Problem with my reciever, please help!

[Mozhoven]

I've recently purchased a used Yamaha RX-V850 receiver (without ever hearing it) . Ultimately I plan on using it as a pre-amp, but for now I need to hook up my speakers directly to it.

I just now tried it out for the first time only to find a hugely distorted sound coming from the speakers.

It sounds as though the source's (CD player) gain is to high. You know, if you plug an ipod into the AUX port with the volume jacked all the way up - it sounds like that.

I made sure that I turned on Tone Defeat, no DSP, nothing. I also tried the CD plunged in to the TAPE in and also changed the speakers from A to B - still the same.

To make sure my speakers haven't gone south, I plugged all them as well as the same CD player into my Onkyo receiver - it all sounds fine.

So, what gives? I can't conceive of anything I'm doing wrong, hooking up this receiver for two-channel listening isn't complicated. Perhaps something is wrong inside?

Any advice would be much appreciated!

 

[mrarroyo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mozhoven /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've recently purchased a used Yamaha RX-V850 receiver (without ever hearing it) . Ultimately I plan on using it as a pre-amp, but for now I need to hook up my speakers directly to it. I just now tried it out for the first time only to find a hugely distorted sound coming from the speakers. It sounds as though the source's (CD player) gain is to high. You know, if you plug an ipod into the AUX port with the volume jacked all the way up - it sounds like that. I made sure that I turned on Tone Defeat, no DSP, nothing. I also tried the CD plunged in to the TAPE in and also changed the speakers from A to B - still the same. To make sure my speakers haven't gone south, I plugged all them as well as the same CD player into my Onkyo receiver - it all sounds fine. So, what gives? I can't conceive of anything I'm doing wrong, hooking up this receiver for two-channel listening isn't complicated. Perhaps something is wrong inside? Any advice would be much appreciated!

You mention a cd as a source. Did you try the tuner to see if the same happens?

 

[Mozhoven]

Yeah,

I tried the tuner and my mp3 player as well. I even tried turning the volume down on the mp3 player to mid and low levels with the same result.

 

[spacemanspliff]

contacted the seller? that ain't right.

 

[Mozhoven]

It's ok,

The seller made no claim as to it's condition, and at the price I paid I didn't really care. ($20) It had just been sitting around for ages and he needed the space. Just wondering if there is anything I can do to remedy the problem.

Any thoughts?

P.S. Will this problem affect my ultimate plans to use this receiver as a preamp?

 

[infinitesymphony]

Sounds like a broken amplifier. If the sound is distorted, try not to test it too often; it may be sending harmful signals to your speakers. Amplifier clipping is the number one speaker killer.

Try running the receiver's front-channel pre-outs into an input on another receiver (remember to turn up the volume on the Yamaha). This will tell you if the problem is only in the amplifier section of the RX-V850. If the sound is clear, you may still be able to use it as a preamp.

 

[Mozhoven]

I plugged in a headphone amp this morning to the pre-out terminals and the sound is fine.
So, it's destiny as a preamp is still secure.

Thank you for warning me about the clipping danger. I did it for about a minute total, do you think any damage was done?

So, I'll get the amps on Monday or Tuesday and hook everything up and see how it works.

BTW, is it difficult to fix a broken amplifier?

 

[infinitesymphony]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mozhoven /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thank you for warning me about the clipping danger. I did it for about a minute total, do you think any damage was done? BTW, is it difficult to fix a broken amplifier?

No, the real danger only comes with high volumes or prolonged exposure to high DC offset (which may be present on a broken amp). Unless your tweeters blew or the rubber surrounds on your speakers tore, they should still be okay.

In general, yes, it's difficult to fix something as complicated as a receiver. You'd need an oscilloscope, multimeter, the service manual, and some DIY skills; even then, repair is not guaranteed and the parts might cost more than you paid for the whole unit.

 

[Mozhoven]

Gotcha, I think my time is worth more than that repair! It'll hold me over till I can find a good NAD or Marantz preamp (for cheap).

Thanks again, always learning something new here