Onkyo TX-NR636chat_bubble_outlineFrom real comments

A large number of users report the receiver randomly entering protect mode and shutting off, often tied to thermal, voltage, or current faults. Fixes are inconsistent, ranging from diagnostic resets to physically tapping the chassis.

@oxygentmr

It's very easy to fix. I've had this problem for 5 years now. It's a funny fix, but it works. Simply turn it on and hit the top of the unit immediately with your hands. It's fixed. Just do this tip if it happens from time to time.launch

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March 13, 2024

@yournightmare9999

Press [cbl/sat] on reciver and hold.... than press [power] on reciver and hold..... then release [cab/sat] but still holding power until reset themselves\nThis is help for my nr636 back to factory.launch

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May 4, 2022

@izzzzzz6

I don't know why so many people buy Onkyo. Recently i have been buying old amps to repair or hold onto for a while. I got an old onkyo and it was fine, all low tech. But then i bought a broken 696. This one is a home theatre style, a bit like the one in the video. It goes into protect mode a bit like in the video but it gets a chance to quickly flash the word protect b4 shutting down.\n Reading through the trouble shooting advice is a bit mind boggling. I am going to first dismantle the power supply section and hot wire it to turn it on and check all of the output voltages.\n The actual amp section seems fine, i tested the transistors for shorts and i removed the fuses to the amp board which made no difference. I feel the issue is either in the power supply section or it's on the computer board. Could be a replacement of capacitors job. The computer board has metal can capacitors and i have seen videos of people advising to replace a bunch of these.\n I have also seen videos of people trying to reflow the BGA chips with heat guns. \n The problem with these heat gun videos is that heat brings capacitors back to life temporarily and possibly the process may even bring them slightly back from where they were. If it is the BGA chip then these people should be using plenty of traceless flux to help reflow the chips but i have not seen anyone use flux!\n I warmed all of my boards (to test for semi bad caps) gently with a heat gun but it did not spring back to life. I have not tried any reflowing, but i did re-solder everything i could get to and that did not help.\n The 696 is a slightly older type that does not use BGA chips, it still uses surface mounted chips but the older style, i doubt it is a reflow job in my case but we will see. When i get some energy i will verify power supply voltages to see if the regulators and their little circuits are doing what they are supposed to. I noticed a charred mark on one of the caps on the transformer board but when i removed the transformer to take a closer look i could not see why the mark was there. I thought that perhaps the bridge rectifier had blown and been replaced at some point as it is just opposite the caps. If the tests on the power supply are fine i will try the reset described in one of the comments below but the 696 seems to have slightly different procedures for the trouble shooting. The service manual isn't that easy to follow and my signal generator is broken so i can only use a basic one tone one, the manual requires you to input various voltages and signals and to build or use certain jumper cables to break into the boards to do this.launch

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March 5, 2022

@tn6020

If someone still have it and wanna fix it then pm me I have a solutionlaunch

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September 17, 2020

Independent German magazine testing reportedly measured real power output (72W/channel @8ohms) well below Onkyo's advertised 160W/6ohm rating, and some buyers received boxes labeled with different wattage than online listings.

@Squishmallows24

so online it says total power of receiver is 1155 watts, 165 per channel. on the box i received from amazon it says 115 watts per channel...?launch

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December 11, 2015

@LaserLuther

If you read closely it is power rated at 2 channels. The 160w is on a single channel not 160w X 7. I have a tx-nr1030 it's 135w X 2 channel. I think the 636 is rated at 95w X 7.launch

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February 5, 2015

@gamerpaddy

How much watts?  onkyo says 160W per channel at 6 ohms, but that cant be true. because 7x 160W + electronics would be 1200W     a transformer that could deliver so much, would be heavier than the avr itself.      german audio magazine audiovision measured 72W per channel @ 8 ohmslaunch

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January 30, 2015

@gamerpaddy

Is onkyo fooling us?     Spec sheet says 160W @ 6ohms per channel, audiovison magazine measured 72W @ 8 ohms per channel   this cant be true.      160W on 7 channels that would be ~1200W  but a ring transformer that could deliver so much, would be heavier than the amp itself.launch

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January 30, 2015

Multiple potential buyers cite reading many negative reviews about the model developing technical problems within months, creating hesitation before purchase.

@MrSmoothcriminal2488

Is this Onkyo receiver reliable? I've read a lot of bad reviews about this particular model. People who have owned this model say It starts having technical problems after a few months. How long have you had this & have you faced any technical issues with this? I really want to get this but I'm a bit confused.launch

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February 6, 2016

@MrSmoothcriminal2488

Is this receiver reliable? I've read a lot of bad reviews about this particular model having technical issues after a few months of use. I really wanted to get this receiver but now I'm a bit confused. How long have you had this receiver? If your receiver didn't have problems for over a year than I might buy this model.launch

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February 5, 2016

@MrSmoothcriminal2488

Is this Onkyo receiver reliable? I've read a lot of bad reviews about this model & a few others. They say these Onkyo receivers start having technical problems after a weeks or months. I wanted to buy this receiver but now I'm a bit skeptical. If anyone has owned this model for more than a year & has not faced any technical problems then please tell me so I know that It's safe to buy this.launch

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February 5, 2016

Several owners describe extremely frustrating support interactions, including long hold times, full voicemail boxes, and no resolution, especially when problems occur just after warranty expiration.

@grinch96ek

Yea mine is now doing this exact same thing,...20 days after the 2 year warranty expired. I'm highly pissed.launch

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April 2, 2017

@ryanmtaylor77

Onkyo's service is the worst and this product breaks quickly. I've had mine for 8 months and it just stopped working. It shuts off during HDMI initialization. I've called Onkyo 8 times in 5 days and the closest I got was 40 min of hold time then routed to a full voicemail box. What kind of crap is this? Thanks Onkyo, good to know I have a \"garunteed piece of crap\" for 2 years.launch

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December 22, 2015

Users report difficulty getting sound through HDMI ARC despite correct settings, confusion over reassigning HDMI inputs for HDCP 2.2 compatibility, and general setup headaches.

@andrzejnowicki7408

I have TX-NR636 AV RECEIVER and I’ve just connected a TV via HDMI with the ARC functionality. But although I’ve turned this setting on, I cannot hear a sound from speakers. The TV “sees” the AV Receiver, when I make volume up or down, it is shown on the TV but there is no sound.\n \nPlease help,\n \nAndylaunch

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July 13, 2023

@waynepeterson3831

I have the NR636 to pair with 4k HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2 Samsung TV and Blu-ray. The NR636 arrives with HDMI IN #1 pre-assigned to the Blu-ray, however, only the HDMI IN #3 is HDCP 2.2 capable. Obviously, I want to hook up the BluRay to #3. How do I reassign the inputs????launch

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November 20, 2014

Some long-term owners express being fed up with recurring problems and say they would not buy Onkyo again.

@bartvanhove6750

I see a lot off problems with onkyo i have the same problems never i will buy onkyo againlaunch

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July 11, 2022

@legacyfightsback

I have the same issues I am fed up with onkyo totallylaunch

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September 20, 2020

At least one user is frustrated that the front display doesn't show which audio codec or speaker channels are active, a feature older receivers had.

@vintagewatchcave

Argh... exactly the reason I watched this video -- is the very thing you are annoyed about... I want to see the information on the FRONT OF THE RECEIVER -- codec, and also DD - which speakers are being used. My 2001 JVC receiver does that!\nThanks for the infolaunch

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June 26, 2015