Problem with new pioneer vsx1016v receiver

rockliffmt · 07-07-2007, 01:53 PM

Hi, I have had this receiver for about 3 months with no real problem at the start.

What is happening is, when the volume is high or a fairly loud scene or sound effect in a movie is payed, the unit switches itself off and the phase cotrol indicator flashes.

According to the manual it suggests that there could be a stray strand or two of the speaker wires touching the body of the amp. It says check that and if its ok then there could be a serious problem and to contact a service agent.

I have checked the wires and they seem OK. I presume the fault is recognised when the unit draws too much power..(earthing out).

Could it possibly be that the speakers are just drwing too much power at high volume? or is it likely there is something wrong with the unit.

I have a 300w subby with its own amp included in a 7.1 system.

the speakers are all 6 ohm , fronts 300w and all the rest 150w

I have all my speakers set to small and am using the amp for all the bass.

Should i be using seperate amps for my speakers? to take the load off the unit?

I have emailed pioneer about this problem 4 days ago with so far no response.

any help would be much appreciated.

thanks

matt

Seth=L · 07-08-2007, 12:06 PM

What speakers are you using (make and model)?

At what level does the receiver shut off at (decibel marker)?

rockliffmt · 07-08-2007, 01:35 PM

Hi, thanks for the reply.

The speakers that I am using are all Dream Accoustics "simba" model.

The decibel marker that the reciever shuts off at isn't constant but its around the -22 to -15 mark.

I was watching the matrix revolutions on it last and I had to settle for -21 to stop the loud effects from shutting it off. I could turn the volume up to about -15 or so during normal speach scenes but had to be lighning fast on the remote to get it back to at least -21 as soon as a loud bang, roar, gunshot etc happened. Even when a music containing scene come on, it would be the same. If I left the volume at -21 (where it safely handled all the volumes) I was struggling to hear the speach level.

This is the same with all movies I watch but the matrix was an extreme example of what it is doing. (lots of softer scenes then loud effects)

I can sometimes get it up to about -17 on a normal movie with not as many loud sound effects.

I hope you understand what I am saying!

Matt

LanceJ · 07-08-2007, 09:46 PM

Are these your speakers?

First of all, that page says this about the woofers: "3 active ones + 1 radiator" (the full name of that device is "passive radiator"). But the photo shows a speaker with four woofers + a port.

You can't have a port AND a passive radiator at the same time.

Whatever, whether it is 3 or 4 active woofers, I think those front main speakers are too much for the Pioneer to drive properly at the volume levels you like.

But actually, unless your room is really large I would choose a smaller model, with at most two 6.5" active woofers. I'll bet the Pioneer would be happier then.

Seth=L · 07-09-2007, 01:23 AM

Your speakers are the likely cause of the problem. Where did you get them?

If these speakers are what they appear to be, and most likely are, they are scam speakers. They can be potentially harmful to the receiver because if the low (dangerously low) resistance they have. The less resistance there is, the more the power supply will attempt to draw from the AC line, if the Power supply can't handle it the receiver will shut down to protect itself, but prolonged use in this fashion can destroy the receiver. Since most of these "white van speaker fraud" companies don't care to spend extra on a crossover the drivers are connected in series (this problem will be more evident the more drivers the speakers have, the floor stander models are by far the worst). They are designed to look attractive from a distance, and nothing else.

Sorry this happened to you. The best thing you can do is disconnect those speakers and connect anything else to it (would not matter if they where speakers from a micro system made by Audiovox, they will be better for the Pioneer than the "scam" speakers.)

**HTF Ads**

Seth=L · 07-09-2007, 01:32 AM

I was just looking at the "dream acoustics" website, it is probably the stupidest scam speaker site I have ever seen. The banner on the top shows pictures of actual brand name equipment they don't distribute. They are probably breaking laws.

I feel very sorry for you Matt, but you have to remember "if it seems to good to be true, it probably isn't"

rockliffmt · 07-09-2007, 11:16 AM

Hi and thanks for the input lance and seth,

First of all, i got these speakers from ebay (i think you may have already guesed that!)

Lance, those are similar to the speakers which i have but are a little different. I will post the exact specs later in this post.

I am at work at the moment (4 weeks on/4 weeks off) and don't have the manuals with me and I accidently gave you the wrong impedance value of the speakers..oops.

I have the specs now from online which tells me they are actually 8 ohm speakers, which is what is reccomended in the pioneer manual.

Theses are the actual speaker specs:

2 x 300 watt TOWER SPEAKERS
92 dB sensitivity
An array of 6 drivers in each front speaker,
1 dome tweeter,
+ 1 x 6.5" high power midrange driver
+ 4 x 6.5" high power woofers (3 active ones + 1 radiator)
Impedance: 8 ohm
Frequency Response 32 - 22,000Hz 45 - 22,000Hz 50 - 22,000Hz

CENTRE SPEAKER
Magnetically shielded centre speaker with two 5.25"

SURROUND and SURROUND BACK (4 speakers)
Woofer 1 x 5.25" high-power driver
1 x dome tweeter
90 dB sensitivity
Impedance: 8 ohm
Frequency Response 50 - 22,000Hz

SUBWOOFER
Amplifier: 300 watts (RMS) continuous power output. Line & speaker level outputs and inputs.
12" down firing powerful driver
dual ports
0 - 180 phase control.
Frequency response: 20 Hz - 180Hz
Crossover frequency from 40Hz to 180Hz.

Sorry that I wasn't very well prepared earlier.

Does this info change anything?

If not, can I modify my tower speakers so they will be more friendly to my pioneer?

Thanks

Matt

Jeff Gatie · 07-09-2007, 11:52 AM

In addition to the speakers being suspect, a receiver will often shutdown during loud scenes due to heat. How is the ventilation for the receiver? Is there sufficient space above the receiver for ventilation (4-6")? Is it enclosed in a A/V cabinet without adequate airflow? Are the vents in the unit obstructed in any way?

rockliffmt · 07-09-2007, 12:19 PM

I do have my centre speaker sitting on top of mf receiver. It is covering some vents.

OK, I will try to lift it up a few inches and see how it goes aswell.

thanks

Matt