Sony STR-DA4ES AV Receiver "Audio Pop" Repair

My Sony STR-DA4ES AV Receiver, purchased in 2002, has developed a gradually worsening "audio pop" problem. When powered on cold, the Receiver generates loud "pops" on all speakers regardless of audio source, volume setting, muting, or headphones.
After watching 12voltvids KZbin video I decided to tackle fixing this problem myself. As you'll see, it turned out to be poor solder joints due to excessive heating of the large NEC ICs on the A-Class board. Here's a link to 12voltvids' video where he solved a "no audio" problem on an STR-DA4ES:
• Sony STR DA4ES No Soun...
Hope this video can help others with a similar issue. Thanks for watching!

[@Echris21]

Hey thanks for this video. I just put my DA4ES back in service this weekend and was disappointed to find the left side surround channel was dead. :( I have the service manual and it looked like IC701, the power amp for the left side surround would be the culprit. After seeing how simple it is to remove the A-Class board in your video, I disassembled my entire setup and pulled the board. No obvious solder defects, even under a microscope, but I re-flowed all the joints anyway. Knowing that servicing that board would be a cinch pushed me over the top to just get it done, and it worked!

[@litzdog911]

Excellent!

[@grahamkent2868]

It always pays to check solder connections on voltage regulators, they often have the same problem as you found on driver IC's, good video.

[@anthonycoleman3019]

Nice work ! I have this same receivers they sound great !! And yes they are very heavy. They don't make them like this anymore receivers are cheaply made receivers these days. No power just bluetooth hdmi

[@Watcher3223]

_"They don't make them like this anymore"_ Well, they still do kind of make them like this, but you're going to pay dearly for that level of quality. That said, the DA4ES was a good high end offering in its day, too, and it was also quite pricey when it was new. It was just one step down from the flagship digital surround receiver in the Sony ES lineup back then, the STR-DA7ES.

[@championofithaca]

Hello, I have a Sony STR-DA2ES (so not the exact same mode as yours, but similar) from the same year with the same problem. I don’t see an “A Class” board in mine. Do you know what solder joints I should tackle on mine? Or even better, could I pay you to fix mine? I’m located in central Wisconsin.

[@litzdog911]

That's the "little brother" to my STR-DA4ES. You can find its service manual at the link here: www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/sony/str-da2es.shtml I would recommend re-flowing any suspicious solder joints, especially those on the big transistors mounted on heat sinks and any voltage regulators. Basically anything that tends to run hot would be suspicious. Good luck!

[@jnygaarddk]

My STR-DB940 does the same thing. But also flashing the muting light when acting up. And when trying to change input source. Did you see any of that? I fixed bad solder on the output relays several times on it too over the years....

[@litzdog911]

No, didn't see any issues with a flashing MUTE light. That might point to the area of the fault, though.

[@rdrhouse]

nice video, one small point however. When you test the amp after reflowing the chips on the 'A Class' board, it may have been prudent to have the speakers plugged in.

[@litzdog911]

Huh? That's what I'm doing during the last minute of the video. Speakers are connected. And, 2 years later, the unit is still working great. No pops.

[@rdrhouse]

@@litzdog911 😃

[@music13soundify]

I have the same receiver but goes in to protect right away,when the receiver gets warms it works fine..plz help

[@litzdog911]

Also likely a poor solder connection. Poor contact until the unit heats up and the connection expands. The challenge will be tracking it down. Concentrate on the components that generate the most heat. Good luck.

[@tommyboyz6291]

Welp, I finally found the reason to return this back to my pawn shop, with 10 days return warranty. (Same model, same issue, no soldering talent)

[@sidneymeyer9014]

Hello, do you do repairs on sony home receivers? I have a sony av receiver model da5600es it's a little older but works great but unfortunately I did the factory reset the "memory clearing" option! An now it's stuck on that option! Memory clearing! Can you help? Thanks.......

[@litzdog911]

I'm not familiar with this model. You might find some useful information in its service manual here .... www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/sony/str-da5600es.shtml

[@brianbourgeois6896]

I have the same receiver and the power switch does not work. Any thoughts on how to fix it?

[@litzdog911]

You can find the service manual at hifiengine.com Perhaps you can find a replacement power switch on eBay. Or jumper the power switch and use a switched AC power cord? Good luck!

[@repairitdontreplaceit]

common problem on this range . in addition to dry joints on all the relays

[@xri7437]

Am so jealous of these as I dont have th skills to repair mine. My STR-VA777ES just went into protection mode after keep giving pops sound during start up. So sad.. 😥😥

[@sidneymeyer9014]

Do you have a contact info? Thanks......stereo receiver repair!

[@stevejosrph6065]

Why didn't you show where the board came out from and why did you hide putting it back ???????????????????????

[@litzdog911]

Because you can see all of that in 12voltvids KZbin video that I linked in the description.