Marantz Receiver - Fix or Replace?

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ryanja

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# 208238 2-Feb-2017 14:14

Hello all!

I've got a Marantz AV Receiver that's starting to get a bit flaky. I think it's mostly to do with the HDMI ports/switcher in the unit. When turning on from cold it will often take 5-10 seconds before it sends the signal on to the television. And sometimes it'll invert the colours. Switching it off and on again fixes this. Also, the receiver will often stop playing the sound received from my HTPC, which I suspect is also related to the HDMI problem, as the sound issue has increased in frequency along with the video issue.

I see that there's an audio service shop out in Lower Hutt that may be able to repair it. Are these sort of issues fixable? Is it worth the money trying to fix something like this, or would it make better sense to replace it?

Thanks!

Ryan

richms

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# 1714488 2-Feb-2017 14:35

I dont recall any large scale problems with marantz and hdmi like some of the other brands.

Usual cause for things needing to "warm up" is cooked capacitors, which makes sense in an audio reciever since they still all use inefficiant old amplifier designs that make a crapton of heat.

Richard rich.ms

Dunnersfella

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# 1714646 2-Feb-2017 19:58

How old is the Marantz? What model?

If it's a 'made in Japan' version, it could be worth it.

ryanja

48 posts

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# 1714685 2-Feb-2017 20:28

It's an SR5002, approximately 8 years old. No idea where it was manufactured.

I sent an email to the repair shop this afternoon, but so far no response.

Dunnersfella

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# 1714694 2-Feb-2017 20:45

There's nine new generation of that amp that have been sold - you may get more enjoyment and flexibility out of a new receiver.

ryanja

48 posts

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# 1714811 3-Feb-2017 08:33

That is true, but a comparable amp is around $1000 and if I can save a bit by getting it repaired instead I'd prefer to do that. It's definitely tempting though, as the 5002 only has 3 inputs and they're all being used which means no more new toys until that gets an upgrade.

tangerz

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# 1714895 3-Feb-2017 11:30

ryanja:

That is true, but a comparable amp is around $1000 and if I can save a bit by getting it repaired instead I'd prefer to do that. It's definitely tempting though, as the 5002 only has 3 inputs and they're all being used which means no more new toys until that gets an upgrade.

...A cheap HDMI switch soon fixes that!

robjg63

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# 1714908 3-Feb-2017 12:01

We have a Denon AV receiver - which looks exactly like our Marantz Sound system.

I gather they are from the same company anyway.

Our AV receiver always takes quite some time to wake up (as does the sound system).

If I turn the TV on it starts up, the AV then wakes up and the final click when the sound comes through probably takes around another 10 seconds. So I am thinking perhaps that is not a fault.

Did it used to be quicker?

Wonder if you can do a reset on the AV receiver and perhaps unplug/replug the cables. Perhaps a bit of dirt/dust on some connections.

EDIT: And when you say starting it from cold - Maybe try switching the unit off at the wall overnight. I would still try re plugging the cables as well.

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

robjg63

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# 1714914 3-Feb-2017 12:14

Actually - the sound problem just reminded me of an issue some Denons (and I would guess maybe Marantz) had. They share quite a bit of hardware(and a factory) anyway.

Our AV receiver went through an annoying period where the sound wouldnt come through sometimes when it was switched on. A power off usally seemed to get it going - but sometimes took a couple of goes. I went all through the menu settings, checked all the cables - drove me crazy until I found a suggestion on a forum somewhere where someone reckoned they have quite touchy headphone sockets and that after a few years a microscopic amount of dust build up would make the unit think a headphone had been plugged in (cutting the speakers off). The suggestion was to blow quite forcefully into the headphone socket on the front of the unit.

I was sceptical, until it failed next time and I noticed that the display had an icon which did actually seem to indicate that headphones were plugged in. After switching it off and blowing as indicated it hasnt missed a beat for around 3 years.

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

ryanja

48 posts

Geek

# 1714916 3-Feb-2017 12:14

robjg63:

We have a Denon AV receiver - which looks exactly like our Marantz Sound system.

I gather they are from the same company anyway.

Our AV receiver always takes quite some time to wake up (as does the sound system).

If I turn the TV on it starts up, the AV then wakes up and the final click when the sound comes through probably takes around another 10 seconds. So I am thinking perhaps that is not a fault.

Did it used to be quicker?

Wonder if you can do a reset on the AV receiver and perhaps unplug/replug the cables. Perhaps a bit of dirt/dust on some connections.

EDIT: And when you say starting it from cold - Maybe try switching the unit off at the wall overnight. I would still try re plugging the cables as well.

It's gotten progressively worse over the last 6-12 months. When the unit was new the image would come through to the television in only 1-2 seconds, which was probably just the amount of time the television took to realize it was getting an HDMI signal. But now it takes 5-10 seconds to warm up, then there's lots of static/wavy images for another 5-10 seconds. I doubt it's a loose connection as we moved recently and it got a good recheck when everything was set back up again. I was having the same problem before we moved.

ryanja

48 posts

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# 1714919 3-Feb-2017 12:16

robjg63:

Actually - the sound problem just reminded me of an issue some Denons (and I would guess maybe Marantz) had. They share quite a bit of hardware(and a factory) anyway.

Our AV receiver went through an annoying period where the sound wouldnt come through sometimes when it was switched on. A power off usally seemed to get it going - but sometimes took a couple of goes. I went all through the menu settings, checked all the cables - drove me crazy until I found a suggestion on a forum somewhere where someone reckoned they have quite touchy headphone sockets and that after a few years a microscopic amount of dust build up would make the unit think a headphone had been plugged in (cutting the speakers off). The suggestion was to blow quite forcefully into the headphone socket on the front of the unit.

I was sceptical, until it failed next time and I noticed that the display had an icon which did actually seem to indicate that headphones were plugged in. After switching it off and blowing as indicated it hasnt missed a beat for around 3 years.

I'll try that, but I kinda doubt that's the answer. Resetting the unit doesn't usually fix the sound. But rebooting the HTPC does.

ryanja

48 posts

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# 1714965 3-Feb-2017 14:10

Dunnersfella:

There's nine new generation of that amp that have been sold - you may get more enjoyment and flexibility out of a new receiver.

I'm curious what new features from the last 8 years could sway me towards replacing? I've been looking at a few new Marantz receivers and what stood out was Dolby Atmos and Wifi capabilities. But my speaker setup is a Jamo 5.1 system, and probably don't want any more speakers, so having Atmos is probably useless. Wifi sounds interesting, but I've already got the HTPC and it already handles all the MP3's and YouTube I could ever want. If I do replace, I'd probably go with the NR1506, as it is 5.1 only. It's a bit of a step down from the SR5002, at least in terms of wattage, but I rarely play my system very loud anyhow.

Dunnersfella

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# 1715067 3-Feb-2017 16:40

The NR1507 is the newest model, the 1506 is last years.

The main WiFi benefits come at the top of the range, that's where they integrate their multi-room tech (Heos).

There's lots of options out there, but I'm guessing you'd be able to get a deal direct from the importer on a 1506 if you don't mind the old model?

ryanja

48 posts

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# 1715071 3-Feb-2017 16:47

Dunnersfella:

The NR1507 is the newest model, the 1506 is last years.

The main WiFi benefits come at the top of the range, that's where they integrate their multi-room tech (Heos).

There's lots of options out there, but I'm guessing you'd be able to get a deal direct from the importer on a 1506 if you don't mind the old model?

I'm in New Zealand and I don't think the 1507 is available here. I can get a pretty decent price ($799 NZD) on the 1506. I don't really mind a model that's 1-2 years old, especially considering my 8 year old amp is still mostly doing the job just fine. The static on startup is manageable, but having to reboot the HTPC in order to get sound is really killing me.