Left channel louder on vinyl (but not always)

dan1979

Prominent Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2004
Messages
3,545
Reaction score
224
Points
616
Age
44
I have a strange problem with a new TT - it's a Rega so it's 'ready' out of the box pretty much and I haven't fiddled with anything.

I know that sometimes the left channel is louder with vinyl but I'm finding it happens randomly and stays there - not just towards the end of the record.

I just listened to an album and it was spot on until the last few tracks when the vocal was about mid way between the left speaker and the centre point - I used my amp's balance control and was able to get it centred. Put the balance control back to the middle and the sound was back to the left.

I then went back to the first track (which had played fine beforehand) and that too was playing with a left imbalance.

It is definitely the new TT - it never happened with my old one and it doesn't happen when playing CDs.

Any ideas?
 
I experienced something similar with my Tabriz/Gyrodec. I experimented with the bias setting, I can do this on the fly with the Tabriz if I'm careful. Instructions tell you to set the bias (anti-skate) to the same setting as the tracking force. My MC25FL tracks at 2.1 grammes, but I have the bias set about 0.8g. Sounds good to me, that's all that matters ! Try it and let us know how you get on.
 
I've gone back to it this morning and the problem is still there. I tried the anti-skate down to the lowest setting (it's supposed to be on 2) but nothing changed.
 
Check the cantilever for damage, reseat the stylus, swap the cartridge tags L for R then swap back and swap the phono cables L for R see if the fault follows

You might have a dud cartridge

Gus
 
check the azimuth of the cart. this can happen if the headshell is slanted (i know as mine is loose and can tilt to the left)
 

The latest video from AVForums

TV Buying Guide - Which TV Is Best For You?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom