Newsgroups: rec.audio
From: tgk@cs.toronto.edu (Todd Kelley)
Subject: Repair it? No, trash it! (Was Doc, Doc, my CD player can't...)
Organization: Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto
Date: 15 Dec 92 18:34:34 GMT

yuen@casbah.acns.nwu.edu (Geoffrey L Yuen) writes:

>Have this Onyko CD player for 4 yrs and it recently started to say 
>"No disk" even when there's one in. The first time it happened, I
[some deleted]
>	 BUT NOW, the thing will take from 2 minutes to an indefinite 
>amount of time to find the 1st track
[some deleted]

Below you will find two tales of Onkyo woe, and below them, the lesson
I have learned about getting consumer electronics repaired.

-----------------------
FIRST ONKYO TALE OF WOE
-----------------------

I have an Onkyo Integra CD player (dx5500) which has a similar problem.
At first, it would take a few tries to find the track, and then
a week later it couldn't find the first track at all.  When the unit
was left powered up for a while, it would begin to work somewhat normally.
After another couple of weeks, it couldn't even read the index, much
less the first track, and leaving it powered up no longer helped.

So, to ``authorized Onkyo service'' it went.  They replaced the
spindle motor, which made it able to find the tracks, but not always
on the first try.  $135.  Over the weeks, the exact same degeneration as
before took place.
(Incidently, when I picked the unit up, I asked for the old motor.
They claimed it had already been thrown away, and gave me a
similar motor.  Hmmmmm.)

Back to ``authorized Onkyo service'' it went.  For a couple of weeks
they were testing it, then for a month or so they were waiting for
a new laser pickup, then for another month and a half they were having
trouble aligning it, and now for the past three weeks, it has been
at Onkyo proper.  Onkyo has not yet returned it to the repair
shop, although Onkyo promised it by Friday (last week).  There's no
telling how much more they are going to want to charge me.

------------------------
SECOND ONKYO TALE OF WOE
------------------------

My Onkyo Integra receiver (tx870m) was very low on one side one morning
(power amp problem).
So, to ``authorized Onkyo service'' it went.  (Not the same place
as in the FIRST TALE OF WOE.)  They spent a week trying to locate
the problem.  They couldn't find the problem, so they sent away
for a schematic.  Two weeks later it was fixed.  $250.

About eight months later, this receiver sends a loud bang through
the speakers when it is powered off, or when the mute switch is
pressed, or when the monitor switch is pressed.  It also hisses
slightly on the side that was low before.  By the way, this bang
is loud enough to shut down the power amp, but not before it frightens
the neighbors.

I think there's gotta be some DC in the pre-amp somewhere, but I
now know better than to try to get it fixed.

------------------
THE LESSON LEARNED
------------------

When consumer electronic devices become faulty, ignore
the fault, to the best of your ability.  If you cannot ignore
the fault, here's what you do:  pick up the unit, walk to the 
nearest dumpster, then drop the unit in the dumpster.

Let me know if you have learned the contrary.

P.S.  The power amp of the receiver seems OK, and it's about time
I moved to separates anyway, so I bought a Bryston pre-amp, and
I intend to buy a decent power amp later.  All Bryston products
come with a 20 year parts+labor warranty, and they're located
where I live: Toronto.  I like that.
Newsgroups: rec.audio