Hey guys,

You've been really helpful with my silly newbie questions. I hope you can help me out some more (or at least point me to a thread where this was discussed prior that I haven't found!)

I just got an SX-939 off ebay, and it looks like it's in pretty good shape!

So... the CD player is plugged into Tape Playback 1, and the laptop (for internet radio) is plugged into Phono 1. On I can hear the CD player, but only when the tape monitor 2 switch is on, and even then, I can only hear the music, not words (listening to Andrew Bird, as a reference). On the laptop, I have to turn the tuner way up to hear it, and even then, it doesn't really sound that hot.

I've been using an SX-255R for years with no problems at all! So, I'm super frustrated - what gives? This tuner shouldn't be that hard to set up, right? You should be able to plug anything into those jacks in back and hear the music.

Help!

A CD player can be connected to either the AUX input, or either of the Tape 1 or 2 Play inputs on a receiver like the SX-939. If you hook it up to a Tape input, you'll have to use the Tape toggle switch to select the CD player input.

If you're using a line out output from your laptop to use it as a source, it shouldn't be plugged into a phono input on a receiver. Phono inputs are only for connecting the outputs from a typical turntable (one with no phono preamp), which has a much lower level signal compared to a line level output (a few millivolts compared to several hundredths of a volt). Plus a phono input on the receiver is designed to apply a special equalization (RIAA) to the phono signal, boosting the low frequencies and reducing the high frequencies. So that would make a signal without RIAA EQ sound pretty weird.

turn off the receiver
unplug everything you have connected to the receiver except the speakers.
plug your computer into the aux jacks on the back
plug the cd player into the tape 1 jacks IN or PLAY

turn on unit
make sure the Tape Duplicate button is off (in the up position)
push aux button in for computer.

flip tape monitor 1 button switch to on to listen to cd

just flip it off and u should still be on aux

make sure the duplicate switch is up(off)

if it is not working, u have a problem with the receiver

never plug anything into a phono jack except a turntable. Those are special little places

laptop >>> phono input = FRIED PHONO STAGE
1000x the expected signal amplitude.

The rest sounds like mis-identified inputs and outputs - and they are fighting...

The tape output is just a TAP, not a buffered output... short a tap to ground with another output and the receiver's sound goes all wacky.

Hey guys, thanks for the help. I got down and took the whole set up down tonite, and put it back together. I had the speakers set up wrong (silly mistake - I should have seen that one), and I had the CD player and the laptop set up incorrectly, like you all suggested.

Now it's working right - in the sense that I can hear the CD player through the Tape 1 monitor switch. But there are still two hitches:

the speakers cut in and out. I had to jiggle the wires to get the sound right. Granted, I'm using some pretty thin speaker wires, but should that really matter? Otherwise, if I don't "set" them just so, they crackle and cut in and out.

The other issue is that when I went to connect the laptop to the tuner through the Aux input, the speakers made a static-y electric crackle sound. This was with the CD player on and me listening to the CD, and with the laptop off.

So... what gives?

One other thing: When I reconnected the speakers, I couldn't get the right speaker to play. When I reversed the wires, they both worked. Strange....

Just for reference, I'm using a set of Advent 1's.

Replace the speaker wires.

take the teaspoon out of the cup...no wait, thats another story