Problem with Onkyo receiver recently...

[cpals]

So just recently my Onkyo receiver has been acting up and turning itself off. It appears that if I push the receiver over a volume of 50 it will act like I turned it off and the Standby light will start blinking red. I've read online that it has something to do with overloading the receiver, but I'm not sure how that could be since it's never had the problem before and I'm also not sure what to check for.

Update (04-14-2009)
OK, after extensive troubleshooting it appears that my left speaker plugs cause the random shutdowns. It doesn't appear to be the physical speaker or the wiring as I can swap the cables/speakers to the right and they work fine, it isn't until I plug anything into the left speaker plugs that it starts acting up. Also, initially it seems to play fine and everything is good until after like 10-15 minutes and then once it starts happening it is almost continuous; almost like once it warms up it messes up the left plugs. Right now I have the left speaker unplugged and everything has been working for the last 30 minutes or so. I don't have a small fan, but plan on buying one to see if that helps, but don't like the idea of an ugly fan in my entertainment cabinet.

Update 2 (07-19-2009)
Argh! I'm so mad right now... I sent back my receiver to "Jersey Jim" in Clearwater, FL (the only one near me) a week ago before I went on vacation and I just got back and they shipped me back my receiver already. I was pretty happy to see that I got it that quick and quickly opened up the box only to see taped to the receiver a note that says 'check speakers and cables for a short'. They didn't call me or anything to discuss what the problem may be or for me to describe it more in detail if they didn't understand.

So I wasted $30 to ship the receiver to them and now I have to call them tomorrow and figure out why their customer service stinks. They better pay to have me ship it to them again.

Update 3 (12-11-2010)
So over a year later and the receiver is exhibiting the same behavior as before... instant turn off after a few minutes and the HDMI signal is now "flickering."

Trying to decide if I should try and get it fixed again (but this time not under warranty) or just get a different one. If I get a different one, not sure if I feel good about staying with Onkyo... Have they gotten better with overheating since my model?

Update 4 (12-12-2010)
I think I'm ready to cut and run... I don't want to run into this again next year and have the same dillema. And last time I fixed it, the one Onkyo repair shop by us took three months to fix it!

So based on my setup above what would be a good receiver for me? It would be nice to have pre-outs, but not critical if it doesn't.

Also, do the higher-end lines of Onkyo have heating issues or should I begin to look at other brands... Pioneer, Denon, etc? Do the other brands have equivelant setup wizards and stuff?

Some receivers I'm looking at so far in the $300-$500 range:
Pioneer VSX-1120-K 7.1
Onkyo TX-NR708 7.2
Denon AVR-791 7.1
Yamaha RX-V667 7.2

 

[The-Noid]

What receiver?

Also 50, you have the receiver set at relative dB?

 

[cpals]

TX-SR605... what do you mean by 'relative dB'?

 

[spidey07]

Most likely cause is speaker wires touching, somewhere. Could just be a few strands. Double/triple check the speaker connections are secure and no stray wires touching the chassis or each other.

If you still have trouble then disconnect one speaker at a time to see where the problem is. And remember to never mess with speaker wires when the unit is on, good way to cause damage.

Basically you're setting off the protection on the receiver.

 

[thomsbrain]

As spidey said, the fault protection on the receiver is being triggered somehow. You will want to double-check all your connections and make sure no speaker wire strands are touching each other.

However, Onkyo receivers of the x05 generation are notorious for having these kinds of problems. I personally had a TX-SR805 that lasted only one week before going toes-up and engaging the fault protection instantly when you tried to turn it on. There are countless horror stories on forums even Amazon.com reviews of this generation having issues. Some even caught on fire.

If re-doing your rear connections doesn't help, hopefully it is still under warranty.

As for "relative dB," that means your volume control shows in negative numbers, and approaches zero as it gets louder, as opposed to starting at zero and climbing. Most receivers can show volume in both ways depending on how you have it set. In "relative dB" mode, zero is supposedly "reference" volume, although since every receiver makes different power, I find it hard to believe that they all actually play the same volume at zero.

 

[s44]

Maybe you put it into 4ohm mode. That's nothing but an extremely conservative current limiter.

 

[sivart]

Originally posted by: cpals
TX-SR605... what do you mean by 'relative dB'?

I have the same receiver and my normal movie listening level is 60 with no issues. I'd double check all connections and make sure you aren't getting a short / ground where there isn't suppose to be one.

 

[cpals]

Update
OK, after extensive troubleshooting it appears that my left speaker plugs cause the random shutdowns. It doesn't appear to be the physical speaker or the wiring as I can swap the cables/speakers to the right and they work fine, it isn't until I plug anything into the left speaker plugs that it starts acting up. Also, initially it seems to play fine and everything is good until after like 10-15 minutes and then once it starts happening it is almost continuous; almost like once it warms up it messes up the left plugs. Right now I have the left speaker unplugged and everything has been working for the last 30 minutes or so. I don't have a small fan, but plan on buying one to see if that helps, but don't like the idea of an ugly fan in my entertainment cabinet.

http://www.baacktech.net/onkyo_rear.jpg

 

[cpals]

Also, not sure how long Onkyo's warranty is, but I doubt I'm still covered. I purchased it via Amazon on December 1, 2007. Paid around $400 for this so I would hope it lasts more than over a year.

 

[spidey07]

OK - so left channel output seems the problem? Meaning you've swapped speakers on that output from the receiver and it follows the output and not the speaker? You can probable test even more by just having a single speaker hooked up - to the left channel, then move to another speaker of the exact same model. If it follows the channel and only the channel then...

If so then you have a problem that can only be fixed with repair from onkyo. This would be true of any amplifier. Just call them and good luck with the repair, once you have a problem like that only a replacement will really fix it, not a repair.

 

[cpals]

Yes, it follows the channel and not speaker... I plugged one speaker into each channel and it keeps working until I plug into the left channel (but it only seems to do it after the system has been on for a while with everything plugged into it, which I assume means it gets hot).

Anyone have experience with Onkyo repairs? Expensive? Maybe I'll just live with one channel and my center working... Can't afford to fix anything right now.

 

[spidey07]

Ugg, that sounds like a bad channel then. You could try listening to it at lower levels or have a fan blowing into the receiver and make sure it is well ventilated.

About warranty you can still call Onkyo, they may do something for you. Or a local stereo shop that does repairs (they'll charge you of course).

 

[ericlp]

I had the same thing happen to my onkyo. But, for me, my 5 year old tank was because my wife moved the dvd player directly over the receiver it over heated and never was the same. I tried taking it to the shop, they thought it was a cold solder joint and re soldered some points but it never fixed anything ... just a waste of time and money.

This will probably just get worse over time. Mine got so bad that it would not even turn on anymore. Best to send it back to Onkyo, or get a new receiver unless your really handy with an soldering iron and heavy into electronics. good luck!

 

[Muadib]

Originally posted by: cpals
Also, not sure how long Onkyo's warranty is, but I doubt I'm still covered. I purchased it via Amazon on December 1, 2007. Paid around $400 for this so I would hope it lasts more than over a year.

It does, it's covered for 2 years.

 

[cpals]

Update 2
Argh! I'm so mad right now... I sent back my receiver to "Jersey Jim" in Clearwater, FL (the only one near me) a week ago before I went on vacation and I just got back and they shipped me back my receiver already. I was pretty happy to see that I got it that quick and quickly opened up the box only to see taped to the receiver a note that says 'check speakers and cables for a short'. They didn't call me or anything to discuss what the problem may be or for me to describe it more in detail if they didn't understand.

So I wasted $30 to ship the receiver to them and now I have to call them tomorrow and figure out why their customer service stinks. They better pay to have me ship it to them again.

 

[DaveSimmons]

It sounds like they couldn't replicate it with their own cable + speakers.

I had a shutdown problem with my Onkyo 804 and it was a loose strand of wire (I'm using bare stranded copper wire no fancy connectors).

 

[PM650]

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
It sounds like they couldn't replicate it with their own cable + speakers.

I had a shutdown problem with my Onkyo 804 and it was a loose strand of wire (I'm using bare stranded copper wire no fancy connectors).

I think you might be suprised at how lazy some electronics techs could be...

To the OP: You can get the service manual here for a lesser model. There is a series of diagnostics starting on page 58, it may be possible to figure out what the receiver thinks is going wrong. You probably won't be able to do the over-current test unless you have appropriate dummy loads, however.

 

[cpals]

Update 3
So over a year later and the receiver is exhibiting the same behavior as before... instant turn off after a few minutes and the HDMI signal is now "flickering."

Trying to decide if I should try and get it fixed again (but this time not under warranty) or just get a different one. If I get a different one, not sure if I feel good about staying with Onkyo... Have they gotten better with overheating since my model?

 

[sivart]

Sorry you got a bad unit. Mine is 4+ years old now (605) and I've never had a problem. Pioneer or Denon would be other good choices.

 

[cpals]

Update 4 (12-12-2010)
I think I'm ready to cut and run... I don't want to run into this again next year and have the same dillema. And last time I fixed it, the one Onkyo repair shop by us took three months to fix it!

So based on my setup above what would be a good receiver for me? It would be nice to have pre-outs, but not critical if it doesn't.

Also, do the higher-end lines of Onkyo have heating issues or should I begin to look at other brands... Pioneer, Denon, etc? Do the other brands have equivelant setup wizards and stuff?

Some receivers I'm looking at so far in the $300-$500 range:
Pioneer VSX-1120-K 7.1
Onkyo TX-NR708 7.2
Denon AVR-791 7.1
Yamaha RX-V667 7.2

 

[novasatori]

If you want a Denon, you can get 35% off one at Electronics Expo.

Brings Denon AVR-2311CI to ~$550 and the AVR-1911 to $415

Code: LS1235

You may have to apply the code a couple times before it sticks.
The 3311CI is the lowest ones with pre-outs and network capability though.