My 2nd SC 05 Blew up!!! - Blu-ray Forum

backtothecanvas · 07-05-2009, 05:56 AM

This is my 2nd Pioneer Elite SC 05 that has blown up now!!! The first time it happened it was within the 30 days of original purchase so i just marched into Best Buy and they gave me a brand new one. This time it has been about 45 days and i am afraid i am going to have too deal with shipping it out and waiting for its return from Pioneer itself. Does anyone know if Best Buy can "work around" the 30 day policy due to the 2nd one blowing now and possibly give me a new one in store? This is honestly ridiculous and putting a sour taste in my mouth for this receiver!! When it is working it sounds amazing, i am not sure why this is happening. Any advice, thoughts or help is very much appreciated, especially if there are any current or ex Best Buy employees that know if the 30 day return can be "messed with". thank you for your time!!

Rob J in WNY · 07-05-2009, 06:07 AM

Holy smokes! (literally...

)

I would most definitely try to make a case for your cause at Best Buy. You are having an amazing stroke of bad luck. My SC-05 has given me no problems, whatsoever, and I fire it up just short of daily with a 7.1-channel system.

There may be some bad news for you. BB might not have any SC-05s left in stock!

I'd act very fast!

Footloose301 · 07-05-2009, 09:31 AM

Sounds like something might be messed up in your house. Voltage spikes or something. Perhaps they've gotten a bad batch?

They might be pointing fingers at you soon.

Irrob · 07-05-2009, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Footloose301

Sounds like something might be messed up in your house. Voltage spikes or something. Perhaps they've gotten a bad batch?

They might be pointing fingers at you soon.

yea what he said. I dont know alot about the Elite series but they dont have a reputation for being fragile. Run and get yourself an APC or Panamax power conditioner if you dont have one already!

Steve · 07-05-2009, 01:42 PM

I would definitely try to go back to BB first. Like TODAY. Any chance you bought the extended warranty for it? That will make it much easier to return it. Even still the worst they can do is tell you no, then you contact Pioneer directly.

And as the previous posters have said, get a good ACP or power conditioner BEFORE you hook it back up.

Footloose301 · 07-05-2009, 08:44 PM

I haven't checked the specs but make sure you speakers are ALL 8 ohms, and not anything below 8(usually, sometimes you can do 6 ohms).

Impedence is very important to an amp. Too low of a resistance can cause an amp to overheat. Trust me. An aftermarket car stereo will blow running 2 ohm speakers right off the deck. Lol.

But like I said. I didn't look at your speakers or the manual for the receiver for specs on recommended impedence.

Steve · 07-05-2009, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Footloose301

I haven't checked the specs but make sure you speakers are ALL 8 ohms, and not anything below 8(usually, sometimes you can do 6 ohms).

Impedence is very important to an amp. Too low of a resistance can cause an amp to overheat. Trust me. An aftermarket car stereo will blow running 2 ohm speakers right off the deck. Lol.

But like I said. I didn't look at your speakers or the manual for the receiver for specs on recommended impedence.

The speakers the OP has listed in his signature are all 8 Ohm, but he only lists mains and a center. If he's running surrounds, he doesn't list those.

It also appears from the manual that the receiver can run 6 Ohm speakers, but I'm not so sure about 4 Ohm.

dolphinc · 07-05-2009, 08:50 PM

BB is really strick with their return policy. I would ask to speak to the manager and plead your case, it really would be up to him/her anyway so you might as well go straight to the top.

Grevlin · 07-05-2009, 08:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dolphinc

BB is really strick with their return policy. I would ask to speak to the manager and plead your case, it really would be up to him/her anyway so you might as well go straight to the top.

+1 agreed. You might even call and talk to someone in BB Corp. who could then call the store before you go...

I would get a power conditioner just in case. If another blows, you got yourself a cooked receiver to shed tears over.

i would be freaking out. um, sorry- I know that doesn't help much.

SeanMF · 07-05-2009, 08:55 PM

I would check the surrounds to make sure they are 8ohm. This receiver can handle 6 ohm but the op probably has klipsch surrounds that are 8ohm. I'm getting my sc-05 this week from a friend who decided he'd rather have the sc-07. I can't wait...I've been using this sony receiver temporarily for a month or 2 and the lack of hd sound just isn't cutting it. Supercube 3 sub within a month. If you don't have a power conditioner that would be the first thing I'd get. Sounds like you just ran into bad luck or bad 'batch' at that particular store. Pioneer is quality products and not known for trouble to my knowledge.

solarrdadd · 07-05-2009, 09:08 PM

If you had/have a rewards zone silver class membership your store returns are amped up to 45 days; as I have. don't be suprised if best buy won't take it back even if you do have the membership because it's the second time that it's "blown up" with your use. they will probably tell you to go deal with pioneer, and really, what are the chances of you getting two brand new units and they both blow up? pretty slim, about the odds of that 50:1 horse that won! If you don't have really good line conditioning and surge protection you should invest in some. what did you have before the two "blown up" pioneers? did you replace it because something "blew up"? not trying to be funny either, trying to determine if you have an electrical problem. i've seen your gallery and your setup is really nice. i'm sure you have already determined that the speakers you have are not causing trouble for the brand receiver you have used i.e. ohm rating and speaker cables, are they connected to the receiver with bare wire or terminated connectors?

best of luck and i/we hope you do find out what is what. is it possible you just got two bad receivers, from the same place out of the box, yes, how probable is that, well, that number has got a lot of , in it!

keep us posted!

Rob J in WNY · 07-05-2009, 09:13 PM

backtothecanvas,

First off, I need to say that your theater setup is very nice! I really feel for you, as the SC-05 really makes a nice centerpiece for your style of theater. I hope that you can get another, or are perhaps offered an upgrade to an SC-07. I wouldn't give up on Pioneer Elite series just yet.

The possibility of voltage problems should not be overlooked. Investigate it and get a power conditioner if it's necessary. Sound advice there (no pun intended

).

According to the specifications for the SC-05, you may use 8-ohm or 6-ohm speakers, but not 4-ohm.

As others have noted, you don't seem to be running surround speakers at the moment. None are listed in your signature, and your photos do not seem to show any that I could see.

One thing that you need to check (although impossible to do at the moment), is to make sure that your surround and surround-back channels are set to "NO" in the SC-05's speaker setup menu. Your SC-05 Operating Instructions, on page 56 and 57 indicate that you must make sure that surround speakers are shut off if they are not connected.

If you are running a single surround-back speaker for 6.1 channel setup, make sure that you attach the speaker to the SC-05's LEFT surround-back speaker terminals, and set the surround-back setting to "SMALLx1" (as opposed to "SMALLx2" for a 7.1 channel setup) in the speaker setup menu.

Obviously, these settings are to prevent the unused amplifier surround channels from attempting output without speakers attached (a definite "no-no"), but it also serves the purpose of letting the receiver know to mix surround channel information into the other available channels so that you do not lose any multichannel audio information.

Just a few thoughts for ya.......Good luck with this!

got rice · 07-05-2009, 10:53 PM

sorry for the issues... do you know if any of the other components were affected/ If there was a brown out or some sort of voltage issue I would think other things would have been affected one way or another.

I assume you purchased most of your recent uprgrades from BB, let them know that it was only the SC05 and nonthing else if this was truly the case. This gives you a valid point that cannot be disputed. It very well may be the receiver was from the same bad batch.

Also, since you made a substantial purchase with BB, this will give some leverage for customer loyalty, and commitment to BB. Let them be aware of your commitment BB and this is where you shop. Historical relationships go along way. Definitely talk to a superior. Good luck with this.

solarrdadd · 07-06-2009, 12:22 AM

I can see them taking the one back but after giving him a second, brand new one and the same thing happen, i think best buy will not give him a third one no matter how much he spent. Remember, he also went past the return policy timeline so i doubt it seriously. Unless, other people have returned the same model with the same problem then i would say yes because that would be a P.R. issue. I really think he is going to be told he needs to deal with pioneer who will make their own descion as to what happened to the unit. It's really nice to hope they might take it back but I doubt it. That would be two units they must send back to pioneer claiming that they were defective; do you really think they want to take a chance on the same customer with a third unit?

Mind you i'm not saying he did anything wrong himself, i'm looking at this from BB point of view!

got rice · 07-06-2009, 01:25 AM

How do we know the 2nd one was brand new one and not a returned item repackaged as new? While BB doesn't have to take it back based on their policy, there is no identifiable evidence that an outside issue caused this. So the item is defective, whether it is coincidence or not, if conveyed properly the upper management may make one last exception.

The amount of $$ he has spent has everthing to do with it. Its these consumers who typically are interested in the electronics industry, and spend money whether it be computers, TV's cameras, speakers etc. What management is really concerned with is those who have an excessive return hsitory. Not those who have spent a good amount and have an issue with a particular piece of equipment. Ultimately , it is ajudgement call and it should be addressed accordingly. What does he have to lose.

cembros · 07-06-2009, 01:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Footloose301

I haven't checked the specs but make sure you speakers are ALL 8 ohms, and not anything below 8(usually, sometimes you can do 6 ohms).

Impedence is very important to an amp. Too low of a resistance can cause an amp to overheat. Trust me. An aftermarket car stereo will blow running 2 ohm speakers right off the deck. Lol.

But like I said. I didn't look at your speakers or the manual for the receiver for specs on recommended impedence.

the ohm of the speakers shouldnt be an issue, i was running 4ohm speakers off my sc05 with zeros heating issues, or any issues for that matter. The ice amps will power a 8/6/4 ohm speaker with no problem, sounds to me like there may be a problem elsewhere.

backtothecanvas · 07-06-2009, 05:13 AM

well here is an update on my 2nd blown SC 05. i called BB ahead of time and explained the situation to them and apparently i am a platinum reward zones member so i have up to 45 days for returns and exchanges. today, by some miracle, was day 45 . . . phewwww!!! i couldnt believe my luck. the only bad news is the amp is no longer in production and NO ONE has any new ones anymore so i was forced to take a barely used floor model. it was in absolute mint condition and is working amazing thus far. i also figured while i had everything torn apart, i would finally bi amp my towers and i must say i do notice a small amount of enhanced clarity, so i am pleased with that.

now onto my surround speakers . . . i am currently using my old front towers from my samsung htib as my current rears until i get the matching klipsch surrounds.

as far as a power conditioner i use this huge power surge protector with 6 outlet slots, 3 of which have backup battery power. i would however like to buy one of the ones many of you have spoken of. so i can actually incorporate it into my tv stand, instead of hiding it like the current one. i have everything plugged into this thing and nothing has ever blown up or had a problem except the amp. it would be weird to think that both times the amp blew up it was because my surge protector chose it over anything else to fry. so i am really at a lost why this has happened twice now?!?!?!

thanks everyone for your advice and help, it was very appreciated!!

Footloose301 · 07-06-2009, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cembros

the ohm of the speakers shouldnt be an issue, i was running 4ohm speakers off my sc05 with zeros heating issues, or any issues for that matter. The ice amps will power a 8/6/4 ohm speaker with no problem, sounds to me like there may be a problem elsewhere.

In general, the impedence of a speaker is a huge issue for amps. However, I said that I didn't know what he was using. I was too lazy to look it up seeing as how I was typing that reply using my iPhone while at work.

You might not have had any issues with your 4 ohm speakers, but its still never a good idea to run anything that they don't recommend.

Sure, you can take non Z rated tires well over 120mph, but how long do you think they'll last?

Footloose301 · 07-06-2009, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by backtothecanvas

well here is an update on my 2nd blown SC 05. i called BB ahead of time and explained the situation to them and apparently i am a platinum reward zones member so i have up to 45 days for returns and exchanges. today, by some miracle, was day 45 . . . phewwww!!! i couldnt believe my luck. the only bad news is the amp is no longer in production and NO ONE has any new ones anymore so i was forced to take a barely used floor model. it was in absolute mint condition and is working amazing thus far. i also figured while i had everything torn apart, i would finally bi amp my towers and i must say i do notice a small amount of enhanced clarity, so i am pleased with that.

as far as a power conditioner i use this huge power surge protector with 6 outlet slots, 3 of which have backup battery power. i would however like to buy one of the ones many of you have spoken of. so i can actually incorporate it into my tv stand, instead of hiding it like the current one. i have everything plugged into this thing and nothing has ever blown up or had a problem except the amp. it would be weird to think that both times the amp blew up it was because my surge protector chose it over anything else to fry. so i am really at a lost why this has happened twice now?!?!?!

We're glad you're satisfied and they were able to help you. Perhaps it was a batch issue and the floor model is probably from a different batch, considering it could have been sitting there for close to a year.

In my opinion, I would take precaution and get a different surge protection.

Steve · 07-06-2009, 10:55 AM

I'm glad to hear they exchanged it for you again. I'm sorry you had to go with a floor model, but at least you say it's in pristine condition. I would definitely recommend a power conditioner. Make sure whatever surge suppressor you get also cleans up the power. Many of them don't smooth it out. This is often called automatic voltage regulation. Good luck with your new receiver. I hope you don't have any more problems.

07-05-2009, 05:56 AM	#1
backtothecanvas Active Member Member since:Mar 2008 Home Theater Gallery:20	My 2nd SC 05 Blew up!!! This is my 2nd Pioneer Elite SC 05 that has blown up now!!! The first time it happened it was within the 30 days of original purchase so i just marched into Best Buy and they gave me a brand new one. This time it has been about 45 days and i am afraid i am going to have too deal with shipping it out and waiting for its return from Pioneer itself. Does anyone know if Best Buy can "work around" the 30 day policy due to the 2nd one blowing now and possibly give me a new one in store? This is honestly ridiculous and putting a sour taste in my mouth for this receiver!! When it is working it sounds amazing, i am not sure why this is happening. Any advice, thoughts or help is very much appreciated, especially if there are any current or ex Best Buy employees that know if the 30 day return can be "messed with". thank you for your time!!

07-06-2009, 05:13 AM	#17
backtothecanvas Active Member Member since:Mar 2008 Home Theater Gallery:20	well here is an update on my 2nd blown SC 05. i called BB ahead of time and explained the situation to them and apparently i am a platinum reward zones member so i have up to 45 days for returns and exchanges. today, by some miracle, was day 45 . . . phewwww!!! i couldnt believe my luck. the only bad news is the amp is no longer in production and NO ONE has any new ones anymore so i was forced to take a barely used floor model. it was in absolute mint condition and is working amazing thus far. i also figured while i had everything torn apart, i would finally bi amp my towers and i must say i do notice a small amount of enhanced clarity, so i am pleased with that. now onto my surround speakers . . . i am currently using my old front towers from my samsung htib as my current rears until i get the matching klipsch surrounds. as far as a power conditioner i use this huge power surge protector with 6 outlet slots, 3 of which have backup battery power. i would however like to buy one of the ones many of you have spoken of. so i can actually incorporate it into my tv stand, instead of hiding it like the current one. i have everything plugged into this thing and nothing has ever blown up or had a problem except the amp. it would be weird to think that both times the amp blew up it was because my surge protector chose it over anything else to fry. so i am really at a lost why this has happened twice now?!?!?! thanks everyone for your advice and help, it was very appreciated!! Last edited by backtothecanvas; 07-06-2009 at 05:17 AM.

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07-05-2009, 06:07 AM	#2
Rob J in WNY Blu-ray Guru Member since:Dec 2008 Location:'Western' N.Y. State (MEMBER OF THE "ECPP")™ Home Theater Gallery:24 4K collection:30 Blu-ray collection:486 iTunes collection:1 Blu-ray reviews: 15	Holy smokes! (literally... ) I would most definitely try to make a case for your cause at Best Buy. You are having an amazing stroke of bad luck. My SC-05 has given me no problems, whatsoever, and I fire it up just short of daily with a 7.1-channel system. There may be some bad news for you. BB might not have any SC-05s left in stock! I'd act very fast!

07-05-2009, 09:31 AM	#3
Footloose301 Special Member Member since:May 2007 Location:Fort Myers, FL Home Theater Gallery:38 4K collection:2 Blu-ray collection:2 Blu-ray reviews: 1	Sounds like something might be messed up in your house. Voltage spikes or something. Perhaps they've gotten a bad batch? They might be pointing fingers at you soon.

07-05-2009, 01:42 PM	#5
Steve Blu-ray Knight Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:May 2008 Location:Anna, TX 4K collection:128 Blu-ray collection:416 Trading Score:41	I would definitely try to go back to BB first. Like TODAY. Any chance you bought the extended warranty for it? That will make it much easier to return it. Even still the worst they can do is tell you no, then you contact Pioneer directly. And as the previous posters have said, get a good ACP or power conditioner BEFORE you hook it back up.

07-05-2009, 08:44 PM	#6
Footloose301 Special Member Member since:May 2007 Location:Fort Myers, FL Home Theater Gallery:38 4K collection:2 Blu-ray collection:2 Blu-ray reviews: 1	I haven't checked the specs but make sure you speakers are ALL 8 ohms, and not anything below 8(usually, sometimes you can do 6 ohms). Impedence is very important to an amp. Too low of a resistance can cause an amp to overheat. Trust me. An aftermarket car stereo will blow running 2 ohm speakers right off the deck. Lol. But like I said. I didn't look at your speakers or the manual for the receiver for specs on recommended impedence.

07-05-2009, 08:50 PM	#8
dolphinc Power Member Member since:May 2009 Location:Florida	BB is really strick with their return policy. I would ask to speak to the manager and plead your case, it really would be up to him/her anyway so you might as well go straight to the top.

07-05-2009, 08:55 PM	#10
SeanMF Blu-ray Baron Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:Apr 2007 Location:Iowa Home Theater Gallery:70 Blu-ray collection:1428 Blu-ray reviews: 2 Trading Score:83	I would check the surrounds to make sure they are 8ohm. This receiver can handle 6 ohm but the op probably has klipsch surrounds that are 8ohm. I'm getting my sc-05 this week from a friend who decided he'd rather have the sc-07. I can't wait...I've been using this sony receiver temporarily for a month or 2 and the lack of hd sound just isn't cutting it. Supercube 3 sub within a month. If you don't have a power conditioner that would be the first thing I'd get. Sounds like you just ran into bad luck or bad 'batch' at that particular store. Pioneer is quality products and not known for trouble to my knowledge.

07-05-2009, 09:08 PM	#11
solarrdadd Blu-ray Prince Top ranked HT gallery Member since:Jul 2008 Location:Virginia Home Theater Gallery:255 4K collection:209 Blu-ray collection:1344 DVD collection:4 Blu-ray reviews: 42 Trading Score:316	If you had/have a rewards zone silver class membership your store returns are amped up to 45 days; as I have. don't be suprised if best buy won't take it back even if you do have the membership because it's the second time that it's "blown up" with your use. they will probably tell you to go deal with pioneer, and really, what are the chances of you getting two brand new units and they both blow up? pretty slim, about the odds of that 50:1 horse that won! If you don't have really good line conditioning and surge protection you should invest in some. what did you have before the two "blown up" pioneers? did you replace it because something "blew up"? not trying to be funny either, trying to determine if you have an electrical problem. i've seen your gallery and your setup is really nice. i'm sure you have already determined that the speakers you have are not causing trouble for the brand receiver you have used i.e. ohm rating and speaker cables, are they connected to the receiver with bare wire or terminated connectors? best of luck and i/we hope you do find out what is what. is it possible you just got two bad receivers, from the same place out of the box, yes, how probable is that, well, that number has got a lot of , in it! keep us posted!

07-05-2009, 09:13 PM	#12
Rob J in WNY Blu-ray Guru Member since:Dec 2008 Location:'Western' N.Y. State (MEMBER OF THE "ECPP")™ Home Theater Gallery:24 4K collection:30 Blu-ray collection:486 iTunes collection:1 Blu-ray reviews: 15	backtothecanvas, First off, I need to say that your theater setup is very nice! I really feel for you, as the SC-05 really makes a nice centerpiece for your style of theater. I hope that you can get another, or are perhaps offered an upgrade to an SC-07. I wouldn't give up on Pioneer Elite series just yet. The possibility of voltage problems should not be overlooked. Investigate it and get a power conditioner if it's necessary. Sound advice there (no pun intended ). According to the specifications for the SC-05, you may use 8-ohm or 6-ohm speakers, but not 4-ohm. As others have noted, you don't seem to be running surround speakers at the moment. None are listed in your signature, and your photos do not seem to show any that I could see. One thing that you need to check (although impossible to do at the moment), is to make sure that your surround and surround-back channels are set to "NO" in the SC-05's speaker setup menu. Your SC-05 Operating Instructions, on page 56 and 57 indicate that you must make sure that surround speakers are shut off if they are not connected. If you are running a single surround-back speaker for 6.1 channel setup, make sure that you attach the speaker to the SC-05's LEFT surround-back speaker terminals, and set the surround-back setting to "SMALLx1" (as opposed to "SMALLx2" for a 7.1 channel setup) in the speaker setup menu. Obviously, these settings are to prevent the unused amplifier surround channels from attempting output without speakers attached (a definite "no-no"), but it also serves the purpose of letting the receiver know to mix surround channel information into the other available channels so that you do not lose any multichannel audio information. Just a few thoughts for ya.......Good luck with this!

07-05-2009, 10:53 PM	#13
got rice Senior Member Member since:Jan 2009	sorry for the issues... do you know if any of the other components were affected/ If there was a brown out or some sort of voltage issue I would think other things would have been affected one way or another. I assume you purchased most of your recent uprgrades from BB, let them know that it was only the SC05 and nonthing else if this was truly the case. This gives you a valid point that cannot be disputed. It very well may be the receiver was from the same bad batch. Also, since you made a substantial purchase with BB, this will give some leverage for customer loyalty, and commitment to BB. Let them be aware of your commitment BB and this is where you shop. Historical relationships go along way. Definitely talk to a superior. Good luck with this.

07-06-2009, 12:22 AM	#14
solarrdadd Blu-ray Prince Top ranked HT gallery Member since:Jul 2008 Location:Virginia Home Theater Gallery:255 4K collection:209 Blu-ray collection:1344 DVD collection:4 Blu-ray reviews: 42 Trading Score:316	I can see them taking the one back but after giving him a second, brand new one and the same thing happen, i think best buy will not give him a third one no matter how much he spent. Remember, he also went past the return policy timeline so i doubt it seriously. Unless, other people have returned the same model with the same problem then i would say yes because that would be a P.R. issue. I really think he is going to be told he needs to deal with pioneer who will make their own descion as to what happened to the unit. It's really nice to hope they might take it back but I doubt it. That would be two units they must send back to pioneer claiming that they were defective; do you really think they want to take a chance on the same customer with a third unit? Mind you i'm not saying he did anything wrong himself, i'm looking at this from BB point of view!

07-06-2009, 01:25 AM	#15
got rice Senior Member Member since:Jan 2009	How do we know the 2nd one was brand new one and not a returned item repackaged as new? While BB doesn't have to take it back based on their policy, there is no identifiable evidence that an outside issue caused this. So the item is defective, whether it is coincidence or not, if conveyed properly the upper management may make one last exception. The amount of $$ he has spent has everthing to do with it. Its these consumers who typically are interested in the electronics industry, and spend money whether it be computers, TV's cameras, speakers etc. What management is really concerned with is those who have an excessive return hsitory. Not those who have spent a good amount and have an issue with a particular piece of equipment. Ultimately , it is ajudgement call and it should be addressed accordingly. What does he have to lose.

07-06-2009, 10:55 AM	#20
Steve Blu-ray Knight Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:May 2008 Location:Anna, TX 4K collection:128 Blu-ray collection:416 Trading Score:41	I'm glad to hear they exchanged it for you again. I'm sorry you had to go with a floor model, but at least you say it's in pristine condition. I would definitely recommend a power conditioner. Make sure whatever surge suppressor you get also cleans up the power. Many of them don't smooth it out. This is often called automatic voltage regulation. Good luck with your new receiver. I hope you don't have any more problems.

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