Receiver down? What's the best approach?

[Parsnip77]

Hey Folks,

New to the forum. I've got a question, and I have a hunch ppl here will be able to help.

My old Onkyo Quartz Synthesized Tuner Amp receiver's speaker output connections seem to have died/gone bad. For a little while, they'd work if I pushed on them, but then slowly fail. I've tried undoing and re-attaching the wire, but it doesn't seem to help. It needs attention, or replacement. The receiver powers two things: a turntable for my vinyl collection, and an apple airport express which I use for streaming digital/web based stuff (spotify, movies, etc.) from computer and phone. That's all I want to be able to do. Phono, and wireless/bluetooth. For now the airport xpress covers the wireless part, but it doesn't have great range, so I'm open to a bluetooth enabled amp too.

I don't have much budget. Maybe $150. I see 3 ways to resolve.

1. Try to fix it. But I haven't soldered in a long time, don't have the tools, don't know where to start, and am not looking for a project that will take more than an hour or maybe two. Is this a simple fix?
2. Buy a Sony STRDH190, which has phono preamp and bluetooth, and is $128, and pretty well rated and call it a day. It has a bunch of stuff I don't really need/want (remote control, FM, multiple speaker channels, etc.), but I'm ok with that. Maybe there is a better choice out there though.
3. Cobble together different components, like the four parts from amazon below. More clutter, more hassle than #2, but comparable price, and maybe better sound?

• Class D amp
• Phono Preamp
• Input selector
• Maybe a tube preamp to make it not sound lousy? (I only know tube preamps from guitar setup, not sure how the little class d will sound, and thought this might help).

What would you do? Which will sound better? Will either the sony, or the cobbled together components sound as good as the onkyo?

Very curious to hear your thoughts, and sorry if these are very basic/noob questions.

 

[Immersion]

Are there any decent thrift stores near you? Or Craigslist? Does the AirPort Express just connect with RCA's? You should able to find a receiver that does that, well, for under $100 used.

 

[Parsnip77]

Ah, option #4. I live in a rural area, so CL is a little light. There is a goodwill about 30 mins away, and I'll pass a sort of junk/antique place this week, so I could look there. Do you think the Sony or the cobbled together option won't sound as good as an older receiver? And yeah, the airport has a 3.5 mm jack, and I have a cord that is male 3.5 mm on one side, and Ys into RCAs on the other. thanks!

 

[Immersion]

Ah, option #4. I live in a rural area, so CL is a little light. There is a goodwill about 30 mins away, and I'll pass a sort of junk/antique place this week, so I could look there. Do you think the Sony or the cobbled together option won't sound as good as an older receiver? And yeah, the airport has a 3.5 mm jack, and I have a cord that is male 3.5 mm on one side, and Ys into RCAs on the other. thanks!

I suppose it would be personal preference between the new Sony, and a used higher end receiver. I would expect the Sony to have cheap build quality, and low quality connections, at that price point. I've never had my hands on one, so there's a chance that none of that is true, and it's a great deal. I like the idea of a mid-range, used, AVR. You can even get 2 for that price, if you have bad luck with one. You'd run the AVR under very low load with your demands.

 

[Parsnip77]

Alright. Sounds like it is worth a bit of a hunt. Are there brands/types you’d be looking out for? Thanks again. Also, what do you think of the component cobbled together approach. I can’t tell if each piece gives me more or if it is just linking together a bunch of low end stuff.

 

[PPstereo]

https://www.amazon.com/Sherwood-RX4208-Stereo-Receiver-Black/dp/B00OZ5851M

Its ok....

Your first born and Prima Nocta rights are thanks enough

 

[PPstereo]

And if your wondering why I prefer the Sherwood over the Sony.

They are both stereo receivers and rated at 100x2.

But the Sherwood is 3 lbs heavier, yet more so, how it rates the power.

Sony only rates its power 100w x2 at 1 khz and 1% thd. But the Sherwood rates it 100w x2 at 40hz-20khz at 1% thd.

BIG difference in that 100x2. I know what Id choose.

 

[Parsnip77]

The first night was a long time ago so I’m sorry I can’t give you that. But I do appreciate the advice. Here is one concern: folks on amazon say the Sherwood breaks. 22% give it 1 star basically for stopping working after a few months or for overheating and shutting down. Something to worry abt?

 

[PPstereo]

Haha. Braveheart sticks with us all LOL.

I suspect most of the folks complaining about over heating / failure are
either A) using 4 ohm speakers and playing LOUD. I wouldnt do
that with a modern china receiver that costs $125 shipped.
Or B) running 2 sets of speakers simultaneously. See reason
A for why I wouldnt do that.

Buy a $125 receiver knowing what your getting and use it
appropriately.

Ive no reason to think the Sherwood is any worse than the sony.
Sony probably sells significantly more for brand recognition alone.
And folks write 10 to 1 neg reviews when they have a bump in the
road. Happy people often say nothing and live life.

With the power ratings being what they are and weight diff.
Again Id give the nod to the Sherwood.

 

[Parsnip77]

Alright! I appreciate the advice. One thing: I am running 3 pairs of speakers on this to different parts of my house through a speaker selector box. Not loud at all though. Is that going to be a problem? Could it be the problem w/ the Onkyo?

 

[coonmanx]

Are you sure that the problem lies at the speaker connections on the Onkyo? Have you tried cleaning them and also have you tried cleaning the controls on the Onkyo? Speaker selector box should not be an issue. Also what is the model of that Onkyo? So we could compare it to something else.

Lots of used equipment available on Ebay. An MCS 3860 would suit you right. Can be had for right around your budget. Also, lots of other choices. Just do your homework.

My first step with the Onkyo would be to take the lid off of it and see if you can bypass the connectors and get sound to the speakers. That would definitely tell you if the problem lies in the connectors. Don't know if that is even possible or not.

If you are looking for a used replacement then just make sure that it can handle a 4 ohm load.

 

[coonmanx]

If you search for "Onkyo amplifier" on the Bay you will get a lot of hits. Onkyo TX-37 is a possibility. Nothing special but should do the job and well within your budget. HiFi Engine can give you the stats on power and distortion...

 

[Old Guy8]

Your speaker connectors are not working? Not knowing your DIY abilities.
If you had a multimeter and knew a little about using one, you would already know if connectors are the issue. So assuming you don't have one.
If not, what type of connectors do you have? Push in connectors with spring holding bare striped speaker wire?
If the connectors don't feel like they're broken, maybe there is corrosion on connectors and/or speaker wire ends. If bare wire, cut off and re-strip end to rid corrosion. With UNIT UNPLUGGED, try contact cleaner on Q-tip or pencil eraser to clean connectors. Make sure use brief cleaner sprays and some time to dry before plugging back in.

 

[50nstillhifi]

A little time with Onkyo may recover the speaker hook ups.. and soldering is just a matter of tooling and patience. Give it a go.. and you may learn some stuff in the process

 

[Parsnip77]

This is all so helpful. I'm really curious: How do you clean the controls and the speaker connectors? And is taking the lid off just a matter of me and a screwdriver and following the wires? pretty easy?

I don't have a multimeter and don't know about using one but might be able to borrow one and do a little google search. They are the spring clip/clamp types.

 

[Old Guy8]

I'm not an electrical tech. And not knowing anything about you, I'm not comfortable telling you to open lid on an energized unit. And not all multimeters are of of safe quality with AC current.
But cleaning the speaker connectors with electrical contact cleaner. Waiting till dry to try, should be safe.

 

[RTally]

Alright! I appreciate the advice. One thing: I am running 3 pairs of speakers on this to different parts of my house through a speaker selector box. Not loud at all though. Is that going to be a problem? Could it be the problem w/ the Onkyo?

Depends.

If you are connecting only one pair of speakers at a time, fine. Have at it.

But if you are connecting all three speakers at the same time, you are stressing your amp/receiver. Don't do this. Three 8 ohm speakers in parallel is a nominal 2.7 ohms. Few amps and almost no receivers can handle such low impedance, even when played at low volume levels.

If you are connecting two speakers at a time, you may be stressing your amp/receiver. It depends if your receiver can handle powering a 4 ohm load. Check the specs.

 

[sKiZo]

My old quad receiver went wonky recently, but I've been hoarding stuff long enough that I was able to cobble a system together from storage. Using a Carver C4000 pre with external amps. Actually kind of an interesting transition, as I've gone from TOTL vario matrix quad to Carver holographic hocus pocus. And I like it! ;-} My only real complaint was losing a couple extra rooms that I'd been driving off the old receiver. No fear ... I also found an old Sansui (QS500) rear channel quad amp to drive those. Radio is covered by a Carver VT Seven that's also been collecting dust till now.

And ya ... speaker loading isn't necessarily dependent on volume, so lots depends on how strong your receiver is - some handle that sort of thing better, some not at all. If you're serious about running several rooms, maybe invest in some "load balancing" controls. Those show the receiver nominal ohms AND give you the ability to adjust each room's volume independently. If your walls are wired, you can also get ones that fit standard wall switch boxes.

So, short version - stuff breaks, systems evolve, deal with it. Half the fun, eh.

 

[Parsnip77]

Hmmm. Plot thickens. I did some removing, reseating, wiggling of speaker wires and went back and forth between speaker selector. It works now. I’m thinking of getting some speaker wire pin connectors and deoxit d5 to help avoid problems going forward.

BUT:
1.
The speakers are wired into channel A. When I select channel B as well, A cuts out. When I unselect B, A comes back but sometimes one of the speakers doesn’t work or only partially works. Makes me think these selectors are tweaked or need cleaning. Do I squirt some deoxit in there? Leave it be?
2. You have me worried I’m going to blow a fuse or worse by running these 3 sets of speakers through the speaker selector. Normally I only run 2. Rarely I run 3. The selector has an impedance protection switch on it.

it is an Onkyo tx 25. music power output is rated at

• 2x75 watts @ 4 ohms
• 2x50 watts@8ohms
• 2x45 watts@4 ohms
• 2x38 watts @ 8 ohms

Can the receiver handle 2 sets without the impedance protection? With it?

thanks again all! This is getting fun.

 

[RTally]

BUT:
2. You have me worried I’m going to blow a fuse or worse by running these 3 sets of speakers through the speaker selector. Normally I only run 2. Rarely I run 3. The selector has an impedance protection switch on it.

it is an Onkyo tx 25. music power output is rated at

• 2x75 watts @ 4 ohms
• 2x50 watts@8ohms
• 2x45 watts@4 ohms
• 2x38 watts @ 8 ohms

Can the receiver handle 2 sets without the impedance protection? With it?

thanks again all! This is getting fun.

If you run two pairs of 8 ohm speakers, you can run them without the speaker selector's impedance protection enabled.

If you run 3 pairs of 8 ohm speakers, I would use the impedance protection feature. Depending upon your speaker selector, there may be some sound degradation using impedance protection. Only you can judge if that is objectionable.

If any of your speakers are less than 8 ohms, I would always use the impedance protection feature when playing that speaker with any of the other speaker pairs.