Onkyo 590s interference issues (please help, Im going insane) - Page 2

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..

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 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!

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

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 shoponkyocom; 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

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.

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....