Receiver shuts down after a message

I looked it up on-line.

Turn unit off. Then press and hold the power on button for 5 second or more. "Enter to clear" will display on the front panel. While it is displayed, press the enter key on front of the receiver.

TIC

I tried the 'enter to clear' process but after the 'memory clearing' message displays, it still flashes 'protector' then 'message 11' and powers off.

Well, I think you need to contact Sony. Here is a link to a site that list contact information. It will provide information on e-mail, live chat or web based support options. I would suggest e-mail or live Chat and I would be very up front with them concerning the cause and symptom of the issue. There may be a reset feature available to reset the protection circuit. If not, Sony usually provides a fixed price for repairs. When I enquired about a different ES receiver a couple of years ago, the repair cost was $125.

http://esupport.sony.com/perl/support-contacts.pl?template=EN

TIC

I just got off the phone with the tech person at the authorized Sony repair shop and he told me that he thought that the reciever had been dropped and that I needed a replacement board that was around $500. I bought this used ($350)so there is no warranty. Anyone have any suggestions? It doesn't seem to make sense to drop $500 into a repair.

Most of this type of receiver uses an integrated 15-18 pin SIP-M output device. Usually, they are in pairs - one for the "main" speakers, and another one (plus a discreet device) for "rear" and "center" channels. My best advice is to skip the Sony factory service, and find a compentent technician where you can drop it off and at least have it honestly evaluated. When items such as this come to my bench, if I feel it is too labor intensive to either find or repair the fault (not to mention replacement parts cost...not too bad if you are replacing components; really bad if you are replacing semi-obsolete boards) - I simply tell the person, "It's not worth fixing". Good luck.

-Richard