2. amps-preamps
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Need troubleshooting help go easy on me... Newbie

A couple of weeks ago, I posted a question requesting help on my new office (all vinyl) system. After reading the responses, and doing a little research, I decided on purchasing the EAR 834P phono stage. It arrived yesterday. The rest of this system includes: Rega P9 TT; RB 900 arm; Clearaudio Aurum Beta cartridge; Bryston 2B SS amp; PSB 40 MK II speakers; Straigtwire Waveguide speaker cables; Straightwire Rhapsody II interconnects; and PS Audio Ultimate Outlet.

I hooked everything up (started at 1:00 am), and started spinning, but what came out of my speakers was a terrible sound. First, the word that comes to mind when describing the sound is "fuzzy" -- like listening to AM radio in your car, without an antenna. The LPs are clean (used VPI 16.5 machine). Second problem is the right channel is totally dominating the left.

Troubleshooting advice?
wksesq

Showing 2 responses by sc53

sc53
722 posts
 
Where is your preamp? You can't just run the EAR phono pre straight into an amp, you need to connect it to a preamp then to the amp.
sc53
722 posts
 
Everyone has given you great ideas for troubleshooting. One other thought: If you mounted the cartridge yourself, as I did last January, and hear God-awful distortion as you describe, as I also did last January, and nothing is wrong w/your phono pre or settings, then you may have badly misaligned your cartridge--as I did last January. I thought I had done a good job, then I played a record and had to run to take the arm off the platter! Before I did, I saw that the bottom of the cartridge was actually touching, in fact dragging, along the surface of the LP. Needless to say, this sounded hideous and created unbelievable distortion amplified excruciatingly through the chain to the speakers.
Duh! I had to start over w/cartridge mounting 101.
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