Receiver malady; appropriate forum?

[photodyer]

Hi All-

I've been lurking here for the past few weeks getting "back up to speed" on HT equipment as we are finishing our basement and including a full A/V system update. AH and this forum have been a fantastic guide to getting going on setup of our new "entertainment area", and after reading through articles and posts here I have a targeted short list of questions that I wanted to throw out with regards to new equipment . . .

. . . But that plan went on the shelf for the moment because my current HT system suffered "cardiac arrest" this afternoon and I'm hoping that those of you who know receiver/amp electronics might be able to give an educated guess as to what's going on.

My original system--purchased 10 years ago when I was still is school and we were scraping by on one income--has at its heart an Onkyo TX-SV 525. It's pretty laughable by today's standards, but in its day it was a solid mid-level contender; it's served us well for years, and was planned to stay at the heart of our "upstairs" system.

This afteroon, my daughter ran in yelling that the "sound was broke" when she tried to turn on the system. I went in to find the receiver cycling through turning on and turning off---ON *click*, OFF*click*, repeat ad nauseum. I unplugged then replugged from power--same thing. I finally managed to time it right and turn the receiver off, but again pushing the power button yielded the same results.

I unhooked everything, pulled the unit out, opened it up, checked the fuse, and blew out the electronics with canned air. Hooked it back up, and this time the front panel lit up and stayed lit, but the volume dial light doesn't come on and there's no sound (I hooked one speaker back up to test). At one point I did get very weak sound for a few moments, but when I upped the volume the screen flashed "protect" and the amp went out again.

Please excuse the long-winded account, but is the baby toast or a candidate for salvage? I'm not very hopeful given that googling the model gave me a link to a 525 on eBay selling for $10 as parts with a very similar problem description.

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

 

[9f9c7z]

Couldn’t tell you what the prob is. The only time I have seen the on/off cycling thing is when the spkr wires shorted out. Could also explain the amp’s protection indicator. Based on your description, I’d start with the spkr wires, checking them. If that’s not it, I don’t know what to tell you.

Btw, welcome to the board. I wish you could have arrived under better circumstances, but welcome, anyway.

 

[markw]

Sometimes they just die.

You don't even have to do anything to cause it. It just happens. Nothing is forever.

Since therare no user servicable parts inside, at least unless you're an experienced tech with the right training and tools, you should weigh the cost of getting it fixed against a new replacement. Consider that you can get a fairly well featured and performing unit for $200 NIB and up and a tech will want to get paid for his time and effort.

 

[mtrycrafts]

Hi All-

I've been lurking here for the past few weeks getting "back up to speed" on HT equipment as we are finishing our basement and including a full A/V system update. AH and this forum have been a fantastic guide to getting going on setup of our new "entertainment area", and after reading through articles and posts here I have a targeted short list of questions that I wanted to throw out with regards to new equipment . . .

. . . But that plan went on the shelf for the moment because my current HT system suffered "cardiac arrest" this afternoon and I'm hoping that those of you who know receiver/amp electronics might be able to give an educated guess as to what's going on.

My original system--purchased 10 years ago when I was still is school and we were scraping by on one income--has at its heart an Onkyo TX-SV 525. It's pretty laughable by today's standards, but in its day it was a solid mid-level contender; it's served us well for years, and was planned to stay at the heart of our "upstairs" system.

This afteroon, my daughter ran in yelling that the "sound was broke" when she tried to turn on the system. I went in to find the receiver cycling through turning on and turning off---ON *click*, OFF*click*, repeat ad nauseum. I unplugged then replugged from power--same thing. I finally managed to time it right and turn the receiver off, but again pushing the power button yielded the same results.

I unhooked everything, pulled the unit out, opened it up, checked the fuse, and blew out the electronics with canned air. Hooked it back up, and this time the front panel lit up and stayed lit, but the volume dial light doesn't come on and there's no sound (I hooked one speaker back up to test). At one point I did get very weak sound for a few moments, but when I upped the volume the screen flashed "protect" and the amp went out again.

Please excuse the long-winded account, but is the baby toast or a candidate for salvage? I'm not very hopeful given that googling the model gave me a link to a 525 on eBay selling for $10 as parts with a very similar problem description.

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

Hope you got some installation tips before too late.


as was indicated, your receiver is experiencing a short someplace. Did you unhook the speakers, all of them? Will it stay on? All indicators working properly?

If it works, then you have a short external to the receiver: speaker wire itself, speaker wire hookup, or even something wrong with the speakers.

Or, there may be something inside the receiver beyond a short. A Part failure?

 

[markw]

Or, there may be something inside the receiver beyond a short. A Part failure?

Actually, sounds pretty much like a complete failure to me.

 

[photodyer]

Many thanks for the quick replies.

I had checked all the connections over--all in order (the system has been running in its current location for ~2 years with no major changes). The kicker is that with nothing hooked up, the amp still seems to not be coming up when the unit is turned on. I have only a cursory understanding of audio electronics, but after many years of building and rebuilding computers I'm thinking a major internal failure.

Guess it's time for a funeral . . . I suppose I shouldn't complain about having eeked 10 years of exemplary service out of a piece of consumer electronics.

Based on recs here, and the drive (read: two young children still on summer break) to get the LR system functional again ASAP, looks like I'll be stopping at a local Best Buy today to pick up a Pioneer VSX-815-K. For $299 it seems to be more than sufficient for what will in a few months be our "little" system. I'm betting that I'd have to pay close to that much to have the Onkyo repaired, so to go from original ProLogic and no tweaks to true 5.1 and a room EQ seems a no-brainer.

And then of course there's the bottom line . . . that I have 100% spousal approval for said purchase (after the five-figure budget planning for outfitting our new theater, she almost turned backflips I told her we could put the LR system back in order for well under $500!)!

Thanks again for the support . . . if anyone has any clue as to what might have failed in the Onkyo I'd still love to hear theories for sake of curiosity!

 

[MDS]

The 525 was a pretty good receiver in its day. I gave mine to my brother in law for his garage system and it is still going strong.

If yours is toast, and it sounds like it just may be, then I wouldn't recommend getting it fixed. It will cost as much to fix it as buying a new one. The Pioneer VSX-815 is a great receiver by all accounts, but if you want to stay with Onkyo, you could look at the TX-SR502/503 for the same price (~$300).

 

[j_garcia]

I'd look around for an open box or demo Onkyo 602 with the 603 coming out. You should be able to get one for right around $399 with a full warranty. I picked up a 601 open box for $399 when the 602 came out and it's a pretty solid unit with good sound. The 602 also has auto-calibration.

To me, it sounds like something on one of the main control boards failed. For the going repair rates, and comparing the features of that to the current ones have, you're best bet is likely to replace this guy.

 

[9f9c7z]

I looked at page 31 of the TX-SV525 manual, the Troubleshooting section. Here’s what it says for Power but no sound:

Cause: Tape monitor switched on. Remedy: Switch to off.
Cause: Audio muting switched on. Remedy: Switch to off by remote transmitter
Cause: Bad connections. Remedy: Check connections, spkr leads, etc.
Cause: Amp protection circuitry has been activated. Remedy: contact your Onkyo service center.

If you tried all of that, you might want to give OnkyoUSA a call and ask about any other possible solutions, (201) 825-7950,

Also, at the bottom of the Spec on page 32 is a statement to the effect that receiver uses a microcomputer that can be messed up by external power, radio waves, flaying saucers, etc. To reset it, (1) press and hold down the [VIDEO-i] button, then press the [POWER] button. (2) After “clear” is displayed, the memory and mode stuff in memory is restored. Might as well give it a try, too.

My experience with amps is that they want a little attention when they die. Your daughter would be the one to know if that happened. I was near a capacitor that gave up the ghost. It destroyed some hardwood flooring, removed plaster from a wall, and took down a door. Well, it wasn’t exactly the capacitor itself that did any of the damage; it was actually me trying to get the hell out of the room when the capacitor blew.

 

[jcPanny]

Better Prices

Before your purchase, check online for a better price than what you'll get at Best Buy. There are several authorized dealers that offer the entry level Pioneer and Onkyo in the $200-250 price range. Also, Onkyo offers refurbished units with a full manufacture warranty.

New Onkyo 502 $195

Refurb Onkyo 502 $166

 

[droeses58]

photodyer,

I would say its probably a amp that fried it happened twice to an old sony I had.

As far as the onkyo or pioneer I've had a couple pioneers and never had any problems. In fact if your interested I have a vsx-412 thats about a year old in perfect shape I'll sell for ......oh say 50 large.......ok 50 small, plus shipping or if by chance you live near southern wisconsin I could even deliver it.