Onkyo 606 issue

[wodgah]

Thanks all , have spoken to genserve and they were very helpful now proceeding with sorting this issue hopefully.

 

[wodgah]

Small update , it is out of warranty and Genserve have quoted me £117 to fix with new caps and some small updates or £170 to replace the daughterboard completely.

Will have to have a think now

 

[Diggsy]

Are you handy with repairing electronics yourself?....

 

[Nightglow]

A lot of that £117 is labour,good caps like Pansonics FM capacitors don't cost that much,, there are only five 100uf 4v.
But,here is a pretty good chance that the problem will eventually reoccur.

And £170 for a daughterboard, you could buy something like a new Denon AVR-1312 for £150 or less.

 

[wodgah]

Yes I have been looking at the Denon 1312 and the Yamaha RXV371 , I don't think I will be buying another Onkyo product after this.

 

[Nightglow]

Yamaha RX-V371 has the edge in my opinion.

 

[SimonR]

Yes I have been looking at the Denon 1312 and the Yamaha RXV371 , I don't think I will be buying another Onkyo product after this.

I think that you are pretty harsh on Onkyo. At least GeServe will talk to you. Try dealing with Yamaha or Denon and I think that you will have farless joy.
Your amp is over 4 years old and you do not know if it has been thermally abused by its previous owner.
That said I don't think for an amp that age it is worth the cost of the repair. For another £100 you could buy something younger and better.
Yes Onkyo amps run hot, although my 1008 runs cooler than my 807 ever did, but they also pack an awful lot of bang for the buck.

 

[wodgah]

I think when you pay 500 + for an amp it should run more than a year beyond its warranty, you are correct in that I havent dealt with Yamaha or Denon but this doesnt change my opinion that Onkyo seem to have left this problem in their machines then expect the consumer to foot the bill after 2 years.

I previously had a Sony av receiver which worked perfectly for me for 4+ years this amp is not quite 3 years old and im now being told it will cost me what i paid for it to have it fixed.

I am not having a go an Genserve and maybe this is normal for the AV market and im just used to dealing with companies like Corsair etc in the pc sector.

 

[Castiel]

This is why I will never buy Onkyo again.......I had a pioneer that I sold on to a mate after 6 years of ownership and it's still going strong after a decade, I had a Yamaha that is also still going strong after 5 years....my current Yamaha has had no problems since I've owned it (just over a year) and the Onkyo I have, has been in the shop at least once a year since I've had it.

And the heat it puts out is nuts, at times you cannot actually touch the top as its too hot. Onkyo may pack put their products with features that cost more if you buy a Pioneer or Yamaha, but at least with the latter you get reliability. Features are not much cop if the unit doesn't work.

 

[SimonR]

The TX-SR606 was launched in June 2008 and was replaced in April 2009 so I am not sure how it is under 3 years old. That said it is disappointing when any electrical items fail in a relatively short period. My Denon first Denon Receiver lasted 3 months beyond its warranty before it went bang. My TX-NR807 was repaired twice under warranty. Denon treated my like dirt and basically told me tough and that is why I will never buy from them again, the Onkyo was also fairly unreliable but I feeel that I have been well treated by both Onkyo and GenServe.
It is all down to personal experience.

As for Pioneer or Yamaha being more reliable, I'd like to see the proof of this - or is it your own experience? I could point you in the direction of a major AV/HA installer in Stoke, who used to be a Yamaha main dealer and now wont touch them due to the high failure rate and difficulty getting Yamaha to undertake warranty repairs, he mainly installs Onkyo now. His choice based on his experience.

There are plenty of very happy Onkyo owners out there, whose amps and receivers last just as long as any of the other major brands.

 

[wodgah]

Well after spending the 2 days looking online I found somewhere selling a cheap entry level av receiver was going to get the denon 1312 but when i called them they suggested a sale product they had so ive ended up with a Sony STRDH820 which won the what hifi award last year for best receiver under 350 and I have had many Sony products before and have dealt with Sony and was please so sticking to what I know this time.

Also to answer the question about it being 3 years old i believe it was purchased online new from somewhere like richer sounds, I dont have a receipt showing it when it was purchased but the friend who i got it from informed me it was August time he was sure he got it.

I should also say I am not saying I dislike Onkyo now but given the choice between a brand you know and trust and one where the only experience you have is 1 item which had issues after 6 months most people would go back to what theyve trusted for a long time I think.

Either way thanks for the input everyone.

 

[SimonR]

Good luck with the purchase.

 

[james.miller]

There are plenty of very happy Onkyo owners out there, whose amps and receivers last just as long as any of the other major brands.

Like me, my 805 is 5 years old this month with no problems so far. It runs hot, yes, but then they all do. It's a myth that yamaha or sonys are any more reliable.

 

[Castiel]

The TX-SR606 was launched in June 2008 and was replaced in April 2009 so I am not sure how it is under 3 years old. That said it is disappointing when any electrical items fail in a relatively short period. My Denon first Denon Receiver lasted 3 months beyond its warranty before it went bang. My TX-NR807 was repaired twice under warranty. Denon treated my like dirt and basically told me tough and that is why I will never buy from them again, the Onkyo was also fairly unreliable but I feeel that I have been well treated by both Onkyo and GenServe.
It is all down to personal experience.

Who said it was under 3 years old....you just made that up...

Trouble is Onkyo don't recognise the excessive heat problem with the 606 which is the main cause of the board failure......mine has had 3 new boards now in just over 4 years....all repaired under warranty by Genserve.

I have never had any problem getting it fixed (5 year RS warranty) but it is unreliable, and the heat it kicks out is ridiculous...you will literally burn your hand on it if you touch the rear corner of the unit. Onkyo say this is within specification and what annoys me is that the HDMI daughter board gets replaced, and then a year or so later it needs replacing again....and then again. It has recently started acting up again...not onscreen menus, blue screen, HDMI handshake issues, so no doubt it will have to go back in sooner rather than later to have it done again. (which reminds me I better sort that out before the warranty expires). I can accept things go wrong from time to time, but not the same thing time after time.

As for Pioneer or Yamaha being more reliable, I'd like to see the proof of this - or is it your own experience? I could point you in the direction of a major AV/HA installer in Stoke, who used to be a Yamaha main dealer and now wont touch them due to the high failure rate and difficulty getting Yamaha to undertake warranty repairs, he mainly installs Onkyo now. His choice based on his experience.

I have never had a Yamaha or pioneer go wrong on me, however I have yet to have an Onkyo product that has lasted more than a year beyond its warranty. (two receivers, a DVD player and a stereo amp all had issues of one sort)

I could also point you to our local installer (Salisbury, Southampton, Weymouth and Portsmouth) who used to be an Onkyo main dealer and now won't touch them because out of all the 606s he sold, only two were never returned for repair....the same problems as mine had/has and the heat issues.

But it is my personal experience that informs my decision making rather than anything else.....

There are plenty of very happy Onkyo owners out there, whose amps and receivers last just as long as any of the other major brands.

No doubt, but not in my experience and I will never buy from them again, I would rather pay more for peace of mind (and better build quality) even if the service of Genserve is beyond reproach.

 

[SimonR]

I previously had a Sony av receiver which worked perfectly for me for 4+ years this amp is not quite 3 years old and im now being told it will cost me what i paid for it to have it fixed.

Apology accepted Castiel. Maybe next time you should read the full thread before throwing flames around.

 

[wodgah]

My point was mostly about the 606 and I think my problems are at least partially my fault, 10 minutes googling before I bought this receiver would have told me that it is one of the most problematic models around.
I have no experience of Onkyo other than the 606 and do not think they have bad service but when a unit I paid £150 for 6 months ago is going to cost me £170 to get repaired by them then it feels like time to buy another receiver.
I do not own thousands of pounds worth of av equipment all my gear has been purchased second hand and while the rx6 silver speakers i have and kef eggs for rears are nice and I did read about them the onkyo 606 I did a breif scan online and thought I had grabbed a bargain.
The new receiver I have purchased is from an online retailer I havent ever used before but I believe have decent rep and I got an open box price and the Sony STRDH820 which seems very well reviewed by what hifi who gave it an award and they recommended was my best bet to get sound similar in quality to my Onkyo.

I think its probably fair to say that everyone has different experiences with equipment but the 606 problem is common and is not something unknown (unless you are ignorant like I was).

I think what Simon and James have said (among others) is correct to their experience and I Castiel to his, I dont think its something to take personally.

Again thanks will let you know how the new receiver sounds today when it is delivered.

For the record the receiver was £215 delivered next day which not only beats richer sounds price but included next day delivery too, so I am hopeful that i did get a good deal.

 

[Hank_Marvin]

I have a 606 and I think it is now showing signs of hdmi handshake problems but thankfully only on one port so far.

I got it second hand 6 months ago for £75, I knew about the issues before purchase but for £75 I couldn't turn it down as worked fine and no great loss if it started.

If it gets worse I'll diy fix it with a youtube guide, seems pretty simple.


People buy faulty hdmi 606 on ebay for a fair whack, working ones still go for £150ish on there so will make your new purchase quite cheap.

 

[Castiel]

Apology accepted Castiel. Maybe next time you should read the full thread before throwing flames around.

I think you need to be more careful with who your addressing to in future in fairness....I was the poster directly above you, I was also the one who was being referred to in the majority of your post regarding the relative reliability of different brands, I also spoke about my Onkyo and the three repairs so far, (it seems that you need to take your own advice).....so why would I think you were referring to anyone else but me in your post?

It might be useful if you used the

facility, or at least make it clear that you are addressing more than one person.

Besides it is perfectly reasonable to think that the poster you were referencing has owned his 606 for 3 years, just because it is a former model doesn't mean you cannot buy it new (discounted) from retail outlets for a year or so after their replacement.

So no apology is warranted, not from me anyway.

 

[SimonR]

I was also the one who was being referred to in the majority of your post regarding the relative reliability of different brands, I also spoke about my Onkyo and the three repairs so far, (it seems that you need to take your own advice).....so why would I think you were referring to anyone else but me in your post?

I dont think so but if your own narcism or paranoia (not sure which) makes you think that you were the entire focus of my post then that is more a reflection of your personality than my post.

 

[wodgah]

Receiver arrived today, have set up and had a friend calibrate with his kit and so far it sounds great very pleased so far.