They sure don't make amps like they used to.

[TechieFreak]

My 5-year-old Yamaha HTR-6060B is now starting to act up. My center channel cuts out occasionally. It comes back when I change channel, but will just cut out again later on. It's obviously a heat problem as it only happens after several hours (I have plenty of ventilation around the receiver). I'll be popping it apart soon, to "freeze-mist troubleshoot" it.

But this brings up a pet-peeve of mine. I still have a great Pioneer receiver from the 70's running beautifully. To say that things are more complicated today is not an acceptable excuse. There were a lot of discreet components used back in the 70's, which are all prone to failure. In fact, stereo equipment from the 70's and 80's are still sold as "classic" equipment and can fetch top dollar if in good condition.

When you buy a receiver, Blu-ray player or even speakers, how long do you expect them to last? For me, my answer would be at least 20 years.

[eljay]

When you buy a receiver, Blu-ray player or even speakers, how long do you expect them to last?

With speakers, I expect 20+ years. With anything else, I expect 10 years...but hope it'll last at least 5.

[Michael DeAbreu]

My first HDTV was an Acer AT3201W LCD TV. I loved it, wrote glowing reviews, then it died after 3 years. Now I hate Acer, and would never ever buy any of their stuff and tell everyone the same. Yes, I know that's irrational and vindictive.

Then I read somewhere on-line that a 3 year lifespan isn't that unusual. Gaaaa!

I have an HTPC. I expect the Blu-ray software to be obsolete in 3 years. Shouldn't that be supported for the lifespan of the format if Sony is going to keep changing the specs and adding new DRM?

My NAD 3020 and Paradigm speakers still going strong!

[ScaryBob]

I still have a great Pioneer receiver from the 70's running beautifully.

A lot of Pioneer receivers barely made it out of warranty back then as well. I'd be interested if this is a top end (aka expensive) model. That makes a lot of difference. I wouldn't expect any under $1000 receiver to last more than 10 years without major repairs or 5 years without minor repairs. I typically had to replace receivers from the 70s, 80s and 90s after 5 or 10 years. I even saw some that became unrepairable junk within 2 or 3 years. I have a less than 10 year old Rotel receiver that has a totally failed preamp section (it acted up for many years prior) and needs new caps for the amplifier. OTOH, I have an 11 year old high end Denon receiver that works as well as the day it was made. The Denon cost 5 times the Rotel so I guess I got what I paid for.

I do agree that they don't make equipment the same as they did in the 1970s. As a general rule it is better, especially at the low end. At the high end, they are usually better due to longer lasting components such as power capacitors. There are always exceptions.

Here's another example. I recently purchased an AudioSource amp to replace the failing 10 year old Rotel. AudioSource equipment is cheap and it shows. Despite approximately equal specs, the Rotel will blow away the AudioSource. There is no comparison in sound quality as volume is increased. OTOH, the Rotel is junk in less than 10 years. A previous, cheaper Rotel receiver was basically junk the day it was made and didn't make it out of warranty.

[TechieFreak]

Originally Posted by ScaryBob

I'd be interested if this is a top end (aka expensive) model. That makes a lot of difference.

It's a Pioneer SX-950 (and no, it's not for sale). Yes, an upper-end model. True, there were junk stereo equipment made back then too. But the upper-end stuff sold back then can still be had today. I wonder if we'll be talking about "Vintage Home Theater" receivers in 20 years from now? What about all those "HTiB" systems? I suspect they'll all be in the dump, or recycled, just as Webcor or Candle stereos from the 70s are today. (Remember those "coffin" stereos? The ones inside a cabinet with a turntable, tuner, 8-track tape deck? Repairing those helped pay my college tuition.)

[flaminghomer]

I have a Yamaha receiver and digital sound processor from the mid 90s that's still in perfect working order. I only "upgraded" to a Pioneer VSX 919 because I couldn't get a blu-ray player to work with the Yamaha.

After two years, the Pioneer occasionally won't turn on with the remote, and last night it shut off after a loud "scare chord" on the soundtrack from "The Woman in Black". Granted, the 919 is not top of the line, but it had good reviews at the time, and I didn't expect it to start acting up after two years.

[Dwayne Gorniak]

And thank God they don't make them like they used to. My first amp was a Pioneer. Can't remember the number any more. But when I bought my Post Audio Towers at the age of 18, I was having some pretty loud parties back then. The Pioneer would get so hot that I had to leave the lid off it and my soldering iron beside it because the speaker terminal solder joints at the circuit board would melt. Within a minute of resoldering the connections, I would be good for a couple more hours of screaming music. Good Times! After about a year of cooking that amp, I finally bought a Yamaha AX-750. What an amazing amp. Still goin strong to this day. I finally sold it to a buddy a couple of years ago because I just want using it anymore. I should have kept it for my kid though. Oh well. My RXV-1700 works as good as the day I bought it about eight years ago as well. It all depends on the quality of the amp and whether you buy cheap or good.

[pw5599]

The quality vintage stuff is fantastic. I actually run 2 separate systems, one for HT and one for 2 channel listening. A surround receiver, even a good one cannot match the sound from a 2 channel hefty high current amp from the 70's. And yes, my surround amp is what you would call quality and hefty, a Pioneer VSX-1015 but it still cannot do 2 channel as good as the old separates.

[Newb777]

I have had the NAD 7100 from the beginning, unfortunately it's in storage but that's another story. I also have a set of matched cheery wood Mission Cyrus 753 speakers that I bought with the amp. I spent a lot on both.

From day one, I've had issues where out of the blue, I get crackling or static noise coming from the speakers. I can never replicate the problem. Borrowed an amp and it never occured. Had the amp services under warranty several times, still had the problem. The tech checked the speakers by just attaching a mult-tester to the gold connections. He said it's fine. Eventually, I went back to my old amp and everything was quiet for a while, but out of the blue it would happen. I eventually gave up and just put everything in storage. IMO, both amps and speakers are not built as good as they were say, 30 years ago.

[pw5599]

The NAD stuff is great sounding but can be finicky to say the least. I have a NAD 705 receiver and had to repair the displays lights, of which were kind of a blessing in disguise since the former owner thought is was completely dead. The tuner doesnt work and it had a power supply problem. I ended up having to disconnect the tuner section and currently use the receiver as a preamp only. It's great sounding and nice to have a remote for that system.

I gather you've eliminated the speakers as the problem so a few questions on yours if I may...
Is the noise thru both channels (speakers)?
Is the noise there with the volume control completely down or does it increase in level as the volume is turned up?
Is the noise there on all inputs?
Is it there on both A & B speaker outputs?

These units are known for having bad solder connections so does tapping on it or giving it a whack change anything? And dont be afraid to give it a fairly solid whack.

[57]

On equipment, you can often get a "crackling" sound due to poor contacts on the volume control, or balance control, or any other movable adjustments on the front of the AVR. Move all of these back and forth many times and you may remove the "oxidation" that is the cause of a poor contact.

[pw5599]

Excellent point that is.

That's a nice unit! I found a review, you may want to check it out since the author also had issues with his. The speaker relays can cause issues, as they do in any amps that use em. Also, have you tried cycling the soft clipping switch, back and forth? That touches on the post above, switches and controls in need of cleaning.

http://matthewhambrick.blogspot.ca/2...er-review.html

[Newb777]

The amp started doing this almost immediately. It was a brand new amp, recently manufacturered at that time. The authorized service centre resoldered the cold joint, replaced many components. I did fiddle around with the soft clipping. I've always suspected the speaker relays but being brand new, I dismissed it.

That link is really good, glad to know others have had the same problem and that it comes back. I guess the name has held true since day one, NAD - Not another dud.

Does anyone have a "how to" to sand the relays?

[pw5599]

First, disconnect the ac cord from the wall!

Once the relay cover is off I've used emery paper with a bit of DeoxIT contact cleaner on it. Cut a piece small and thin enough to fit into the contact area and once the paper is between the contacts, hold the contacts closed and slide the paper back n forth a few times.

But I've got an Sherwood with this issue and it's never completely resolved it.
I also didnt use DeoxIT, I used another product.
Dont let that discourage you from trying it on your NAD. They are such a musical amp and their wattage rating is very conservative.

[ScaryBob]

First off, nobody should get stuck with a lemon. After 3 repairs under warranty, most manufacturers will replace the unit with a new one at no charge. That's the industry standard.

30 years ago, Pioneer was absolute garbage. So was Harmon Kardon. I had 3 Harmon Kardon devices. All became defective under warranty, similar to the NAD described above. Now they are considered good. Go figure. There were just as many, maybe more, bad amplifiers/receivers/tuners made 30 years ago as there are today. It's the same way with cars or bridges. We just admire the few that are still around, not the 90% that failed under normal use.