No Sound Output

Posted by: Jake in TX

No Sound Output - 01/15/20 01:51 PM

This posting is to pass along as info my recent experiences with my Model 975.

I purchased my Model 975 in late 2013, over 6 years ago. It has operated well until about 9 - 10 months ago. It started to have an isolated "pop" sound, usually from just the front left, or front right speaker. This was something I could not cause at will; it seemed random. At times I thought it was going to blow out one of my speakers. It got progressively more common, and last week it was almost constant, then no sound output whatsoever.

I contacted support, and worked with a technician to determine that there was also no output from the headphone jack, and also that a reset did not help. He explained that since my Model 975 was well past warranty, it would cost me for them to repair it, and he gave me a range of price I should expect. I agreed with this, and shipped the Model 975 last Thursday.

FedEx states that there was nobody there yesterday at about midday to receive it; hopefully there wall be today.

I'll close this at this point, and will update it as progress is made.

Jake
Posted by: Outlaw Ben

Re: No Sound Output - 01/15/20 02:59 PM

Jake, I worked with you via the support ticket system. Checking the headphone output ensures the problem is not down stream from the pre-amplifier.

We actually just received your unit, about 5 minutes ago, and gave the driver some grief. We were here all day yesterday, I was actually here after hours in addition, and FedEx never showed. Feel free to check your tracking again, you'll see FedEx never made it to our location yesterday and the item was never scanned outside of the FedEx facility in Seekonk (until today). In the future, feel free to contact us directly.
Posted by: Jake in TX

Re: No Sound Output - 01/15/20 03:33 PM

Ben, I thought it was you, but wasn't sure. I already did see that FedEx shows that it was now delivered. Thanks! I await the evaluation of repair.

Jake
Posted by: Jake in TX

Re: No Sound Output - 01/23/20 01:53 PM

Update: I received an email yesterday afternoon with the repair estimate. I called this morning and spoke with both Ben and a repair technician about my Model 975. There were extensive problems; it appears that I did not supply sufficient ventilation. In light of that I believe the cost of repair is very reasonable; plus, the unit is already repaired. I have already received the shipping tracking number, and it is estimated to be delivered this Sunday. I am very impressed.

Jake
Posted by: EEman

Re: No Sound Output - 01/24/20 09:01 AM

That is interesting and a little concerning as I also have a dead 975 with no output from the headphone jack. I bought mine in late 2012 so the age is similar.

One question: The repair cost was reasonable enough so that you didn't consider buying a new one or upgrading to the 976?
Posted by: Jake in TX

Re: No Sound Output - 01/24/20 01:06 PM

Yes. I retired almost 4 years ago, so upgrading was out. Also, buying a new unit with shipping would have cost almost 3 times what the repair and shipping cost. I'm satisfied. I recommend you open a support ticket and get some prices.

Jake
Posted by: Jake in TX

Re: No Sound Output - 01/26/20 06:37 PM

I received my repaired 975 today (yes, on a Sunday). All appears to work correctly, except the front right output when listening to analog inputs, such as a turntable or the FM tuner. A new support ticket has been created.

Jake
Posted by: Jake in TX

Re: No Sound Output - 01/28/20 06:23 PM

My Model 975 is on its way back.

Jake
Posted by: Jake in TX

Re: No Sound Output - 02/04/20 04:03 PM

My Model 975 arrived back at Outlaw Audio on Friday, Jan. 31. Today, I received an email from Outlaw, which, in part, stated "...involved re-working intermittent connections on the DSP Codec, which was replaced during the initial repair." I am not being charged for this, and my Model 975 is on its way to me. I am very satisfied with Outlaw support.

Jake
Posted by: Jake in TX

Re: No Sound Output - 02/07/20 07:27 PM

OK, probably final post. My Model 975 arrived at my home today, and it appears that all problems are now corrected. Again, I am very satisfied with the support I received. I understand upon occasion, stuff happens. One thing I wondered is if the analog right channel problem might have occurred due to being bumped in transit. If Ben or one of the other Outlaw support people are monitoring this, I would appreciate them chiming in. Thanks to Outlaw support!

Jake
Posted by: EEman

Re: No Sound Output - 02/11/20 09:46 AM

From your earlier post it appears the problem was with the soldering of the DSP Codec onto the board. So either they had to replace the Codec and didn't do a good do soldering it back on the board or there was an additional failure to the solder joints.

I'm guessing that replacing the Codec is very difficult and requires specialized equipment. (e.g. Selective IR reflow) So some pin may have gotten a little less solder an didn't make a good connection. Shipping vibe may have caused it to fail hard.

It's also possible that the solder joint failed independently of the rework. Solder joints do fail over time due to thermal shock, migration, etc.

My 2 cents...
Posted by: 73Bruin

Re: No Sound Output - 03/23/20 02:52 PM

FWIW, my 975 had similar crackling noise problems. I sent it back to Outlaw and it was diagnosed as a faulty hdmi board. I was charged a fair price for its repair and shipping back. The returned unit, didn't work as well as the one I shipped back. The crackling noise was still there and the HDMI ARC no longer worked. I documented the noise with sound recording clips using various inputs and from my headphones. Outlaw was great and asked me to ship it back on their dime. They said the problem was the main board and said they replaced it at no charge and shipped it back. This repair cured the crackling noise but I was suddenly having hdmi audio problems. I tried a HDMI reset and eventually a unit reset, eventually the entire unit bricked (no audio output from any input including the tuner and analog).

Outlaw had me send it back on their dime again. This time they basically said it couldn't be repaired. They were great and refunded the amount I spent on repairs and shipping (except for the original shipment back to them). I ended up getting a 976.