Technics receiver center channel goes out at low volume

Archived from groups: rec.audio.tech (More info?)

Hi all,

Have a Technics home theater receiver. Have an intermittent problem
with center channel -- sometimes after turning on receiver will get no
sound from center channel, but it's possible to turn up the volume
until the center channel just comes on. I can then turn down the
volume and the center channel stays on.

Have checked speaker wire connections, even changed out the wire.
After a couple of searches on Google Groups, it sounds like it is a
"speaker protection relay" problem. Does that sound right? Is this
something that can be readily fixed with, say, a can of compressed air?
(There was quite a bit of dust over the ventilation grill...) If so,
are these things relatively easy to find inside the receiver?

Thanks in advance!

Archived from groups: rec.audio.tech (More info?)

Mark D. Zacharias wrote:
> "michael conner" <michael.conner@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:1125253797.657258.8120@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
>
>>Hi all,
>>
>>Have a Technics home theater receiver. Have an intermittent problem
>>with center channel -- sometimes after turning on receiver will get no
>>sound from center channel, but it's possible to turn up the volume
>>until the center channel just comes on. I can then turn down the
>>volume and the center channel stays on.
>>
>>Have checked speaker wire connections, even changed out the wire.
>>After a couple of searches on Google Groups, it sounds like it is a
>>"speaker protection relay" problem. Does that sound right? Is this
>>something that can be readily fixed with, say, a can of compressed air?
>>(There was quite a bit of dust over the ventilation grill...) If so,
>>are these things relatively easy to find inside the receiver?
>>
>>Thanks in advance!
>>
>
>
> Does sound like the relay for the center channel may be cutting out - or
> there may be a bad solder connection somewhere along the way from the output
> to the speaker connector at the rear of the unit.
>
> No, compressed air won't fix your problem, resoldering whatever bad
> connection or replacing the relay would. Some relays can be opened and
> serviced, but replacement (if possible) is better.
>
> Mark Z.
>
>
There are many of those recievers out there--with probably the same
relay--which have been trashed due to fried output chips. The chips
cost (along with labor cost associated with R&R) as much or more than
the entire receiver is worth. Any self-respecting landfill probably has
a couple of dozen.

OTOH, the OP doesn't sound like the sort of guy who can replace it
himself....

jak