Audio Systems: Receiver problem, fault points, bench test

Question
Kevin,
I have a Sony STR-740P receiver.  The other day I noticed the left channel speaker sounded blown.  I thought the speaker was bad so ordered a new set.  When I hooked up the new set the left side still sounds blown.  After trying several speakers on that side as well as replacing the speaker wiring it always sounds blown.  What in the receiver could be causing this problem?

Answer
Dear Matt,

A malfunctioning channel, which may or may not be "blown"--an overused term of murky definition, can have several fault points: wiring, a bad part (transistor or capacitor), or even something as simple as a bad switch. The best way to isolate the problem is with a bench test conducted by a qualified repair technician.

Repairs of any kind can get fairly expensive. I suggest you weigh the estimate of the repair cost against the cost of replacing the unit.

Kindest regards,

Kevin