[taylor]

Alright,
I have a Kenwood surround amp. It's big, it's heavy, and it's rated for 4 ohms. I have a pair of Mirage SM-1 speakers on the front and a pair of old JVC speakers on the rear, no sub or center. I'm driving it from the tape out on my other reciever, which I use for headphones.
When I press the power button, it turns on. When I start the music, it clicks and turns off. If I try to turn it back on, it turns off by itself. If I whack it a couple of times, the area of the transformer works best, then turn it on, it works fine.
Any ideas on why my amp needs corporal punishment to turn on?

 

[bundee1]

Your probably overloading it. Try one pair of speakers at a time and see what happens.

 

[taylor]

Even with one pair it still takes a good beating to turn on.

 

[taylor]

I guess there's just bad blood between Kenwood and Mirage. With two BIC Venturi Formula 2 speakers hooked up, the reciever is fine. Both the BIC and the Mirage are 8 ohms. I'm confused but I like these BIC speakers better anyway. There's no low end rattle like the Mirage, probably because there are surrounds on the woofers unlike the Mirage.

 

[bigshot]

If it happened while the receiver was playing, it might just be overheating, but it sounds to me like the power supply in the reciever might be dying.

See ya
Steve

 

[taylor]

The mystery deepens. The BIC speakers work fine, unless I turn the volume past 45/80. 45 is about normal listening level on
20 - is it on? Doesn't sound like it.
30 - They sound like my SR-60s do when the SR-60s are at a normal volume 3 feet away from me.
35 - late at night with parents sleeping
40 - quiet
45 - normal
50 - loud for a little, then amp turns off
55 - really loud for a little, then amp turns off

I did notice some weird things about the power supply. Directly plugged into the wall, it turned on right away with the volume at 45. Plugged into a surge protector, it turned on after one try and one hit. With a 19" monitor plugged into the same surge protector, it took at least 3 tries and a decent beating. However, once it goes on, it can turn off and on easily as long as it's only off for a short amount of time.

However, my power outlet real estate is pretty limited. I think I will try plugging it into a 3 way splitter than into the outlet with no surge protector. If there is a surge, well, there's my excuse for a new amp that turns on without violence. This reciever only cost me $20 and if it dies right now, it's been worth it for me.