I recently started a thread about problems I've been having with Sony receiver (STR-DE597) going into protect mode. You can read about it here: http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/129356 After borrowing a friend's multimeter, I found out my Klipsch speakers were *both* at a steady 4.0 ohms impedence whereas the Sony receiver recommends speakers that have 8 ohms impedence. So I'm guessing my speakers were manufactured improperly or else mislabeled. What I'd like to know now is could the receiver have caused this kind of damage to the speakers, a reduction in impedence? I usually use the stereo for background music--I certainly wasn't taxing the speakers' or receiver's limits. I was unable to find information on changing impedence online, but I did find something that said most receivers that are rated for 8 ohms can handle 4 ohms, which seems to explain why the receiver and speaker set up worked for awhile (approximately 3 months). But then should I also be concerned that the speakers have damaged/affected the receiver? I tried the receiver with 8 ohm speakers and it took me a few tries before it ceased overheating and going into protect mode. I'm wondering if I should send in the receiver--it's still under warranty and also only 6 months old--just to make sure that nothing's wrong. I suppose I shouldn't mention I was using improper speakers, though it seems that wasn't my fault, nor was it expected from a manufacturer like Klipsch. So I've emailed Klipsch and explained the whole sob story--I'll let you know what they say. I was told there is some way to alter the impedence of your speakers with a different sort of connection, but since the speakers are six months old and Klipsch, I'd rather have a new pair.
Hey sorry about all your problems....that sucks!!!!! If I were you, I would bring it back to best buy, talk to a manager there about the continuing problem, and ask for credit to upgrade to a better reciever. It's worth a try! I don't know what best buy's pollicys are but since it's under warranty i would at least try. If you can't upgrade to a better reciever then you should at least send it back for a new one! Good luck!
After this experience, I will never again buy a service plan from Best Buy. Their policies are designed with the most loopholes possible. After getting the speakers back, I bitched out the manager but he was unwilling even to refund the price for the service plans. He said he couldn't refund the service plan prices because both units were "checked in," that is, sent to a service center. That is true, but they were sent in as a matter of policy--the store did not have its own electronics unit--and essentially all the technicians did is plug the receiver in and hook up the speakers. I'm upset that they would "check in" the speakers, only to say they're a manufacturing problem they're not responsible for--they should have told me this at the time I brought in my speakers that they wouldn't fix such a problem so that I wouldn't have had them sent to a center for naught and then lose the ability to refund my service plan. The manager said the person working the service center counter didn't know that, and I thanked the manager for acknowledging the incompetence of his staff. Not only that, but any time Best Buy can't find or replicate the problem you report, they can charge you something like 15% of the cost of the product--their "no fault found" fee that they apply indiscriminately. They tried to charge me this the second time I brought my receiver in (I refused to pay it), and I even could have been charged for bringing in the speakers. Shame on Best Buy.
