Receiver Creating Distortion from Toy Placed in the sub woofer

[jcrowde3]

So you're saying I need to take the entire system with speakers to the dump or do I have the option of possibly purchasing a more compatible/better receiver? I know that I won't get it for 200 dollars... I guess it's fortunate I spent 300 on it since it was on sale. Would it be possible to explain to me what exactly I was duped on so I don't make the same mistake again?

 

[Alex2507]

I know that I won't get it for 200 dollars...

I didn't pay much more for a Yammy RX-V663 a few years ago. It's even less now. You need to verify that your speakers aren't fried with a working rec'r to answer the question of whether or not you need new speakers. $300 for a whole system is just too good to be true. How long did it last? Serious question. I believe TLS is saying you can't expect anything good for that little.

 

[lovinthehd]

So you're saying I need to take the entire system with speakers to the dump or do I have the option of possibly purchasing a more compatible/better receiver? I know that I won't get it for 200 dollars... I guess it's fortunate I spent 300 on it since it was on sale. Would it be possible to explain to me what exactly I was duped on so I don't make the same mistake again?

The Onkyo HTIB systems at least come with a fairly normally featured avr, albeit not a very high end one, compared to many brands of HTIB (home theater in a box). You can probably replace the avr fairly cheaply, try accessories4less.com for a refurb (but make sure you know the terms). Usually the speakers/subs with HTIBs like your Onkyo are pretty low end, tho, and most of us wouldn't buy a new avr for those speakers particularly. TLSGuy just doesn't like avrs, he prefers his avrs without amps (like the Marantz he uses). I use an avr from the Onkyo HT-RC series from a few years back which is doing just fine (bought separately from the speakers), it was basically same mid-line avr they offered under a different model name at the time. Maybe this one https://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/onktxsr494a/onkyo-tx-sr494-7.2-ch-x-80-watts-bluetooth-a/v-receiver-new/1.html

Sure, cheap consumer electronics have issues....so do tvs; you might say real home theaters don't use tvs, they use projection for example, altho a tv can work well....like TLS is doing. Refrigerators, washing machines etc....are they all made for lifetime service as they once were? No. Such is life. Such is our current economy....if you're a doctor with multiple homes like TLS it may be easier for him to buy higher quality electronics, but for many consumers, consumer electronics offer a certain level of value and functionality.

 

[jcrowde3]

I didn't pay much more for a Yammy RX-V663 a few years ago. It's even less now. You need to verify that your speakers aren't fried with a working rec'r to answer the question of whether or not you need new speakers. $300 for a whole system is just too good to be true. How long did it last? Serious question. I believe TLS is saying you can't expect anything good for that little.

Not long, I bought it maybe 4 or 5 months ago. It was on close out at electronic express.

 

[jcrowde3]

The Onkyo HTIB systems at least come with a fairly normally featured avr, albeit not a very high end one, compared to many brands of HTIB (home theater in a box). You can probably replace the avr fairly cheaply, try accessories4less.com for a refurb (but make sure you know the terms). Usually the speakers/subs with HTIBs like your Onkyo are pretty low end, tho, and most of us wouldn't buy a new avr for those speakers particularly. TLSGuy just doesn't like avrs, he prefers his avrs without amps (like the Marantz he uses). I use an avr from the Onkyo HT-RC series from a few years back which is doing just fine (bought separately from the speakers), it was basically same mid-line avr they offered under a different model name at the time. Maybe this one https://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/onktxsr494a/onkyo-tx-sr494-7.2-ch-x-80-watts-bluetooth-a/v-receiver-new/1.html

Sure, cheap consumer electronics have issues....so do tvs; you might say real home theaters don't use tvs, they use projection for example, altho a tv can work well....like TLS is doing. Refrigerators, washing machines etc....are they all made for lifetime service as they once were? No. Such is life. Such is our current economy....if you're a doctor with multiple homes like TLS it may be easier for him to buy higher quality electronics, but for many consumers, consumer electronics offer a certain level of value and functionality.

Thanks for the explanation. Trying to learn this stuff, but it's pretty confusing for me.

 

[lovinthehd]

Thanks for the explanation. Trying to learn this stuff, but it's pretty confusing for me.

No problem, it can be confusing for sure. Going to another system of speakers and something to drive them with can get expensive so mostly about your budget. Using a separate pre-pro (pre-amp processor, i.e. an avr without amps) and a separate power amp setup can be nice, but will be a significantly bigger investment than a lower end avr and considering the speakers you have, not really a consideration until you spend a lot more on the speakers.

 

[TLS Guy]

So you're saying I need to take the entire system with speakers to the dump or do I have the option of possibly purchasing a more compatible/better receiver? I know that I won't get it for 200 dollars... I guess it's fortunate I spent 300 on it since it was on sale. Would it be possible to explain to me what exactly I was duped on so I don't make the same mistake again?

You seem to have an AVR that is driving those speakers at present. It is the receiver that is done for. The sub has active electronics, so that may become a problem. The other speakers are passive, so unless over driven they are unlikely to become a problem.

So you have to dump the receiver and continue as you are.

My advice is to sit tight until you can afford better speakers, sub and mid level AVR.

You avoid these sort of mistakes by being cognizant of the complexities involved and being able to estimate what the costs are to bring a reasonably and especially a reliable system to market.

One thing I would say is that packaged systems should pretty much always be avoided. They have very bad track records, as I pointed out going back eons.

When funds are limited reliability becomes a paramount issue. As early failure is costly and you never get ahead and make progress. So you have to develop a good nose for junk. As I have said many times here junk purchases are the most costly you ever make. Unfortunately junk in this arena abounds.

This is now becoming more of a moral issue then in years gone by. In years past it was judged that just the purchaser was the looser and no overall harm was done.

However we now know that producing and transporting the junk increases the carbon footprint and worse it contributes to ever growing gigantic mountain of toxic waste. It is a myth that a lot, and actually most, electronic components can be recycled.

I think in this information age reliability, longevity data could be tracked. I would be in favor of heavy fines levied against companies producing gear whose lifespan was less than reasonably predictable norms. What you have experienced does none of us any good, but you got the worst of it and for that I'm sorry.

 

[jcrowde3]

Yeah, I'm with you on buying things to last. I thought that 800 was a lot of money for a sound system, because it's a lot of money to me and seeing other system in a box at around 300, I figured that a 800 dollars system was better. I shouldn't have listened to the store associate I suppose and done my own research. Thanks for your 2 cents I'll begin my research.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

Yeah, I'm with you on buying things to last. I thought that 800 was a lot of money for a sound system, because it's a lot of money to me and seeing other system in a box at around 300, I figured that a 800 dollars system was better. I shouldn't have listened to the store associate I suppose and done my own research. Thanks for your 2 cents I'll begin my research.

Well ya don’t know what ya don’t know! Most of us here have been doing this a long time. It’s easy to forget that a great deal of people out there have not. I know I’ve been guilty of randomly dropping terms without thinking about where they’ll land. Unfortunately the salesman saw you coming, and either didn’t know JACK himself, or wanted a sale. Luckily, there are forums like this one where people can ask things before they make a decision, or at least help them get out of a sticky spot.

 

[jcrowde3]

Let me ask this, and I've dove into this with other hobbies and it's always the case that there is always controversy, but are there brands of speakers and receivers, etc that are generally always reliable and good quality?

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

Let me ask this, and I've dove into this with other hobbies and it's always the case that there is always controversy, but are there brands of speakers and receivers, etc that are generally always reliable and good quality?

Oh man...can of worms just got cracked open. Lol.
For speaker brands there are too many to count, and really, budget will determine your path. While there are manufacturers that overlap each other for price and quality, some stay above(revel, paradigm etc) and some stay well below(Sony, Dayton etc) certain price points.
For AVR’s, the Yamaha drum gets beat a lot. I’ve not seen any empirical data to support this and have my own thoughts. Imo, they’re all pretty good in that regard and the main things are Features, and interface. Features are why most people buy one in the first place. And you have to be able to navigate and understand the menus and literature. Otherwise you get lost and frustrated. That’s something I personally dislike about Yamahas, even if they are more reliable. They have all these extra sound modes, and proprietary language that just muddies the water and confuses even long time enthusiasts.
If you’re actively shopping, look for features that fit your listening, and go into the store and navigate menus and stuff. Hopefully the AVR’s will be hooked up to a display so you can use the GUI.