Audio Systems: No Sound On Stereo, blown fuse, bench test

Question
Hi,

I bought an Onkyo stereo (w/ CD player, MD player, tuner) a year ago and it recently stopped sending the sound signals to the speakers.  Now, if I try to play a CD, all I hear is low static.  I'm pretty sure it's not a problem with the speakers because neither of them receives sound and when I try to use headphones, I hear the same static.  That leaves the main control unit as the source of the problem.  Do you have any idea which part of the stereo might be broken?  And if so, how to get it fixed?

Answer
Dear Brian,

Let's get the obvious out of the way: make sure you don't have the MUTE button engaged.

The non-obvious? Could be anything from a failure in the switching mechanisms in the preamplifier to a failure in the output circuits of the amplifier to a blown fuse to a couple of loose wires. The only way to have this problem properly diagnosed is to take the unit into a qualified repair service for a bench test. The better, reputable services will charge you a flat 1/2 hour labor fee to do this, which can be applied to the full repair (for which they will also give you an estimate) if you choose to have them do it.

Good luck. And thanks for choosing allexperts.com!

Kindest regards,

Kevin