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Is my Onkyo Receiver toast?

I have an Onkyo HT-R290 Receiver, which I believe is low end. I know nothing of the internals, only that it works (or used to now).

Today I started by putting on some music, played from my phone through a 3.5mm - 2xRCA cable.

At first I didn't notice the problem, music was playing fine. But after about 20 minutes I had to turn it off. At the higher volumes - anything above 30 - I had a really strange noise coming from the speakers. The song plays fine, but it seems like any sound between 2000-8000 HZ is magnified. This results in a migraine causing noise, as if the volume was at 70 with those levels.

I tried diagnosing the problem myself, and here's what I tried:
- Disabled all equalizer, effects, additional audio options. Basically just the naked sound coming from the audio source.
- Switched to a different source... Streamed the music from my phone to my Chromecast (to eliminate the cable).
- Turned off all ESP, effects, etc from my phone as well.
- Took a 50ft long 3.5mm cable and went directly to my receiver from my PC in another room.

All of this done, I still have that annoying sound. I tried different songs, different artists, games, everything.

I'm not sure if it's the receiver or the speakers themselves, I have no other speakers to test the receiver with unfortunately.

I've added a recording using my phone, I'm unsure if it will be heard properly.

You can hear the noise I hear best when Brandon Boyd is singing, around 30-50 seconds in.

It's not as loud in the audio clip as it is in person.

http://www.filedropper.com/record0001
mpelley92
mpelley92 OP
2 posts
 
Thank you everyone for the replies. I have finally had time to take a look into it some more, I went to a tech shop and bought a 1/8 inch - 1/4 inch adapter, to plug in my headphones.

Step 1 - Plugged headphones directly into phone. Sound is perfect, no distortion.
Step 2 - Plugged headphones into front headphone jack using that adapter I just bought. Then plugged into the unit with my phone and played through receiver. The sound is an absolute mess. I can't even pick out the voice of Brandon Boyd (Incubus).

I also tried using my phone through Chomecast, to eliminate any issue with the cord to hook up the phone with.

I'm afraid going to a repair shop is not feasible. I live in a very wealthy town (even though I am not even close to being wealthy) in central Alberta, Canada. In this town, people throw things away that are broken and simply buy new. That brings up the price of repair to an unreasonable level. As an example, automotive repair is $165/hour labor.

If I am going to buy a new receiver, which one would you guys recommend with a $300 budget in mind? This particular receiver has lasted me only 2 years, which I am greatly disappointed by.
jl35
4,191 posts
 
sorry to hear that, my Onkyo receiver is going on 20 years with heavy daily use...do you need a receiver?  many good integrated amps in your price range...
mesch
3,530 posts
 
I am also sorry to here that, and recommend the integrated amp approach. If you wish to have a tuner, many are now available used, on line, pawn shops, elsewhere as people get away from FM radio. 
paraneer's avatar
paraneer
818 posts
 
No offense, but your Onkyo receiver was of very low quality and part of a HTIB system.  At what repair shops charge, these mass marketed units are not meant to be repaired but disposed of.  It's a sign of the times.

Long lasting quality still exists but not in the mainstream HT market.  And even those AVR's that last longer than two years are already obsolete with little to no resale value.  I would not recommend another AVR.

But if you must have an AVR, then look for a used one a few years old that has no issues.  Again ,they have no resale value and what was once a 1K AVR is now a hundred bucks or so.

If you don't need an AVR and want new with a warranty, get a 2 channel integrated amp like a Yamaha A-S301 or NAD C316 BEE.  You should find these slightly above your budget but they will last longer than 2 years.  And sound better too. 
mpelley92 OP
2 posts
 
>jl35 & mesch

Integrated amp? I’m not sure I know what you mean.

>paraneer

No offense taken. I bought it at the time because it was a cheap unit.

I do need an AVR, I have several HDMI sources I need to connect, and having them on an AVR to control with a remote is a requirement. if I cannot find a decent AVR, is there a separate unit I can use to control my video sources?

I really do like the older units. My father has one from the 70s, and paired with a turntable of the same decade, it is a marvelous thing to listen to. It’s the same equipment he used when he was in his late 20s.

I’m going to do some research on an AVR, or if there is an alternative I’m open to that.
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