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Have you experienced in issues with your Marantz SR5004 or Marantz SR6004?

  • No, the unit is running without issue less than 45 days

    Votes: 0 0.0%

Marantz XXX4 Series Failure Issues

139K views 502 replies 116 participants last post by  henrikoj 
#1 ·
IMPORTANT UPDATE - PLEASE READ BELOW BEFORE BUYING

MARANTZ SR6004 AND SR5004 POP OF DEATH

ESTIMATED* FAILURE RATE: 43%

* Per this poll tracking failures as of 9/21/10

Numerous 5004 and 6004 owners both in North America, Asia, Australia and Europe have reported complete and inexplicable failure of the units with exact same POP of DEATH. Most of the failed units do so within the first 30 days, but others have reported POPs of DEATH after nearly four months of use. We believe the POD is related to a design deficiency of the unit to take slight surges from cable or sat boxes. This is unconfirmed and pure conjecture based upon reported failures of owners.

UPDATE AS OF 1/22/10: IF YOU EXPERIENCE THE POP OF DEATH, YOU CAN SOMETIMES RESET THE UNIT BY PRESSING SURR MODE, CLEAR AND EXIT SIMULTANEOUSLY. PLEASE ALSO CALL MARANTZ AT 201-762-6666 AND REPORT YOUR FAILURE




Here is my story:



I have owned five Marantz SR6004s, only one of which is still working today. All were purchased from an authorized dealer and were brand new or A stock. I bought two units - one for my study utilizing a 5.1 setup plus heights and one for my bedroom - 5.1 setup with two in ceiling speakers in each bathroom configured as a second zone.


The four units that died all died in less than 30 days. The quickest died after 8 days, the longest made it about 26 days. The death always included a pop or thud from all speakers and then the Marantz entering into protect mode. Once in protect mode, it cannot be revived - even by leaving it unplugged overnight or trying to reset it via the front panel. It is completely fried.


In both rooms, all of my speaker connections are without isssue; the Marantzs have replaced Onkyos and a Denon that have operated in the same setup for over two years. The Marantz was well surge-protected in both rooms - even to the point i surge protected the coaxial feed from the cable box.


The failures occurred without warning or symptom of a problem. Of the four failures, three occurred while watching college football on a saturday, one occurred one evening with the tuner on only.


The surving unit is still working without issue in the same setup. Earlier this week I torture-tested it, left it on for three days straight without issue or excessive heat.


It is my contention there is either a faulty part or faulty design that causes catastrophic failure to these units. One other has reported an identical death to mine on his SR5004.


Marantz categorically denies a problem.


I would hold off on buying this unit despite my true affection for its sound. There is something wrong with some of these units.


If you do buy one, buy it from an authorized dealer who has a generous 30 day return policy (and will pay for return shipping costs if online). These units have generally died within two to four weeks of use, but I have not made it too far past 30 days with my working unit.


I really like this receiver and have been more than persistent and attempted to trouble-shoot the issues with Marantz. They were of no help at all and continued to insist the problem was only in my setup.


it's a great receiver when working. I can only hope that Marantz addresses the catastrophic failure affecting these units and issues a recall to those affected.




After a number of reported failures, I thought I would keep a poll for owners to see who has experienced them and who has not.
 
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#483 ·
My 5002 just popped last night.


Had samsung dvd plugged in, direct tv out to a panasonic. 5:1 setup


i have unplugged everything, did a memory reset, let the power sit out over night and it will pop with nothing plugged in.


This is awesome, 5002 POD and my 7005 will not work during the day with baluns.


WTF marantz
 
#484 ·
I found this through google and became a member to tell my story.


I bought a SR5004 and just under a year I got a POD. I sent it back to Marantz and got the power supply "fix" I recieved it back and 4 mins into the first movie I got another POD. I took it back again and they sent it back saying that nothing was wrong and it was a problem in my set up
My 10 year old Integra reciever has no problem being run hard in the same set up. I checked over everything and was good to go. I was watching tv at low volume a few days later and the picture started flashing then the room started to fill with that wonderfull burning electronic smell from the reciever. I unplugged the unit and have taken it back to the store. They have been great and are as mad as me. They replaced my unit and said no more of this, and are dealing with Marantz for resolution.


So thats the cliff notes of my story.

Bought in Canada

Serial number MZ000937000326
 
#485 ·
Both Marantz AND Onkyo have their retarded problems but unfortunately, they are the only ones that actually do best what they are meant for (when they work) - play back high quality audio... I've learned to deal with it and settle (Onkyo that is). Onkyo doesn't flat out die as often though so I guess that's a plus :/
 
#486 ·
Hello all,


I have been keeping my eye on this thread since I bought my SR5004 in Jan 2010. I have not had any issues with this unit until tonight (Jan 22, 1011). Brief overview of my setup. Rogers SA 4250HD STB, connected via HDMI to Marantz SR5004. HDMI output of Marantz connected to Samsung 40" LCD.


I was watching TV, tuned in to Hi-Def so Dolby Digital was the audio mode. The video feed from the game I was watching was having issues and was pixelizing, along with this the audio was cutting in and out. I left the room just for a moment and heard what was more like a crackle then a pop, but the receiver turned off and the Standby light started blinking, indicating the "protect mode" that others have experienced.


I first tried unplugging the unit and plugging it back in, this did not work. Then I unplugged the unit while tracking down this forum again for the reset instructions. Plugged the unit back in after 5 mins, still the Standby light was blinking "Protect". I did the reset sequence, press and hold "Surr. Mode" + "Exit" + "Clear". Lucky for me after three seconds there were a few clicks from the relays in the unit and it powered back on without me losing any settings.


Based on what I saw and what the Cable STB was doing I would deduce that the fact the audio and sound streams were not pure could have caused issues in the decoder logic inside the unit and after it got "confused" enough it decided to just give up and put itself into protect. Hopefully this may assist Marantz in troubleshooting the problem, it seems to me as though it doesn't have the tolerance to deal with a "not-so-clean" audio signal.


Oh, BTW, S/N for my unit is MZ02094600XXXX
 
#487 ·
Just got my refurb Marantz SR 5004 this week. Hooked it up with bi-amp front speakers, center and 2 rear speakers (like my Denon 3806). When I played a CD or DVD, it would play well for 20 min, then the following problem occurred:

- Dynamic EQ (green) lights up

- Dynamic Volume (green) lights up

- Pure Audio (blue) lights up

- Lost output from all 5 channels with only the power subwoofer playing


I have to unplug the power for 10 min and reconnect; it would power on normally. However, the same problem occurs again after about 20 min of play. I tried analog, coaxial, Toslink or HDMI inputs, and I got the same result. I also tried the reset keys but it did not make a difference. Should I return the unit or is there another fix?


Thank you in advance.
 
#488 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by surroundidea /forum/post/20559253


Just got my refurb Marantz SR 5004 this week. Hooked it up with bi-amp front speakers, center and 2 rear speakers (like my Denon 3806). When I played a CD or DVD, it would play well for 20 min, then the following problem occurred:

- Dynamic EQ (green) lights up

- Dynamic Volume (green) lights up

- Pure Audio (blue) lights up

- Lost output from all 5 channels with only the power subwoofer playing


I have to unplug the power for 10 min and reconnect; it would power on normally. However, the same problem occurs again after about 20 min of play. I tried analog, coaxial, Toslink or HDMI inputs, and I got the same result. I also tried the reset keys but it did not make a difference. Should I return the unit or is there another fix?


Thank you in advance.

Does it always occur after 20 minutes? Wonder if you have a bad thermoster causing it to power off. I would send it back. Sounds like the kind of gremlin that will persist frankly.
 
#489 ·
Thanks for the input. I contacted Marantz and they are taking the unit back. I will order a new Pioneer Elite VSX-53 when it comes out next month.
 
#491 ·
Worked great for 6 months. POD started but I was able to turn the unit on. Would seem to stay on once running for 30 mins at medium output. Typically shuts down after being on for a few minutes. Have disconnected EVERYTHING and tested it on another outlet. Same blinking light condition. Have been able to get the unit to power up a few times since but for only a few minutes then it shuts down. I haven't plugged anything into the unit since I initially disconnected. Unfortunately the unit is 1 month outside of the one year warranty.

FYI > Tried Marantz - they still suck, would admit to nothing, tried to blame my setup - got defensive and complacent after telling them there was no set up connected to it.
 
#492 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by kingdompow /forum/post/21863959


Worked great for 6 months. POD started but I was able to turn the unit on. Would seem to stay on once running for 30 mins at medium output. Typically shuts down after being on for a few minutes. Have disconnected EVERYTHING and tested it on another outlet. Same blinking light condition. Have been able to get the unit to power up a few times since but for only a few minutes then it shuts down. I haven't plugged anything into the unit since I initially disconnected. Unfortunately the unit is 1 month outside of the one year warranty.

FYI > Tried Marantz - they still suck, would admit to nothing, tried to blame my setup - got defensive and complacent after telling them there was no set up connected to it.

Wow. Does your credit card give you an extended warranty?
 
#493 ·
I saw this thread last year right after i bought my SR5004 referb. I was hoping it wouldn't happen to me but it did today. I did however mange to fix it with the SURR, EXIT and CLEAR held. For how long, I don't know.


All i did was turn it on. and about 3 seconds later it did the switching sound and started to blink. unplugged it for 10 minutes > no effect > unplugged all the wires > No effect > switched outlets > NO effects > Finally i held the buttons with it blinking and it had no effect so i turned it off and held them again while hitting the power strip switch and it "popped" back on.


Next to hitting it I mashed the buttons non stop until it finally did something. So for you all out their about to throw away the receiver make sure you do a cold start with the buttons held before trashing it.
 
#496 ·
im interested im buy this receiver used but after i saw this topic i was worried.


after some research i found this guy on amazon complain about the same issue and aparently isnt product fault, but just a simple setup problem.


testimony:


"This unit and the SR6004 (Marantz SR6004 Audio/Video Receiver (Black)) are to avoid: I bought one in France in November and unfortunately the unit fails as described here: [...]


Issue description: the unit switches off randomly approximately 10 times a week. It requires a complex combination of keys to be restarted. The issue happens even with very simple setups (1 SPDIF input,no HDMI, 192K stereo) , at very low volume...


As many owner experiencing the issue I sent the unit back to RMA, it came back one month later with the issue unsolved, a note saying "check the setup".

Marantz is not dealing with the issue or communicating on it, which I interpret as a fantastic contempt for their consumers. Especially for a brand building its sales speech on quality...


Conclusion: the sound quality is not worth the headache 1. dealing with the unit instability 2. dealing with Marantz to try to fix it."




and than some guys reply to this:



"I had a similar problem with my sr5003. Drove me nuts. It turns out that there IS something in the setup that you can turn off that cures the problem. It has a very odd name, and sorry it eludes me, but it has to do with the unit turning itself off automatically when it senses either that the TV is turned off or one or more inputs. It is very frustrating - they should really put a prominent warning in the manual about this."


"User-incompetence does not equal a defective product. Change your power-management settings, and stop blaming the manufacturer."


"This is simply an implementation of CEC or HDMI Simple Link where one HDMI device controls another. This can be shut off on all HDMI devices... Usually in HDMI set up.... This is a WELL KNOWN solution to this once thought of defect of this fantastic piece of equipment....."



so is just a setup problem or this series of marantz receivers have real problems? need to know because this receiver in specs looks awesome.
 
#497 ·
This model is a few years old now and I'm sure owners have either never had any issues with their receiver or have moved on to another product. I have not kept up with this thread and maybe the information I'm offering has already been covered.


In four years of ownership, I had never experienced any of the reported POD problems with my receiver, having fed it from more than seven or so sources, However, I recently added a streaming media player to my configuration. On several occasions with this media player while fast-forwarding chapters, I experienced a loud pop and the receiver entered protect mode. Fortunately, I was able to restore normal operation by hitting the power switch. I was able to experience the same POD repeatedly at the same location with one particular movie.


I revisited some of the information online concerning this issue. In order to find out what version of firmware I had, I went into the factory service mode. The factory service mode reset all settings, so I was forced to revisit my setup in total. I discovered one particular setting was very poorly documented. There is a setting called "Audio" on the "Preferences" menu. The setting allows for three values: "Main", "Sub" and "Main+Sub". I think the default value is "Main". I had always used "Main+Sub" since I have tower L/R front speakers. However, when I set this value to "Sub", I could not reproduce the POD.


The Marantz manual states the following for this setting:

Audio

In the Audio mode, Dolby Digital and DTS output is either "Main" or "Sub". Select "Audio" with the cursor buttons.



This doesn't really give you much guidance about the proper use of this setting.


I'd be interested in knowing if any other POD victims have experimented with this value. I'm also wondering if "Main" and "Main+"Sub" settings could be passing DC signals to "small" speakers causing a rush of current through the amps and triggering protect mode. The "Sub" setting could be limiting any errant signal to the sub, which would not be going through the receiver's amps and instead would be properly dealt with by the sub's rumble filter.
 
#499 ·
The Audio mode in the preferences menu has nothing to do with Bass management. That's controlled in the Speaker Setup.


The Audio mode lets you select the language you want when you listen to the dual audio of a digital broadcast when available. This feature only functions for Dolby Digital sources.


• MAIN/SUB: Sound of the main language

will be output through the front left speaker

and sound of the sub language will be output

through the front right speaker

simultaneously.


• MAIN: Sound of the main language will be

output.


• SUB: Sound of the sub language will be

output


It's very poorly explained in the Marantz manual though.



Quote:
Originally Posted by nirvana_av  /t/1199061/marantz-xxx4-series-failure-issues/480#post_24046323


This model is a few years old now and I'm sure owners have either never had any issues with their receiver or have moved on to another product. I have not kept up with this thread and maybe the information I'm offering has already been covered.


In four years of ownership, I had never experienced any of the reported POD problems with my receiver, having fed it from more than seven or so sources, However, I recently added a streaming media player to my configuration. On several occasions with this media player while fast-forwarding chapters, I experienced a loud pop and the receiver entered protect mode. Fortunately, I was able to restore normal operation by hitting the power switch. I was able to experience the same POD repeatedly at the same location with one particular movie.


I revisited some of the information online concerning this issue. In order to find out what version of firmware I had, I went into the factory service mode. The factory service mode reset all settings, so I was forced to revisit my setup in total. I discovered one particular setting was very poorly documented. There is a setting called "Audio" on the "Preferences" menu. The setting allows for three values: "Main", "Sub" and "Main+Sub". I think the default value is "Main". I had always used "Main+Sub" since I have tower L/R front speakers. However, when I set this value to "Sub", I could not reproduce the POD.


The Marantz manual states the following for this setting:

Audio

In the Audio mode, Dolby Digital and DTS output is either "Main" or "Sub". Select "Audio" with the cursor buttons.



This doesn't really give you much guidance about the proper use of this setting.


I'd be interested in knowing if any other POD victims have experimented with this value. I'm also wondering if "Main" and "Main+"Sub" settings could be passing DC signals to "small" speakers causing a rush of current through the amps and triggering protect mode. The "Sub" setting could be limiting any errant signal to the sub, which would not be going through the receiver's amps and instead would be properly dealt with by the sub's rumble filter.
 
#500 ·
I have a Marantz SR5004 that went into protect mode twice about a year ago after about a years use. There was a loud thud on both occassions.


A reset brought it back both times, but after the second I removed the unit and it has been sitting idle ever since. I didn't want to risk damage to the speakers.


I've decided to fire it up again now with nothing connected to see what happens.


Was the cause of the problem ever identified?


Are there any users still using theirs today that previously had the problem and managed to resolve it somehow?
 
#502 ·
Is there a fix for this issue? I just bought this A/V reciever at an auction here locally in Langley, B.C. for $50.00 cosmetically it's in near mint condition. Powering it up the standby LED flashes rapidly. Did the reset procedure but unit after 3 seconds goes back to rapid LED flash. I guess this is why this unit was being auctioned off. Is there an actual procedure where this problem can be fixed? I would love to get this unit working other than it missing it's remote control. Reading this thread in the beginning people were talking about a resistor fix is this fixable by an techie who can use a soldering pencil?
 
#503 ·
Hi,

the POP of death just happened here with our SR6004.
I was fiddling with the antenna cable to the DVB-C receiver (connected by HDMI and RCA(dig)) and then a big POP (but no smoke or smell) and the SR6004 went into some kind of very deep coma and the Standby Led is flashing fast. Tried out the SURR+EXIT+CLEAR system error reset, but now the LED is blinking slowly instead.
Was suspecting ground current loops thing (proposed theory by others) but then I realized that I did indeed have a galvanic isolation thing between antennacable and receiver so that appears as less plausible. But malfunction due to junk data over HDMI doesn't sound very likely either (I really do hope).
Given that there are many reports on that this reappears for those who got the unit to work again this might not be worth repairing...
/Henrik
 
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