Blinking Power Light on Marantz PM6006 : Help Needed

[buttark]

Hello you lovely audio souls, this is just a reach out for any advice for a problem I have with my Marantz PM6006 Amplifier
Thankyou in advance for any help or suggestions to resolve my issue.

I have been using a Marantz PM6006 for 4.5 years, It's connected via optical cable from a Sony Bravia TV, I just use it as a TV speaker amp and that's It and never above 20% volume, lots of air ventilation. It has a pair of Yamaha 6 Ohm floor standing speakers connected to It.
Last week, I turned it on and the red power light started blinking and a quick lookup suggests a problem with the circuit protection.
I have unplugged the speakers and the same problem manifests itself, straight to a red blinking light. now here is the weird thing, If I turn it off and on every 10 seconds, It eventually starts working fine, Is this a cap that needs charging or has leaked.
How do I feel? to be honest, I feel like throwing it in the bin and never touching Marantz again, this amp has had hardly any use and has just died.

Can anybody give me advice on what I should do, I am worried if I get it repaired, it will just do the same again.

 

[muljao]

Have you tried turning off whatever speakers selection you have just to see. It could be an issue with a or b speaker circuit

 

[Countryman1972]

From the online manual​

Power turns off and the power indicator flashes in red approx. every 0.25 seconds.​

The protection circuit has been activated due to a rise in temperature within this unit. Turn the power off, wait about an hour until this unit cools down sufficiently, and then turn the power on again.
link
Please re-install this unit in a place having good ventilation.
Check the speaker connections. The protection circuit may have been activated because speaker cable core wires came in contact with each other or a core wire was disconnected from the connector and came in contact with the rear panel of this unit. After unplugging the power cord, take corrective action such as firmly re-twisting the core wire or taking care of the connector, and then reconnect the wire.
link
Turn down the volume and turn on the power again.
link
This unit’s amplifier circuit has failed. Unplug the power cord and contact our customer service center.

 

[algobr]

Sorry I can't offer you any advice, buttark, but I also have a PM6006 of similar age which is well-positioned and has had regular but very light use, and mine has just started displaying identical symptoms to yours. At first it would activate the protection circuitry only when trying to bring it out of standby mode with the RC, but today it has started doing the same thing when switched on from cold. I have contacted Marantz UK's customer support and will post up any response that I get from them. If they can't help I'm going in for something better.

 

[Kapkirk]

Before giving up and throwing in a skip, try replacing the 5 capacitors ringed in red. Ignore the fact they may LOOK fine.

Should take less than a hour and a few quid.

 

[algobr]

Before giving up and throwing in a skip, try replacing the 5 capacitors ringed in red. Ignore the fact they may LOOK fine.

Should take less than a hour and a few quid.

Thanks for a very interesting proposed solution, Kapkirk. Did you have the same problem with this model, or is your answer based on general experience? Currently the fault on my amp is intermittent and unpredictable; previously I'd been able to get it going by turning it off and on repeatedly, with the help of the RC to bring it out of standby, while this morning it's powered up from cold without any hint of a problem and is now working perfectly, so I'm not going to try anything drastic until it dies completely.

 

[Kapkirk]

Generally with these intermittent issues it is usually caused by a breakdown of electronic components due to age and heat, and the first thing to suspect is electrolytic caps close to other components that get hot as the heat drys out the electrolyte in capacitors close to them.
In this case it would make sense to replace those parts (As they are situated right next to Transformers and heatsinks) as a matter of course before moving on to diagnose other components like Relays, Transistors and IC's.
I have not repaired this particular amp before but many others with similar faults.

 

[algobr]

Generally with these intermittent issues it is usually caused by a breakdown of electronic components due to age and heat, and the first thing to suspect is electrolytic caps close to other components that get hot as the heat drys out the electrolyte in capacitors close to them.
In this case it would make sense to replace those parts (As they are situated right next to Transformers and heatsinks) as a matter of course before moving on to diagnose other components like Relays, Transistors and IC's.
I have not repaired this particular amp before but many others with similar faults.

Many thanks for the reply, and sharing the benefits of your experience, Kapkirk; pity you don't live nearby.

ps the amp is currently behaving itself and working with no sign of a fault.

 

[algobr]

Update - I placed the amp on standby when I went out for half an hour, and it went straight into protection mode when I came back and tried to bring it out of standby with the RC. It's now going into protection mode whenever I try to power it up again. I think it's time for an upgrade to cheer myself up.

 

[buttark]

Hi there, Just a quick update,,

Thankyou for all the help you have offered, I really want to sort this out myself of I can.

I removed all 5 capacitors but wanted to check before ordering the new ones

From left to right i removed and tested each existing capacitor, see below, I will also list the reading taken from my Fluke 179 multimeter

[email protected] Actual rating 2137uF
[email protected] Actual rating 245uF
[email protected] Actual rating 488uF
[email protected] Actual rating 450uF
[email protected] Actual rating 453uF

Should i go ahead and replace these caps or not from these readings

I did notice when taking the main board out of the chassis that there was some heat burn marks on the rear of the main board, i'll link the pictures, i took one of the back and one of the front

 

[JayCee]

Since your symptoms are intermittent check for dry solder joints.

 

[Heavenlysounds]

While I was posting a reply on my own topic, I noticed this topic in the suggested topics.

We also have a Marantz PM 6006 and have had nothing but problems with it. I have come to the conclusion that the problem is the capacitors are not of a good quality build in this Marantz model as the previous model PM5005 seemed to be fine for the various clients we have bought this for. But in the space of the 18 months that we have actually managed to use this PM6006 amplifier, the amplifier has stopped working three times with the exact same fault. We always have to send it back to Marantz.

We did have a wiring problem initially, which was corrected by replacing the speakers and wiring before putting the amp back in again. But barely a year later, we are back where we started with a dead amplifier. It's ridiculous as amplifiers used to last 20 years!

It was suggested on my topic that the problem may be that I am driving four bookshelf speakers that are 6 ohms and the amp is rated for 4/8 ohms so I am effectively driving the amp at 3 ohms. I hadn't known that, as I am no clued up on how ohms and number of speakers etc work.

But I don't think this is the problem with our amplifiers as I have seen a number of posts on the Internet about the PM6006 going into protection mode and I doubt all the people having problems are running 4 speakers or driving the amp below 4 ohms or maxing out the volume.

Did you guys get any answer back from Marantz as this seems to be a common issue with this model? I am looking to buy another amp from another manufacturer. What did you guys end up going with assuming you did not bother with a Marantz repair?

 

[algobr]

While I was posting a reply on my own topic, I noticed this topic in the suggested topics.

We also have a Marantz PM 6006 and have had nothing but problems with it. I have come to the conclusion that the problem is the capacitors are not of a good quality build in this Marantz model as the previous model PM5005 seemed to be fine for the various clients we have bought this for. But in the space of the 18 months that we have actually managed to use this PM6006 amplifier, the amplifier has stopped working three times with the exact same fault. We always have to send it back to Marantz.

We did have a wiring problem initially, which was corrected by replacing the speakers and wiring before putting the amp back in again. But barely a year later, we are back where we started with a dead amplifier. It's ridiculous as amplifiers used to last 20 years!

It was suggested on my topic that the problem may be that I am driving four bookshelf speakers that are 6 ohms and the amp is rated for 4/8 ohms so I am effectively driving the amp at 3 ohms. I hadn't known that, as I am no clued up on how ohms and number of speakers etc work.

But I don't think this is the problem with our amplifiers as I have seen a number of posts on the Internet about the PM6006 going into protection mode and I doubt all the people having problems are running 4 speakers or driving the amp below 4 ohms or maxing out the volume.

Did you guys get any answer back from Marantz as this seems to be a common issue with this model? I am looking to buy another amp from another manufacturer. What did you guys end up going with assuming you did not bother with a Marantz repair?

I did get a response from Marantz customer service, which I'm reproducing below:

"Sorry to hear about the issues you're having. As this is an issue with the circuitry, you'd be best to contact one of our authorised service agents listed below. For out of warranty repairs, please see the details below for our authorised service agents."

Sending it off to an official agent would be expensive, with no guarantee of a permanent repair. Alternatively I could try to find somebody local who could have a go, since, realistically, my own soldering skills aren't up to the job. In short, I didn't see any cost-effective way of bringing the Marantz back to life, which was a pity, since it performed very well before the fault developed, and it's still rated as the best in its price range. I can't function without the constant background of the stereo so I'm now the proud possessor of a Cambridge Audio CXA - 61 and am consoling myself with the belief that I've upgraded, even if it has left me penniless.

 

[Heavenlysounds]

Sorry to hear that you ended up being burnt. I think ours is technically under warranty, but I have no desire to send it back for a fourth time. I was considering the Cambridge AXR85 but was put off by a lot of bad review of poor Quality Control on the part of Cambridge. I am looking at mainly Cambridge, Rotel A11 or Denon PMA-800NE.

However, I am told that I need to find an amp that will drive four 6 ohm speakers as this is possibly a cause of my current woes. Although I am not convinced as so many people seem to have reported issues with this particular amplifier and I doubt most of them are running four speakers etc.

 

[algobr]

Sorry to hear that you ended up being burnt. I think ours is technically under warranty, but I have no desire to send it back for a fourth time. I was considering the Cambridge AXR85 but was put off by a lot of bad review of poor Quality Control on the part of Cambridge. I am looking at mainly Cambridge, Rotel A11 or Denon PMA-800NE.

However, I am told that I need to find an amp that will drive four 6 ohm speakers as this is possibly a cause of my current woes. Although I am not convinced as so many people seem to have reported issues with this particular amplifier and I doubt most of them are running four speakers etc.

If you are connecting two pairs of 6 ohm speakers to the amp, i.e. one pair to the Speaker A terminals and one pair to Speaker B, then they are effectively running in parallel, so the overall total impedance is determined by the formula: 1/R(total) = 1/R1 + 1/R2,
so in your case 1/R(total) = 1/6 + 1/6 =1/3
therefore total impedance = 3 ohms.

In simple terms, running two pairs of identical speakers in parallel presents the amplifier with an impedance load which is half the value of a single pair of speakers.

This is outside the recommended impedance load for this amp, which is 4 - 16 ohms. The manual recommends that, if using two pairs of speakers, then they should be within the range 8 - 16 ohms. Using two 8 ohm speakers would give you a total impedance of 4 ohms. If your speakers are mounted phsically close to each other then you could possibly run them in series, which would give you a total impedance of R1 + R2, i.e. 12 ohms. Personally, I would have thought it a bit risky to run an amp with an impedance load lower than that which is recommended, although whether or not this has contributed to your amp's failure is not an easy question to answer.

In my case, I was using both speaker outputs in order to bi-wire a single pair of speakers; i.e. use the Speaker A connection to drive the bass, and Speaker B to drive the treble. This is an arrangement which is covered by the manual, and according to the online sources that I have found, should not affect the impedance load seen by the amplifier. The experience of other posters reporting the same fault suggests that speaker impedance is not the suspected cause, and it is more likely to be the use of inadequate quality components, specifically capacitors, on the circuit board.

 

[Heavenlysounds]

The experience of other posters reporting the same fault suggests that speaker impedance is not the suspected cause, and it is more likely to be the use of inadequate quality components, specifically capacitors, on the circuit board.

This is my belief as well. I will look into the 3 ohm issue as I agree with you and what the others have said regarding this, but I am of the opinion that the reason we are all having issues is inadequate quality components - specifically the capacitors. I cannot remember what website I was on, but someone opened up the amp and said that either the capacitors or the soldering was quite poor.

Every single fault that I have found on the Internet, regarding the PM6006 amp has been the exact same issue - circuit protection. I don't think that is a co-incidence.

I am considering running the speakers in Series and going with the Rotel. Hopefully this will end my issues.

 

[gibbsy]

This is my belief as well. I will look into the 3 ohm issue as I agree with you and what the others have said regarding this, but I am of the opinion that the reason we are all having issues is inadequate quality components - specifically the capacitors. I cannot remember what website I was on, but someone opened up the amp and said that either the capacitors or the soldering was quite poor.

Every single fault that I have found on the Internet, regarding the PM6006 amp has been the exact same issue - circuit protection. I don't think that is a co-incidence.

I am considering running the speakers in Series and going with the Rotel. Hopefully this will end my issues.

I'm sorry but you seem to think the amp is the problem when you are running it beyond it's design capabilities. No matter which way you look at it the problem is running speakers at 3 ohm which in effect will put those speakers into dropping even lower. With the speaker and amp combination you have and where and how they are used you simply have the wrong tools for the job.

 

[iFi audio]

I'm sorry but you seem to think the amp is the problem when you are running it beyond it's design capabilities. No matter which way you look at it the problem is running speakers at 3 ohm which in effect will put those speakers into dropping even lower. With the speaker and amp combination you have and where and how they are used you simply have the wrong tools for the job.

I agree, most mid-tier amplifiers can't handle impedances that low, especially at higher volumes. Such a low impedance will draw a big current, that will trip the protection ciructry. It's better to deal with that than with a burnt amplifier

 

[algobr]

I agree, most mid-tier amplifiers can't handle impedances that low, especially at higher volumes. Such a low impedance will draw a big current, that will trip the protection ciructry. It's better to deal with that than with a burnt amplifier

While it's undeniably true that Heavenlysounds was pushing his luck with his speaker impedance, that doesn't alter the fact that even under normal loading there seems to be a problem with the protection circuitry on the PM6006, with several online reports describing the same fault under a variety of operating conditions, or even after a period of storage. I never play music at high volume, and my speakers were wired in accordance with the manual, but in my case the fault first appeared after the amp had switched itself into standby; it then proved impossible to bring it back into normal operation and instead the orange light started flashing, indicating that it had gone into protection mode.

 

[gibbsy]

While it's undeniably true that Heavenlysounds was pushing his luck with his speaker impedance, that doesn't alter the fact that even under normal loading there seems to be a problem with the protection circuitry on the PM6006, with several online reports describing the same fault under a variety of operating conditions, or even after a period of storage. I never play music at high volume, and my speakers were wired in accordance with the manual, but in my case the fault first appeared after the amp had switched itself into standby; it then proved impossible to bring it back into normal operation and instead the orange light started flashing, indicating that it had gone into protection mode.

That's fair comment on your part, you had a bad unit. However when you push an amp past it's intended operating window then is it right to blame the amp outright. If you drive your car too fast into a bend and land up in a field would you blame the car.

If his amp is still under warranty then I certainly think mentioning running speakers at 3 ohms would almost certainly give Marantz a get out clause and rightly so.

 

[iFi audio]

While it's undeniably true that Heavenlysounds was pushing his luck with his speaker impedance, that doesn't alter the fact that even under normal loading there seems to be a problem with the protection circuitry on the PM6006, with several online reports describing the same fault under a variety of operating conditions, or even after a period of storage. I never play music at high volume, and my speakers were wired in accordance with the manual, but in my case the fault first appeared after the amp had switched itself into standby; it then proved impossible to bring it back into normal operation and instead the orange light started flashing, indicating that it had gone into protection mode.

Many modern loudspeakers can go into very low impedance despite being called a 4 Ohm load. That and Marantz putting in a sensitive output protection system can result in protection tripping too early.

All of that is despite faulty units.

 

[Heavenlysounds]

I don't want to get into a pointless debate circling the issue. So I will simply state this and then we can focus on what is important - resolution of the problem.

The point that more than one poster seems to have missed - is I am not the only one experiencing this problem with the PM6006. Two people in this very post have the same issue and I can point to a number of other people on the Internet reporting the same problem. And the interesting thing about the problems with the Marantz PM6006 amplifier is that every single user complained of the exact same problem - not different random issues - but all to do with circuit protection and capacitors.

These people are not overloading the amp and yet they are also having problems. In addition, I have made the same mistake with the PM5005 amplifier - using four speakers on the amp in parallel wiring with no issues.

I also agree with what IFI Audio wrote just before my post. Especially given that I have made the same mistake with the PM5005 model and had no issues. I personally think the capacitors are poor quality in this model.

In short - there are two issues. I am overloading the amp driving it to 3 ohm, BUT, the Marantz PM6006 clearly has a design flaw issue because other people have reported the exact same problem and their issue is very clearly not an impedance issue. I am not sure why some people are struggling to recognise this obvious point. If it was just me, I could accept that the fault is only and soley to do with overloading the amp. But other users are clearly having the same problem and they are not overloading the amplifier. So this focus on impedance mismatch to the exclusion of all other possible causes seems illogical to me. I submit that there are two issues with my setup.

I appreciate the help. I will be wiring my speakers in series to get them to 12 ohms and I will be replacing the amplifier with a Rotel A11 which has fantastic reviews on build quality. This will address both issues - the impedance mismatch and the poor quality capacitors in the Marantz PM6006 model.

 

[iFi audio]

I don't want to get into a pointless debate circling the issue. So I will simply state this and then we can focus on what is important - resolution of the problem.

The point that more than one poster seems to have missed - is I am not the only one experiencing this problem with the PM6006. Two people in this very post have the same issue and I can point to a number of other people on the Internet reporting the same problem. And the interesting thing about the problems with the Marantz PM6006 amplifier is that every single user complained of the exact same problem - not different random issues - but all to do with circuit protection and capacitors.

These people are not overloading the amp and yet they are also having problems. In addition, I have made the same mistake with the PM5005 amplifier - using four speakers on the amp in parallel wiring with no issues.

I also agree with what IFI Audio wrote just before my post. Especially given that I have made the same mistake with the PM5005 model and had no issues. I personally think the capacitors are poor quality in this model.

In short - there are two issues. I am overloading the amp driving it to 3 ohm, BUT, the Marantz PM6006 clearly has a design flaw issue because other people have reported the exact same problem and their issue is very clearly not an impedance issue. I am not sure why some people are struggling to recognise this obvious point. If it was just me, I could accept that the fault is only and soley to do with overloading the amp. But other users are clearly having the same problem and they are not overloading the amplifier. So this focus on impedance mismatch to the exclusion of all other possible causes seems illogical to me. I submit that there are two issues with my setup.

I appreciate the help. I will be wiring my speakers in series to get them to 12 ohms and I will be replacing the amplifier with a Rotel A11 which has fantastic reviews on build quality. This will address both issues - the impedance mismatch and the poor quality capacitors in the Marantz PM6006 model.

If there is room in your budget I would recommend Audiolab 6000A. Absolute killer for me. It's something I would buy for myself.
Basic Rotel models are also very good, so that's also a great direction

 

[Heavenlysounds]

I did actually consider the Audiolab 6000A but I just felt that the Rotel suited my requirements more as the focus seemed to be more on build quality, removing extra functionality to make the amplifier an affordable price. I don't need bells and whistles just build quality. I also think the Rotel is a very pretty design. I am also guilty of - I know Rotel - so I trust them - never heard of Audiolab. I have ordered the Rotel earlier today.

 

[Helix Hifi]

The Rotel Tribute amplifier? I had the RA1572MK2. I was very unlucky with this amplifier.

I hope you enjoy the Rotel sound. Not my cup of tea. Too lean sounding for my taste.