Harman Kardon AVR 7550HD (2008 announcement) - Page 48

Well after talking with an authorized repair center here in Canada, they've decided that my unit should be serviced.
I got an RMA and they will be checking it:

Here's what I sent him via email.
I’m having some issues with my ZVR-7550HD.
1. The 2nd sub channel doesn’t always work.
Every time I power the unit up I have to change inputs to get the 2nd sub channel to work. It never defaults to on.
Also Channel 1 sub has more hum then channel 2 does.
FYI, I have 4x 15in subs in my room. 2 connected to channel 1 and the other 2 connected to channel 2 sub.
2. I’m getting a hum through the speakers…this has just started happening. It was not doing it before.
This hum is a lot louder after playing some music for awhile.
3. 3D does not work despite doing the bypass on the amp.
4. I’ve noticed that the display has gotten a lot slower lately. It hesitates before coming/changing up. (this is intermittent)
5. The EZSet/EQ does not perform correctly. It completely cancels all the bass in my system.


They immediately sent an RMA.

Will keep you posted on the outcome. Hope it doesn't take forever to fix.

Update,

Got the unit back and it still doesn't work...bypass does not work with a HTPC...period.
Very disappointed that it won't work.

I just tested, and I'm able to use 3D with the bypass enabled with my Radeon 7970.

One problem I do have similar to you is that the second sub channel doesn't always work upon powering on the receiver. In my case, I have to play the built in test signal to sub 2 before it works.

Flash,

Thanks so much for confirming what I thought.
I believe the fact that my card is a 5 series to be the problem.
I think starting from the 6 series that it would work.

Thank you for taking the time to let me know.

Regards,

PS. I haven't had a chance to see if my 2nd sub works now but will check eventually.

Resetting the AVR to factory defaults seems to have fixed the sub 2 problem, at least for now.

I know the 5000 series was released before AMD provided official support for 3D playback, but some people have managed to get it to work. It doesn't support hardware acceleration for 3D, and some software, such as PowerDVD doesn't provide official support for the 5000 series.

One addition to my testing of 3D is that while mandatory formats such as 720p60 and 1080p24 are supported, others such as 1080p30 are not, even though the TV supports them when hooked directly to my PC. This may be a hardware limitation, but I haven't bothered to test by forcing the signal. If you're only watching 3D content and not trying to do any gaming, it shouldn't make any difference, but I thought I'd let others know in the event they were interested.

Thought I'd give you an update on my unit since I played all weekend with it.
Updates are in bold
I'll say this...my bass has improved! I don't know what they did but my bass is better sounding than before.
That's the ONLY positive I can say with what they did and the fact they cleaned my already clean unit.

Regards,

If you're willing to lose all your settings, I'd try resetting the AVR by holding the AVR Settings and Source List buttons on the front while in standby, assuming you haven't done this already. This fixed my sub 2 problem. My unit wasn't reset when I had it serviced. Otherwise, I'd try to get it swapped with another unit.

Hi Flash,

Thanks for your help but I did the reset...actually I lost count how many times I did it!
I'm surprised it worked for you!
I have a call placed with an engineer here in Canada and will let him know that I'm not happy and that I'd like to get another unit.

I will let him know that nothing changed since I brought my unit to them for the repairs they did.

Will keep this board updated for sure.

It'd be nice if others would chim in here and say how their unit is doing.
I really appreciate your feedback

Thanks

My 2600 seems to be dying and I think I know what I want to upgrade to.........On post 533 so I guess I have quite a few left before make my decision.

I have a question regarding the modeler portion of Dolby Volume. As I understand it, this applies EQ that varies depending upon the volume to account for differences in hearing at lower volumes.

I would assume that at reference volume, the result should be the same as if the modeler were off. My question is if the accuracy of the EQ being applied is dependent upon having the speaker trim and source volumes adjusted such that reference is a specific volume on the AVR's dial. Are the EQ adjustments being made based upon the volume the AVR thinks its outputting or will it be correct regardless of what volume corresponds to reference on the dial?

Another question.

I picked up a set of Sennheiser RS 220 wireless headphones for occasional listening. These will accept a digital (coax or optical) or analog input to the base station which transmits to the headphones. Is there a preferred method to connect this to the AVR? I know the AVR has both a headphone output on front as well as analog output and digital output (coax and optical) on the back, but my understanding was that the rear outputs were for recording devices. Do I have to use the headphone output on front or are the other connections a possibility? Are features of the AVR such as Dolby Headphone only available via the headphone output?

Thanks.

Well it's been almost 7 months from my last post on the video fan making noise and it has returned. I decided since I have to pull it out of the cabinet again I would do what HK should have done in the first place. The location they placed the fan in has about 3/4 of it blocked by the cover so the air flow is severely blocked. I got my dremel and cut a nice square in it to improve the airflow. After lubing the fan I decided it was a little ugly and even though you can't see the reciever when it's in the cabinet I might as well make it look a little better. I cut out a piece of expanded metal from a computer case I was tossing out and made a little fan cover. I also cut out a tiny notch in the top so I can lube the fan from the top next time.

The front panel headphone output is variable volume using the AVR's volume control knob or remote. When headphones are connected Zone1/Main speaker outputs will be disabled, and the surround mode(s) tailored for headphone use and DSP/tone settings will be available and functional.

The digital and rear panel analog 'recording' outputs would result in a fixed volume supplied to your headphone's base station, which is fine (and likely desirable) as your headphones have their own volume control and are internally amp'ed, however you will only have 2 channel stereo with no AVR DSP. The AVR's volume knob will have no effect on the headphones, Zone1/Main speaker output will still be enabled, headphone surround mode(s) will be unavailable (and any of the selectable surround modes will have no actual affect on record output), and DSP/tone settings will have no effect.
If using the analog record outputs - From the source settings menu, "DSP Downmix" should be used for the record output selection so there will still be audio output when listening to digital/multichannel audio (AVR will downmix to stereo L/R for analog output)

I have not messed around with the digital record outputs, the manual suggests the output will always be PCM. I am unsure if it the digital record outputs are only functional when listening to PCM or analog 2.0 material, however ?? A quick email to HK support should answer for certain, though.

Thanks for the response. I was hoping I could get a fixed volume output that would use the AVR's DSP options for headphones but that appears unlikely at this point.

Unfortunately, the only thing my headphone output does is emit a very, very loud continuous tone. It changes with the volume setting and I can sometimes hear the other material playing through it. Curiously, this only happens when the headphones are plugged all the way in, if they're only half plugged in so that sound only comes through one side it sounds OK.

I checked with two pairs of headphones, multiple sources, and multiple selections of content, so the problem appears to be something to do with the AVR.

Any suggestions?

Has anyone else been able to get ahold of H/K support via their form on their website? I was successful with it a few times in the past, but lately I never get any response at all. Is there an email address I can email them directly at?

This is for their level 5 support that I have had good experience with. I think this group is actually based in one of their U.S. offices.

hcgcustomersupport5@harman.com

Thanks for the email address. It got things taken care of very quickly.

My last unit that had issues with the sub 2 output and headphone jack was exchanged for another unit. This unit is both better and worse than the previous two in various regards.

As for the positives:

-This unit seems much more tolerant to heat before the main fan kicks on. Under the same conditions as the last two units, this one remains silent. I was able to get the main fan to turn on, but not under any normal usage pattern. The main fan was on almost constantly with the last two units. Previously, I was confused with the fan noise, since other users indicated their fans rarely turned on, and mine was on after only brief usage.

-The headphone output works correctly.

And the negatives:

-The unit is in worse physical condition than the last two, which were pristine. This one has a few scratches, a minor scuff on the gunmetal colored part of the front that is visible at an angle, a very small chip on the plastic at the top, and the front panel looks a bit cloudy under direct light. I don't think the cloudiness is due to a protective film. If there is film on there, it must be fitted perfectly.

-The sub 2 output still doesn't always work immediately upon turning on the receiver. I still have to play the test tone through it before it works on all sources. I'm starting to suspect this may be an issue that's dependent upon certain settings or combination of settings. If anyone else has issues with the sub 2 output not always working, I'd be interested in hearing about your setup and the settings you're using.

all
sadly my avr 7550 is giving up the ghost. haven't had any problems for the past year and a half. started with the display not turning on all the time, then started acting erratic as far as turning on and changing inputs. now it make no sound even though it sends hdmi to my tv. have done everything from the unplug cord reset to the full reset. no change. luckily still under warranty. question is what kind of condition of replacement avr's have people been getting under the replacement program? my present unit is perfect as far as appearance and visible in my living room. can't handle something with scratches. dents etc. have people had any luck with local repairs on the unit? there are 2 listed by harman in the atlanta area. also people have mentioned units coming from atlanta in this forum. is there a harman distribution facility here?
thanks for any insight

The Harman distribution center moved to Atlanta from Phoenix about 3 1/2 years ago..
Here is their address
4475 S. Fulton Parkway, Bldg 6S
Atlanta, Georgia 30349

They are located about 3 miles west of Interstate 285 & 85 junction. Previously, their AVR repair/refurb line was located there, but it has been a couple of years since I was there so you better contact their Tech Support for the latest info/procedure.

Just my $0.02...

thanks m code. helpful as always. i found it on the map as harman international and ryan. anyone have any experience on the condition of exchange refurb units? i'm leaning toward that direction. assume i will get a more complete repair and inspection of the unit versus the repair facilty that harman says it must go to.

It's hit or miss. I've had 3 units, two were in pristine condition, one had several scratches, a scuff, minor chip, and some cloudiness on the display. My experience with a local repair was less than satisfactory (it took 18 weeks to simply replace the small fan on the side) and it's possible that the repair was the cause of some other issues I've had since then. I'd favor the exchange but you'd be gambling on the condition of the unit.

My original unit worked great. I had it replaced to get the 1.4a upgrade. The first one looked fine but locked up and overheated a few minutes after turning it on. The second one also looked like new and has worked fine except for the fan noise as I posted earlier.

Since I made the mod it is working great. I do wonder why they are taking so long to make the new model to replace it.

thanks all. you helped me decide to go with the exchange process. if i get a beat up unit i'll try to exchange it and if i'm lucky i'll get a pristine one that is problem free. i am concerned about the quality of the repair i might receive. also my unit could get scratched ot dented there or in transit. otherwise i have been more than satisfied with the hk. in my recent comparison of what is available now as far as features and power, i don't think it still can be beat any where near the price those of us who purchased at 6th ave electronics paid.

another update...I called HK and am seeing their specialist today at 2PM.
I'll be with a technician the whole time they'll be testing my unit.
I've had it for a while now since the fix and it's worse than ever!
Sub 2 out NEVER works. I ALWAYS have to change to another input then back to activate it.
My unit now gets REALLY hot to the touch. I have problems keeping my finger on the back after an hour of normal use!
It also gets crazy hot with the unit in the on position and nothing is playing!
I'm having hum with PCM is activated,,,it's crazy!
Display still lags here and there.
The EZSet/EQ is worse than ever...the specialist told me to not use it!!!!

Will keep you posted

So my 7550HD should be here tomorrow. Is the latest firmware still 4.43 and how do you check to see if it has the latest update? I didn't see how to in the manual I downloaded the other day.

jtenn
The latest system firmware is 4.43 you can check by pressing the bottom left “AVR” button on the remote and scroll down to system information then software version. This is in page 48-49 of the manual.

So I received my 7550HD and set it up. It sounds great so far. I did notice when I'm playing a movie I have it setup so the receiver does the decoding and the front display reads" Dolby D+ +PLIIx". Is this normal? When I go to the info it says the input from the source is Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital+, etc. but the display reads Dolby D+ +PLIIx.

If it indicates Dolby Digital+ +PLIIx then you're applying PLIIx to a Dolby Digital Plus stream. The display on my receiver distinguishes between the different streams and Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, and Dolby TrueHD all appear differently on the display.