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Vintage Audio (record players, hi-fi etc) Amplifiers, speakers, gramophones and other audio equipment.

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Old 5th Dec 2018, 10:22 am   #1
mattluisturner
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Default SONY PS-LX520. Losing sound from one speaker when playing Records

Hi everyone,

I have a SONY PS-LX520 record player connected to an Onkyo hifi and speakers. Up until recently this set-up has been working great, however in the last few weeks I've lost sound from the Left speaker - only when playing records (CD/DAB radio etc all playing fine, with sound from both speakers).

I tried buying a new phono-preamp but this has made no difference.

I have noticed that if I un-plug then reconnect the wires, the sound comes back on the left side but only for a short while (roughly 1 song). Any suggestions what could be the problem and how to fix it?

I don't want to ditch a good record player but also don't want to spend a fortune getting it fixed. Many thanks in advance!
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Old 5th Dec 2018, 11:19 am   #2
Edward Huggins
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Default Re: SONY PS-LX520. Losing sound from one speaker when playing Records

It sounds from your post that your amp and speakers are working fine. Indeed, there may have been no need to buy a pre-amp. I would suspect everything from the 4 connecting contacts on the pick up cartridge, it's terminations under the motor board, the connecting cable and the 2 phono plugs that fit to the amp/pre-amp. Also the 4 internal connections to the onboard phono sockets. Ideally, try another turntable in case the cartridge itself has developed an internal fault
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Old 5th Dec 2018, 11:46 am   #3
bikerhifinut
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Default Re: SONY PS-LX520. Losing sound from one speaker when playing Records

What Edward says.
Plus, try swapping the plugs round at the amplifier inputs. If the fault follows the swopped wires. i.e the sound is lost through the right speaker rather than the left speaker then you can pretty much diagnose the fault as in either the continuity of wiring from cartridge pins to phono inputs or perhaps the cartridge itself. unusual but not impossible for mag cartridges to fail over time.
After you have done the first check by swapping the phono plugs over on the amp, you can further diagnose the issue by swapping the cartridge leads across, be careful they are delicate and fiddly. swap the red wire with the white wire and swap the blue wire with the green wire. If the fault stays on the same side that pinpoints it to the deck and lead wiring to the amp. if the fault swaps channels then its possibly the cartridge at fault.
You can of course us a multimeter set to the lowest resistance range to check continuity but I am assuming you have no test gear.

A>
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Old 5th Dec 2018, 11:46 am   #4
Nickthedentist
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Default Re: SONY PS-LX520. Losing sound from one speaker when playing Records

As Edward says, it sounds like nothing more than a bad connection somewhere in the turntable, its cartridge or the connecting leads. I would guess that it should be a simple fix.

Are you any good with a multimeter?

Nick.

Sorry, crossed with Bikerhifinut
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Old 5th Dec 2018, 12:08 pm   #5
bikerhifinut
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Default Re: SONY PS-LX520. Losing sound from one speaker when playing Records

Quote:
Originally Posted by mattluisturner View Post
I have noticed that if I un-plug then reconnect the wires, the sound comes back on the left side but only for a short while (roughly 1 song). Any suggestions what could be the problem and how to fix it?
That suggests a possible fault in either the plug or maybe (but less likely) a broken conductor in the cable causing an intermittent fault. Try "waggling" the wire near the plug when the fault occurs and if it comes and goes as you do this that will suggest a broken connection in the plug. An easy fix as long as you can solder.
If the plug is a moulded on one as most captive arm leads are you'd need to buy a new phono plug to replace it.
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Old 9th Dec 2018, 8:04 pm   #6
John123
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Default Re: SONY PS-LX520. Losing sound from one speaker when playing Records

I had a similar problem with my second-hand Sony PS-6750 that came fitted with an Empire 2000/EII cartridge - both date back to the late seventies. Initially, I had the same problem - no sound in one channel.

Removing the cartridge entirely and then touching the cartridge leads produced the all-familiar (and rather reassuring) buzz in each ear of the headphones (volume way down, of course!), so thinking the cartridge was shot anyway (no pun intended), I removed the stylus and gave it a few light taps on the side of a table - hey presto! A working cartridge!

And it's worked fine ever since! I wonder, given the age of the cartridge, if there were tin whiskers forming inside its metal body? Or perhaps the simple act of moving things about cleared dirt off the contacts etc. Your guess is as good as mine..
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Old 10th Dec 2018, 12:48 pm   #7
mattluisturner
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Default Re: SONY PS-LX520. Losing sound from one speaker when playing Records

Thank you so much everyone! I will do some experimenting tonight and let you know how I get on...
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Old 10th Dec 2018, 4:11 pm   #8
bikerhifinut
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Default Re: SONY PS-LX520. Losing sound from one speaker when playing Records

Please remember if you do to follow a logical plan.

with the Volume turned down LOW the first test would be to check the cartridge live leads by touching them so to speak and if a healthy hum is heard through both channels we can assume that at that point the circuit has continuity all the way through to the amplifiers circuits.
Next is to swap the LH and RH phono plugs across at the amplifier input and if the fault moves to the RH channel its the turntable not the amp.
Then I'd be tempted to swap the cartridge leads across, remembering to swap as pairs i.e keep the white and blue wires together and red and green together. I have no knowledge on this particular deck as it is a linear tracker and I do not know if its possible to swap the leads over as it will likely have a plug in cartridge. have you tried simply unplugging it and cleaning the contacts and plugging it back in?
If you can swap the leads then this would be to put the red wire on the L+ or white coloured pin on the cartridge, the Green wire to the L- or Blue pin, the White wire to the R+ or red pin and the Blue wire to the R- or green pin. the cartridge may have coloured identifications or r and L + and - or G for ground instead of the-.
Hope that's clear, I have assumed a very basic knowledge of how a circuit operates so please do not take offence at appearing to dumb this down a bit.
Having done that, if the fault manifests itself by crossing to the right channel we can assume that the fault lies in the cartridge, in which case its likely a new cartridge is the solution. I think its a T4P type plug in on the linear arm?
If the fault stays on the Left Channel then we can assume the cartridge is working and the fault lies in the wiring between the cartridge tags and the LH phono plug that connects to the amplifier inputs. You mentioned an outboard phono preamp didnt cure the fault, and I am assuming you tried it in a spare line input. Do send a photo of the setup with good sharp close ups of the leads and their position in the amp.
I suspect your job is made difficult by the type of cartridge mount which makes some basic fault finding tricky.

A.
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Old 10th Dec 2018, 11:55 pm   #9
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Default Re: SONY PS-LX520. Losing sound from one speaker when playing Records

I had a similar problem with a Sony music centre earlier this year. It turned out to be a dry joint at the pickup phono socket, which was soldered directly to the printed circuit board rather than via a flexible lead. Visually it was OK.
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