I have a 6 year old Yamaha RXV1800 which has previously never missed a beat. In recent weeks it started occasionally taking a few minutes to switch back on when it had just been turned off, such as when we had a brief power cut. After a while it started to happen every time it was switched off, so every night when turned off, it would not come back on until the morning. At that point it always came back on in the morning, although in the last few days it took anything from 5mins to an hour of attempting to switch it on to get a result.

Today it wouldn't switch on at all, all day. Its now dead. Clearly there is an issue here, but what is strange is that it has NEVER switched off while in use, it only ever failed to come back on after being turned off, so I can't see that it would be either the safety circuit due to overheating, a loose wire at some point or any kind of speaker wire issue, as none of these would decide to only happen when its switched off and then being turned on again.

I feel a trip to my local specialist repair shop is upon me,. but I was just wondering if anyone here had any similar experience, to get an idea of what I might be facing, or if there is some miraculous simple cure............

How about a dodgy start up capacitor in a switch mode power supply.

Sounds typical of a dodgy capacitor in the PSU. If you are feeling adventurous disconnect the mains supply, take the case top off and wait ten minutes. Then have a look for any capacitors leaking or with bulging tops on the PSU.

If it is the start up capacitor there probably will be nothing to see as they are quite small. If the OP has the necessary soldering skills, which he probably doesn't, he could replace all the small Cs in that area. It's a crude but often cost effective cure. Assuming it is a switch mode separate unit, it may be possible to purchase a generic replacement.

As it happens I have little knowledge of these things and zero skills beyond the cabling options and permutations of s surround system but I do appreciate the input, as what has been suggested seems to match the symptoms.

The unit switched on this morning first time, but I will be contacting my local specialist asap to sort out a repair and I will pass on the info from here, so thanks again for that.

If you google "Yamaha RXV1800 service manual" you can find a PDF copy of the service manual complete with circuit diagrams. One thing that is obvious is that it does not have a switched mode power supply. In fact it probably has one of the most complex PSU's I've ever seen! There are no less than 5 (yes five!) PCBs associated with the PSU in the beast.

Not sure it is one for someone who doesn't know one end of a soldering iron from another.

I am an Accountant, people pay me to do tax returns, I am happy to pay someone who does know which end of a soldering iron is which!!!

The wrong end of a soldering iron tends to be a bit painful.

Mind you I suspect getting on the wrong end of HM Revenue & Customs could be a bit painful as well

Sounds horrendous. I've seen this sort of thing on professional equipment, overload trips in every direction no doubt, a nightmare if you haven't seen one before.

Its the flange valve on the wibble board. Undo the screw nut 3 times then wind it on another 13 times. Hop on your left leg for 30 seconds spin round and put your hands in the air like you just don't care.

Then buy a new one.