New turntable - only one speaker works?

[chjdean]

New to turntables here and Just bought a new pro ject turntable. Have been having trouble getting the audio to work correctly so wanted to get some insight. Currently, sporadically I will get two speakers to work, but the majority of the time - only one speaker will play audio- the other speaker will not work. If I switch the input jacks, the other speaker will work (aka switch red/white and the one speaker playing will switch sides ) The speakers are not the issue, as an aux cable connected to the amp/iPhone plays both speakers fine. I have a marantz integrated, and when I plug headphones into it, both left and right ears work. I have tried connecting the turntable to a phono box, and this has not fixed the issue. Can anyone help?

 

[MajorFubar]

If it's brand new, take it back. If it's new to you but used and sold without warranty, you're going to have to do a bit of digging.

You seem to have done nearly everything possible to narrow it down and eliminate other variables, other tha eliminate the cartridge. Carefully disconnect the wires from the cartridge, switch on the amp, and with the volume on the amp near minimum, touch the white and red wires with your finger. If you hear a low buzzing from each speaker then the wires are fine, the cartridge is faulty. If one channel does not 'buzz', then there is a connection fault somehere between that cartidge wire and the RCA plugs, probably at the plug end

 

[friendly_ghost]

I have had similar issues with the PM-6005. Try touching/twisting the cables leading into the phono input on your amp.
If the sound returns, there might be something loose (or a bad contact) in the amp's phono stage.

 

[chjdean]

I thought I had controlled for a bad phono input by using an external phono box that I then put through the CD audio in/recorder audio in. Was still having this issue.

What I find annoying is sometimes you get 2 speakers, but most times only one. Leads me to believe there is bad soldering somewhere

 

[friendly_ghost]

You are correct, I missed the inclusion of the phono, my bad!

 

[chjdean]

So I think I have found the source of the problem. Today I put on a record and it played fine on both speakers. Sounded great. I then went to switch the record and after doing this, one speaker went dead and to a "hum". Since the arm was the only thing I moved, I'm pretty sure the problem lies within a connection on that arm. I was able to hear the dead speaker hum when I move the arm in a certain way. It must be a loose connection in the arm/cartridge?

 

[Al ears]

So I think I have found the source of the problem. Today I put on a record and it played fine on both speakers. Sounded great. I then went to switch the record and after doing this, one speaker went dead and to a "hum". Since the arm was the only thing I moved, I'm pretty sure the problem lies within a connection on that arm. I was able to hear the dead speaker hum when I move the arm in a certain way. It must be a loose connection in the arm/cartridge?

Check the tightness of the small connecting tabs on the four wires coming from the cartridge itself. If it's a break within the tonearm itself it's going to require a complete rewire.