Odd troubleshooting problem

sonorlite

Well-Known Member
Jan 26, 2015
24
1
133
I have been experiencing a very odd random tonal change over the past 2 years on the analog side of my system.
The sound swings from glorious to mediocre with no apparent cause. or time frame. When it deteriorates, the change is always the same:
No bass below 50hz, narrowed soundstage, almost sounds mono, and elevated, somewhat strident treble. This change can occur during during play of one side of a record or when flipping over a record. It sometimes lasts weeks and then goes back the other way.

I have narrowed this down to something in the interface between the cartridge arm and table. All electronics have been rechecked by the makers and I have substituted different line, phono stages and amps and it still occurs. Also, the change impacts both channels at the same time and my line and phono stages have completely different left/right channels and I use monoblocks.

Unfortunately, I own just one phono cartridge at present so that part I can’t verify. I have checked vtf, vta, azmimuth and also had a local dealer who sets up turntables stop by with his rig and it is fine.

I use a line conditioner but using wall power dos not change anything, except it does not sound as good.
I could understand the system just not sounding good on an extended basis but the random switch to magnificent sound is baffling. I have verified this with REW; the loss of bass and exaggerated treble are measurable.
Anyone ever experience anything this odd? Equipment list follows.

  • Garrad 301 (Xact Audio rebuild with plinth and outboard power supply
  • Kuzma 4 point 14" arm.
  • Koetsu Blue lace.
  • Thomas Mayer 10Y line stage and D3A phono.Thomas Mayer 300B amps.
  • Audio Kinesis LCS subwoofer with Ampino amp
  • PAP Trio 15 speakers with Voxativ field coils, outboard crossovers.
  • Elgar 6006B line conditioner
Thanks
 

Alrainbow

Well-Known Member
Dec 11, 2013
3,189
1,387
450
I have been experiencing a very odd random tonal change over the past 2 years on the analog side of my system.
The sound swings from glorious to mediocre with no apparent cause. or time frame. When it deteriorates, the change is always the same:
No bass below 50hz, narrowed soundstage, almost sounds mono, and elevated, somewhat strident treble. This change can occur during during play of one side of a record or when flipping over a record. It sometimes lasts weeks and then goes back the other way.

I have narrowed this down to something in the interface between the cartridge arm and table. All electronics have been rechecked by the makers and I have substituted different line, phono stages and amps and it still occurs. Also, the change impacts both channels at the same time and my line and phono stages have completely different left/right channels and I use monoblocks.

Unfortunately, I own just one phono cartridge at present so that part I can’t verify. I have checked vtf, vta, azmimuth and also had a local dealer who sets up turntables stop by with his rig and it is fine.

I use a line conditioner but using wall power dos not change anything, except it does not sound as good.
I could understand the system just not sounding good on an extended basis but the random switch to magnificent sound is baffling. I have verified this with REW; the loss of bass and exaggerated treble are measurable.
Anyone ever experience anything this odd? Equipment list follows.

  • Garrad 301 (Xact Audio rebuild with plinth and outboard power supply
  • Kuzma 4 point 14" arm.
  • Koetsu Blue lace.
  • Thomas Mayer 10Y line stage and D3A phono.Thomas Mayer 300B amps.
  • Audio Kinesis LCS subwoofer with Ampino amp
  • PAP Trio 15 speakers with Voxativ field coils, outboard crossovers.
  • Elgar 6006B line conditioner
Thanks
I’m guessing a grounding issue maybe the cause. as voltage varies in ground potential it robs dynamics and can effect low or high end. rethink your grounding
 

audioquest4life

Well-Known Member
Sep 23, 2020
327
187
115
60
Electrical interference gremlin is what it sounds like to me. Are you sure that you have isolated it to just to the the phono cartridge, cable, phono amp interface and that it is not something else external to the whole system? Does a dishwasher, HVAC unit, or some sort of device with a compress run like a refrigerator, and are any of these devices on the same electrical circuit as your audio system?

I had a weird electrical issues yesterday that I walked away from and evaluated this morning. Background, my phono stage was gone for nearly two months, and while it was gone, I took the opportunity to move cables around, unplugging some and shifting locations to dress up the rack. While I was powering on the amps, and field coil power supplies, nothing else was turned on, all of the sudden the left speaker started making a rushing electronic hash noise, I immediately turned off left and right amps...hmm, swapped left and right field coil power supplies, turned on, and the same issue in the left side. Well, a theory and sort of a long shot idea came over me. I unplugged the left interconnect from the preamp, which was not on, and then turned on the amp...silence. So, the rearranging of the interconnect cable I did while the phono amp was gone must have had a negative result and resulted in the noise. I then returned the interconnect to where it was before, but, also, I thought about the WBT connection, which I love hate, due to the constant tightening of them down when removing and plugging in, could have been not fully plugged in, in which case it may have caused this weird electrical phenomenon even though the preamp was not even on, talk about weird. Electrical gremlins. System was up and running beautifully today without any issues and rechecking those damn WBTs and moving the cables back to the original position.
 
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