jt1stcav
Up and Coming Bottlehead
Not quite sure where the problem lies...
I was playing my Technics SL-1700MK2 yesterday when I noticed my left channel suddenly lost volume, not totally, but greatly reduced from the right channel.
I flipped tubes on my amp and preamp from left to right; that didn't do anything (my pre is a linestage with no balance control). I removed the headshell from the tonearm to look at the leads and they're all making contact. I wiggled the 'table's hardwired patchcords connected to my Music Hall mmf-phono pack MM/MC phono preamp, and suddenly the left channel's volume came back and equally matched the right...for about a minute, then the left channel faded out again. I wiggled the patchcords again...this time a 60 cycle hum was heard (the ground remained connected)...I'd wiggle them some more and the 60Hz hum disappeared and the left channel regained its volume with the right, but only temporarily.
I'm not sure where the problem lies...with the Music Hall's internals or its RCA jacks the turntable's connected to, or the cheap Technics patchcords that are hardwired to the 'table itself. Any ideas?
The SL-1700MK2 is my dad's he bought new in '79. It sat dormant for several years and then my kid bro resurrected it for a year. After buying a Music Hall mmf-5 for himself, I latched onto the Technics (to replace a Denon DP-62L I was forced to sell :tears: ), and it's been working flawlessly for a year now, up until yesterday.
I tend to think the original patchcords are at fault here...can they be replaced with high-end interconnects? Is it even possible to do? I'm no solder slinger, so DIY for me is out of the question. Has anyone else ever replaced the Technics patchcords with a PCB with gold plated RCA jacks so user-changable interconnects (and a ground wire) can be used instead?
Any thoughts by the knowledgeable members here would be greatly appreciated...Thanks in advance! :thmbsp:
I was playing my Technics SL-1700MK2 yesterday when I noticed my left channel suddenly lost volume, not totally, but greatly reduced from the right channel.
I flipped tubes on my amp and preamp from left to right; that didn't do anything (my pre is a linestage with no balance control). I removed the headshell from the tonearm to look at the leads and they're all making contact. I wiggled the 'table's hardwired patchcords connected to my Music Hall mmf-phono pack MM/MC phono preamp, and suddenly the left channel's volume came back and equally matched the right...for about a minute, then the left channel faded out again. I wiggled the patchcords again...this time a 60 cycle hum was heard (the ground remained connected)...I'd wiggle them some more and the 60Hz hum disappeared and the left channel regained its volume with the right, but only temporarily.
I'm not sure where the problem lies...with the Music Hall's internals or its RCA jacks the turntable's connected to, or the cheap Technics patchcords that are hardwired to the 'table itself. Any ideas?
The SL-1700MK2 is my dad's he bought new in '79. It sat dormant for several years and then my kid bro resurrected it for a year. After buying a Music Hall mmf-5 for himself, I latched onto the Technics (to replace a Denon DP-62L I was forced to sell :tears: ), and it's been working flawlessly for a year now, up until yesterday.
I tend to think the original patchcords are at fault here...can they be replaced with high-end interconnects? Is it even possible to do? I'm no solder slinger, so DIY for me is out of the question. Has anyone else ever replaced the Technics patchcords with a PCB with gold plated RCA jacks so user-changable interconnects (and a ground wire) can be used instead?
Any thoughts by the knowledgeable members here would be greatly appreciated...Thanks in advance! :thmbsp: