When a Denon AVR-S570BT turns on but makes no sound, the cause is usually a setting, not a broken receiver: the wrong input, mute, headphones left in the PHONES jack, or an HDMI setting that sends the sound to your TV instead of your speakers. Start with the quick checks below. They take about two minutes and cover most cases.
If those don’t fix it, use the symptom list to jump to the right section. Silence from TV apps only, from one speaker, or from the subwoofer each has its own causes. Everything here comes from Denon’s troubleshooting pages for the S570BT, put in the order that saves you the most time.
Quick checks (do these first)
- Look at the input name on the front display. Make sure it’s the source you’re trying to hear, such as TV Audio for TV apps or Bluetooth for your phone. Switch with the remote’s input buttons or the SOURCE SELECT knob.
- Check for mute. The MUTE indicator on the display blinks while sound is muted. Press MUTE again or turn up the volume to cancel it.
- Turn the volume up a few steps with the MASTER VOLUME knob or the remote.
- Unplug headphones. Anything plugged into the PHONES jack silences the speakers and the subwoofer.
- Restart the receiver. Turn it off with the power button and back on. Denon notes a restart can clear problems without changing any settings.
If sound is back, you’re done. If not, find your symptom below.
Which kind of silence do you have?
| What you notice | Go to |
|---|---|
| Nothing plays from any source | No sound from anything |
| Blu-ray or console works, but TV apps are silent | No sound from the TV |
| One device is silent, the others work | No sound from one device |
| Most speakers work, but one is silent | One speaker is silent |
| Everything works except the subwoofer | No sound from the subwoofer |
| The receiver shuts itself off | The receiver turns off by itself |
No sound from anything
When every source is silent, check the settings that affect all inputs, then the speaker wiring.
Check the volume settings
- Press SETUP and go to Audio > Volume.
- Look at Power On Level. If it’s set to Mute, the receiver starts muted every time you turn it on. Set it to Last (the default).
- Look at Limit. If it’s set low, the volume can’t go past that point. Raise it or set it to Off.
Check the speaker wiring
Warning: unplug the receiver before you touch speaker wires or terminals.
- Make sure each wire’s bare copper is clamped in the terminal, not the plastic insulation.
- Tighten every speaker terminal. Loose terminals are a common cause.
- Look for stray strands touching a neighboring terminal or the metal back panel.
- Check the wires for cuts or pinches, then plug the receiver back in and test.
No sound from the TV (ARC or eARC)
When discs and games play but TV apps are silent, the cause is almost always one of a few HDMI settings. Work through these in order.
- Select the TV Audio input on the receiver.
- Press SETUP and go to Video > HDMI Setup.
- Make sure HDMI Audio Out is set to AVR. If it says TV, the sound goes to your TV’s speakers instead.
- If your TV has ARC (not eARC), set ARC to On. It’s off by default and turns off again after a factory reset. eARC turns on automatically.
- On the TV, set the sound output to the receiver or external audio system, and turn on eARC if the TV has that setting.
- Turn the receiver and TV off, then on again, so they reconnect.
Still silent with an eARC TV? Go to SETUP > Inputs > Input Assign. Denon says eARC won’t work if an HDMI input connector is assigned to the TV Audio source. Remove that HDMI assignment, then restart both the receiver and the TV.
Also confirm the HDMI cable is in the TV’s port labeled eARC or ARC, and in the receiver’s HDMI OUT MONITOR jack. Our step-by-step guide to connecting the S570BT to a TV with eARC or ARC covers the cable, the TV-side settings, and the optical option for TVs without ARC.
No sound from one device
If your cable box, game console, or CD player is silent while other sources play, the problem is between that device and the receiver.
- Check the device’s audio output. Denon notes that some devices ship with their digital audio output turned off. Look in the device’s audio or sound settings.
- Check Input Assign for optical and coaxial cables. Out of the box, OPTICAL1 belongs to TV Audio, OPTICAL2 to AUX, and COAXIAL to CBL/SAT. If you plugged a device’s optical cable into a jack assigned to a different source, change it under Inputs > Input Assign.
- Check Input Mode. Under Inputs > Input Select, Denon recommends Auto. If it’s stuck on Analog or Digital, the receiver ignores other connections for that input.
- DVI-D connections carry no sound. If the device connects with a DVI-to-HDMI adapter, run a separate audio cable.
- DTS is silent. Set the player’s digital output to DTS, and set Decode Mode (under Input Select) to Auto or DTS.
- No Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD, or Dolby Digital Plus. These formats need an HDMI connection. Some players also default to PCM output.
For Bluetooth sources, see our S570BT Bluetooth pairing and troubleshooting guide.
One speaker is silent
- Check the sound mode first. Stereo and Virtual modes only use the front speakers and subwoofer, so the center and surrounds stay quiet. Press a SOUND MODE button to pick a surround mode and test again.
- Go to SETUP > Speakers > Manual Setup > Speaker Layout. Make sure the silent speaker isn’t set to No.
- Unplug the receiver and check that speaker’s wire at both ends.
If a speaker was just added, run calibration again. Our S570BT speaker setup guide covers Speaker Layout and Auto Setup.
No sound from the subwoofer
- Make sure the subwoofer is plugged in and its power switch is on.
- Check the cable from the receiver’s SUBWOOFER pre-out to the subwoofer’s input.
- In Speaker Layout, set Subwoofer to Yes.
- Look at Crossovers. If the front speakers are set to Full Band, the fronts keep the bass, and some content sends little or nothing to the sub.
- Remember that music without a separate bass (LFE) channel may send nothing to the subwoofer. To make the sub play all the time, go to Manual Setup > Advanced Setup and set Subwoofer Output to LFE+Main.
The receiver turns off by itself
Look at the power indicator before you do anything else.
| What you see | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Power light flashes red about every 2 seconds | The receiver overheated and its protection circuit turned it off | Wait about an hour, then move it to a spot with better airflow |
| Power light flashes red about every 0.5 seconds | Speaker wires may be touching each other or the back panel | Unplug, fix the wiring, turn the volume down, and power on. If it repeats, contact Denon service |
| It shuts off after a period of no use | Auto Standby or the sleep timer | Set General > ECO > Auto Standby to Off, or cancel the sleep timer |
If nothing here works
Try the receiver with one simple source, like a phone over Bluetooth, and two front speakers. If that plays, add things back one at a time until the silence returns. That points to the cable or setting at fault.
As a last resort, a factory reset returns every setting to its default. It won’t fix bad wiring, and it turns ARC back off, so read our S570BT factory reset guide first to see what you’ll need to set up again.
Denon’s own checklist is on the No sound comes out page of the AVR-S570BT manual.