Headphone to phono - cable

[cisamcgu]

I just want to check that what I think is a broken cable is correct.

When I play a CD with a "RCA phono lead" going from the CD to the amp it works fine and I can hear the sound through both speakers. However, if instead I plug a "headphone(3.5mm) to RCA phono lead" into the CD and plug this into the amp I only hear sound from the right speaker, the left one is almost totally silent. I am presuming that the problem is with the 3.5mm - phono cable and I just need to buy a new one, rather than some fundamental misunderstanding I have with how it works.

I get the same results using headphones in the amp rather than the speakers.

Many thanks. Andrew

 

[Al ears]

I just want to check that what I think is a broken cable is correct.

When I play a CD with a "RCA phono lead" going from the CD to the amp it works fine and I can hear the sound through both speakers. However, if instead I plug a "headphone(3.5mm) to RCA phono lead" into the CD and plug this into the amp I only hear sound from the right speaker, the left one is almost totally silent. I am presuming that the problem is with the 3.5mm - phono cable and I just need to buy a new one, rather than some fundamental misunderstanding I have with how it works.

I get the same results using headphones in the amp rather than the speakers.

Many thanks. Andrew

It does sound like the cable is faulty or maybe the 3.5mm plug is not making contact correctly. I would question why you would want to use this lead when the phono pair is a much more robust connection that is obviously working.

 

[cisamcgu]

Al,

Thanks for your reply. The reason I am using the cable is because I want to use it to connect a Denver IR-100 radio to my amplifier, and the only way is via a 3.5mm jack-phono cable. I used the CD in the original question since I am able to demostrate on the CD that the 3.5-phono vs. the phono-phono cable gives different results. The Denver IR-100 radio does not, unfortunately, have phono outputs.

I will see if I can get hold on a new 3.5mm-phono cable.

Thanks

Andrew

 

[davedotco]

Is most likely to be the issue, could be the cable but most likely not. The socket is far more fragile unless you have a really poor cable.

Do you have anything else you can try as a source? Phone, music player?

 

[cisamcgu]

I get the same issue when I plug the 3.5mm jack into an iPod then the twin phono leads into the amplifier (NAD316BEE). The right speaker is fine, the left speaker is very, very quiet. If I then plug headphones into the amplifier, it initially sounds OK, music from to both ears, but if I then move the balance to the left the sound dies, if I move it to the centre, the sound returns to normal and if I move it to the right it remains in both ears..

If I simply play a CD through a phono-phono lead however, everything works fine, balance, volume.. so the amplifier is OK as far as I can work out.

It is confusing me no end 🙂, but the only thing I can think of is that the cable is "broken"

 

[davedotco]

I get the same issue when I plug the 3.5mm jack into an iPod then the twin phono leads into the amplifier (NAD316BEE). The right speaker is fine, the left speaker is very, very quiet. If I then plug headphones into the amplifier, it initially sounds OK, music from to both ears, but if I then move the balance to the left the sound dies, if I move it to the centre, the sound returns to normal and if I move it to the right it remains in both ears..

If I simply play a CD through a phono-phono lead however, everything works fine, balance, volume.. so the amplifier is OK as far as I can work out.

It is confusing me no end 🙂, but the only thing I can think of is that the cable is "broken"

Then it could well be a damaged cable, not impossible by any means.

Though 3.5mm jack sockets are notoriously unreliable and most often at fault. Perhaps not in this case.

 

[cisamcgu]

Went to my local dealer - P A Audio in Crosby, and they tested the cable, agreed it was faulty and sold me a replacement with £2.99 off the price since the original was bought from them a few years ago. Excellent service from a lovely company