jwadd21 Posted August 20, 2003 Share Posted August 20, 2003 Back in december I bought an Harman Kardon AVR 520 from onecall.com . I used it for about 2 months, but then somehow the reviever suddenly sounded much quieter and sounded muddled with very little bass. The sound simply got much worse all of a sudden. To test whether or not I was imagining it, I put it up side by side with my friends AVR 520, and the difference was obvious. Far less imaging quality, and about 3/4's the volume and 1/2 the bass with an overall tinny sound. I took the reciever to the HK authorixed repair shop and they said that nothing was wrong, that they tested everything and it all came back normal. So I took it to another repair shop, same story. I still do not know what to do about it now. But, to make things worse, THE SAME THING happened to my friends 520 about a week ago while I was borrowing it. What is the problem? Is the amp just blown or what? What can I do if there is an obvious problem but the tests dont show it? HELP! Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilMays Posted August 20, 2003 Share Posted August 20, 2003 Jwadd21, Were the two units at your house using the same circuit. Perhaps you should test the current output at your outlet. Maybe you have a surge protector that has been damaged by lightening or a power spike/surge. It seems that could be the most obvious area if you have had the unit checked twice and your friends on loan now does it. Perhaps a speaker has grounded out somewhere. Maybe check your speaker connections to see if any stary wires are connecting. That's wierd. BTW, nice set-up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marksdad Posted August 20, 2003 Share Posted August 20, 2003 no, electrical is either all or nothing, if it were a prob with the surge protection it would be obvious, it definatly sounds like a bad run like i had with my rotel gear Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwadd21 Posted August 20, 2003 Author Share Posted August 20, 2003 I tested the two side by side before I broke the second one and thats when I noticed the dramatic differences. I used the 2nd one for a few months before it broke. I need to know how to handle this. Do I call HK? do I call onecall? What should I do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
easylistener Posted August 20, 2003 Share Posted August 20, 2003 Call one call they are pretty good most of the time. My be they will give you a new one or fix it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fabulousfrankie Posted August 20, 2003 Share Posted August 20, 2003 At least One Call is an authorized HK dealer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilMays Posted August 21, 2003 Share Posted August 21, 2003 ---------------- On 8/20/2003 4:44:23 PM marksdad wrote: no, electrical is either all or nothing, if it were a prob with the surge protection it would be obvious, it definatly sounds like a bad run like i had with my rotel gear ---------------- In my business we use alot of incrimental HVAC units. If for some reason we are getting less current at an outlet or the main run from the city it can burn out the compressors, which has happened many times. Power still gets to the area, simply reduced. I don't really know if that would be a problem with a home AV system but if two units went out on that line it does point to either poor production runs, driving them too hard, or a power problem. Of course I reserve the right to discredit myself as I am not an expert in these matters Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klipschfoot Posted August 21, 2003 Share Posted August 21, 2003 1. Get a Gardner Bender 3-Wire Circuit Analyzer ($5.00) and check you outlet for crosswiring. 2. Take both to your friend's house and try them there. (Obvious. You may have done this already. Does he know? I hear some panic in your post.) 3. Purchase a Monster line conditioner from BB and retest. If that proves nothing is wrong, you can return it no questions asked. 4. What else is on the same circuit? Everyone building an A/V system should map their circuit to rule out interference from noisy motors, power hogs, etc. ESPECIALLY if your system is in a room addition. Too many amps (ampheres, not amplifiers) running from the same breaker could be trouble down the line. (Pun intended) 5. Is you home wired with aluminum? Check your outlets and consider pigtailing with copper if it is. As a side note, My radio in my Honda did not sound right from day one. Two dealer repair shops told me everything was fine. Finally, one replaced it at my badgering. The difference was night and day. Just because others can't hear it, does not mean there is nothing wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwadd21 Posted August 21, 2003 Author Share Posted August 21, 2003 i understand that you may assume the problem to be outside of the receiver, but if i test the identical units side by side on the same electrical socket with every condition for both recievers being identical and only one of them sounds broken, how could the problem possibly be outside the receiver? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilMays Posted August 22, 2003 Share Posted August 22, 2003 Well they are now both "broken" whereas in the past only one was "broken". Faulty current can ruin electronics over time. However, they both could be bad units. Checking current at a circuit is certainly cheap and well worth it. If you do have a problem with that it will only manifest itself again and again. What else is on the line? Many people use Power Conditioners for the very reason of line noise and fluctuating current. How long did your friend have his HK in his house operating with no problems? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilMays Posted August 22, 2003 Share Posted August 22, 2003 Just brainstorming..... What about static electricity, grounding, or the sub amp. Is it even possible for an external amp to somehow "push juice" back into the unit???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damonrpayne Posted August 22, 2003 Share Posted August 22, 2003 I know speakers actually send a little current back to the amplifier. If the sub is wired with RCA cable, I don't think it can send current back as there isn't a complete circuit I've had issues with my Harman Kardon as well. I'm really starting to think they just don't make good products... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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