Receiver Problem

[crmay]

Hi!

I have a bit of a problem and was hoping to get some assistance from
the people in this group. My receiver started "dropping out" from the
optical SPDIF input from my computer for a few minutes, then hours now
no sound. I've tried the coax digital input with no luck, but can
still hear static from the radio tuner.

my only use for this receiver is to amplify signals from another
device (mainly HTPC). Any other features are wasted.

While I don't consider myself an expert in sound, I'm pretty sure my
hearing is 'sound" and my opinion of the current setup is excellent.

Here are the components I'm using:
Speakers - Dream Acoustics - Basic 5.1
Amp/Receiver - Wintal - AVR 3050 - 3 year warranty
Input - Auzentech X-Plosion

As the receiver is no longer functional and just out of warranty, I'm
not sure what to do.

Should I -
- Buy another receiver
- Have the receiver repaired

I paid around $350 for the (current defective) receiver and have been
quoted on two Kenwood's for around the $300-350 mark. Both of these
are 6ohm, the current receiver is 8ohm. This is the best price i
could muster on a name brand. The Wintal (current defective) receiver
is 130W @ 8ohm while the Kenwood is 100W @ 6ohm. Does this mean for
the Kenwood it's just 75W @ 8ohm?

I've rang most all dealers in my local area trying to find a receiver
with equivalent specs but haven't had any luck along the $350 dollar
mark. Should I get the current receiver repaired or should I buy a
new one?

Cheers,

[MiNe 109]

In article
>,
crmay > wrote:

> Hi!
>
> I have a bit of a problem and was hoping to get some assistance from
> the people in this group. My receiver started "dropping out" from the
> optical SPDIF input from my computer for a few minutes, then hours now
> no sound. I've tried the coax digital input with no luck, but can
> still hear static from the radio tuner.
>
> my only use for this receiver is to amplify signals from another
> device (mainly HTPC). Any other features are wasted.
>
> While I don't consider myself an expert in sound, I'm pretty sure my
> hearing is 'sound" and my opinion of the current setup is excellent.
>
> Here are the components I'm using:
> Speakers - Dream Acoustics - Basic 5.1
> Amp/Receiver - Wintal - AVR 3050 - 3 year warranty
> Input - Auzentech X-Plosion
>
> As the receiver is no longer functional and just out of warranty, I'm
> not sure what to do.
>
> Should I -
> - Buy another receiver
> - Have the receiver repaired
>
> I paid around $350 for the (current defective) receiver and have been
> quoted on two Kenwood's for around the $300-350 mark. Both of these
> are 6ohm, the current receiver is 8ohm. This is the best price i
> could muster on a name brand. The Wintal (current defective) receiver
> is 130W @ 8ohm while the Kenwood is 100W @ 6ohm. Does this mean for
> the Kenwood it's just 75W @ 8ohm?
>
> I've rang most all dealers in my local area trying to find a receiver
> with equivalent specs but haven't had any luck along the $350 dollar
> mark. Should I get the current receiver repaired or should I buy a
> new one?

Don't worry about those specs. You only need to know if the receiver
will drive your existing speakers.

You should try some more basic diagnostics, for instance hooking up an
analog connection from your sound card or a cd player's digital output.
The problem could be in your sound card or even your computer.

Repairing av receivers can be expensive. I recently chose to replace
rather than repair one.

I've added aus.hi-fi. Here in the US one can find functional receivers
for rock-bottom prices but I don't know your market.

Stephen

[crmay]

On Nov 28, 1:49*am, MiNe 109 > wrote:
> In article
> >,
>
>
>
>
>
> *crmay > wrote:
> > Hi!
>
> > I have a bit of a problem and was hoping to get some assistance from
> > the people in this group. *My receiver started "dropping out" from the
> > optical SPDIF input from my computer for a few minutes, then hours now
> > no sound. *I've tried the coax digital input with no luck, but can
> > still hear static from the radio tuner.
>
> > my only use for this receiver is to amplify signals from another
> > device (mainly HTPC). *Any other features are wasted.
>
> > While I don't consider myself an expert in sound, I'm pretty sure my
> > hearing is 'sound" and my opinion of the current setup is excellent.
>
> > Here are the components I'm using:
> > Speakers - Dream Acoustics - Basic 5.1
> > Amp/Receiver - Wintal - AVR 3050 - 3 year warranty
> > Input - Auzentech X-Plosion
>
> > As the receiver is no longer functional and just out of warranty, I'm
> > not sure what to do.
>
> > Should I -
> > *- Buy another receiver
> > *- Have the receiver repaired
>
> > I paid around $350 for the (current defective) receiver and have been
> > quoted on two Kenwood's for around the $300-350 mark. *Both of these
> > are 6ohm, the current receiver is 8ohm. *This is the best price i
> > could muster on a name brand. *The Wintal (current defective) receiver
> > is 130W @ 8ohm while the Kenwood is 100W @ 6ohm. *Does this mean for
> > the Kenwood it's just 75W @ 8ohm?
>
> > I've rang most all dealers in my local area trying to find a receiver
> > with equivalent specs but haven't had any luck along the $350 dollar
> > mark. *Should I get the current receiver repaired or should I buy a
> > new one?
>
> Don't worry about those specs. You only need to know if the receiver
> will drive your existing speakers.
>
> You should try some more basic diagnostics, for instance hooking up an
> analog connection from your sound card or a cd player's digital output.
> The problem could be in your sound card or even your computer.
>
> Repairing av receivers can be expensive. I recently chose to replace
> rather than repair one.
>
> I've added aus.hi-fi. Here in the US one can find functional receivers
> for rock-bottom prices but I don't know your market.
>
> Stephen- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Thanks for the advice Stephen, I'm certain it is the receiver as I've
hooked up the digital signal from my TV and the onboard HD audio
without any sound. I've also been trying different options for the
last week with no luck.

I've called around the local dealers and Harvey Norman has the same
Kenwood receiver coming up on sale for 298 (instead of 350) so i guess
I'll grab one of those in black.

The reviews of the receivers within my budget say they would not be
suitable for audiophiles. This is a bit of a concern for me as I
really enjoy my music and want the best sound output possible within a
reasonable budget. That said, the only time I've heard a system where
I thought the sound quality was superb was many years ago when
listening to a demo Bose system. At the time I probably only listened
to tape decks etc so I think the difference in quality was simply
caused by what was readily available. I'm beginning to think the term
audiophile is not someone who can hear better than the rest of us, but
someone who prefers to brag about how much they spent on their
equipment in addition to a marketing opportunity.

Here is the Wikipedia article on audiophile:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audiophile

I'd be very interested to know if there was a way for me to improve
the sound quality by purchasing a more expensive receiver?

Cheers,

[MiNe 109]

In article
>,
crmay > wrote:

> I'd be very interested to know if there was a way for me to improve
> the sound quality by purchasing a more expensive receiver?

Well, you'd be ahead just getting sound at this point. If you were happy
with what you had, you might not be excessively demanding.

OTOH, it is still possible to discriminate among inexpensive gear. See
whether the power rating is for all channels driven full range, as
opposed to something like the "(1ch, 1kHz, 10%THD, 6ohm)" that I found
on the Kenwood website. It's usually a good sign if the amplifier has a
rating for 4 or 2 ohms. You would expect to pay more.

I don't know how the prices are in your area, but here you can get a
functional receiver for $300US. Denon, Yamaha, Marantz and Harman-Kardon
have their fans. I've had good luck with a cheap Onkyo receiver in my
kitchen system and not so good luck with a moderately expensive NAD
receiver.

Good luck!

Stephen

[crmay]

On Nov 28, 3:03*pm, MiNe 109 > wrote:
> In article
> >,
>
> *crmay > wrote:
> > I'd be very interested to know if there was a way for me to improve
> > the sound quality by purchasing a more expensive receiver?
>
> Well, you'd be ahead just getting sound at this point. If you were happy
> with what you had, you might not be excessively demanding.
>
> OTOH, it is still possible to discriminate among inexpensive gear. See
> whether the power rating is for all channels driven full range, as
> opposed to something like the "(1ch, 1kHz, 10%THD, 6ohm)" that I found
> on the Kenwood website. It's usually a good sign if the amplifier has a
> rating for 4 or 2 ohms. You would expect to pay more.
>
> I don't know how the prices are in your area, but here you can get a
> functional receiver for $300US. Denon, Yamaha, Marantz and Harman-Kardon
> have their fans. I've had good luck with a cheap Onkyo receiver in my
> kitchen system and not so good luck with a moderately expensive NAD
> receiver.
>
> Good luck!
>
> Stephen

Thanks Stephen.. peace be with you!