Left channel out (still causing trouble!)

denti alligator · 12302

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Offline denti alligator

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Reply #30 on: February 10, 2015, 12:39:20 PM
Well, sure enough: it started OK today, but now the L channel is fading and barely audible. I don't know how many times I can reflow these solder joints. It doesn't quite make sense to me why this keeps happening.

- Sam

Rega P3-24 (w/AT 150MLX) w/Groovetracer upgrades / Eros II / FLAC >J.River >DSD256 >Gustard X20 / Moreplay > Stereomour II / Klipsch Forte II w/Crites upgrades / C4S S.E.X. 2.0 +Nickel MQ Iron / Speedball Crack / Sennheiser HD600 w/Cardas cable

Offline Doc B.

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Reply #31 on: February 10, 2015, 01:02:44 PM
The troubleshooting procedure never changes. If it is going out on one side, measure the voltages. Check the D cells. Make sure the solder joints are actually continuous, not just looking like they ought to be, and rock the tubes in the socket to see if there is a bad socket contact.

Dan "Doc B." Schmalle
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Offline Wanderer

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Reply #32 on: February 11, 2015, 04:33:58 AM
Rock the D cells too. Clean the D cell battery contacts. 

Kevin R-M

Offline denti alligator

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Reply #33 on: March 13, 2015, 06:40:36 AM
This hasn't gone away, I've just had less time to listen to music

Left channel only. I can listen for about an hour and then the left channel starts fading. Brand new batteries. What could be doing this to the left channel only, such that when I leave it be over night I can play it again for an hour without problems before it starts up again.

- Sam

Rega P3-24 (w/AT 150MLX) w/Groovetracer upgrades / Eros II / FLAC >J.River >DSD256 >Gustard X20 / Moreplay > Stereomour II / Klipsch Forte II w/Crites upgrades / C4S S.E.X. 2.0 +Nickel MQ Iron / Speedball Crack / Sennheiser HD600 w/Cardas cable

Offline mcandmar

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Reply #34 on: March 13, 2015, 08:26:15 AM
Sounds like a bad battery.  I had a set of D cells that would die after an hour and measure around .4v when the music faded out.  Leave them overnight and they would measure 1.5v again and play for another hour or two before fading out.

M.McCandless

Offline denti alligator

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Reply #35 on: March 13, 2015, 08:27:45 AM
Quote from: mcandmar on March 13, 2015, 08:26:15 AM
Sounds like a bad battery.  I had a set of D cells that would die after an hour and measure around .4v when the music faded out.  Leave them overnight and they would measure 1.5v again and play for another hour or two before fading out.

But then I should be able to switch batteries and get the same problem in the right channel. I haven't tested that yet, but I'd bet anything that the problem will still be in the left channel.
« Last Edit: March 13, 2015, 08:32:08 AM by denti alligator »

- Sam

Rega P3-24 (w/AT 150MLX) w/Groovetracer upgrades / Eros II / FLAC >J.River >DSD256 >Gustard X20 / Moreplay > Stereomour II / Klipsch Forte II w/Crites upgrades / C4S S.E.X. 2.0 +Nickel MQ Iron / Speedball Crack / Sennheiser HD600 w/Cardas cable

Offline mcandmar

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Reply #36 on: March 13, 2015, 08:31:07 AM
Theory is sound, try it.  I only mentioned it as my set were also new from the store and showed a healthy 1.5v with a meter, it was only under load when they gave up.  I think that phenomenon is caused by a bad cell inside the battery.

M.McCandless

Offline denti alligator

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Reply #37 on: March 13, 2015, 08:59:33 AM
Not the batteries. I switched the D cells and still have the left channel problem. Curiously I got about 10 minutes of decent sound before it began to fail. What could this be?

If it were a bad solder joint it should sound bad all the time, not get increasingly worse, or? Ditto with the tube, though I've switched these and no difference.

- Sam

Rega P3-24 (w/AT 150MLX) w/Groovetracer upgrades / Eros II / FLAC >J.River >DSD256 >Gustard X20 / Moreplay > Stereomour II / Klipsch Forte II w/Crites upgrades / C4S S.E.X. 2.0 +Nickel MQ Iron / Speedball Crack / Sennheiser HD600 w/Cardas cable

Offline denti alligator

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Reply #38 on: March 13, 2015, 10:42:05 AM
All voltages check out. I'm stumped.

- Sam

Rega P3-24 (w/AT 150MLX) w/Groovetracer upgrades / Eros II / FLAC >J.River >DSD256 >Gustard X20 / Moreplay > Stereomour II / Klipsch Forte II w/Crites upgrades / C4S S.E.X. 2.0 +Nickel MQ Iron / Speedball Crack / Sennheiser HD600 w/Cardas cable

Offline mcandmar

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Reply #39 on: March 13, 2015, 10:54:28 AM
Hold on, your getting no sound and the voltages check out?

M.McCandless

Offline denti alligator

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Reply #40 on: March 13, 2015, 11:04:59 AM
No, no. I'm getting sound, but it's barely audible... fading, crunchy sounding.

But now I'm going crazy: I realized jiggling the cable in the L output that this made the sound go clean/crunchy, so I swopped cables, which would tell me whether the problem lies with the cable or the jack, right? Well, now both channels sound perfect. WTF?

- Sam

Rega P3-24 (w/AT 150MLX) w/Groovetracer upgrades / Eros II / FLAC >J.River >DSD256 >Gustard X20 / Moreplay > Stereomour II / Klipsch Forte II w/Crites upgrades / C4S S.E.X. 2.0 +Nickel MQ Iron / Speedball Crack / Sennheiser HD600 w/Cardas cable

Offline mcandmar

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Reply #41 on: March 13, 2015, 11:10:40 AM
Sounds like you found the issue, bad connection on the left output jack.  Possible its the cable, but switching the left/right cable around will confirm that for you.

M.McCandless

Offline denti alligator

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Reply #42 on: March 13, 2015, 11:15:07 AM
It's the jack, I'm pretty sure. But I can't figure out what the problem is. When I press down on the plastic chassis right by the L output jack the sound comes in clear. What does that suggest?

- Sam

Rega P3-24 (w/AT 150MLX) w/Groovetracer upgrades / Eros II / FLAC >J.River >DSD256 >Gustard X20 / Moreplay > Stereomour II / Klipsch Forte II w/Crites upgrades / C4S S.E.X. 2.0 +Nickel MQ Iron / Speedball Crack / Sennheiser HD600 w/Cardas cable

Offline denti alligator

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Reply #43 on: March 13, 2015, 12:16:08 PM
So I loosed and re-tightened the jack. It now appears to be OK. Could that really have been the problem? Can someone explain how?

- Sam

Rega P3-24 (w/AT 150MLX) w/Groovetracer upgrades / Eros II / FLAC >J.River >DSD256 >Gustard X20 / Moreplay > Stereomour II / Klipsch Forte II w/Crites upgrades / C4S S.E.X. 2.0 +Nickel MQ Iron / Speedball Crack / Sennheiser HD600 w/Cardas cable

Offline mcandmar

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Reply #44 on: March 13, 2015, 01:12:28 PM
I would say either a bad solder joint, or if the center pin of the jack got too hot while soldering it can melt the plastic insulator leaving it loose in the fitting.

M.McCandless

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