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Weird recurring problem

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Depthgrammar

Member
Wonder if anyone knows what might be causing this. I've got a problem with the bass dropping out in the right channel. Only happens when listening to records so I don't think it's the amp or speakers. Turntable is a vintage Rega Planar 2 with an Audio Origami rewired Rb250, Shelter 201 cartridge. In the process of tweaking the cartridge I had to replace some of the connectors on the phono leads as they came detached from the wires. Anyway, got it hooked up and it works and sounds great, except every so often bass drops out in the right channel. After fooling around with it a bit I tried unplugging the rca cable from the back of the amp and switching left and right to see if the problem would move to the right channel - suddenly both channels worked fine. Switched back to normal - problem solved. However about an hour later I heard a static pop type sound and the bass went out in the right channel again. Unplugged rcas, plugged back in - back to normal. Any ideas what's going on here?
 
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Depthgrammar said:
Thanks - I have been using the amp with cd, computer, and cassette - no issues. Only happens with the turntable :(
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Yes, but what Montycat is suggesting is it may have something to do with the phono stage within the receiver, even though your initial attempt at differential diagnosis might lead you to believe it's the TT.
 
Ok, so I finally had a chance to try the amp swap and I'm having pretty much the same problem, no bass and quieter overall in the right channel. Tried unplugging the phono rcas and plugging back in, but that didn't fix it temporarily like on the other amp. Also tried reconnecting the cartridge leads - no dice. So it's not the phono stage in the amp. Something in the cartridge perhaps, or the turntable's internal wiring? Any thoughts? I guess the next step is to try another cartridge?

Incidentally the amp I swapped in is the one from my living room system, where I've been getting periodic distortion playing records. This problem didn't travel with the amp, so I guess I also have a problem with the needle/cartridge or tt in the living room. Facepalm. Tried cleaning the needle, but probably should give that another go.
 
I can’t imagine how bass can drop out from the turntable - if there was an open winding in the cartridge the channel would be dead. In your explanation it isn’t clear to me - when you swapped the turntable rca’s did the problem switch to the other speaker?
 
No, when I swapped the rcas it suddenly worked fine. So I swapped them back to normal and everything worked fine for about an hour, then the problem recurred. I double-checked - it's not the bass dropping out totally, just the volume gets much lower and as a result sounds less bassy & full than the channel that's working properly. If I pan balance to center I can hear the high frequencies in both channels but the bass sounds like it's only coming from the left. When I listen to the right channel alone there's still some bass, just much quieter.

Also - there's a quiet hum/buzzing sound in the right speaker
 
So reverse the RCA’s (from the turntable) and leave them for an extended period - then see when the problem returns if it swapped sides - if it did it’s likely the turntable - if it stays on the same side it’s the amp. Takes away the guessing.
 
visman said:
So reverse the RCA’s (from the turntable) and leave them for an extended period - then see when the problem returns if it swapped sides - if it did it’s likely the turntable - if it stays on the same side it’s the amp. Takes away the guessing.
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Thanks. Not sure if you saw above but I already did an amp swap and ruled out the amps & phono stages

Montycat said:
When was the last time you cleaned your stylus? You might have a big glob on there.
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The stylus and cartridge are brand new. I just swapped out the cartridge and the new one works fine, so the problem must be either internal to the cartridge, or the stylus. From the problem i described (sound much quieter in the right channel with low hum), any thoughts on which is more likely? I like this cartridge better, wondering if it's worth trying a replacement stylus?
 
noogies said:
From what I'm able to glean here, I'm thinking that you may want to investigate your cables and RCA plugs before you spend for a new stylus. It's starting to sound like something that might result from a damaged wire or plug.
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Hmm, but the other cartridge i have on right now is working flawlessly - same wiring, cables and rca plugs. wouldn't that mean the wiring is ok?

It was weird that the other cartridge would work intermittently when I played with the cables...
 
When installing he second cartridge you may have cleaned up a short or bad connection - it happens.
 
True, it's possible I guess, but i did try disconnecting and reconnecting the phono leads a bunch of times on the old cart, and the rcas, to no avail. Seems weird. I did notice the connectors on the phono leads fit the new cart more snugly - maybe it could be that?
 
It could be a short in the phono cables. Have you tried using different cables, or replacing them altogether?
 
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Depthgrammar said:
True, it's possible I guess, but i did try disconnecting and reconnecting the phono leads a bunch of times on the old cart, and the rcas, to no avail. Seems weird. I did notice the connectors on the phono leads fit the new cart more snugly - maybe it could be that?
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A loose connection could have caused your issue - were the pins or connectors corroded at all - if so combined with a loose fit could be it.
 
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