Question about receiver/speakers

Hello. I've just purchased a Harman Kardon AVR 635 receiver and I've had problems with it going into "protect mode" every time I turn it on. Whenever I turn the volume up or a dvd scene with a loud score or soundtrack comes on, the unit shuts off into protect mode.

I took it to a repair shop and they told me they couldn't find anything wrong with it. So I took the unit back home and double checked my speaker cables for length and I re-cut the ends. The receiver stopped turning off!...for about a week and a half.

I haven't changed any of the wiring and now it's back to it's old tricks. So here are my questions.

1) Bad wiring. My speakers have two inputs, HF and LF. Right now the speaker cables are connected from the HF inputs to the receiver. Would switching the cable connection to LF make any difference? Also would frayed ends or stray wires at the cable ends cause the receiver to behave how it has been?

2) Over heating. I am thinking this may be a potential cause but the past few days my receiver has shut itself into protect mode seconds after I have turned it on.

3) I've searched EVERYWHERE online and can't seem to find anyone who has had the same problem as me. Anyone here have any ideas or similar issues that have been resolved?

This doesn't sound like an issue of speakers or wires or where the speakers are plugged in or overheating--this sounds like an electronic/CPU problem--in other words, nothing you can fix by your lonesome. What's the warranty on it look like?

Do you have electrical surges in your outlets at all? The reason I ask this is because my mother-in-law's house gets these weird surges of electricity, fluctuations in electrical strength depending upon how many people are using their stoves/ovens, etc--an attenuated power station.

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Originally Posted by Falls City Beer

This doesn't sound like an issue of speakers or wires or where the speakers are plugged in or overheating--this sounds like an electronic/CPU problem--in other words, nothing you can fix by your lonesome. What's the warranty on it look like?

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2 year warranty. I already called Harman Kardon's customer support and the best help they could give was to take the unit to one of their "approved repair facilities". I did that. And a week and a half later the "facility" calls me back and says 'nothing is wrong with the unit'.

I guess I can try and get a whole new unit, but my fear is I'll still end up in the same boat.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Falls City Beer

Do you have electrical surges in your outlets at all?

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I have the receiver plugged into a CyberPower 800AVR surge box.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The Baumer

2 year warranty. I already called Harman Kardon's customer support and the best help they could give was to take the unit to one of their "approved repair facilities". I did that. And a week and a half later the "facility" calls me back and says 'nothing is wrong with the unit'.

I guess I can try and get a whole new unit, but my fear is I'll still end up in the same boat.



I have the receiver plugged into a CyberPower 800AVR surge box.

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Hmm. Have you figured out the remote--all of its features yet? Have you messed with the settings? Not "messed" as in "messed up," but tinkered? How able are you to work with the output settings?

Does it need a software upgrade?

If you are going to "protect" mode, usually one of two things is happending.

1) it is getting too hot
- make sure it has room to "breathe"
- make sure the fan is running.

2) One of your speaker wires has a short in it - this is extremely common

- check this by only hooking up one speaker at a time too see if you can determine which one is the culprit. If it is only happening with one, chances are thats your issue. If its happening with more than one speaker, chances are it is your receiver.

-check all your +/- connections to make sure you don't have any swapped from speaker to receiver.

- check your connections at both the receiver and the speaker, especially if you are using "bare wire" to connect and make sure no "strays" are there. A single stray strand will put your receiver into protect mode for sure.

Other things to check:

- Are your speakers too much for your receiver? 4 ohm, 6 ohm? Do a bit of research online, some speakers are rated a 6 but are known to drop to 4.

- Is there an indicator to show if your surge protector is grounded? If so, make sure it is.
- some surge protectors "starve" your reciever, bypass it and see if you still have the problem (at your own risk. :) )

- If you have anything (DVD player, etc.) plugged into your receiver, plug it into the wall instead. If you have your subwoofer plugged into your receiver, that will do it too.

If all these fail to solve the issue, you very well could have a faulty heat sensor?

Here is a link to the latest firmware:
http://www.harmankardon.com/product_...name=AVR%20635

Good luck, issues like this can be maddening!


GL

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gonelong

If you are going to "protect" mode, usually one of two things is happending.

1) it is getting too hot
- make sure it has room to "breathe"
- make sure the fan is running.

2) One of your speaker wires has a short in it - this is extremely common

- check this by only hooking up one speaker at a time too see if you can determine which one is the culprit. If it is only happening with one, chances are thats your issue. If its happening with more than one speaker, chances are it is your receiver.

-check all your +/- connections to make sure you don't have any swapped from speaker to receiver.

- check your connections at both the receiver and the speaker, especially if you are using "bare wire" to connect and make sure no "strays" are there. A single stray strand will put your receiver into protect mode for sure.

Other things to check:

- Are your speakers too much for your receiver? 4 ohm, 6 ohm? Do a bit of research online, some speakers are rated a 6 but are known to drop to 4.

- Is there an indicator to show if your surge protector is grounded? If so, make sure it is.
- some surge protectors "starve" your reciever, bypass it and see if you still have the problem (at your own risk. :) )

- If you have anything (DVD player, etc.) plugged into your receiver, plug it into the wall instead. If you have your subwoofer plugged into your receiver, that will do it too.

If all these fail to solve the issue, you very well could have a faulty heat sensor?

Here is a link to the latest firmware:
http://www.harmankardon.com/product_...name=AVR%20635

Good luck, issues like this can be maddening!


GL

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I re-cut the cable wire ends and got rid of some "strays" and now it's working perfect. Thanks for the help everyone!