I got a got a s590s this week and have hooked it up with 16ga wire and Im getting major interference issues. Audio is hooked up via digital optical from an Xbox 360 and a HD cable box.

Im getting a bit of hum that I guess is a ground loop as well as some static that is bugging me to death. Since I live in a condo I cant crank the sound at night, and at low volume levels the hum and static overpower the sound coming from the speakers so its hard to hear whats going on.

What makes this wierder is it only happens in a surround mode (DD, DTS Neo, DPL2). While watching a movie if I change it to stereo output all the hum and static sounds go away and the L and R speakers sound awesome.

While in a surround mode if I unhook any of the front 3 speakers (center, FL, FR) I get the same effect, perfect sound from all the remaining speakers. For some reason I cant hook up all three of these at the same time without interference. Unhooking the sub or surround speakers doesnt do anything, I still get all the interference with those unhooked.


Some background info, I live in an older condo built in the late 60's early 70's with aluminum wire, I dont know how well the plug is grounded if at all, I had my uncle replace the outlet about a month ago, and he's an electrician so I would guess he would have noticed a problem. I do have a decent power strip which is supposed to block interference, but its obviously not doing the trick.

The wires do pass by some power cords, but not excessivly.

Any help would be appreciated, Im losing my mind here.

Mine did the EXACT same thing when I tried to change to 16 gauge wire. I have the S590s as well.

I changed it back to the wire it came with and now I have no buzzing or interference.

I occasionally get a buzz in the modes you mentioned the first 5 seconds I turn on the receiver, but that goes away completely once the receiver is on those 5 seconds. That's using the twist tie wire it comes with. I doubt the 16 gauge does much good for a small system like this. To me, it sounds awesome with the regular wire. I actually got it to work with the 16 gauge wire, but the interference was too intermittent.

It seems the 16 gauge wire is perhaps too much of an upgrade for this system and the buzz is the result.

The strange thing is, even with the 16 gauge wire, it would stop buzzing completely one you started the DVD player and sound came out. It was completely gone, not just overpowered by the music or movies playing in the DVD player. I know this because the buzzing is always the same volume and even when I put my receiver volume on 1, there was no buzzing when the DVD player was playing.

It's as if once sound started coming out of the speakers, the interference stopped.

Like I said, I switched back to the wire it came with and have no issues, just a small buzz right when I turn the receiver on.

someone I know told me to loosen the two screws on the back of the reciever itself next to the speaker connectors, two turns on each screw to loosen the connections up and no more interference at all, everything is crystal clear. Man, is it awesome sounding.

My only concern is damaging the system, is there any chance this could do harm?

How incidental! I came online to ask about this very problem. I upgraded all my wire to 16 gauge today and shazam, LOUD hum....just as described.

Why would the two screws get rid of it I wonder?

OK. I can also confirm this problem. I have the 590S and recently had it hooked up temporarily with the factory wire. I went to the store and bought 16g wire. I connected all speakers with the new wire. 12 ft for the front, left, right, and sub, each. 45 ft through the walls for the surrounds, each. Guess what! I got the buzz! This is clearly a known issue with this system. Can anyone comment on using 18g wire?

Try the trick with unscrewing the rear screws a turn or two...worked like a charm for me.

I think unscrewing anything would be a bad idea. I would contact Onkyo about this problem before trying to fix it.

I spent a good portion of my morning on July 3rd investigating this problem. Indeed, the screws affect the hum. I could loosen the screws and greatly reduce the hum. However, the hum was still there. The best way to here the hum is to mute the system, put your ear by the front speakers and listen. If the hum is there, you will hear it. If not, it will be dead silent. You can also experiment with the system turned ON. Notice, how if you gently turn the screws, the hum changes/ appears/ disappears. Notice how, if you gently apply pressure to the speaker connector block (towards the inside of the case), the hum disappears.

I'm not an expert, but I believe that this is an odd ground loop problem. If the speaker connector block is grounded to the chassis, the hum appears, I think. There is a small piece of metal (on the connector block and inside the unit) that the screw pulls tight aganist the chassis. I don't believe that this metal or the screw can be tight against the chassis.

SO, I opened up my Onkyo reciever and installed some spacers to prevent the speaker terminals from ever grounding to the chassis. The hum is now COMPLETELY gone. I made the spacers by simply folding over some electrical tape. Now, I'm using the 16 gauge wire and there is absolutely no hum.

See the attached photo.

I would not be afraid to do this. The screws only stabilize the speaker connector block. I can't imagine how this would damage the reciever. However, I have contacted Onkyo for an official response on this problem.

I had said problem when I went to 16 AWG. I changed *one speaker* my left front back to the original speaker wire, and it fixed my problem.

I spent a good portion of my morning on July 3rd investigating this problem. Indeed, the screws affect the hum. I could loosen the screws and greatly reduce the hum. However, the hum was still there. The best way to here the hum is to mute the system, put your ear by the front speakers and listen. If the hum is there, you will hear it. If not, it will be dead silent. You can also experiment with the system turned ON. Notice, how if you gently turn the screws, the hum changes/ appears/ disappears. Notice how, if you gently apply pressure to the speaker connector block (towards the inside of the case), the hum disappears.

I'm not an expert, but I believe that this is an odd ground loop problem. If the speaker connector block is grounded to the chassis, the hum appears, I think. There is a small piece of metal (on the connector block and inside the unit) that the screw pulls tight aganist the chassis. I don't believe that this metal or the screw can be tight against the chassis.

SO, I opened up my Onkyo reciever and installed some spacers to prevent the speaker terminals from ever grounding to the chassis. The hum is now COMPLETELY gone. I made the spacers by simply folding over some electrical tape. Now, I'm using the 16 gauge wire and there is absolutely no hum.

See the attached photo.

I would not be afraid to do this. The screws only stabilize the speaker connector block. I can't imagine how this would damage the reciever. However, I have contacted Onkyo for an official response on this problem.Great info. Please let us know what Onkyo says about this issue. Emphasize this is not confined to just a few people. I've heard it a lot after reading a little.

I would do this fix, but I'd rather just use the wire it came with than risk opening the thing up. It works fine with the regular speaker wire, so I'm not going to mess with it.

RE: I have contacted Onkyo for an official response on this problem.

Don't hold your breath! Several days ago I used the comment feature on their website to ask about the same issue and have yet to hear back.

Bill

Hey everyone.....I put my Onkyo 590S together last night using 16 gauge wire and I had the same problem only the noise I got was a hissing/beeping noise. Very strange that it happend only when trying to use one of the surround modes. Using 2 channel stereo sounded fine. As soon as I changed the wire to the wires provided (yes they are pretty thin) the noise went away. Can this harm the reciever/speakers. Seems to be alright I also found that to get any "beef" out of this system you need the volume above 30. Does anyone else find that 30 or less is really quiet? Seems with a top volume of 75 that 30 should be louder than it is.

qwerty69,

I've found the upper end of the volume scale more than adequate, unless you really want to blow yourself away. Have you tried increasing the dB level through the advanced settings described in the manual?

I found that replacing just one of the speaker wires with the original wire solved the noise problem. That way, at least five out of six of the speakers have a higher quality (in my case, Monster brand) wire.

Hope you enjoy your system!

Bill

Yes, I can confirm that the buzz/ hiss/ whatever only occurs in the surround modes. It also never occured with regular stereo.

I typically have to listen to my stereo between 35 and 45. Anything less on the volume is just too little.

OK guys, I've put a call into Onkyo and a guy is going to test it in their lab. He said he has a 590s he can set up and try a higher gauge wire. I'm supposed to get a call back today or tomorrow morning.

I'll let you guys know what he says.

I am really interested to see what he comes up with. I know this is a definite problem with this system now that so many people have confirmed it. If you've had this problem, please let us know so we can get some kind of consensus and perhaps get Onkyo to do something about it.

I mean, with the existing speakers, it's fine to use the thin wire it comes with. However, if you ever want to upgrade your speakers and continue using the receiver, you'll want to upgrade the wire. I think I'm not alone when I say that I bought the 590s because it had a decent receiver that I could use in the future. If this is going to happen, I don't feel I can use the receiver in the feature very effectively since I have to use their crappy wire.

SO, I opened up my Onkyo reciever and installed some spacers to prevent the speaker terminals from ever grounding to the chassis. The hum is now COMPLETELY gone. I made the spacers by simply folding over some electrical tape. Now, I'm using the 16 gauge wire and there is absolutely no hum.

See the attached photo.

I would not be afraid to do this. The screws only stabilize the speaker connector block. I can't imagine how this would damage the reciever. However, I have contacted Onkyo for an official response on this problem.

Thanks, AquamanA! I implemented your fix, except that I used small rectangles of plastic cut from an old credit card as the spacers between the speaker connector block and the chassis. I also tightened the screws on the outside to pull the chassis tight against the speaker connector block so that the spacers don't fall out.

As for other fixes, I noticed that switching out the left front speaker wire from 16 gauge back to the stock wire also fixed the buzzing problem.

Thanks, AquamanA! I implemented your fix, except that I used small rectangles of plastic cut from an old credit card as the spacers between the speaker connector block and the chassis. I also tightened the screws on the outside to pull the chassis tight against the speaker connector block so that the spacers don't fall out.

As for other fixes, I noticed that switching out the left front speaker wire from 16 gauge back to the stock wire also fixed the buzzing problem. Well, it's great that it works, but that's total **** if you have to do that.

I'm going to try to get my money back or a different receiver. It's just unacceptable that I would have to risk opening the thing up and voiding my warranty.

The guy didn't call me back today, (I'm shocked) so I'll have to call and bitch tomorrow. It looks like I'll be asking for my money back...

By the way, I don't care if it's an "easy" fix or whatever. "Not a big deal" blah blah. To me, it is. I want something that works perfectly out of the box so I have no problems down the line or any **** to worry about later. I'd rather get my money back and buy a product I know doesn't have crap engineering.

any news TransAmLS1 ?

I talked to the guy at Onkyo yesterday and he said he has contacted Onkyo in Japan to get an answer on this. Apparently, someone else has called the same person I talked to about this problem. The guy at Onkyo Tech Support said he experienced the same buzzing when he upgraded the speaker wire.

The guy said he would call me when he gets a response from Onkyo. I got his direct number in case he doesn't call...

I just started having the same problem the last few days. It happened just after I hooked up my Butt Kickers. I thought that the amp from the Kickers was interfering with it but thats not the case. I have it hooked up with 16 ga wire that is wired threw the walls so trying the wire that came with it is not an option. Mine worked great for 2 months with this set up so its seems odd that all of sudden it will not work with the 16 ga. When I get home tonight I will try loosening the screws. I was thinking that the (thicker wire) when tightened up is pulling the wiring block against the housing and grounding it out this would explain why the thinner wire does not cause the buzzing.

This sucks. They still have not called me. If you want to call the tech department directly, their number is 201-785-2387.

It might do some good to call them so they know it's a widespread problem.

Found my problem last night. It turns out it was the composit cable I had running from the amp to the dvd player. I have it set up this way to run a second set of speakers in the game room. Now Im not if it is the dvd player or the cable. It worked fine with the old Panasonic dvd player. If I only had the composit cable hooked up it was fine it was when I plugged the video feed into it that I got the humming. It did not matter if it was S-Video or HDMI. I was thinking of taking back the Tosh DVD player and trying another one.

Welp, we're getting the big ignore from Onkyo and their "technical" team. He was supposed to call me back with an answer over a week ago and I've heard nothing.

Basically, there probably won't be a resolution to this problem and we'll just have to deal with it.

I basically want my money back for the product now, because I'm pissed and they aren't even helping in the least. I think we deserve an answer or some kind of compensation if one of their main selling points is an receiver that is good enough for upgraded speakers down the line. That was a main reason I bought this system. I liked the receiver and I knew I could upgrade the speakers later if I wanted. Since I can't upgrade the tiny wire, upgrading the speakers seems kind of dumb.

I am experiencing this same issue, but worse. I am getting an actual radio station. It only happens on format switches, like DD to PLII. Which doesn't sound that bad, but when it happens on channel flips it is a pain. All audio connection are digital fiber, but do have 14 AWG speaker cables hooked up.

I think there are two problems people are experiencing. The first is a standard ground loop, where a 60Hz buzz and white scrolling bands would be apparent constantly, but vary in intensity. The other is some sort of strange interference issue. I can actually hear what the guy is saying on the radio.

Any word from Onkyo TransAmLS1? I will try the spacing issue and report back.

No word. They basically told me I need to take it to an "authorized service dealer" to have them look at it under warranty. Those ****ers are no help.

My advice to any of you is to call the number I provided in this thread and bitch more.

Spacing with electrical tape worked. I think this unit was closer to a radio tower than the rest of you, so it had additional symptoms. It also could have been because of the 14 awg cable. This is a nice package for short money, too bad about this little issue and Onkyo's failure to address it. Thanks for the help.

I did the tape thing too and upgraded to 16 AWG with no issues. I guess it's fine for now, but I'm still pissed off at Onkyo and won't be buying anything else from them. The next receiver will be Harman Kardon.

So I lied, the issue is now intermittent. What a pain. It even causes some scrolling in the video. I have some quick connect terminations on the front channels, so my next move is to remove those and shave the wire down to 16awg. This is very frustrating.

Hi everyone
I just installed my new HTS590S HTIB system It works great ...I used the wires given in a box and works great also Try changing the DB level of each speaker ...Its preety easy ..Belive me Its a classic system watched T2 class effect (DD)...Make sure u increase the DB levels than what it came with ...Other than that feel free to ask questions..
Thanks

Try changing the wire and listen to the buzz.

I've the 590s too, using the stock wire for most speakers. It seems if you tin the wire ends, it makes them larger; with just bare twisted stranded wire, it's smaller in the jack. I used 20ga, non tinned, and it's smaller in the jack then stock.
Another question I have is about the remote, where's the codes to control the other devices? The 790's manual has them on the last 3 pages, the 590 doesn't? And where's the VCR, TV modes like the 790's???
CDR, MD what the hells that useful for?
Mike

This remote doesn't have codes. You can control other devices from Onkyo (DVD, CD, TAPE, Etc.) but they have to be Onkyo Components. It isn't code specific.

I picked up a OneForAll Remote (model 8910) from Amazon for $16 works great.

Got mine HT-S-590 couple of months ago, well it seems i'm the only lucky guy on this forum, whose system works perfectly from the day of purchase, regardless of wire changes or interferencies. Yes it works. Took me quite some time to figure out the optimal speaker-crossover settings and the best sub position in the room for optimal bass response. No such stuff as hissing or krackling from the speakers,wired by the way with the same 16 gauge wire as most of you guys used. Receiver settings for the speakers "small", crossover is set at 150-200KHZ.

I got mine in June.

I changed to 16 AWG, but had to change the left front back to the stock, to make buzzing (on all speakers) go away. Changing juts the one speaker cable back to stock made it crystal clear again.

For what I paid (like $140 after rebates $100 CC credit, etc.) it was a bargain. I think it's even worth the $300 retail. HD shows sound almost as good as they look now. I know people say these HTIB systems aren't very good, but it sure is an improvement over TV speakers.

I got mine a little more than a month ago. For 3 weeks, I used only the front right, front left, center and base because I was struggling with a way of how to wire the rear speakers that would meet my wife's approval. I used Monster 14 gauge that was on clearance at Target (the only way I would ever buy Monster btw). I've had no problems at all. In fact it's been beautiful!

When I got to wiring up the rears I used Acoustic Research 16 guage wire. Everything's been fine until last night when I loaded the V for Vendetta DVD. "What is that whine and crackling noise?!!" From the rear speakers only with yep, the 16 guage wire. Since I've found this thread I'll try the screw fix when I get home tonight and report how it went.

This is my first HTIB and I really like it. It completely blows away the Bose Cinemate I was thinking of getting and it's half the price. Kinda sucks what I read about Onkyo's support practice though.

So far the only setup I've done is sat down in the "sweet spot" and using the test tones, I adjusted the volume of each speaker so they sounded like they were the same volume. I also adjusted the distance of each speaker to that location.

This leads me to a question about what DIMAN75 said about setting speaker size to small and adjusting crossover. I read about that in the manual but what does doing that do? Thanks for any help on that.

Lampy

I'm never getting married. The wife factor sounds horrible.

So maybe 16 guage wire is the culprit? I highly doubt 14 is fine while 16 makes it buzz...

I tried everything and until I opened the receiver and installed the spacers, I got buzz no matter what wire I used. The only time it wouldn't is when I used the supplied 22 gauge. I tried countless 16 gauge wires, I tried 18, and even tried some 14. All gave me buzz.

I hated this thing and considered starting over and taking the $250 loss or whatever I paid in May. I was going to just store it and sell it later or use it as an auxiliary system.

Since I fixed it with the tape spacers, I have had no buzz and I'm actually very happy with it. I've since upgraded the speakers to the Velodyne CHT Front Row system and also got a JBL sub. So, I probably should have started from scratch, but I used it for about 3-4 months as it came. Essentially, I paid too much for the receiver, but I'll sell my Onkyo speakers or use them in another room down the line. They don't sound that bad and I'm not just going to give them away. I'm storing them for now and continuing to use the provided receiver without issue.

Overall, I'm happy with my setup, but I'll never buy Onkyo again. There are other companies with quality products and their service can't be any worse. I have a bad taste in my mouth from Onkyo, so my next receiver will be Harmon Kardon or Yamaha.

I bought my 790 back in May but our basement has taken LONGER to finish than expected (don't they always) and I'll finally be hooking it all up this week. It looks like I might have lucked out by accident with my wiring.
accident 1) i ordered 18gauge by accident,thought i was ordering 16...
accident 2) the speaker location to the AV cabinet was close enough for the front and center speakers to use the included wired, the 4 rear speakers I had to use my purchased 18guage. From what I read this might on it's own solve the hum sound. If not I 'll do the tape thing on the inside. Can anyone share a picture of what they did as a guide?
on the wife thing... It's all worth it... and we usually cause them a whole heck of a lot more trouble then they us.. <grin>

I was thinking about picking up the s590 (refurb) from shoponkyo for my new apartment as a starter HT setup.

The buzz worries me especially sicne the refurb doesnt come with any wire to begin with.

Any experience with the refurb units emitting this buzz?

Sorahl,

Post #8 in this exact thread is the best we've got regarding pictures of the tape fix. Credit to AquamanA.

Good luck with it. I hope to have mine "fixed" by the weekend and I'll let you all know how it went.

Lampy

I bought my 790 back in May but our basement has taken LONGER to finish than expected (don't they always) and I'll finally be hooking it all up this week. It looks like I might have lucked out by accident with my wiring.
accident 1) i ordered 18gauge by accident,thought i was ordering 16...
accident 2) the speaker location to the AV cabinet was close enough for the front and center speakers to use the included wired, the 4 rear speakers I had to use my purchased 18guage. From what I read this might on it's own solve the hum sound. If not I 'll do the tape thing on the inside. Can anyone share a picture of what they did as a guide?
on the wife thing... It's all worth it... and we usually cause them a whole heck of a lot more trouble then they us.. <grin>I haven't heard about a hum/buzz issue for the 790. That set has a component video problem.

The 590 has a problem with the buzzing.

Greetings everyone...another newbie here :) I just bought the Onkyo 790 7.1 HTIB and am experiencing the same humming noise you guys spoke about in the 590 models. I actually tried the "two turns of the screw" trick but it didn't resolve the problem. I next went to, I believe it was Aquaman's suggestion about using spacers between the chassis and speaker block located inside the reciever. The picture you offered was good but unfortunately it's not applicable to the 790 reciever. I thought about trying it anyway but...did you remove the entire block from the chassis and place electrical tape spacers all along the block? or just on each end? At any rate my frustration is mounting and it's such a bummer to buy something new and have problems with it right out the box Thanks guys any help would be appreciated

Hello everyone,

I'm posting my results of the spacer fix. Short answer: It wasn't 100% successful for me. I'll admit that it did help and I'm grateful for the idea.

Long answer: The crackling is gone but there is still a high pitch whine, however it's less noticable than before. I think the problem is, I didn't do it quite right . I think I need to roll the electrical tape a bit thicker. What I did was loosen the screws on the block just enough to wedge the tape in and then I didn't quite tighten the screws up all the way.

I'll be the first to admit I'm not an electronics DIY'er. I'll mess with it again tonight.

Lampy

Hi I just got this HTIB today and hooked it up. Its my first HTIB ever, and I got the humming noise with larger wiring. Went back to OEM wires and it works fine, but now I have a problem with the optical cutting out. It will play a 5.1 steam for about 30 secs, then sound cuts out a second, then the whole sound dies. I have to reset the receiver to get sound back, and the problem loops. Anyone have any ideas?

Well I exchanged the receiver and it seems to beworking fine with stock wiring and etc. Ill just run this for now

Thanks a lot Onkyo.

Hi everyone,

I'm back with an update about my tape fix. Attempted it again last night rolling the tape thicker and placing the pieces more in line with how AuquamanA had it in his pic. I'm happy to say it worked! I've got dead silence now in all the modes where there was noise before.

Yeah, it stinks it had to be done in the first place. Yeah, it stinks that Onkyo isn't doing anything about it but I'm happy now and overall, I really like the receiver. Maybe just because it's my first one though.

My pet theory is Onkyo didn't want people to get so much quality out of their introduction or low end system. Because after the fix, and with the 14 and 16 guage wires, I don't see a need to pay for a more expensive system. For my living room, and my needs, I feel like I ripped them off (suckers!) with the quality of sound I get for the price I paid! :D

Lampy

Haha, nice theory. I must say, I'm happy with mine after the hack job fix.

That's definatly something to think about. Purposely implenting a design flaw so that people will upgrade lo, I doubt it though. I've got the HT-S580 which is the previous version to the 590. Same receiver without component hookups and the humming issue. I've had it about a year and fom the day I got it I've been amazed at the sound quality and power of this receiever. Now the speakers and sub left alot to be desired as all htibs do and they have already departed via the Ebay highway and been upgraded to Athena.

I was looking for a second budget system for another room after I finished upgrading the speakers and sub on this one and brought seveal different receivers home for a side by side comparison including the Pioneer VSX-516 and the Panasonic XR-55 and to me this htib receiver sounds much better.

Out of pure curiosity and a completely newbie question. If anything above the stock wire causes it it buzz, why use it? I know there is a reason but I have no idea why.

thanks

Out of pure curiosity and a completely newbie question. If anything above the stock wire causes it it buzz, why use it? I know there is a reason but I have no idea why.

thanks

If you're meaning why use anything above the stock wire?
The wire that comes with this and most htib systems is very cheap and thin. Think about a bread twister on a loaf of bread and that's about it. Upgrading to a thicker guage gives less resistance between the receiver and speakers, normally this would only matter at very long distances but since the wire is so crappy and thin to start out with it makes a difference no matter what distance.

I bought a refurbished HT-S590 about a week ago ($150 shipped from shoponkyo<dot>com; I could not pass it up) and I am happy to report there is no buzzing/interference. I am using 16 AWG wire on all 6 channels. :)

I just bought the s590 on ebay for $200 shipped before I stumbled on this site. Hope everything works ok. If you bought new 14 guage wire instead of 16 would it be any better? I assume thats what comes with it 14 guage. First system

I just bought the s590 on ebay for $200 shipped before I stumbled on this site. Hope everything works ok. If you bought new 14 guage wire instead of 16 would it be any better? I assume thats what comes with it 14 guage. First system

It doesn't come with anything close to 16ga wire. My best guess would be 24ga or higher. Think of a bread twister on a loaf of bread that's basically what it is.

If you're going to upgrade the wire don't go 14ga. 16 is as large as you want to go. The terminals on that receiver won't accept anything larger than 16. I've got the 580 which is the system the 590 replaced and tried to use 14, I made it work but it's very hard to fit(tight) 16 is much better.

Hi I just got this HTIB today and hooked it up. Its my first HTIB ever, and I got the humming noise with larger wiring. Went back to OEM wires and it works fine, but now I have a problem with the optical cutting out. It will play a 5.1 steam for about 30 secs, then sound cuts out a second, then the whole sound dies. I have to reset the receiver to get sound back, and the problem loops. Anyone have any ideas?

I am having this same problem. The 5.1 sound will start to get choppy and then it will completely cut out. I bought the refurb unit from shoponkyo. Is the return/exchange a hassle at all? Will they send me a new unit first or will I have to send mine back? If it's the latter, do I have to pay for shipping? I'm assuming shipping will be at least $40 for this 60 pound box...

Well, well, well...thank goodness for this forum. My recently purchased Onkyo 590 with the hum had about driven me nuts until I found this thread.

I unscrewed the two screws on the back of the receiver two turns as suggested in an earlier post and VIOLA - fixed! I now love my system.

Thank you all for your posting on this subject, it is very appreciated!

I just bought a HT-S590 from shoponkyo-dot-com and am having the same problems.

I called up Onkyo (201-785-2600) and they are aware of the problem. They said they will either replace the system at no cost to me, or give me a credit back on my card. I didn't hear a specific dollar amount for the credit, but I opted to get the system replaced. They are sending me a prepaid shipping label, and then I have to ship the entire system back.

Just giving everyone a heads up. If nothing else, maybe you can get some extra money back

The 'tape spacer' trick outlined by TransAmLS1 worked wonders and took less then 10 mins ... way worth the effort for the system to get it fixed ... would have taken longer to return and get my money back.

HUGE THANKS to TransAmLS1 for posting the idea and the image.

All the best,

Robert

The 'tape spacer' trick outlined by TransAmLS1 worked wonders and took less then 10 mins ... way worth the effort for the system to get it fixed ... would have taken longer to return and get my money back.

In case you are wondering, I hadn't even upgraded or changed the wire but just clipped the ends and NOT soldered again ... just the extra strands caused the ground loop to happen ... this is clearly a design flaw but the 'tape spacer' trick worked for me too.

HUGE THANKS to TransAmLS1 for posting the idea and the image.

All the best,

Robert

Well I got my HTiB setup the other day and spent this afternoon hooking up the 16ga wire. As soon as the sub was hooked up the buzz started. I expected it so I wasn't disappointed. Followed the great advice here and so far I turned the screw beside the sub connections about 1/8 turn and the buzz immediately went away. For anyone wondering if you can tell when it goes away. It's pretty instant. It's either there or it's not. Mine didn't fade away it was just on or off. I'm going to try this for a couple of days and see if the buzz appears. If so I'll install spacers. No biggie to me. I expected it going in but am glad there was a resolution in place I knew about before I stumbled upon it.

Thanks everyone for the advice and Merry Christmas!!!


edit: Ok I lied :)

After screwing the cover back on the buzz came back. Took it apart, installed the spacers. Viola! Buzz gone. Back in the entertainment center and sounds great. Thanks again.

I was reading this entire thread :
Ok boys here is the answer to all your questions on the buzzing or humming.

GROUND LOOP!!!!!!!!!!
Do a search and you will see the answer to the problem which comes from either the cable tv wire coming into the home or even a sattelite ground problem,so look it up to resolve this common problem....

Here is my story. I got my first S590 in November and called for a replacement because of the buzz problem. Then I got my second system in December before Christmas and guess what? The buzz and hum are still there. I am just wondering, should I called again and ask for another replacement, or just open the box and insert a spacer? If I open the receiver, I probably need to break the seal and no warranty any more. Return? It is really big and heavy.

Evidently every one has the problem. My unit, albeit refurbished, did not have any seal to break. Two screws on the back and two screws on each side. Top lifts off. All you have to do is loosen the two screws on the very back beside the speaker connections and insert a spacer on each side. Should take you 10 minutes tops. Very easy!

Just got my refurbed 590 and it has a bad cracking sound on the right channel even if the volume is all the way down you can still hear it. I would assume that the unit is bad. It does it no matter what input is on.

called onkyo- THey said no problem with returning it they are sending a shipping label, Either full refund or they would send another unit, very easy no hassle at all.

I have a refurbished system. I have noticed buzz from front and center speakers. After trying a lot of things like re-connecting, connecting with another wire, finally I have re-wind the screws at the speaker connections. Buzz is gone now. It is sounding good now.

I just bought the 590 and seem to have the same problem. I'm not very techy with this stuff and had a friend hook it up. I tried to click on the image provided in a post and didn't have any luck opening the photo(its probably me). Can you give me a quick step by step on how you did this with the screws???

It works!!! The second we turned the screw the sound went away. We did put some tape for spacing and it works perfect. Its too bad you need to go thru this to get a product to work, not going to up grading with Onkyo anytime soon....

Just hooked up my Onkyo S590 with 16 AWG speaker wire, sounds great, no problems.

what is 16g wire?

what is 16g wire?

ga in speaker wire is the tickness of the cable. as the numbers go down the thickness goes up. 14ga is thicker than 16 and 12 is thicker than both. For the 590 system don't go any larger than 16 ga because it's to thick to get in the spring terminals. I've done it with 14 but it was a pain and I wouldn't recommend it. 16 is fine.

Does anyone know how much better the sound is on the HT-S790 when configured as a 5.1 system versus the sound on a HT-S590?

This would be for a 12' x 18' room with 7' ceiling

I see where the prices are dropping on the 590 and increasing on the 790 in the past several weeks.

Do you gain lots pf quality sound going to 16G wire? This is my first 5.1 system and not sure I could ever hear the upgrade in wire????

I would use the wire that came with the system for awhile then after you have used it and found no problems (buzzing, etc.) you could try the 16G and hear the difference for yourself. There has been a past issue with this system buzzing after upgrading the wire.

Do you gain lots pf quality sound going to 16G wire? This is my first 5.1 system and not sure I could ever hear the upgrade in wire????

I would also suggest using the supplied wire for a while so "you yourself" can see the difference. I did this using the original wire for a few weeks and when I upgraded I noticed an immiediate increase in sound quality. I didn't have to listen twice or reguess or move around the room, it was there. Now it wasn't an earthshattering difference but for a $20 speaker wire upgrade I consider it money very well spent.

I never used the wire in the box (which is 22 AWG I believe), I set it up with 16 from the get go.

While I'm not really an audiophile, I consider myself pickier than the average person when it comes to sound quality, and I'm extremely impressed with the S590. It blew away my expectations. I was a little worried about the passive subwoofer before hooking it up, but after hearing it it is certainly loud and deep enough for me.

Some day I may get something better, but this ought to last me for the next few years.

So perhaps this was plaguing older systems, and Onkyo has been fixing the problem.

While I'm not really an audiophile, I consider myself pickier than the average person when it comes to sound quality, and I'm extremely impressed with the S590. It blew away my expectations. I was a little worried about the passive subwoofer before hooking it up, but after hearing it it is certainly loud and deep enough for me.

How high do you have the volume at where you feel the sub is loud enough? Just curious because I tend to have it at around 30-35 and I can barely hear it at all. If I crank it up, I can finally hear it booming, but at those low sound levels, there's barely any sound coming out. I tried messing with the settings, but it doesn't really help.

Another thing I thought was weird was that recently the volume on the receiver will go up by itself. At first I thought it was the wii remote since it only happened when I was playing, but I covered the whole front of the unit and the volume still goes up. I find myself having to lower the volume every 15 minutes or so. Anybody else encounter this problem?

Set the crossover at 200Hz and sub at +12 and listen to the sub. Is there a difference? And put he sub in the corner if possible.Only these settings can help you to make this passive sub to produce bass.

Is there something somewhere or someone here that could explain how the crossover works?

I just got this unit hooked up with my new Vizio set-up and and just started having troubles with it. It was working fine yesterday, and all of a sudden, the sound started cutting in and out. I purchesed it refurbed from accessories4less. I have my Motorola dvr and my Panasonic dvd player plugged into the 2 optical inputs, and a Wii hooked up via component and analog audio. It doesn't seem to be affecting the Wii, just the DVD and Cable box.

I have the Cable box off while the dvd player is running, and vice versa and the sound is still cutting in and out, sporatically. It'll do it for 20 minutes, then be fine for 4 hours. I used the included speaker wire except for the right rear surround speaker. The included wasn't long enough, so I spliced some 16ga wire to the end of the original wire. I purchased the 3 year warranty from Accessories4less, and know it came with 1 year from Onkyo. Would it be best to contact Onkyo or the vendor? I see from some posts that Onkyo will send a shipping label, and I really don't want to pay $60 to ship this puppy back. Any help would be sincerely appreciated.

Regards,
Chris

If it's still in the return policty phase of the retailer, First I would call onkyo to see if they have any ideas about what it could be, not necessarly to return it, if they can't solve the problem call acc4less and check on a return for exchange. They are great people to deal with and you shouldn't be out return shipping if it's in the reatilers return policy period. If for some reason they won't pay return shipping call onkyo back, it just takes longer shipping time through them but you can get it exchanged eather way.

I would also try getting rid of your spliced wire, could be shorting at the spice, it's generally not a good idea to splice unless it's absolutly necessary and speaker wire is pretty cheap.

Set the crossover at 200Hz and sub at +12 and listen to the sub. Is there a difference? And put he sub in the corner if possible.Only these settings can help you to make this passive sub to produce bass.

Thanks, that's a little better. I guess I shouldn't complain too much about it though since I don't want the neighbors to complain.

If it's still in the return policty phase of the retailer, First I would call onkyo to see if they have any ideas about what it could be, not necessarly to return it, if they can't solve the problem call acc4less and check on a return for exchange. They are great people to deal with and you shouldn't be out return shipping if it's in the reatilers return policy period. If for some reason they won't pay return shipping call onkyo back, it just takes longer shipping time through them but you can get it exchanged eather way.

I would also try getting rid of your spliced wire, could be shorting at the spice, it's generally not a good idea to splice unless it's absolutly necessary and speaker wire is pretty cheap.

Thanks a lot Jakeman! I called Onkyo and they had me reset the receiver. (I held down the video 1 button on the unit, and pressed power). So far, so good. Thanks again for the fast reply.

Is there something somewhere or someone here that could explain how the crossover works?

The Subwoofer forum has several threads devoted to crossovers.

The Subwoofer forum has several threads devoted to crossovers.

Great thanks. I'll search around.

Here's a little update to my situation. I called Onkyo on Monday and they had me reset it. Things were working perfectly until Tuesday night. The sound started cutting in and out during Veronica Mars. I reset the unit again, and 10 minutes later sound was cutting in and out. I put in a call to accessories4less, and they had a FedEx label emailed to me within 10 minutes! Talk about great service.

I was able to send just the receiver back, and I'm hoping my replacement will perform flawlessly. The problem has happened at such random times, my fear is they won't find anything wrong with it and send it back to me as is. Hopefully the tests they put it through will be enough and they'll discover a problem with the unit. Based on feedback from Onkyo and Accessories4less, it sounds like it must be the receiver, and not the speakers or cables. This has only been noticed with my cable and dvd, which are both hooked up via optical cable. I have not noticed this with my Wii, which is connected via analog. However, I definately watch more movies/tv than game, so who knows.

Time will tell.

I purchased a used s590 from Ebay. It had the hissing sound, so the tape and loosening of the screws has worked so far.
I have a couple of other questions, since it did not come with a manual or a remote control.

- Is everyone recommending 16 gauge wire?
- Does this unit normally come with wall or ceiling mounts for the surround speakers? If not, does anyone have a recommendation on what to use?
- Has anyone had luck with a universal remote to operate this system?

Thanks ... I really appreciated the loosening screw technique!!

I purchased a used s590 from Ebay. It had the hissing sound, so the tape and loosening of the screws has worked so far.
I have a couple of other questions, since it did not come with a manual or a remote control.

- Is everyone recommending 16 gauge wire?
- Does this unit normally come with wall or ceiling mounts for the surround speakers? If not, does anyone have a recommendation on what to use?
- Has anyone had luck with a universal remote to operate this system?

Thanks ... I really appreciated the loosening screw technique!!

- "Is everyone recommending 16 gauge wire?"

16 ga is the largest that will fit in the spring type speaker clips on that unit so yes if you're upgrading(recommened), go with 16. I have tried 14 with it because I already had some and it did work but you have to twist the wires end very tight, almost till your fingers bleed(not recommened) go with 16. Home depot or lowes is about the best places, it's around $20 per 100 ft.

- "Does this unit normally come with wall or ceiling mounts for the surround speakers? If not, does anyone have a recommendation on what to use?"

No, it comes with molded keyhole slots for mounting in the speaker but doesn't come with the hardware. Some wall anchors and screws from home depot or lowes would work.

"- Has anyone had luck with a universal remote to operate this system?"

Yeah, any universal remote would work. Just make sure it has the features you need and is a learning remote. The harmonys are popular but a lil expensive for my taste. I personally think the Universal URC series 100, 200 and 300 are the best bang for the buck, they are getting harder to find though. Also the One For all 8910 is an awesome remote for the price, I picked one up from amazon a few months ago for $16.

Throw up some picture hooks (that hold 5#) and you have your speaker wall mounts.

All this info has been great.

Since I bought a used Onkyo s590 that didn't have a manual, does anyone know where I can download one?

I've got it all hooked up, but I don't know how to adjust the sound level on the individual speakers. Can anyone give me some direction?

Thanks.

All this info has been great.

Since I bought a used Onkyo s590 that didn't have a manual, does anyone know where I can download one?

I've got it all hooked up, but I don't know how to adjust the sound level on the individual speakers. Can anyone give me some direction?

Thanks.

onkyo.com under the downloads link at the top. Manuals for all their products are there for downloading in PDF format

I ordered 2 sets of these for $8.00
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=108&cp_id=10828&cs_id=1082804&p_id=3012&seq=1&format=2&style=

I just purchased my s590 this past weekend. Hooked everything up, and just like a lot of people on this list, got the buzz when switching to one of the surround modes (although I was using the included speaker wires, I didn't try any upgrades). I thought it might be a couple different things, but after coming across this forum, I tried the fix posted by AquamanA, and sure enough, the buzzing stopped, and everything's clear as a bell now.

Frankly, I'm a bit shocked that a company like Onkyo would make such a seemingly obvious mistake. They didn't just start making equipment yesterday, they've been around a long while, and presumably would know how to engineer their products right from the start to protect against "ground-based interference" or whatever it's called. And, to still be shipping units at least 6 months later without correcting this problem is negligent.

Outside of my feelings on this issue, I've thus far been pleased with the unit (after correcting the issue), and still feel its a good value, however this issue would cause me to pause before purchasing their brand again.

SO, I opened up my Onkyo reciever and installed some spacers to prevent the speaker terminals from ever grounding to the chassis. The hum is now COMPLETELY gone. I made the spacers by simply folding over some electrical tape. Now, I'm using the 16 gauge wire and there is absolutely no hum.

See the attached photo.

I would not be afraid to do this. The screws only stabilize the speaker connector block. I can't imagine how this would damage the reciever. However, I have contacted Onkyo for an official response on this problem.

Dude thanks a lot!! I got my receiver today and had horrible humming problems, I was very disapointed as I had spent most of the day setting up the speakers and stuff. Luckily I found this forum quickly and not 10 minutes later eliminated the problem. Thanks a lot for adding a photo too!!!

I just purchased my s590 this past weekend. Hooked everything up, and just like a lot of people on this list, got the buzz when switching to one of the surround modes (although I was using the included speaker wires, I didn't try any upgrades). I thought it might be a couple different things, but after coming across this forum, I tried the fix posted by AquamanA, and sure enough, the buzzing stopped, and everything's clear as a bell now.

Frankly, I'm a bit shocked that a company like Onkyo would make such a seemingly obvious mistake. They didn't just start making equipment yesterday, they've been around a long while, and presumably would know how to engineer their products right from the start to protect against "ground-based interference" or whatever it's called. And, to still be shipping units at least 6 months later without correcting this problem is negligent.

Outside of my feelings on this issue, I've thus far been pleased with the unit (after correcting the issue), and still feel its a good value, however this issue would cause me to pause before purchasing their brand again.

I have the same issue when starting up cold - it goes away after a while, usually. Once my 16g cable gets here I'll swap out the garbage ties that came with the system and do AquamanA's fix :D

"- Has anyone had luck with a universal remote to operate this system?"

Yeah, any universal remote would work. Just make sure it has the features you need and is a learning remote. The harmonys are popular but a lil expensive for my taste. I personally think the Universal URC series 100, 200 and 300 are the best bang for the buck, they are getting harder to find though. Also the One For all 8910 is an awesome remote for the price, I picked one up from amazon a few months ago for $16.[/QUOTE]

Do you have any idea on the One For All or the Universal URC remotes, if they have the ability to control the Onkyo for individual speaker volume? I saw on the website for One For All that it can control left to right volume, but to me that doesn't imply individual speaders.

Does anyone have experience with a universal remote that can control at the individual speaker level?

Thanks.

If you get something like a harmony remote, you can teach it a macro to push a sequence of buttons required to control individual speaker volumes.

I first set up my system with the speaker wire that came with it.
I had no problems at all, no buzzing or humming.

Ran some 14 gauge wire, pain to deal ie small terminals, had lots of problems buzzing and humming on all modes.

First loosened the two screws in the back and it seemed to come and go.

I opened up the case and put electrical tape spacers in there and I have had no problems since.

In spite of what some say the 590 is notorious for buzzing when you use any wire except the 22 gauge that is included in the box.

electrical spacer...meh. I ordered once recently and got the same buzz. I just used a small rubber band to wrap around it and instant no buzz.
If thats why Onkyo is clearing these out so incredibly cheap, then what a bargain it is to fix with a free rubber band.

In spite of what some say the 590 is notorious for buzzing when you use any wire except the 22 gauge that is included in the box.

I think the thicker wire pushes the springs back more thus causing the wire connect to make contact with the case. Losen the screw and wrap a rubber band around the whole thing then srew it back in. Rubber is a pretty good insulater i think.

In spite of what some say the 590 is notorious for buzzing when you use any wire except the 22 gauge that is included in the box.

I even got the buzzing with the included wire. But the fix was easy and I've had zero problems since.

Hello, I have 590 and a 100 watt pansonic active sub.My sub only has one rca jack in rear and exsisting sub has two wires .How do i go about connecting powered sub to receiver?it has sub in for dvd multichannel but no pe-out?HELP!

Onkyo is discontinuing the 590.

I have the same issue when starting up cold - it goes away after a while, usually. Once my 16g cable gets here I'll swap out the garbage ties that came with the system and do AquamanA's fix :D

The 790 is crystal clear from the get go when using 16 gauge wire. DO NOT use 16 gauge on the 590. It will buzz even with the fix.

electrical spacer...meh. I ordered once recently and got the same buzz. I just used a small rubber band to wrap around it and instant no buzz.
If thats why Onkyo is clearing these out so incredibly cheap, then what a bargain it is to fix with a free rubber band.

The 590 will last approximately 15,000 hours period. The 790 will go well over 200,000 hours.

Hello, I have 590 and a 100 watt pansonic active sub.My sub only has one rca jack in rear and exsisting sub has two wires .How do i go about connecting powered sub to receiver?it has sub in for dvd multichannel but no pe-out?HELP!

Weird, I just looked at the back of the HT-R340 receiver and damn, it doesn't have the preout that the standalone has.

Compare:
http://www.eu.onkyo.com/products/product_en_4209420.html

http://www.nettdata.no/catalog/images/products5/sr304.jpg

Man, that bites. I mean, I understand the preference for the included speakers, but to not let it expand like that... :mad:

Any way to get ahold of the TX-SR304? I looked on Monoprice for an adapter for you, but I didn't see one. :(

Weird, I just looked at the back of the HT-R340 receiver and damn, it doesn't have the preout that the standalone has

Man, that bites. I mean, I understand the preference for the included speakers, but to not let it expand like that...

Any way to get ahold of the TX-SR304? I looked on Monoprice for an adapter for you, but I didn't see one.

Thanks anyway I will see if onkyo will let me upgrade receiver to TX-SR304. I will be more cautious when buying but i assumed it had a sub pre-out it has everything else i need in a receiver. How about using the sub wired terminal will it conflict with a powered sub. This sucks!!!

The 590 will last approximately 15,000 hours period. The 790 will go well over 200,000 hours.

Where are you getting this information?

Link please.

Kyser

The 790 is crystal clear from the get go when using 16 gauge wire. DO NOT use 16 gauge on the 590. It will buzz even with the fix.

Thats funny. I'm using 16ga wire with the fix and have zero buzz. You sure are posting a lot of information without any factual backup.

The fix will not last permanantly.

The fix will not last permanantly.

how about addressing the question the moderator has asked of you?

flags has been suspended for posting misinformation and refusing to respond to moderator requests.

Kyser

So how are the refurb units doing with the buzzing once the fix has been applied? Still good I hope? I ask because I'm thinking about picking up one from shoponkyo-dot-com for a small bedroom setup.

i recently purchased a refurb and applied the fix. it's been almost 2 weeks now and i haven't heard the buzz since.

many thanks to all the advice!!

this fix sounds fairly simple and makes perfect sense... i don't see how it can cause any harm at all since you're actually UNdoing the original harm of the ground loop.

this fix sounds fairly simple and makes perfect sense... i don't see how it can cause any harm at all since you're actually UNdoing the original harm of the ground loop.

I applied the fix shortly after receiving the unit and it has worked great for the past several weeks. No complaints.


Mark

The 790 is crystal clear from the get go when using 16 gauge wire. DO NOT use 16 gauge on the 590. It will buzz even with the fix.

Wrong. I used some electrical tape as spacers and eliminated the ground loop. There hasn't been ANY hum/buzz/distortion of sound since, and my 590s has been getting some decent usage anywhere from volume settings of Min to 60 (movies).

The 590 will last approximately 15,000 hours period. The 790 will go well over 200,000 hours.

Like a previous poster said, I'd like to know where you're getting this misinformation. And even if it's true, 15,000 hours = 625 DAYS of continuous usage. For the cheap crap most companies put out these days, even that is not bad. I'll bet mine might blow a fuse by 15K hours and then I'll spend $2 to fix it. It may be a mediocre unit, but it's great for a budget HTIB.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!

I was having horrible interference and could not figure out. But this thread helped me so much. I replaced the 16g wire on the front left wire and used the included wire. BAM it worked. i could not believe it.

THANK YOU ALL.

BTW
I got the refurb from ShopOnkyo for 149 + tax and shipping. I bought digital coax and fiber optics from Mono Price. Great little set up.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!

I was having horrible interference and could not figure out. But this thread helped me so much. I replaced the 16g wire on the front left wire and used the included wire. BAM it worked. i could not believe it.

THANK YOU ALL.

BTW
I got the refurb from ShopOnkyo for 149 + tax and shipping. I bought digital coax and fiber optics from Mono Price. Great little set up.

This has been a known issue with the 590 for awhile. If you want to use non included wire (16 or 14 gauge) you need to upgrade to the HT-S790 which has a powered subwoofer and better sound reproduction.

This has been a known issue with the 590 for awhile. If you want to use non included wire (16 or 14 gauge) you need to upgrade to the HT-S790 which has a powered subwoofer and better sound reproduction.

Um. As mentioned in this thead this is not necessary with the well known and very easy fix. I'm using all 16 gauge wire, had the buzzing issue, fixed it, and have been buzz free since day one. If you have nothing insightful to add to this thread other than bashing the 590 please move on to another area. You've been suspended once for posting non-factual information. At this point you're trolling and it's getting very tired.

Um. As mentioned in this thead this is not necessary with the well known and very easy fix. I'm using all 16 gauge wire, had the buzzing issue, fixed it, and have been buzz free since day one. If you have nothing insightful to add to this thread other than bashing the 590 please move on to another area. You've been suspended once for posting non-factual information. At this point you're trolling and it's getting very tired.

The point is why should you have to apply a "fix" to a brand new product. I would really worry about what will happen down the road if you have to apply a "fix" when the product is factory fresh. Would you purchase a car like this? Have a good day!

can anyone confirm whether or not the refurb from ShopOnkyo comes with the factory wires?

it says no cables/batteries/labels, but i wasn't sure if that included speaker wire as well.

thanks!

my refurbished unit did come with speaker wire but no optical or coax cable. It sounds like the speaker wire is hit and miss though, it may have it and it may not.

can anyone confirm whether or not the refurb from ShopOnkyo comes with the factory wires?

it says no cables/batteries/labels, but i wasn't sure if that included speaker wire as well.

thanks!

I would use 16 gauge wire even if it does come with wire since it would be too thin for the best sound and may not be long enough. Also upgrade the sub cable.

can anyone confirm whether or not the refurb from ShopOnkyo comes with the factory wires?

it says no cables/batteries/labels, but i wasn't sure if that included speaker wire as well.

thanks!

Mine came with the wires, but I used 16 awg instead.

Mark

my refurbished unit did come with speaker wire but no optical or coax cable. It sounds like the speaker wire is hit and miss though, it may have it and it may not.

is it supposed to come with coax and optical when purchased new?

is it supposed to come with coax and optical when purchased new?

Not that I know of.

Bumping an old topic but I just purchased the HTS590 and i'm surprised I didn't come across this today. I got it off shop onkyo for 150 shipped. I'm hoping for wires to come with it as I will use the stardard wires for couple weeks then upgrade to 16g wire.

I hope mine doesn't have a buzz sound but i'm sure it will, and am prepared to apply the tape fix.

This is a very old thread and lots of people after it and still now are purchasing this system with no problems. I'm guessing onkyo corrected the problem sometime in the product run. But if you do encounter the problem there is an easy fix as it seems you've already found. For $150 with our without the problem that can be fixed easily you got a great deal.

I have the 580 system from two years ago and recently am getting hissing/static out of the left rear channel. I am using monster cable, but have tried the wire the receiver came with and the problem is still there. Also, tried the two turns out on screws and tape behind the speaker connection block and neither helped the problem. Any thoughts on what this could be or what I can do to try and fix it?

I'm experiencing something similar. I haven't used the unit in a few weeks because I haven't had time to check it out. If I think about it, I'll check tonight.

I'm experiencing something similar. I haven't used the unit in a few weeks because I haven't had time to check it out. If I think about it, I'll check tonight.

Yeah, this is pretty annoying. It seems to do it when I am using the "CD Direct" listening mode or "All Channel Stereo" when watching a HD TV show with 5.1 SS. It'll start as a fairly soft hiss, then in between you can hear small crackles. I am sure I am out of warranty, (2 years old that this point), so other then sending it in for some pricey repair job, I don't know what to do.
I also wanted to say that I have barely used this receiver/HTIB in the 2 years I've owned it. I don't have it on all the time, only when HD shows or DVD movies are playing. Otherwise, it's off. Just trying to make the point that it would seem odd that this is a potential "overuse" kind of malfunction, but I guess anyting is possible.

Well that was fun. Just called Onkyo's Customer Support #. Waited 30 min, and nobody picked up. Will try again tomorrow. I found my CC receipt and I am still within the 2 year warranty, so I am hoping to get this fixed.
I also tried disconneting each speaker one at a time, thinking the "bad" channel might clear up, but it didn't. It's the left rear channel.

Well that was fun. Just called Onkyo's Customer Support #. Waited 30 min, and nobody picked up. Will try again tomorrow. I found my CC receipt and I am still within the 2 year warranty, so I am hoping to get this fixed.
I also tried disconneting each speaker one at a time, thinking the "bad" channel might clear up, but it didn't. It's the left rear channel.

If it's still under warranty and you have the receipt. Their really is no reason to contact Onkyo if you've done all the trouble shooting and know the receiver is the problem. The only thing an onkyo rep is going to do is direct you to your closest repair center and you can do that by going to the Onkyo website and look up your local service center. If you don't have one close it will give you the address to the regional service center. Contact them directly and go from there. You'll have to send a copy of the receipt in with the the receiver.

I bought this receiver about 1.5 years ago and had the worst buzzing and static whenever I put it in surround mode. It drove me crazy. A couple days ago I stumbled upon this thread and learned that it was a production error. I took AquamanA's advice from July 2006 (page 1 of this thread) and loosened the screws and added spacers last night. It works perfectly. No static and no buzzing. Thank you.