Anthem MRX 520 shutdown issue

[demisoda2k]

I would PM the OP of this thread and ask him the outcome. Given the expense, if they have not upgraded the part causing this or modified the design, you may be better off cutting your losses, despite the age of the unit. You will have to consider your options carefully and ask the right questions. That is as much information as I can give.
This thread gives the strong hint there is a known problem here. If that is so, Anthem should be recalling those units. Given modern day ethics I bet they won't. There associated brand Parasound have been having issues also. I tend to agree that this outfit are under capitalized for producing the products there are attempting to build and market.

Thank you, I messaged him just a while ago.
The customer service representatives are not helping. They just kept saying i have to contact local distributors even i was asking just a piece of information about the issues. And yes im in 3rd world country, the distributor here is not really helping either. I need to find technicians on my own now, wish me luck.

 

[demisoda2k]

This is the difficulty with these boutique brands and AVRs. An AVR is a complex piece of gear. It really is biased towards production by the BIG audio manufacturers that can dump engineering and coding resources into it, then benefit from economies of scale.

I have no direct experience with Anthem, but I am sure they are a fine brand. But, when it comes to AVRs, the deck is stacked against them.

Yes.. i didnt expect this happening to me, maybe i underestimated the value of warranty and service centers. This broken anthem mrx will be my last product from “ boutique “ brand.

 

[TLS Guy]

Thank you, I messaged him just a while ago.
The customer service representatives are not helping. They just kept saying i have to contact local distributors even i was asking just a piece of information about the issues. And yes im in 3rd world country, the distributor here is not really helping either. I need to find technicians on my own now, wish me luck.

What country are you in, and does it have an authorized Anthem service center? If not, you will have to send it to Canada for service. This a problem not just with Anthem, but the industry in general. The problem is that they do not release even a circuit, let alone a decent service manual for their products. The best tech in the world is not going to be able to get that unit up and running without a service manual. They only release the required information to an authorized service center. If your country has no service center, you will have to return it to Canada.

I think it should be required by law to have a service manual on line for every product sold. The industry thinks someone will steal their technology. That is nonsense, as only the smallest fraction is of any real interest, and if it is that unique and ground breaking, it can be protected by patent. I think actually the biggest reason for lack of this data, is that they really don't want people to know how lousy their products actually are.

It seems that Anthem and its associated companies Martin Logan and Paradigm are lousy outfits. The sooner they go broke the better if this is how they behave.

 

[demisoda2k]

What country are you in, and does it have an authorized Anthem service center? If not, you will have to send it to Canada for service. This a problem not just with Anthem, but the industry in general. The problem is that they do not release even a circuit, let alone a decent service manual for their products. The best tech in the world is not going to be able to get that unit up and running without a service manual. They only release the required information to an authorized service center. If your country has no service center, you will have to return it to Canada.

I think it should be required by law to have a service manual on line for every product sold. The industry thinks someone will steal their technology. That is nonsense, as only the smallest fraction is of any real interest, and if it is that unique and ground breaking, it can be protected by patent. I think actually the biggest reason for lack of this data, is that they really don't want people to know how lousy their products actually are.

It seems that Anthem and its associated companies Martin Logan and Paradigm are lousy outfits. The sooner they go broke the better if this is how they behave.

there is no authorized anthem service center here.
Im afraid Sending this unit to Canada is not really practical, i checked the shipping fee, it s 270 USD one way.I will ask them if they will pay for the return, which I doubt. They probably copy and paste the previous answer. “ You need to contact your local distributor”.
i cant agree more about putting service manual online, that really should be required by law.

didnt know that martin logan is under their umbrella, i will avoid it either. Im currently looking at plinius. It seems the local dealer of that brand here has a good reputation.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

For the near future if you cannot fix your Anthem AVR and need to buy a new AVR:

What is the nearest repair centers for any brands? Yamaha, Denon/Marantz, Sony, etc?

If there are none, I would contact Yamaha support and ask if you were to buy Yamaha, would they service your AVR of needed, UNLIKE Anthem who totally screwed you.

In the USA, Yamaha will pay for shipping both ways for warranty service. I don’t know how things are in Europe.

Yamaha Global is one of the largest corporations in the world - bigger than all the home AV electronic brands combined. They have the money. Yamaha might be the most reliable brand. But of course nothing is perfect, so you need to ask for service support before buying your next AVR.

I think Yamaha in Switzerland might be nearest Luxembourg.

Eurotronic Establishment
Industriestrasse 32
9487 Bendern
Liechtenstein
Phone: (+423) 2350570
Email: eurotronic@eurotronic.li
Web: http://www.eurotronic.li/

 

[PENG]

I would not touch AVRs and AVPs from brands like Anthem, NAD and even Arcam, even more so for the likes of Emotiva, Monolith/ATI's. In fact I would only consider Denon, Marantz, Yamaha and even Sony. Today's AVRs and AVPs are just getting complex enough that the odds are better with the big and experienced manufacturers, in terms of being reasonably bug free, and reliability. That's because I am not rich, otherwise, why not..

 

[TLS Guy]

there is no authorized anthem service center here.
Im afraid Sending this unit to Canada is not really practical, i checked the shipping fee, it s 270 USD one way.I will ask them if they will pay for the return, which I doubt. They probably copy and paste the previous answer. “ You need to contact your local distributor”.
i cant agree more about putting service manual online, that really should be required by law.

didnt know that martin logan is under their umbrella, i will avoid it either. Im currently looking at plinius. It seems the local dealer of that brand here has a good reputation.

Honestly if that is the case, I think that unit is a total loss, unless there is a country near by, with lower shipping costs, that has an authorized service center. As I said above, there seems no service manual you can see. I did a diligent search last night and came up empty. If you can find a competent tech, see if Anthem will Email a service manual to the tech. You know I have an odd feeling they don't actually have a service manual! I suspect they just recycle the ones that come back and send out new ones.

I would not put a lot of money into that receiver, as the chance of it blowing up again is high in my view. I think your money will be better put into something else. I would make my choice based on service if there are problems, and nothing else, given your situation.

 

[demisoda2k]

Honestly if that is the case, I think that unit is a total loss, unless there is a country near by, with lower shipping costs, that has an authorized service center. As I said above, there seems no service manual you can see. I did a diligent search last night and came up empty. If you can find a competent tech, see if Anthem will Email a service manual to the tech. You know I have an odd feeling they don't actually have a service manual! I suspect they just recycle the ones that come back and send out new ones.

I would not put a lot of money into that receiver, as the chance of it blowing up again is high in my view. I think your money will be better put into something else. I would make my choice based on service if there are problems, and nothing else, given your situation.

That is actually a great
Idea,
Shipping this to the authorized service center in a country nearby. I am gonna make few calls to check and will see.

 

[slipperybidness]

You are correct. An old man's faulty memory in play. This makes it worse, as it means a brand building two speaker lines is trying to produce complex electronics. High speed train cash is pretty much inevitable.

To be fair, there have been some recent complaints and problems noted on here with Paradigm too! It seems that they farm out their online orders to a 3rd party, and that 3rd party has been nothing but trouble. At least 1 member here ended up cancelling his order and taking up the problem with his credit card company. The thread is on here for review, I think he got re-charged a couple times along the way.

 

[paulzhere]

Hi all

The OP here. Sorry for being late for the party. Was caught up with tons of other stuff. So here's the latest update from my side:

I shipped the receiver to the authorized service center in France. The guy could not replicate the issue! Apparently, he left the receiver on overnight multiple times, sometimes with speakers connected, sometimes without but it would always stay on. I told him that was weird and since I'm having the problem all the time, could he just take my word for it and replace whatever part he thought might have been faulty. He told me they were not allowed to do so. I had no option but to get it shipped back to me.

Back home with me, the receiver started its antics again. Initially it would shut itself off randomly as before. But then after a few days, it refused to turn on altogether. Even after disconnecting it from the mains, and removing all the speakers and the other connections and discharging the capacitor by long-pressing the power button, it would not turn back on. Sometimes, very rarely, it turns on but then goes off immediately. disconnecting from the mains and long-pressing the power button makes 2 or 3 clicking noises and then nothing. I have made a short video showing the issue:

IMG_1449.MOV

Shared with Dropbox

www.dropbox.com

IMG_1450.MOV

Shared with Dropbox

www.dropbox.com

I have re-contacted the service guy and he tells me that now since the receiver is not even turning on, he can perhaps do something. Now I am debating whether to send it back for repairs and lose more money or to just call it a day. Have used many receivers in the past but none gave me so much trouble.

Cheers

 

[PENG]

Hi all

The OP here. Sorry for being late for the party. Was caught up with tons of other stuff. So here's the latest update from my side:

I shipped the receiver to the authorized service center in France. The guy could not replicate the issue! Apparently, he left the receiver on overnight multiple times, sometimes with speakers connected, sometimes without but it would always stay on. I told him that was weird and since I'm having the problem all the time, could he just take my word for it and replace whatever part he thought might have been faulty. He told me they were not allowed to do so. I had no option but to get it shipped back to me.

Back home with me, the receiver started its antics again. Initially it would shut itself off randomly as before. But then after a few days, it refused to turn on altogether. Even after disconnecting it from the mains, and removing all the speakers and the other connections and discharging the capacitor by long-pressing the power button, it would not turn back on. Sometimes, very rarely, it turns on but then goes off immediately. disconnecting from the mains and long-pressing the power button makes 2 or 3 clicking noises and then nothing. I have made a short video showing the issue:

IMG_1449.MOV

Shared with Dropbox

www.dropbox.com

IMG_1450.MOV

Shared with Dropbox

www.dropbox.com

I have re-contacted the service guy and he tells me that now since the receiver is not even turning on, he can perhaps do something. Now I am debating whether to send it back for repairs and lose more money or to just call it a day. Have used many receivers in the past but none gave me so much trouble.

Cheers

If you are sure they can replicate the issue and pay for shipping then you should send it back. If not, then depending of your warranty expiry date, you may have to wait until the issue (the not turning on one) to become permanent and get them to agree on extending the warranty for this particular issue before agreeing to wait.

About the first issue, that is, the turning off by itself for no reason, is it possible to leave it with a local authorized dealer (sorry, forgot where you got it from if you mentioned it before) under the condition that it will turn off by itself within a day or two, so that they can witness it for you?

 

[demisoda2k]

If you are sure they can replicate the issue and pay for shipping then you should send it back. If not, then depending of your warranty expiry date, you may have to wait until the issue (the no

Hi all

The OP here. Sorry for being late for the party. Was caught up with tons of other stuff. So here's the latest update from my side:

I shipped the receiver to the authorized service center in France. The guy could not replicate the issue! Apparently, he left the receiver on overnight multiple times, sometimes with speakers connected, sometimes without but it would always stay on. I told him that was weird and since I'm having the problem all the time, could he just take my word for it and replace whatever part he thought might have been faulty. He told me they were not allowed to do so. I had no option but to get it shipped back to me.

Back home with me, the receiver started its antics again. Initially it would shut itself off randomly as before. But then after a few days, it refused to turn on altogether. Even after disconnecting it from the mains, and removing all the speakers and the other connections and discharging the capacitor by long-pressing the power button, it would not turn back on. Sometimes, very rarely, it turns on but then goes off immediately. disconnecting from the mains and long-pressing the power button makes 2 or 3 clicking noises and then nothing. I have made a short video showing the issue:

IMG_1449.MOV

Shared with Dropbox

www.dropbox.com

IMG_1450.MOV

Shared with Dropbox

www.dropbox.com

I have re-contacted the service guy and he tells me that now since the receiver is not even turning on, he can perhaps do something. Now I am debating whether to send it back for repairs and lose more money or to just call it a day. Have used many receivers in the past but none gave me so much trouble.

Cheers

on one) to become permanent and get them to agree on extending the warranty for this particular issue before agreeing to wait.

About the first issue, that is, the turning off by itself for no reason, is it possible to leave it with a local authorized dealer (sorry, forgot where you got it from if you mentioned it before) under the condition that it will turn off by itself within a day or two, so that they can witness it for you?

That s awful
Now i have a strong feelng that im gonna have so much trouble with this issue.cant believe they just sent it back with that reason, thats so lame and unprofessional.
Hope they could fix your receiver this time.

 

[paulzhere]

If you are sure they can replicate the issue and pay for shipping then you should send it back. If not, then depending of your warranty expiry date, you may have to wait until the issue (the not turning on one) to become permanent and get them to agree on extending the warranty for this particular issue before agreeing to wait.

About the first issue, that is, the turning off by itself for no reason, is it possible to leave it with a local authorized dealer (sorry, forgot where you got it from if you mentioned it before) under the condition that it will turn off by itself within a day or two, so that they can witness it for you?

First I thought it was the power supply in my apartment which was causing the issue, maybe a power surge or something. I bought myself a power strip with surge protection of a reputed brand (I had to get one anyway). That didn't help either. I will be shifting apartments within a few days. If the problem persists in the new apartment, I'll be pretty sure that it'd be replicable anywhere. I also plan to test it at a friend's place just to be even more sure.

 

[slipperybidness]

First I thought it was the power supply in my apartment which was causing the issue, maybe a power surge or something. I bought myself a power strip with surge protection of a reputed brand (I had to get one anyway). That didn't help either. I will be shifting apartments within a few days. If the problem persists in the new apartment, I'll be pretty sure that it'd be replicable anywhere. I also plan to test it at a friend's place just to be even more sure.

Most of these surge protectors are pretty much useless in that regard. A power strip is useful, but don't put any faith in the surge protection capabilities.

But, you could be on the right track with poor power as the root of the problem.

 

[TLS Guy]

Most of these surge protectors are pretty much useless in that regard. A power strip is useful, but don't put any faith in the surge protection capabilities.

But, you could be on the right track with poor power as the root of the problem.

I really doubt his power is the issue. I bet the tech only gave it a cursory look. That was disgraceful service.

Hi all

The OP here. Sorry for being late for the party. Was caught up with tons of other stuff. So here's the latest update from my side:

I shipped the receiver to the authorized service center in France. The guy could not replicate the issue! Apparently, he left the receiver on overnight multiple times, sometimes with speakers connected, sometimes without but it would always stay on. I told him that was weird and since I'm having the problem all the time, could he just take my word for it and replace whatever part he thought might have been faulty. He told me they were not allowed to do so. I had no option but to get it shipped back to me.

Back home with me, the receiver started its antics again. Initially it would shut itself off randomly as before. But then after a few days, it refused to turn on altogether. Even after disconnecting it from the mains, and removing all the speakers and the other connections and discharging the capacitor by long-pressing the power button, it would not turn back on. Sometimes, very rarely, it turns on but then goes off immediately. disconnecting from the mains and long-pressing the power button makes 2 or 3 clicking noises and then nothing. I have made a short video showing the issue:

IMG_1449.MOV

Shared with Dropbox

www.dropbox.com

IMG_1450.MOV

Shared with Dropbox

www.dropbox.com

I have re-contacted the service guy and he tells me that now since the receiver is not even turning on, he can perhaps do something. Now I am debating whether to send it back for repairs and lose more money or to just call it a day. Have used many receivers in the past but none gave me so much trouble.

Cheers

I would send it back for repair, and tell Anthem you expect to be reimbursed for shipping. Sounds like this outfit is going broke to me. So they will take Paradigm and Martin Logan with them.

 

[brucehaugh]

First I thought it was the power supply in my apartment which was causing the issue, maybe a power surge or something. I bought myself a power strip with surge protection of a reputed brand (I had to get one anyway). That didn't help either.

Had you opened up the unit yourself? I have a MRX710. We moved last year to a new house and my receiver sat for over a year. I had a completed home theatre in our old house and nothing in the new house. I have a temporary theatre setup in which I installed the 710. It went from perfect operation to storage in perfect conditions and when called upon it was dead. No display no click but a slight spark when plugging in the power cord. I put it on my bench opened it up and figured that it was not getting a signal from the front control panel. I have seen where ribbon cables connections get oxidized, possibly from lack of use, so I unplugged the ribbon cables and plugged them back in. This time, the unit fired up. It seems to be telling me that I don’t have an input source when I have a DVD player plugged in and I get nothing showing from my projector. I am just about to open it up again and see if there are other connection points that may be faulty and try a bit of cleaning. I don’t see any issues on the power supply.

 

[Truthslayer]

Hi all

The OP here. Sorry for being late for the party. Was caught up with tons of other stuff. So here's the latest update from my side:

I shipped the receiver to the authorized service center in France. The guy could not replicate the issue! Apparently, he left the receiver on overnight multiple times, sometimes with speakers connected, sometimes without but it would always stay on. I told him that was weird and since I'm having the problem all the time, could he just take my word for it and replace whatever part he thought might have been faulty. He told me they were not allowed to do so. I had no option but to get it shipped back to me.

Back home with me, the receiver started its antics again. Initially it would shut itself off randomly as before. But then after a few days, it refused to turn on altogether. Even after disconnecting it from the mains, and removing all the speakers and the other connections and discharging the capacitor by long-pressing the power button, it would not turn back on. Sometimes, very rarely, it turns on but then goes off immediately. disconnecting from the mains and long-pressing the power button makes 2 or 3 clicking noises and then nothing. I have made a short video showing the issue:

IMG_1449.MOV

Shared with Dropbox

www.dropbox.com

IMG_1450.MOV

Shared with Dropbox

www.dropbox.com

I have re-contacted the service guy and he tells me that now since the receiver is not even turning on, he can perhaps do something. Now I am debating whether to send it back for repairs and lose more money or to just call it a day. Have used many receivers in the past but none gave me so much trouble.

Cheers

Send your video to Anthem directly. I'm not sure why you are having problems with getting in contact with them. They are one of the best when it comes to customer service and standing by their products.

 

[brucehaugh]

Had you opened up the unit yourself? I have a MRX710. We moved last year to a new house and my receiver sat for over a year. I had a completed home theatre in our old house and nothing in the new house. I have a temporary theatre setup in which I installed the 710. It went from perfect operation to storage in perfect conditions and when called upon it was dead. No display no click but a slight spark when plugging in the power cord. I put it on my bench opened it up and figured that it was not getting a signal from the front control panel. I have seen where ribbon cables connections get oxidized, possibly from lack of use, so I unplugged the ribbon cables and plugged them back in. This time, the unit fired up. It seems to be telling me that I don’t have an input source when I have a DVD player plugged in and I get nothing showing from my projector. I am just about to open it up again and see if there are other connection points that may be faulty and try a bit of cleaning. I don’t see any issues on the power supply.

Turns out the no input issue was a defective DVD player. Hooked up the Bluray player and the receiver appears to be operating “normally”. Have not yet run it through its paces.

 

[brucehaugh]

Turns out the no input issue was a defective DVD player. Hooked up the Bluray player and the receiver appears to be operating “normally”. Have not yet run it through its paces.

Seems to be working fine since unplugging and reinserting the ribbon cables.

 

[rmesquita]

I have the same problem and i send my Anthem MRX 520 for repair in Spain and same result has
paulzher dont have resolution Anthem is poor quality Brand with poor rebiality