Audio Systems: amp head, pioneer sx, loose connections

Question
i have a pioneer sx-650 (old school power head).
i don't want to get rid of it if at all possible,
however it started crackeling like the subs were
blown & didn't stop when i replaced them. does it sound like something i can fix? it only crackles during audio not while turning knobs or flipping switches.

Answer
Dear Jesse,

Wow (he said softly), I had one of those about 30 years ago. No, really. It was my first hi-fi receiver. Great little unit. Sadly out of date.

The crackling is one or more loose connections probably in the power output section of the receiver. You can open it up, jiggle the wires a bit, and solder what seems loose, but there's no guarantee that will fix the problem. Heck, you may not even be able to see or feel any loose connections. They could be minute, and that's all it takes for a unit to act up.

If jiggling and soldering doesn't work, I'm afraid you would need to have it checked out by a qualified repair technician.

The really bad news is that a shop repair will probably be prohibitively costly.

If it's any more than $100, you're throwing good money at something that isn't worth the repair cost. You can get (1) way more power and (2) way more connections with a new receiver. Sony makes some great ones at $200 list and considerably less on the street. Think about it.

Still, I admire that you've kept the 650 alive that long.

Good luck. And thanks for choosing allexperts.com!

Kindest regards,

Kevin