Automatic turntable issue

Karl Nelson

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Jun 4, 2020
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I bought a new turntable for my bedroom. It had to be fully automatic in case I fell asleep! It was fine to begin with then the tonearm stopped landing on the record and returned to its rest arm. Sometimes it then went repeatedly up and down on its rest arm. Manually, it plays fine. I don't wish to attach any blame at this stage so I won't name the shop and I don't want to blame the manufacturer either but I have to name them and the model to allow people to help me. It is the Audio Technica AT-LP3. There is a deeper mystery to this. The shop claims the turntable works as it should when they test it but it doesn't work at my house, about 40 miles from the shop. Any ideas what could be causing this. The turntable was placed in exactly the same position as its predecessor. It sits on the top shelf of an old Sony Hi Fi black ash cabinet. All other components are below the shelf it sits on. It is totally baffling. How can a turntable work in one location but not another?
 
Have you actually seen it work in the shop?
Have you checked it is perfectly level on top of that cabinet?
I don't know that particular model but if it plays ok manually then there is a fault in the automatic component.
Ask for a replacement as it is unfit for purpose and contact the manufacturers regarding the issue
 

Karl Nelson

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Jun 4, 2020
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Have you actually seen it work in the shop?
Have you checked it is perfectly level on top of that cabinet?
I don't know that particular model but if it plays ok manually then there is a fault in the automatic component.
Ask for a replacement as it is unfit for purpose and contact the manufacturers regarding the issue
Thanks. It worked okay for about a month then the problems with automatic start began to happen. Eventually, I took it back to the retailer. They said the tone arm was slightly unbalanced and showed it worked a couple of times. I brought it home and it did work the first few times. I then left it for a couple of hours, after which the problem returned. I haven't put a spirit level on the cabinet as it looks perfectly level and the previous turntable was fine on it. Returned it again to the retailer who said he couldn't find a fault but I have been offered a refund which I have accepted but I would like to know what the problem might have been as I have to now get another turntable from somewhere else. I described the problem to a both a Hi-Fi repairer and a leading retailer; both said the unit was faulty and the tonearm being slightly out of balance was immaterial. Assuming that everyone is telling the truth, how can a turntable work properly in one location but not in another about 35 miles away. Is some kind of interference possible?
 
No, that's pure coincidence I would say unless the automatic function is somehow affected by magnetism and where you have it situated has something very magnetic nearby but this wouldn't explain why it works sometimes and not others.
Thinking about it more, your cabinet must be fairly level or it wouldn't work when you play an LP manually.
I know you want the automatic function but I have always believed in keeping things simple. As far as I can see there are no reports of this issue on the internet so I would surmise it's just a random fault in your particular deck.
You could bite the bullet and buy another one from elsewhere......
 
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Karl Nelson

Member
Jun 4, 2020
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Visit site
No, that's pure coincidence I would say unless the automatic function is somehow affected by magnetism and where you have it situated has something very magnetic nearby but this wouldn't explain why it works sometimes and not others.
Thinking about it more, your cabinet must be fairly level or it wouldn't work when you play an LP manually.
I know you want the automatic function but I have always believed in keeping things simple. As far as I can see there are no reports of this issue on the internet so I would surmise it's just a random fault in your particular deck.
You could bite the bullet and buy another one from elsewhere......
Thanks again. I can also only come to the conclusion that is a random fault and one of those difficult to spot hence the frustration on both sides between me and the retailer. I liked the unit when it worked but I wanted a fully automatic one to be part of my bedroom system as there is a good chance of me falling asleep whilst listening! My main system is in the lounge and, when I upgrade that, I shall buy a fully manual turntable. When I upgrade in the lounge, the replaced unit then cascades to the bedroom but I am now starting to run out of rooms and could soon be the only house in the street with Hi-Fi in the garage! I have recently discovered Wilkinson's in Nelson, Lancashire and they are the best Hi-Fi shop I have ever visited and are so knowledgeable. It's 125 miles each way from Lincoln, now a Hi-Fi "desert" but worth it for the quality of service. The local, and only, Hi-Fi repairer in Lincoln has exceeded my expectations and repaired the previous bedroom turntable, an old Sony one so I shall now see how that goes but I would buy the LP 3 again but just be a little wary given my unlucky recent experience. Currys sell it and they are local and will re-open soon. I run Arcam A75, CD72 plus some very good Yamahas (CD copier and CD/USB) in my lounge with the old curved Wharfedale floorstanding speakers. Now going to upgrade my AV system starting with a much larger (eg 65") TV once whoever wants to sell me one comes out and looks at my awkward shaped lounge first! Then I'll replace my Elac surround speakers (served me well) with MASS gen2 to go with my existing sony 1080 AV receiver. I may even go further and update the receiver and go for bigger MA speakers or even look into the merits of somehow combining my Hi-Fi with my AV. I may seem like a "Philistine" but I think I like surround sound music more than simple stereo!
 

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