Nearly 8yo 1050 running as a pre-amp in stereo mode feeding a pair of ~4.5yo M200's which each drives an Onyx Rocket RS750.

Inputs:
OTA & QAM TV (coaxial audio)
CATV DVR (optical audio 1)
DVD player (optical audio 2)

Recently, just within the past 3-4 months, I've noticed the right channel cutting out when watching TV via the DVR. The lights on the M200's stay green. If I crank the volume up to 45 or better (I normally watch/listen with it set at 27-30) I'll usually hear some crackling and then the audio cuts back in. It sort of "feels" like something plugged and I'm "blowing it clear", but this is all electronics and that's simply not possible.

No cables nor boxes have been touched or moved in nearly a year, so there's no "recent changes" that may have precipitated this behavior.

The CATV DVR box has option to set optical out to "Dolby Digital" or "PCM" ... problem occurs with both settings. CATV DVR box is a new replacement as of 2 weeks ago, the prior one was fried, according to the cable tech, "by a problem with the line levels on the street".

I can't remember this happening when watching OTA TV or DVD (both fed via different inputs), nor when listening to the radio or CD's (which are played on the DVD player), but I watch them *far* less than I do HD content off of the DVR, and I may simply not remember it happening. (hey, watch it! I'm ONLY in my 40s!)

Seems like a lot of variables. And a lot of different things I could swap, but ... based on the above, what would be the most likely source of the issue and therefore would be the most likely place to start my testing?

Should I swap the M200's and see if the left channel starts dropping out instead of the right?

Should I swap the DVR and DVD optical inputs (means reprogramming the remote)?

Should I bring the 950 up from the HT and sawp it in for the 1050 as a whole (big pain in the neck w/wiring and remote programming)?

I've been "dealing with it" due to the overwhelming aspect of the last option above ... I just don't want to deal with all that right now. SO ... any suggestions as to how to best optimize my search for the problem?

Thanks for any suggestions or ideas!

Hey, Pat - how's it going?

A few things come to mind. First, you could swap the M200's pretty easily to see if the problem follows along with the right channel's amp or stays in place - I think this would be a good and relatively quick way to test the amp part of the equation. If the problem stays on the right side, you might even try swapping the left and right speakers to see if it's something internal to the 750 (weakened solder joint, for example). Second, I wonder about running analog stereo from the DVR to the 1050, although I'm not sure what that would prove. A related test would be to move the DVR down to the theater and hook it up to the 950. If the problem followed it, you'd know that was the source of the issue without having to dismantle the big system. Lastly, I'd try running some radio or a DVD in the system just to see if it shows up at all with those - which could be done in parallel with some of the other tests if the opportunity presents itself.