Pioneer VSX-521 Has No Sound

[dvdan1]

I just purchased the receiver from Goodwill. It powers on and all the buttons and dials seem to be operational based on the graphic display. I have a cd player hooked up and my Athena speakers/subs connected to the Front L/R speaker posts. There is no sound from the CD player or the tuner. The speaker button is not turned off. I tried a factory reset procedure to no avail, the only thing that did was reset it to the demo mode - aargh. I should say that I don't have the remote for this unit, which may make it impossible to access many menu features. I really only want to use the receiver for playing music. I don't believe it's in protect mode because I do hear the amp click on after startup. Any input is appreciated.

 

[Bassblaster]

I dont know much about the newer line of AV receivers, but does it have speaker fuses? that would be a first thing to check.

 

[KingBubba]

Having been inside the VSX-1000, which may be from the same era, I can say that, regardless of what you need to work on, getting inside one of those was pure hell. Mine had 5 layers of cards that were all were interconnected with flat multi-wire connections. It may turn out that replace rather than repair may be a better option.

 

[john stumpf]

not designed for human intervention, in japan they go to the gomi pile.

 

[White_wolf]

Pictures would be good, they made two different vsx-521 models.

 

[dvdan1]

I dont know much about the newer line of AV receivers, but does it have speaker fuses? that would be a first thing to check.

Sorry for the late reply. I opened it up and didn't see any speaker fuses.

 

[dvdan1]

not designed for human intervention, in japan they go to the gomi pile.

I don't know what a gomi pile is, but that doesn't sound good. Picked it up at Goodwill for cheap, so I'm hoping I can get it to work.

 

[dvdan1]

Pictures would be good, they made two different vsx-521 models.

Again, sorry for the late reply - busy at work. Ugh. Anyway, here's a pic of it.

 

[Pio1980]

Check all processor loop button switches, be certain it is not in "Dolby" whatever.

 

[dvdan1]

Check all processor loop button switches, be certain it is not in "Dolby" whatever.

Please forgive my ignorance, but I'm not sure what you're referring to by "loop button switches." Can you clarify for me? I think I have an idea after doing some internet searches, but I'm still a little unclear.

 

[Pio1980]

Best to find the manual online for reference for normal operation.

 

[White_wolf]

I was hoping it was the one from the 90s, (much easier to troubleshoot), the best I can do for you is direct you to the manual for it.
https://www.pioneerelectronics.com/...ome/VSX-521-k_OperatingInstructions020711.pdf

 

[Pio1980]

Iirc, there is a portion in this series associated with the Dolby EQ that fails, it is no longer available. I do not know if it totally disables normal operation. There are other selector switch that will prevent sound if improperly set.

 

[dvdan1]

Best to find the manual online for reference for normal operation.

Yes, I had already downloaded the manual for the unit. There's nothing in the trouble shooting section that's helped solve the problem. There is one possibility - That the mute function is active. Unfortunately, there is not a mute indicator on the face of the receiver, and the only way to turn it on or off is with the unit's remote control, which I don't have. I'm tempted to buy one off eBay online, but I hate to throw more money at it if it doesn't solve the problem.

 

[dvdan1]

I was hoping it was the one from the 90s, (much easier to troubleshoot), the best I can do for you is direct you to the manual for it.
https://www.pioneerelectronics.com/...ome/VSX-521-k_OperatingInstructions020711.pdf

Thanks for checking.