Help! My Onkyo got fried!

[buellbabe]

Help Please?
Any electronics experts out there that can fix a burnt section on a stereo circuit board? Or can point me in the direction of someone who can? What happened was during an electrical storm my Onkyo Stereo got a wee bit fried, the lights are on but nobodies home…sob…snif…My stoopid fault for not having it plugged into a proper surge protector…
After taking the top off the Amp and having a look for any obvious damage spied a burnt spot (about the size of an old 50c piece) so am hoping that someone can do whatever is necessary to fix it.

I am no electronics buff and my bloke has assured me that that any electronics whiz can repair a section without having to replace the entire board. So, can anyone help?
I am in Sth Auck , work in Kingsland and willing to travel anywhere in Auck to drop off and pick up.

Cheers!

[slofox]

Frankly, I doubt it is fixable. Surges are pretty fatal to circuit boards.

[buellbabe]

yeah well my flatmats PC also got fried...new motherboard, complete rebuild...

Hey its a great stereo so if the worst comes to the worst I will fork out for an entire new board, but am hoping...

[Hoon]

Yep while the burnt part might be the only visible damage there is likely to be a whole lot more 'invisible' damage.

[Ruahine]

Sounds a bit terminal to me.

You could take it to Axent Audio in New Lynn, they fixed a CD player for me. Problem is they will probably charge you just to take a look at it.

Otherwise if you post on the AudioEnz forum someone with a bit of knowhow might be able to help you out?

Get a another one off trademe and a surge protector!

[Akzle]

tut tut.
before you do anything else git yer ass on down to the local and buy a spike clipping board.

i'm guessing this is a 5/7.1 surround reciever type jobbie?

i'm not in akl at the mo, but may be travelling through next week and could certainly look at it, no promises though.

got a multimeter and soldering iron?.. go buy em.
then go to the library (or *euch* google.) and look up how to test shit. outright replace the components that are black and frizzled, plug in to the board you bought in step 1 and see what lights up. if problems, then start at one end/corner of the board and test every single wee bizzo on it. IC chips can't be done on a multimeter so replace them all too.

too much work?
i'll offer you 50$ and a bag of chips to take it off ya...

i had my onkyo 6 disc dvd changer sent to some crowd down in chch to fix when it fucked out... it was all under warranty so no cost to me, don't know if they're still around, what with the earthquakes and that...

[Headbanger]

Checked the internel fuses?

Ignore the doomsayers, Get her looked at before writing it off.

I just took my Onkyo amp into a local tech last week, He rang me, said its burnt out, pretty much not worth fixing, going to cost $200-$300.

I said fuck no, That's well worth paying for a resurrection.

[SlashWylde]

If you want to take it to a professional, I recommend Protech NZ (www.protechnz.com) in Glendene Auckland. Call Peter and he will tell your their standard inspection fee. This covers the cost to determine whether the equipment is repairable and what the likely repair bill will be. I'm not sure what they are currently charging for inspections, but it used to be $30 or so. Their labour charges are also reasonable.

As others have said, even if the burned section of PCB can be repaired, this does not necessarily mean the unit will function again, as other (possibly no-longer available) components may have suffered terminal damage.

Best of luck.

[Laava]

My bro has a business in newmarket, on manukau rd pretty much fixing this type of thing. But to be honest it might not be worth it given how cheap electronics are these days. He is called "Telefix" and has been doing this sort of thing professionally for 30+ yrs.
http://www.telefix.co.nz/

[Headbanger]

But to be honest it might not be worth it given how cheap electronics are these days.


Really?

How much is a good amp?

I spent $800 on a pioneer amp that turned out to be almost half as good as my Onkyo, It was purchased as an upgrade but was retired within a month and the old amp went back into its spot.

[Hoon]

Yep I'm looking to upgrade my Onkyo receiver. Probably this unless I find something with better bang for buck.

http://www.jbhifi.co.nz/jb-hi-fi-home-audio/receiver/onkyo/7-2-channel-home-theatre-network-receiver-sku-21457/

[buellbabe]

Yes it is the fancy home theatre jobbie.
Yes the fuse is ok.
No...the components themselves are not frizzled, its just a patch on the actual board and its black in colour instead of a nice healthy green.
No the burnt patch is no blistered.

Which is why I think its worth saving!

I knew of the outfit in ChCh cos it went there under warranty years ago to fix the CD player but I was hoping to get it looked at by someone local.

Thanks for the input, I have a starting point now :-)

Mindyou it is 15 yrs old (don't groan! it is/was a really good unit! ) and I am starting to think that I should just bite the bullet and upgrade to a modern version that is compatible with all the other devices that people use these days...

PS: Hoon...before I posted this reply I had just been on the JBhifi site looking at the exact same thing! I reckon thats a bloody good price, that is definately bang for your buck LOL

[cave weta]

Lots of good info here- you lot are gems. Good luck BuellBabe!

[buellbabe]

Jim Hall Hi Fi have the same thing for $1299

WTF???

DEFINATELY paying JB hifi a visit very soon, like this week!

[Ruahine]

Did you/will you use it for home theater? If so then you can't go wrong with a newer Onkyo they are great for movies. I have an 807 and love it for home theater.

Word of warning however, if you mainly use it for stereo listening you can get a lot better for the price. IMO the newer Onkyo receivers are crap at music and your 15 year old receiver may be better than the one you saw at JB HiFi. Actual amplifier tech hasn't changed a huge amount in the last 15 years. The newer ones just decode the latest HD sound codecs and deal with HD TV inputs. Don't assume the sound quality will be better than your old one.

Have a listen before you buy

[buellbabe]

I take my music pretty seriously but in all honesty I'm probs 70/30 music /movies.

Gonna have to devote some time to trawling the hi-fi shops me thinks.

In the meantime I haven't given up on the old one...depending how much a possible fix will be...

[Akzle]

I take my music pretty seriously but in all honesty I'm probs 70/30 music /movies.

Gonna have to devote some time to trawling the hi-fi shops me thinks.

In the meantime I haven't given up on the old one...depending how much a possible fix will be...
in terms of longevity, my old man has an old european reciever/amp, and the speakers that came with, these are ~25 years (bought over from yurp) and still go hard. (can't recall brand name CAS or something?) solid unit, solid wires (no fancy OFC) but thenn... my setup will trounce it. but it's still damn good solid state tech.

go to *gag* harvey norman, where they have theatre room setups, take your own music (high qual MP3 or CD or whatever), pick the speakers closest to yours and test the different amps at different vols, different EQs (unless you run a seperate one) and find the one you like. then go somewhere else and buy it for half the price. (or offer harvey ca$h, i've heard of getting a good amount knocked off because most people put HN purchases on credit....)

make sure it has all the inputs you like/want (most will)
but if you want, say, a digital coax input, test that too because some are quite weak, also the upscaling (if any) and DAC function can differ from unit to unit.
i don't know shit about HDMI but that may be a concern for you, too.

you poor bastard.. having to go around looking at hifi shops and stereos. poor. poor, bastard.

[HenryDorsetCase]

Yes it is the fancy home theatre jobbie.
Yes the fuse is ok.
No...the components themselves are not frizzled, its just a patch on the actual board and its black in colour instead of a nice healthy green.
No the burnt patch is no blistered.

Which is why I think its worth saving!

I knew of the outfit in ChCh cos it went there under warranty years ago to fix the CD player but I was hoping to get it looked at by someone local.

Thanks for the input, I have a starting point now :-)

Mindyou it is 15 yrs old (don't groan! it is/was a really good unit! ) and I am starting to think that I should just bite the bullet and upgrade to a modern version that is compatible with all the other devices that people use these days...

PS: Hoon...before I posted this reply I had just been on the JBhifi site looking at the exact same thing! I reckon thats a bloody good price, that is definately bang for your buck LOL

The Christchurch outfit was likely Dann and Wise: they were still going a few years ago. Often the things that blow instead of the fuses are the output transistors (DAMHIK - OK, I short circuited the bloody red and black outputs together and blew a channel in my amp one time (one of two not one of five either so noticeable)

Dann & Wise Ltd

480A Moorhouse Ave
Waltham Christchurch

Phone: 03-366 5444


That number does not work. The building was modern so should have stood up OK. I go past there a lot I will stop and see if there is a sign or something.

[HenryDorsetCase]

I take my music pretty seriously but in all honesty I'm probs 70/30 music /movies.

Gonna have to devote some time to trawling the hi-fi shops me thinks.

In the meantime I haven't given up on the old one...depending how much a possible fix will be...

Keep a Kiwi working: Plinius or Perreaux.


Bring money.

[Swoop]

DEFINATELY paying JB hifi a visit very soon, like this week!
JB are very good.

The sticker price is always negotiable so ask the salesperson to sharpen their pencil. Our Onkyo 7.1 was the shop demo and was stupidly cheap as they do not keep the boxes!
Bought a portable phone last week and the same thing happened. No boxes/packaging, no manual = sweeeet deal. Looked up manual on interdweeb.

[HenryDorsetCase]

http://www.business.govt.nz/companies/app/ui/pages/companies/129286#

not looking that good I'm afraid

[Ruahine]

I take my music pretty seriously but in all honesty I'm probs 70/30 music /movies.

Gonna have to devote some time to trawling the hi-fi shops me thinks.

In the meantime I haven't given up on the old one...depending how much a possible fix will be...

Just to clarify my previous statement. If you are looking to run a multichannel (i.e 5-7 speakers and a subwoofer) then the Onkyos are good value. They are particularly high on features for the price compared to their competitors. However IMO they are not the most musical of receivers, and music can sound pretty harsh in some systems. Pretty good for movies though. There are other options such as Marantz and Rotel which could be better for multichannel music. Definitely audition a few before you buy.

If however, you are just running a stereo two channel system (only two speakers), then a stereo amp will be better for music (and probably cheaper). This is mainly down to economics; a multichannel receiver has to fit 7 x amp channels, multichannel preamp, HD sound codec decoding, AV switching, room correction and video upscaling while a stereo amp just needs two amp channels and a preamp. So at a given price point stereo amps generally outperform a receiver.

There are a number of options here, but a dedicated stereo amp and perhaps a DAC to connect your DVD/CD/Playstation to your amp would be a good solution if you don't want/need multichannel and mainly listen to music.

Bottom line, no need to get a receiver if you only have two speakers!

[Usarka]

I put upgrading my amp on hold until NZ works out which way it's going with digital radio. That was a few years ago. And the little boy waits.

[Akzle]

f*ck digital radio.

[vifferman]

I made this mistake - an electrical storm (including a lightning strike across the road!:eek5: ) ferkt our burglar alarm, and the Loewe TV. I got the alarm guy in, and he said, "Nah - the alarm's ferkt; EMF pulse'll do that), so the insurance company replaced it. Unfortunately, I'm a retard, and never worked out that the TV being spasticated and apparently unfixable was the same event, so never claimed on it.:facepalm: HAd to buy a new one, then many months later the penny dropped...
Strangelyish, the Onkyo receiver was OK...

[Headbanger]

But, if we banned money, none of this would be an issue.

:rolleyes:

[steve_t]

Keep a Kiwi working: Plinius or Perreaux.


Bring money.

Dreams are free. Heard a Plinius amp driving a couple of B&W Nautilus speakers ($50k for the pair!) and it was awesome! Maybe one day.... I'll win $30m on Lotto :msn-wink:

[Akzle]

parmenter. can't remember the price, but it's one of those "if you have to ask, you can't afford"

http://cgim.audiogon.com/i/vs/i/f/1213903880.jpg
http://cgim.audiogon.com/i/vs/i/f/1289591927.jpg

handcrafted by a gey out muriwai i do believe. they were on TM many years ago.

[Akzle]

for the real audiophiles:

"TAD 4001 & TAD 1601a speaker drivers used with Alnico Magnets.
External vibration plinth crossovers using Duelund Cast Capacitors / Duelund Inductors / Duelund Silver & carbon resisters / Cardas pure Copper Binding Posts / Stillpoint vibration OEM feet.
Internal speaker cables is the Cardas Clear hard wired from the TAD bass driver to the external crossover.
The crossover wiring is Cryogenically treated and supplied by Jena Labs.
Black Diamond Racing Cones & Pits for Isolation feet (7 of each used per cabinet).
Frequency response 28 Hz – 22 KHz -3 DB
Efficiency 98 Db 1 watt 1 meter.
Dimensions: Width 810 mm Depth 700 mm Height 1310 mm.
Weight 200 KG each speaker cabinet."

[Paul in NZ]

OK - this is an interesting thread...

I love my music and my CD's but like all impoverished family guys my ability to indulge myself is limited.

I have a nice Pioneer 6 CD player working into an old Toshiba Amp running mid price Warfdale speakers. Pretty happy with it although the amps a little under powered.

Enter the new Sony blue ray player and samsung LCD. Hopeless trying to get a 2Ch output from them (apparently its possible but neither the manual or samsung nz have a clue as to how)

How do I hook the br player to the amp?

[Ruahine]

OK - this is an interesting thread...

I love my music and my CD's but like all impoverished family guys my ability to indulge myself is limited.

I have a nice Pioneer 6 CD player working into an old Toshiba Amp running mid price Warfdale speakers. Pretty happy with it although the amps a little under powered.

Enter the new Sony blue ray player and samsung LCD. Hopeless trying to get a 2Ch output from them (apparently its possible but neither the manual or samsung nz have a clue as to how)

How do I hook the br player to the amp?

Which sony Bluray player is it? There should be a pair of audio out sockets often just labeled L and R on the back. One is normally Red and the other white. I think even the most basic Sony model (370/380) has these. Get an RCA cable and hook them up to your amp.

[Paul in NZ]

Which sony Bluray player is it? There should be a pair of audio out sockets often just labeled L and R on the back. One is normally Red and the other white. I think even the most basic Sony model (370/380) has these. Get an RCA cable and hook them up to your amp.

Yeah - you would think so wouldn't you but audio comes out distorted like you only get part of a 5.1 output or something.

I've obviously got a setting wrong - i'll try again in the weekend (thats again again)

[Headbanger]

Yeah - you would think so wouldn't you but audio comes out distorted like you only get part of a 5.1 output or something.

I've obviously got a setting wrong - i'll try again in the weekend (thats again again)

Then its fucked, Those two audio ports can't and don't carry the 5.1 signal

Personally I run an HDMI (which carries both audio and video) into the TV, then an optical audio cable back to the amp.

I use a 5.1 amp but only run it in stereo mode, To my ears 2 awesome speakers sound better then those shitty satilite speakers dotted around the room.

[steve_t]

OK - this is an interesting thread...

I love my music and my CD's but like all impoverished family guys my ability to indulge myself is limited.

I have a nice Pioneer 6 CD player working into an old Toshiba Amp running mid price Warfdale speakers. Pretty happy with it although the amps a little under powered.

Enter the new Sony blue ray player and samsung LCD. Hopeless trying to get a 2Ch output from them (apparently its possible but neither the manual or samsung nz have a clue as to how)

How do I hook the br player to the amp?


Which sony Bluray player is it? There should be a pair of audio out sockets often just labeled L and R on the back. One is normally Red and the other white. I think even the most basic Sony model (370/380) has these. Get an RCA cable and hook them up to your amp.

Hell no. HDMI all the way... Oh, the Toshiba Amp is old? Probably no HDMI then. If RCA cables don't work, you might be out of luck :( Optical in as per Headbanger's post?

[Akzle]

OK - this is an interesting thread...

I love my music and my CD's but like all impoverished family guys my ability to indulge myself is limited.

I have a nice Pioneer 6 CD player working into an old Toshiba Amp running mid price Warfdale speakers. Pretty happy with it although the amps a little under powered.

Enter the new Sony blue ray player and samsung LCD. Hopeless trying to get a 2Ch output from them (apparently its possible but neither the manual or samsung nz have a clue as to how)

How do I hook the br player to the amp? check out jaycar for downscaling boxes. HDMI or whatever in - rca out. probably 20-30$.

and whoever ran HDMI and optical back - doesn't HDMI carry all signals (A, V and control/info) both ways?

[Headbanger]

and whoever ran HDMI and optical back - doesn't HDMI carry all signals (A, V and control/info) both ways?



My amp doesn't have HDMI ports, So I have an xbox and 2 PC's hooked up to the televsion via HDMI, with the audio being passed through the televsion and onto the amp via optical.

[Scuba_Steve]

Yeah - you would think so wouldn't you but audio comes out distorted like you only get part of a 5.1 output or something.

I've obviously got a setting wrong - i'll try again in the weekend (thats again again)


Then its fucked, Those two audio ports can't and don't carry the 5.1 signal

:no: I reckon it's not "fucked". Paul just try hitting the audio button on the bluray player remote while watching a movie. Chances are all it is, is your movies set to 5.1 all u gotta do is change it to 2-ch :yes:

[Paul in NZ]

:no: I reckon it's not "fucked". Paul just try hitting the audio button on the bluray player remote while watching a movie. Chances are all it is, is your movies set to 5.1 all u gotta do is change it to 2-ch :yes:

Yeah thats what I thought but its being most truculent about it. Typically the manual is almost helpful in that it insists its possible and indicates in a vague direction where to do it but the player thus far is manfully resisting.

Bah!

[Usarka]

Yeah thats what I thought but its being most truculent about it. Typically the manual is almost helpful in that it insists its possible and indicates in a vague direction where to do it but the player thus far is manfully resisting.

Bah!

Last time we had a home theater type problem (PS3 -> amp) a firmware upgrade fixed the problem.

Might be worth a crack. You'll need to make sure you get the right model, but if it's a BDP-S380 then you can get it here (http://www.sony.co.uk/support/en/product/BDP-S380)

[Ruahine]

Yeah - you would think so wouldn't you but audio comes out distorted like you only get part of a 5.1 output or something.

I've obviously got a setting wrong - i'll try again in the weekend (thats again again)

Are you having problems playing CDs and DVDs/Blurays or is it just DVDs?

If CDs play fine, but DVDs are distorted then its probably a scaling problem and there should be a setting in the player to sort this out. This could be happening if your player has pre-outs for all 7 speaker channels and the player is set to output to all of them.

If both CDs and DVDs are distorted then its probably something else. Have you tried swapping RCA cables around? Sometimes its just a loose connection or a bad cable. Also try swapping inputs on your amp, if its really old then maybe some of the input sockets need a clean.

If its not working, then as others have mentioned you could try using the stereo audio-out from your TV into your Amp. TVs can have surprisingly good DACs in them, the disadvantage is that you have to have the TV on to listen to CDs through your player. Works fine for movies though.

[vifferman]

I use a 5.1 amp but only run it in stereo mode, To my ears 2 awesome speakers sound better then those shitty satilite speakers dotted around the room.
Non-shitty B&W satellite speakers sound OK! :2thumbsup
Even the Jamo speakers in the dining room for Zone2 sound OK-ish for just background music.