i just found a pioneer sx 1500 td. it is in almost pristine condition. but the left channel seems to be running full bore even with the level all the way down. the right channel is in good working order. almost no static when turning the knobs. when i change the balance to the right speaker the volume gets louder. when i touched the pos. speaker wire it sparked on contact, even with the volume all the way down. realize it is common with older amps. but what could it be. thinking about bringing it to a repair shop. but am worried they might use off the shelf items that are out of spec with the original. (is that common?) or not? any one have something like this happen with your older equipment? a little bit about this reciever...it has separate amp and preamp. as it has the pre out and main in jacks in the back. when i checked the fuse it was open on both ends of it, but the wire it self was intact. shouldnt it be fully sealed? maybe that is what is wrong with it and all im looking at is a couple of dollars to remedy it. hope so, so do you have any ideas? it sounds like a contact that is so corroded that you dont have to turn any knobs to hear it. just for a description to help you understand a little better.