing these!

Looking at Yamaha; RX-V685 ($500) or RX-A780 ($550)?

Or if any other suggestions, they're certainly welcome!

I just want this resolved fast, as I've been using my TV speakers for like a week now.

I guess I'm just looking to get the most bang for my buck for about $500.

Or how about a New RX-V6A?

 

[lovinthehd]

Oh damn, I had no idea. I assumed Denon was personally refurbing these!

Looking at Yamaha; RX-V685 ($500) or RX-A780 ($550)?

Or if any other suggestions, they're certainly welcome!

I just want this resolved fast, as I've been using my TV speakers for like a week now.

I guess I'm just looking to get the most bang for my buck for about $500.

Or how about a New RX-V6A?

Keep in mind ADTG had a bad experience himself with his old Denon top of the line pre-pro that couldn't be repaired by Denon's factory service at Panurgy. Many here have had successful purchases of refurbed avrs, including Denon. Personally I had two 4520s that crapped out on me, one immediately and the next just a little over 30 days later...while I bought a new one as it was only $100 more that was more because I was tired of tearing the system down and setting it up with another avr (I have several). Mine were via accessories4less.com....is that where you got your refurb? ADTG also used to be a big Denon recommender but now he's into Yamaha (and he's also gotten past DefTec and Acurus, too ). He's a part-time dealer too so maybe he can set you up with a Yamaha.....

Have you tried the suggestions on testing things out yet?

 

[VMPS-TIII]

I really liked the Refurb 4500 I purchased. It had the Denon certified technician card inside that made me think Denon was going over these units. It looked like new and I was happy.

A few months later I added some speakers and noticed the Height 2 channels were not working and a week later the Height 1 amp started crackling. Then, when I actually tried to call Denon to get support NO ONE answered. I was on hold for 30 minutes and no answer. I called another day. The same thing. I sent an email and they said send it to PanurgyOEM with no trouble shooting instructions, no phone call or any attempt to help. That's when I realized Denon really doesn't care about it's customers and if you have trouble you are pretty much on your own.

So now - my story has changed. I won't buy a refurb receiver from Accessories for less ever again. Today's receivers are too complicated for anyone to refurb in a few hours and be sure everything works. Denon is not setup to help customers so I need to buy new and have a dealer support system. OR don't but Denon at all.

Receivers should not last just a few months and Denon should take responsibility during the warranty period with free shipping. They don't. So I can't recommend Denon to a friend or anyone. If Denon fixes the heat issue and offers better support that might change. But, for now - I won't buy any receiver refurbished and if I can find another receiver manufacture that doesn't have Denon's issues I will be on their door step.

 

[AllNightPony]

I did buy from A4L! There's such low inventory available, and the deal seemed good. When I did some research they seemed reputable. I haven't been able to get Denon support yet, as they've been closed. So tomorrow will be my first call. Although, at this point I don't know that I see a point in calling Denon.

I'll see if ADTG is still dealing; thanks for the info

 

[AllNightPony]

Ah, that’s says EVERYTHING right there.

Panurgy is the authorized repair center for DM. They do all refurbs for DM.

I do hope DM wakes up and fire Panurgy and use someone else.

If Panurgy can’t fix something or return something to you and it’s still broken, their go-to reason is, “UPS or FedEx damaged it in transit”, even though the box looks great.

My recommendation is if you buy a Denon or Marantz, only buy brand new.

If you must buy refurbished, I would recommend a Yamaha for 2 personal reasons. I say “personal“ because it’s based on my personal experience. Not everyone agrees.

1. Yamaha might be #1 in reliability.
2. Yamaha doesn’t use Panurgy.

Are you a Yamaha dealer? If so, I could use some assistance! I know stock is super low though everywhere.

 

[lovinthehd]

Are you a Yamaha dealer? If so, I could use some assistance! I know stock is super low though everywhere.

He has a thread about selling a more expensive 3080 model for $1575 now....but seems someone was going to take it earlier. Covid is certainly having an impact on both availability and customer service, tho. Curious, the Denon website says they're around but you might have to wait for a very long time on the phone on hold....or did you see something particular about being closed?

This one https://forums.audioholics.com/forums/threads/fs-yamaha-rx-a3080-brand-new.119367/#post-1419726