Good Vibrations
- Thread starter QuackZoom
- Start date
mark warren
Music Lover!
Welcome to AK...........
swechsler
Frog Whisperer
Try hooking up an antenna to the receiver, play the radio and see if you have the same problem. If you're lucky, there's just a connectivity issue somewhere between the phono cartridge and the receiver, and the tuner will work fine (there's also the possibility that there's a problem with the phono preamp in the receiver, but let's rule out the easy stuff first).
If the radio works, try the following:
Swap the left and right connections from the turntable to the receiver. Does the problem follow the change (i.e. did the working speaker switch from right to left, or vice versa)? If so, you've probably got a connection issue (if not, then the problem is most likely the receiver). Check the following:
Cables from turntable to receiver (check that connections are tight and plugs and jacks are clean
Terminals on headshell (if memory serves, the Philips headshell slides out from the front of the tonearm) - make sure the headshell terminals and arm terminals are clean
Wires from headshell to cartridge - make sure all are connected and tight. If one is loose or off, use a small needlenose pliers to carefully fix..
If everything checks out OK and the problem still exists, you can try the following:
With the receiver turned on (take it out of mono mode), the volume low, and the tonearm locked to the tonearm rest, carefully touch each terminal on the back of the cartridge with a metal probe (such as a thin nail). You should be able to induce clicking or buzzing in both speakers, one at a time (depending on which terminal you touch - some shouldn't produce any sound at all). If you still can only get sound in one speaker, then you've likely got a problem in the phono preamp in the receiver. If you get sound from both then you either have a bad cartridge or the connections to the cartridge are corroded. The latter can be fixed with some contact cleaner; the former will obviously require a new cartridge.
If the radio works, try the following:
Swap the left and right connections from the turntable to the receiver. Does the problem follow the change (i.e. did the working speaker switch from right to left, or vice versa)? If so, you've probably got a connection issue (if not, then the problem is most likely the receiver). Check the following:
Cables from turntable to receiver (check that connections are tight and plugs and jacks are clean
Terminals on headshell (if memory serves, the Philips headshell slides out from the front of the tonearm) - make sure the headshell terminals and arm terminals are clean
Wires from headshell to cartridge - make sure all are connected and tight. If one is loose or off, use a small needlenose pliers to carefully fix..
If everything checks out OK and the problem still exists, you can try the following:
With the receiver turned on (take it out of mono mode), the volume low, and the tonearm locked to the tonearm rest, carefully touch each terminal on the back of the cartridge with a metal probe (such as a thin nail). You should be able to induce clicking or buzzing in both speakers, one at a time (depending on which terminal you touch - some shouldn't produce any sound at all). If you still can only get sound in one speaker, then you've likely got a problem in the phono preamp in the receiver. If you get sound from both then you either have a bad cartridge or the connections to the cartridge are corroded. The latter can be fixed with some contact cleaner; the former will obviously require a new cartridge.
