I think my H/K has died... help please

[BigDH01]

I have an H/K AVR310 hooked up to two JBL ND310s via the front channels. I also have a powered sub on the sub preout. This is the setup I have here at home that just sits here while I'm at school. Well, I just returned for Thanksgiving and everything was working fine. I play music from my nForce2 using the digital encoding. All of a sudden, the right channel just dropped. I tried playing music from the CD player, same problem.

I reversed the speakers and confirmed that the right speaker does work on the left channel and the left speaker doesn't work on the right channel. When I turned the balance all the way to the right I had no sound at all. The sub worked fine so the preout still works. So I started playing with the speaker wires, reconnecting them and such. Then the left channel dropped and I got some of the right channel to work. However, when I turn the volume up to listenable levels I heard what sounds like static. I reset the CPU but to no avail. I then hooked up two small AIWA speakers to confirm the speakers aren't the problem. No sound from the left channel on the AIWAs. This was before I went to bed last night.

Last night the receiver was turned off. When I turned it on this morning the right channel sounded completely normal. It was loud with the proper reproduction. Nothing out of the left channel. Well, I left the receiver on when I went to eat lunch and when I came back the right channel is barely on and there is *some* sound from the left channel but for me to hear it I have to turn the volume up and there is static from both channels. It seems the longer the receiver is on the worse it gets. I don't think it's wiring because it was fine and then everything just died.

I got this receiver refurbished from H/K's online outlet www.harmanaudio.com. The receiver arrived dead so I've already had it repaired once under warranty. I checked the website and found the nearest authorized service center and called them. He told me I probably messed it up by using 4 ohm speakers with the amp. I told him my speakers are 8 ohm. He then told me that he believed my warranty was up because H/K only offers a 90 day warranty on refurbished goods which doesn't sound right to me. He quoted me a price of $50 just to look at the receiver. So I'm afraid the only service center in my area is going to try and swindle me. If the problem is internal, should I try to fix it or just get a new receiver? Thanks for the help.

 

[aarond]

any product purchased from harmanaudio comes with the factory warranty. 2 yrs for recvrs unless stated otherwise ie; 90 days. it will say on your invoice if it has a different warranty. if you purchased it less than 2 yrs ago contact harmanaudio and let them know of your frustration with local authorized service center

 

[toquemon]

Had same problem with a Nakamichi AV-10. Many things can happen, but the worst is that your amp is dead. In my case, my amp died a few days later the 90 day guarantee expired and i had to pay $200 bucks to fix it (that's why i don't buy refurbished); keep in mind that this was a $1,200 receiver. So, i think that with the fifty bucks the person is asking you, you can fix it somewhere else. Don't worry, it is not that bad, everything can be fixed.

 

[BMXTRIX]

This is the page from Harman's site that indicates specifically what you are covered for and the period of time for which you are covered:
http://www.myharman.net/HK/Warranty/HK1021 LR.pdf

Print that out, double check your receipt, then call the shop and let them know you have a product that is under warranty that is not working that you will be dropping off. They should have no problem accepting it - they should also be fully aware of Harman's warranty policy as they are an authorized service center. This alone is reason enough to contact HK directly and let them know that one of their centers is not up to date on basic warranty information.