Using a stereo receiver without speakers attached

[DaveMeyers]

I have an ancient stereo receiver that I haven't been using for a few years. (It worked before we moved to a new home.) I just tried to use it - with no speakers connected - to listen to a CD with headphones. In order to hear anything at all, I need to turn the volume all the way up, and then I can hear music very faintly. Same thing happens if I attach an FM antenna and select that input so I don't think it's the CD player - also unused since the move. I tried attaching some old wired speakers to see if that helped, but it didn't.

My intention is to use this stereo with some Sonos gear to send the receiver's output to some wireless speakers but I'm stuck until I can get the receiver to function at all. If necessary, I'll just buy a new receiver but am puzzled by this one's behavior. As an aside, I have another (also old, also unused since we moved) AV receiver that I decided to try and it won't even power on! It's not the long-term solution in any case because it lacks a phono input, but I wanted to try it to verify that the CD player wasn't the problem. Again, this experiment was without speakers connected but again connecting speakers made no difference.

 

[americanaudiophile]

If your receiver has a tape monitor switch or button it might be on.
If your receiver has a preamp out - main amp input on the back that might be missing jumpers or a switch might be in the wrong position.

 

[DaveMeyers]

If your receiver has a tape monitor switch or button it might be on.
If your receiver has a preamp out - main amp input on the back that might be missing jumpers or a switch might be in the wrong position.

Thanks! That was exactly the problem. I used to use this receiver with some Bose 901s which uses an equalizer hooked in as Tape2. Since I didn't have the speakers hooked up, I didn't have the equalizer hooked up either and the Tape2 monitor option was still on. Turned if off and life is now good! I'm very grateful!

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I've connected this receiver to a pair of Sonos PLAY:1s through a Sonos CONNECT box. The line-out signal I'm sending to the CONNECT box is from a Tape Out (Rec) pair of jacks. I guess none of the line-out options on my receiver is post-amplifier and thus uncontrolled by the volume control on the receiver. This seems OK for CDs and FM, but the level is much lower when the music source is a turntable. (I can get a usable level by using the Sonos controls on my iPhone to raise the level towards the high end.) I guess I'd like to be able to control the volume with the volume control on the receiver. Would the signals be too high if I were to use a cable with a stereo phone jack on one end and a pair pair of phono plugs on the other as input to the CONNECT box?