DizRotus Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 (edited) The good news is how much I like the performance of the Onkyo TX-SR706 I recently got from a forum member. I especially like the Audyssey program. The bad news is HDMI issues. A search of the Internet quickly demonstrates that many Onkyo receivers exhibited this problem. Several excellent threads on the AVS Forum show how to replace failed capacitors on the HDMI board. I like the good aspects of this unit so much I bought a NIB TX-SR707 off eBay for $202.50. Now that it's arrived, I'll open up the 706 and begin installing the new capacitors (~$50 from Mouser). If the AVS threads and YouTube videos are correct, the 706 should be as good as new, or better. If so, I'll keep the 707 and send the 706 to my son, as originally planned. The point of this ramble is to plumb the knowledge base here for any experience and tips regarding this issue. Unfortunately, just avoiding the use of HDMI is not a solution, as the cap failures cause audio problems on startup. Apparently, the Onkyos run hot, causing the caps on the HDMI board to fail after a few years. I purchased a quiet fan for $10 from Amazon that I'll use to keep the repaired (assuming a successful repair) unit cool. I plan to get a second fan for the zero hours 707 as a prophylactic measure. Anyone here have similar issues with Onkyo receivers? Apparently Denon and others also had similar problems with some models. If this goes as well as expected, rather than being scared away from Onkyo, it seems like an opportunity for DIY types to get them cheap and repair them for a few dollars in parts and some time soldering. Your experiences are of interest. Edited April 24, 2014 by DizRotus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minermark Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 Sounds like a good plan and good luck with it, let us know how it works out, and by the way the fan is a most excellent idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang guy Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 Thanks for the tip. I have only had trouble with one of my Onkyo/Integra HDMI ports, so this is great info. On my current flagship preamp, the secondary monitor HDMI does not work. It sounds like an easy fix. One question. Did you replace all the caps on all the HDMI's of both units to arrive at $50? I was thinking more along the lines of just replacing the one(s) that test bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizRotus Posted April 24, 2014 Author Share Posted April 24, 2014 (edited) Thanks for the tip. I have only had trouble with one of my Onkyo/Integra HDMI ports, so this is great info. On my current flagship preamp, the secondary monitor HDMI does not work. It sounds like an easy fix. One question. Did you replace all the caps on all the HDMI's of both units to arrive at $50? I was thinking more along the lines of just replacing the one(s) that test bad. ". . . test bad" I don't need no stinkin' tests. I can cram for urine tests, but I can't test capacitors.The $50 figure is for all caps on the 706 HDMI board. I figure that once inside, replace them all. The parts cost is relatively low. The time expenditure is high. Some threads and videos reference a dozen caps that fail causing the problem. I figure that heat affects them all, so replace them all at once, rather than going at it piecemeal . Other than a fan, I'll do nothing to the 707. It is truly brand new. Without a fan it should go for years before exhibiting the same symptoms, if it ever does. With a fan, I expect it will outlive me. I'll let you know how it goes. Edited April 24, 2014 by DizRotus 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billybob Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 Glad you have the skills to do it. Always interested in reading of your DIY projects. Especially the before and after work. Good Fortune! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schu Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 I had an 806 for a couple years that ran Heresys... the unit DID infact run very hot. I never had a failure though but I could see how it might happen frequently to some. those things just generate a lot of heat, I would warm my entire living room wiht one and my plasma running at the same time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shodrewken Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 I have an 818 and does get a little warm, but I wouldn't say hot. And I have notice on some of my HDMI inputs that the signal seems to drop out, then take a second to come back on. This usually occurs on start up of said HDMI port though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klipschtastic Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 I have a 3 year old 609 and my HDMI ports stopped working completely one day. I was able to get them restored with a factory reset and or unplugging of the unit for 30 seconds or more. I can't remember which one actually did the trick though. I would try unplugging and replugging first and then try the factory reset. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K5SS Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 I sold a 818 recently. I had to have it replaced by Onkyo because of the HDMI board. I really liked the receiver before it went out but I will never buy another Onkyo receiver again. Not when there's products like HK, Emotiva and Pioneer Elite out there. Like I said, I loved the receiver before it went out but I have now lost faith in the brand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max2 Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 Onkyo has been dealing with HDMI issues for 3 or 4 years now. Noisy switching, hand shake issues and all out failure. A lot of history and great sound with them. Hope they get things sorted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
001 Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 i have the 605 & 805 & they dont have any problems with the hdmi as of yet, 6+ years. from what i have read it seems to be a hit & miss issue. they do run hot when in a cabinet but run just above warm when not enclosed. they just need good air flow but a fan will assist that. i have seen new complete hdmi boards for sale on ebay & if you know where to go or can sweet talk onkyo into giving you their supplier info you can buy a new board for not much more than the price of new caps. however, what i have found is that unless you are a gamer or have multiple pieces of hdmi gear, using the hdmi pass through on the receiver is just a waste, the receiver has to be on to use it, i watch dvd's or play games without using the receiver & speakers quite often. it also degrades the signal using multiple cords & running through electronics in the receiver. unless you want the video upconvert for a vcr or older 480 dvd player, just run your gear direct to the tv's hdmi inputs, its a straighter signal & you arent relying on the receivers hdmi circuitry that can go bad. most dvd players nowadays upconvert anyways. or if the hdmi board fails you can always just buy a standalone hdmi splitter for about the same price as repairing the receivers hdmi. aside from the hdmi issues i really like the onkyo 600-800 series receivers, especially starting with the x05-x08 models. they are available for very low prices used or refurb, or as the OP said even new in box. IMO best bang for the buck & for an AVR & they sound almost as good as some mid-fi seperates & have a decent pre amp section if you want to add an amp. & the audyssey feature is a nice bonus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schu Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 seems some have had what is basically a handshake issue... on my 806, I never experienced that in sound or video... however I did have a slight delay at times at start up with a PS3 video mode. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
javelin Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 I bought a used ht-r960 and it had issues with HDMI - apparently the seller "failed" to tell me about it. The HDMI ports are not complete failure, however, they work after a couple of minutes when the receiver had enough time to energize the caps - before that I just see a "No signal" on screen. The youtube video listed the 960 and 706 as compatible and cap can be replaced the same way. I opened my 960 and found the HDMI board to be much different and is almost no possible way to replace the caps, at least not by hand. On each cap underside, there is another type of transistor attached. So, if you remove the cap; unsolder it, the transistor under it will fall-off, or at least that what it seems to be. Anyone looking for Onkyo receiver, stay away from ht-r960. If anyone want to buy my 960, I'll set it to you for cheaps... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wvu80 Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 I have a year-old Onkyo TX-NR 717 and I love it, although the 818 was really considered the gem in the mid-price range. It has all the tech, HDMI ports, power and modern codecs I was looking for as I upgraded into the world of 5.1 sound. I have had zero problems, and from what I've read on the internet (take that for what it's worth) is the HDMI problems were on the lower end models, 616 and below, which used different HDMI boards from the 717 and up. Everything KlipschFan4 said about the units running hot when enclosed seems to be spot on (Post #11), with adequate ventilation being the key to longevity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babadono Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 Double Plus 1 on the "once your inside just replace all the caps". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
001 Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 (edited) Anyone looking for Onkyo receiver, stay away from ht-r960. If anyone want to buy my 960, I'll set it to you for cheaps... no offense but that is not a valid claim. i understand you had a bad experience with "your" particular unit, but bought used it had a totally unknown past. fact is there are 10's or hundreds of thousands of these receivers in use with no problems at all. same goes for most the bad reputations audio gear & other stuff can get. just because a very small percentage have problems does not justify saying they are ALL bad or to "stay away from brand or model x". in reality its a fraction of a percent that have the issues. another example of this. i used to work in the escalations department of the 2nd largest phone company in the world. every day myself & 15-20 other people in the department took 50+ calls &/or letters from customers with complaints & problems. after awhile it started to wear on me & i thought to myself, wow this company sucks & has all kinds of problems. however looking at monthly & yearly reports of the complaints & escalations we got, it was actually like less than .01% of our customers. put it all into perspective, we had over 3 million customers & less than .01% of them were unghappy with a small issue. when i would hear a customer say, "you are the worst company out there" or "i will tell all my friends & family to stay away form your company" i just chuckled knowing that it was their individual opinion based on one little issue they had. millions of other customers loved us! moral of the story... dont let a "few" issues sway your judgement of the brand,product or company. in reality most have far better statistics than you realize & your opinion is biased based on the few examples of problems you might read or hear about. Edited April 25, 2014 by klipschfancf4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
javelin Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 Anyone looking for Onkyo receiver, stay away from ht-r960. If anyone want to buy my 960, I'll set it to you for cheaps... no offense but that is not a valid claim. i understand you had a bad experience with "your" particular unit, but bought used it had a totally unknown past. fact is there are 10's or hundreds of thousands of these receivers in use with no problems at all. No offense taken. I guess I should have say "stay away from used ht-r960". Reason I suggest that is becasue of the complexity of the HDMI board - if the HDMI board goes bad, which seems to be a common problem on Onkyo receivers, your'e SOL. "fact is there are 10's or hundreds of thousands of these receivers in use with no problems at all." you sure about this? ; ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
001 Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 "fact is there are 10's or hundreds of thousands of these receivers in use with no problems at all." you sure about this? ; ) just a guess at the actual number produced, but its safe to say there are far more without issue than the "few" that have the issue. yes its a known problem for quite a few years now, but again, its only the ones that go bad that you hear about, there are thousands of others that are working perfectly fine. same with my 605 & 805, they were the first hdmi capable onkyos & some had problems, but mine are fine 6+ years later. (fingers crossed!) & i bought them both used. sorry to hear yours is one with the issues, but im sure there are plenty of 960's that work great. just sayin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USNRET Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 I know it's sorta apples and oranges but... my Onkyo PR-SC5507P crapped out with no audio and the HDMI board is the suspect but it's been in the shop for some weeks now and Onkyo has asked for error codes and then voltages. No response in weeks after the voltages were submitted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdrums Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 I run a Integra (Onkyo) DHC 80.3 A/V Pre-Amp Processor with McIntosh amps for my Ref7 7.2 set up. I have zero issues with this processor but have read on various forums of Onkyo HDMI issue due to heat. I think it could be some have failed but is likely blown out of proportion. The Integra sounds good. I had a McIntosh MX134 Pre-Pro but it didn't have the HDMI ports and lacked some recent sound processing co-decs so I sold it for the Integra. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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