Weird receiver issue

[Joe Schmoe]

I was listening through my Denon DRA-37 this weekend when it suddenly powered down, stayed off for about 30 seconds, then came back on again. It happened twice more after that. It wasn't the electricity, because my DVD player stayed on. It couldn't have overheated, because my volume is set at -22 dB (and it hadn't been on for more than a few minutes anyway.) If it had been a fuse, it wouldn't have come back on. Now, the power light flashes a few times before staying green every time I power it up.
Anyone else have issues like these, or know the cause? For now, I am just using my old Carver instead (which still sounds great.) Naturally, I didn't buy the service plan.

 

[bigbangtheory]

If you bought the item through a Denon authorized dealer, then you should be able to go to Denon with your serial number and get some answers.

The only other time I have heard of this (or similar) issue is when someone was trying to play the Ohm game with their speakers and the Denon receiver shut down to keep from frying...that wasn't you before, was it?

 

[Joe Schmoe]

The only other time I have heard of this (or similar) issue is when someone was trying to play the Ohm game with their speakers and the Denon receiver shut down to keep from frying...that wasn't you before, was it?

My speakers are 8 ohm and an easy load to drive.

 

[Seth=L]

Just for reference, what speakers do you have? How are they connected?

I had a similar problem once with a new receiver and I thought the receiver was faulty, so I returned it and got an different model from different manufacturer. Wouldn't you know it, the new and different receiver was going into protect mode. I found out that the cables I was using where somehow faulty even though they appeared to be perfectly OK. If you have a different set of speakers cables I would suggest trying them before placing blame solely on the receiver.

 

[Joe Schmoe]

It is a simple 2.0 setup. The speakers are Boston VR2s. I have checked all the cable connections. The cables are Kimber PB4 (because I have them. I am no longer under the illusion that they are "better".) I have some generic 14 gauge I could try. Would a bad cable or connection cause the "on" light to flash?
I did once have a loose binding post, but fixed it (or thought so.) Maybe that is coming back to haunt me?

 

[Seth=L]

It is a simple 2.0 setup. The speakers are Boston VR2s. I have checked all the cable connections. The cables are Kimber PB4 (because I have them. I am no longer under the illusion that they are "better".) I have some generic 14 gauge I could try. Would a bad cable or connection cause the "on" light to flash?
I did once have a loose binding post, but fixed it (or thought so.) Maybe that is coming back to haunt me?

The protection mode is activated when the receiver has a tremendous load, caused by a short or a very load bearing speaker. The physical connections may be fine, but a faulty cable may not be easy to see, if at all. Don't assume a high end cable is free from defect.

 

[bigbangtheory]

My speakers are 8 ohm and an easy load to drive.

In that case I stick with my original suggestion of taking it back to Denon. I get the feeling that this problem is too odd for a quick fix.

Looking at your description of the problem again, I am not sure that your receiver was going into protect mode.

 

[Seth=L]

You can use just about any wire to test this. zipcord off a broken lamp would work.

 

[Joe Schmoe]

Looking at your description of the problem again, I am not sure that your receiver was going into protect mode.

The owner's manual states that the power switch will blink red in protect mode. It blinked green.

 

[Joe Schmoe]

You can use just about any wire to test this. zipcord off a broken lamp would work.

Is there a way to test that the binding post on the speaker is not damaged? It came loose once (after I over-tightened it), but I fixed it by retightening the nut from inside. No issues since then until now (and that was months ago.)

 

[jostenmeat]

Im sorry about your issues. Im not sure it would help, but worth a shot after you try everything else (swap wires, check post)... is to reset the unit, and leave it unplugged from socket for a decent amount of time. then try again.

Also, though I am sure you are 100x more familiar with your speakers than I am, often the better speakers up the line in any brand (and yours are such: better/best of BA), the loads are often more difficult to drive. I think they allow lower impedances for punchier bass, at least sometimes. fwiw, some midline B&Ws and Focals, though rated nominal 8 ohms, do in fact drop to 3.0 ohms. Yours have a good sensitivity. But so do mine, yet the load can still be very, very difficult.

Just fwiw. If you didn't have problems before, then it sure is strange. good luck.

 

[mtrycrafts]

The owner's manual states that the power switch will blink red in protect mode. It blinked green.

If there is no mention of that in the manual, call the maker to see what it is indicating.
Speaker cables can have some issues internally between wires for who know why, your post is acting up again.
You may also want to use a magnifier for telltale signs not visible otherwise?

 

[Joe Schmoe]

The sad/ironic/unfortunate part of this is that the Denon pair (reciever and DVD player) were a rather pointless, spontaneous purchase to begin with. I already had decent electronics (not to mention that I am in the "electronics don't make a big difference" camp.) I am already back to using my Carver integrated. Because I can sometimes hear the disc spinning in the Denon DVD player, and because a changer is more convenient, I may end up going back to my Onkyo CD player as well. In the end, I will have the same setup as before but be $420 poorer.

 

[mtrycrafts]

... were a rather pointless, spontaneous purchase to begin with. .

Will this expensive lesson make an impression?

But, back to the original issue, it would be interesting to find out what that light sequence signals since it is not in the manual. Maybe someone else will have that issue.

 

[Joe Schmoe]

Will this expensive lesson make an impression?

Considering the number of times that I have bought things (especially speakers and subs), kept them for a while, and then either sold them at a loss, given them away, or stashed them in a closet, probably not.
I hate to even think about how much money I have wasted that way over the years (or how nice of a system I could get if I had it all back.)
I still have a bunch of stuff in the closet.