Onkyo Receiver Not Making Sound? (Possible Causes & Fixes)

Onkyo receivers are a staple in home entertainment systems due to their quality, convenience, and ease of use. Even still, things can go wrong with them and an Onkyo receiver sometimes won’t produce sound, and that can be frustrating. Looking at a receiver and trying to troubleshoot it can be overwhelming, so what do you do when it doesn’t make sound?

If your Onkyo receiver isn’t making any sound this is usually due to incorrect settings. Go to your digital input and make sure that it is set to “auto” and that it’s set on the right input source. Also, check that it’s not on mute and that the input and output are all connected properly.

When your Onkyo receiver doesn’t produce sound, you’ll generally have to do a bit of troubleshooting to fix it. Luckily, several easy and quick fixes will get your receiver running properly. Follow along as we explore the main problems and solutions that can get your Onkyo receiver making sound again in no time.

If your Onkyo receiver is not producing sound, your first step should be to check the outlet that it’s plugged into. Your receiver may not light up or turn on at all, and that would indicate that there is something wrong with the power source. Unplug your Onkyo receiver from the wall and plug it back in to see if the unit powers on.

If you notice that power is not restored to the receiver, unplug it again and inspect the outlet. There may be an obstruction in the outlet, but the best way to check is by plugging another device into it. Take another electronic device and plug it into the outlet to see if the outlet is ineffective.

It could be that the outlet simply has a short and is unable to produce power. In that case, you may need to enlist the help of an electrician to have it rewired and repaired. You could temporarily place the Onkyo receiver somewhere else that you have a working outlet until you have the ineffective outlet repaired.

When your receiver has power but is not producing any sound, you may need to reset it entirely. Luckily, this is an easy process and the simplest way to fix your Onkyo receiver. Locate the VCR/DVD button and the On/Standby button on the receiver and hold each button down at the same time.

Once you hold both buttons down, the receiver will go into standby mode and can be turned on again. Now, simply press the On/Standby button once again to turn it back on and see if the sound is working properly on the receiver. You may need to change your presets after resetting the receiver as it does away with them.

Your Onkyo receiver may not be producing sound because the HDMI cable is not connected, and that’s an easy fix. Of all of the different video cable types, the HDMI cable is the most useful as it connects a receiver to television to produce sound and video. Look at the back of your receiver and look for where it says HDMI Out, and check to see if the cable came loose.

If your HDMI cable came loose, simply plug it back in so that it is a tight fit and check to see if the sound returns. Sometimes, this does not work, and you’ll have to check to see if the HDMI cable is connected properly to the TV set. However, if the HDMI cable is perfectly connected at both points and it still doesn’t work, you may need to change the input on your TV to “HDMI”.

Often when an Onkyo receiver doesn’t create sound, it is because the sources are not connected or turned on. To check if this is the problem, you can change the source setting to the radio to see if you get sound when switching stations. If you get sound when listening to the radio but not when using a DVD player, that means something could be wrong with either of those sources.

Check the connections on your DVD player, or whatever it is that isn’t producing sound, and see if they are properly plugged in. Similar to the previous step, it could be that the HDMI cable in the device in question is not connected properly. If that’s the case, reconnect the HDMI cable and see if it works now.

You can isolate which source isn’t properly connected by trying each of them, i.e. the radio, DVD player, or gaming system. That way, you can tell if it’s a problem with the particular device or with the Onkyo receiver itself. If no devices are working, then it may simply be that the speaker’s wires came loose, and you’ll just need to plug them back in.

One of the most common problems people have with Onkyo receivers is that the speaker wires are not properly connected. Look at the wires going out of your speakers and make sure that they connect directly to the metal outlet on the back of the receiver. This part of the Onkyo receiver is called the speaker terminal, and direct contact needs to be made with the wires.

If your speaker wires are directly connected to the receiver and it still doesn’t work, there could be a short in the wires. In that case, you will need to replace the wires and connect the new ones to the speaker terminal.

Many homeowners also run into problems with their Onkyo receiver where they’re not able to get a picture. Luckily, you can easily fix the problem and get the picture to return to your Onkyo receiver without much effort at all. Check to make sure that your HDMI or S-Video is properly connected from the TV to the receiver.

If that does not fix the problem, it could be that you are set to a video resolution not supported by your TV. Make sure that both the receiver and TV are both on the same resolution or input settings so that they’re compatible. If they are not on the same setting, it simply won’t work and there will be no picture on the TV.

It’s easy to tell that they’re not on the same setting because the receiver will say “Resolution Error”. Go ahead and switch the TV and receiver to the same source and resolution setting, and it will produce a picture for you.

Related Questions

How long do Onkyo receivers last?

Onkyo receivers can last 20 or more years if nothing goes wrong with the hardware and it’s well taken care of. With that said, many homeowners only get up to 10 years out of their Onkyo receiver, but it could last as little as 5 years. As long as you don’t blow a fuse, get it wet, or knock it over, your Onkyo receiver should last you many years.

Does Onkyo receiver support ARC?

Yes, Onkyo receivers do support ARC (Audio Return Channel), but it must be enabled in the settings. If you are on the TV source on your receiver, you can select ARC as your audio output in the receiver’s settings. Simply exit the settings once you’ve enabled it, and now your Onkyo receiver will support ARC.

Your Onkyo receiver may not have sound because the speakers are not properly connected to it, among other reasons. This is a quick fix and requires you to make sure that the wires from the speakers are fixed to their slot on the speaker terminal on the receiver. It could also be a matter of your receiver and TV not being on the same source and input.

If your HDMI cable is not connected, that will also prevent your Onkyo receiver from producing sound properly. Sometimes, all that you need to do is reset the receiver so that it gets a little jumpstart to begin working again. To do this, you need to hold the On/Standby and VCR/DVD buttons at the same time, then turn it off and on again to reset.

Otherwise, you can check each source, i.e. a DVD player, gaming console, or TV, to see which of them aren’t producing sound. Once you identify the problematic device, you can make sure that they are properly connected via wires. Each of the above solutions is quick, easy, and sure to get your Onkyo receiver working properly.