Pioneer receive not amplifying sound properly

[DesertDrone]

Hello all,

Having an issue with my Pioneer VSX-522 receiver and I figured these forums would be the best source for information/troubleshooting.

I have the receiver connected to 2 Harman/Kardon speakers and a Audio-Technica LP60 turntable. The turntable is connected to the 'Audio' jacks of the receiver and the speakers are connected to the 'Front' jacks. It worked well this way for 6 months, but then I had and moved the receive/speakers to the backyard and used it with my iPod. Towards the end of the night it would no longer amplify sound well. You can hear the music from the speakers, but it's very low and sounds bad. The same thing happens with the record player.

I have replaced the speaker wire, made sure all the settings on the receiver are correct/not causing this. I haven't been able to test new speakers because I don't have any on hand, but I don't think it's the speakers anyway.

What do you guys think? Any further troubleshooting I can do?

Any input is appreciated!

 

[TLS Guy]

Hello all,

Having an issue with my Pioneer VSX-522 receiver and I figured these forums would be the best source for information/troubleshooting.

I have the receiver connected to 2 Harman/Kardon speakers and a Audio-Technica LP60 turntable. The turntable is connected to the 'Audio' jacks of the receiver and the speakers are connected to the 'Front' jacks. It worked well this way for 6 months, but then I had and moved the receive/speakers to the backyard and used it with my iPod. Towards the end of the night it would no longer amplify sound well. You can hear the music from the speakers, but it's very low and sounds bad. The same thing happens with the record player.

I have replaced the speaker wire, made sure all the settings on the receiver are correct/not causing this. I haven't been able to test new speakers because I don't have any on hand, but I don't think it's the speakers anyway.

What do you guys think? Any further troubleshooting I can do?

Any input is appreciated!

If you moved the receiver to the backyard, how did you protect it from the elements?

A receiver should not be outside even if in a protected structure. It needs a controlled environment with control of temperature and humidity within fairly tight limits.

So the receiver and turntable should be in the house, and any speakers used outside should be rated for that purpose.

It sounds as if something is happening to the output stage after it heats up.

Make sure you have no shorts or whiskers in the speaker leads, at the receiver or speakers.

As far as the turntable is concerned, make sure that you have the built in phono preamp switched in, and that it did not get accidentally switched off moving it.

If you have problems with all sources including the radio tuner, then your receiver needs replacement or service.

 

[DesertDrone]

The receiver is primarily inside. I had it outside for a party for about 4 hours. There was no moisture as I live in the desert...temps were in the 70s, no sunlight as it was night time. The backyard is mostly dirt so there was certainly dust in the air.

Make sure you have no shorts or whiskers in the speaker leads, at the receiver or speakers.

As far as the turntable is concerned, make sure that you have the built in phono preamp switched in, and that it did not get accidentally switched off moving it.

If you have problems with all sources including the radio tuner, then your receiver needs replacement or service.

Shorts or whiskers refers to the speak wire? If yes, I replaced the old wires today and made sure everything is fitted tightly with no frayed wires. The preamp was on..from my understanding it would have never worked in the first place had it not been on. I toggled it off and on just now, no difference.

I've only tested 2 sources, CD (which is my turntable) and USB (iPod) and they both have the same problem, so it looks like I need to get the receiver serviced. I'm located in Tempe, AZ...anyone have any suggestions on where I could take it?

 

[TLS Guy]

The receiver is primarily inside. I had it outside for a party for about 4 hours. There was no moisture as I live in the desert...temps were in the 70s, no sunlight as it was night time. The backyard is mostly dirt so there was certainly dust in the air.



Shorts or whiskers refers to the speak wire? If yes, I replaced the old wires today and made sure everything is fitted tightly with no frayed wires. The preamp was on..from my understanding it would have never worked in the first place had it not been on. I toggled it off and on just now, no difference.

I've only tested 2 sources, CD (which is my turntable) and USB (iPod) and they both have the same problem, so it looks like I need to get the receiver serviced. I'm located in Tempe, AZ...anyone have any suggestions on where I could take it?

Go on the Pioneer we site and find your nearest authorized service center. Is it under warranty?

If not under warranty, then I have bad news for you. That receiver is $200 on Amazon. So it is highly likely the cost of repair will be higher than the unit's cost.

Just a word to the wise. It is best to avoid the low end of the market from all manufacturers. Start you search at the midpoint of a manufacturers range and avoid everything below the midpoint.

 

[Adam]

This wouldn't explain the iPod portion of it (so I doubt that this is it), but have you double checked that the pre-amp on the turntable wasn't switched from "LINE" to "PHONO"? If it got set to phono, then it would be very quiet and sound off when plugged into the CD input.

Btw, welcome to the forum!

 

[DesertDrone]

Thanks for the info guys.

I'm not sure if it is under warranty or not. It was a gift from my grandma for my birthday last year. I'm sure she get it from costco and if so I know they have a pretty good return policy. Even though it was last year, she probably still has the receipt, lol.

TLS, thanks for the input. When I'm in the market for a new receiver (which depending on the outcome of this could be very soon) I will definitely look into more mid-range receivers. What brands do you recommend? Keep in mind I really only want it for my turntable and iPod.

 

[TLS Guy]

Thanks for the info guys.

I'm not sure if it is under warranty or not. It was a gift from my grandma for my birthday last year. I'm sure she get it from costco and if so I know they have a pretty good return policy. Even though it was last year, she probably still has the receipt, lol.

TLS, thanks for the input. When I'm in the market for a new receiver (which depending on the outcome of this could be very soon) I will definitely look into more mid-range receivers. What brands do you recommend? Keep in mind I really only want it for my turntable and iPod.

I'm probably not the one to ask since I don't use receivers. May be you don't need an AV receiver and you just need a good preamp and power amp. A good vintage rig might fit the bill.