[HELP] Turntable only has audio out to one channel

[MPB]

Hello,

Before I begin I must say that I am a novice. I currently have a Pro-Ject Debut turntable going through a Pro-Ject Phono Box II preamp. The sound is great however, it is only coming out of one speaker. If I flip the RCA cables, the audio will switch from left to right. I have a different turntable that I plugged in to the exact same configuration and it works properly. Any advice? My knowledge is limited and I am running out of troubleshooting. Any advice is welcomed!

MPB

 

[4-2-7]

Pull the leads off of the cartridge, look to see if they are tight and in the right location, re-instal and test.

 

[Ken Boyd]

Yeah those connectors can be a problem if they are not tight and clean.

 

[BilboBaggins]

Another thing you can do if you have a multi meter is to ohm out the cartridge. I've heard it was rare, but I've had three cartridges with a dead channel. The meter test identified them as open on one channel.

 

[petehall347]

be careful testing cartridges with a meter as the coils on some rare ones can burn out with the power from the meter .
best bet is swap wires left for right at the cartridge and see what happens

 

[Thunderbox]

be careful testing cartridges with a meter as the coils on some rare ones can burn out with the power from the meter .
best bet is swap wires left for right at the cartridge and see what happens

That is the first time I have ever heard this. Hard to believe considering every electronics repair facility depends on the use of the multimeter for everything.

 

[ringading]

Also, you may have a bad connection somewhere in the tonearm wiring. To test, use your DMM and set it to continuity ( I think that's the term) which tells you if you have a good connection between two points - if you do it will give an audible beep. Put one lead on the wire connector from the headshell and the other on the end of the turntables headshell jack - just make sure you are connecting + to + or - to -. I have found some bad solder joints and crimped headshell wires this way. At the least it can rule out the headshell wiring.

 

[woodj]

be careful testing cartridges with a meter as the coils on some rare ones can burn out with the power from the meter .

True.

 

[MPB]

Thank you all for responding so quickly! Just to be clear before moving forward, the leads mentioned are the wires plugging into the cartridge? I haven't dealt much with things of this but I am not afraid to get a little dirty. How are these things seated; how exactly do they unplug? I can dig out the manual to verify they are in the proper order as there are four exposed wires (white, red, blue, and green). Any advice is welcomed.

MPB

 

[SSaxdude]

Unplug your cartridge and test the continuity between the white tonearm wire and the tip on the left RCA cable. Do this with the rest of the wires:

Blue tonearm wire -> left RCA sleeve
Red " " -> right RCA tip
Green " " -> right RCA sleeve

 

[MPB]

Guys,

I eventually was able to track down the problem! In the cavity beneath the tonearm where all the wires were housed had two wires touching copper. The plastic mold may have been soldered mistakenly (being lazy). I simply wrapped them both in a bit of plastic wrap and re soldered them and success. Thank you everyone for the quick responses! You guys are great.

MPB