No speaker sound from turntable

[Be_Nimble_Jack]

Hello everybody,

I am new to this forum, so I was not sure where to post this. If this is the wrong place to ask, I apologize in advance.

I have recently acquired a working turntable, a Technics Quartz Direct Drive SL-Q300 with a Technics P24 stylus. I also bought a Technics SU-Z11 amp second hand. This worked perfectly well until I wanted to change a record and accidently bumped the needle arm. Now there is no more sound coming through my speakers. I can still hear the record playing, very quietly, from the turntable itself, but my amp isn't giving any signal that sound is coming through (i.e., there are no moving lights). I have checked all the cables and my turntable is plugged into phono. It was right after bumping the arm that my speaker sound was gone. Does anybody have any idea what this could be? Or how I could determine what the problem is?

Many thanks in advance

 

[slipperybidness]

Well, if you are unlucky, you destroyed your stylus / needle. If you take a look at the needle under a magnifier, it should have a nice sharp point on it.

If you are lucky, then you might have simply knocked off one of the wire leads to the shell. I believe there should be 4 very small wires that connect the head shell (that holds the stylus) to the rest of the turntable. Be sure that all 4 are connected and not compromised.

Otherwise, you may have knocked something out of whack, but I would typically expect some sound if that happened.

 

[TLS Guy]

Hello everybody,

I am new to this forum, so I was not sure where to post this. If this is the wrong place to ask, I apologize in advance.

I have recently acquired a working turntable, a Technics Quartz Direct Drive SL-Q300 with a Technics P24 stylus. I also bought a Technics SU-Z11 amp second hand. This worked perfectly well until I wanted to change a record and accidently bumped the needle arm. Now there is no more sound coming through my speakers. I can still hear the record playing, very quietly, from the turntable itself, but my amp isn't giving any signal that sound is coming through (i.e., there are no moving lights). I have checked all the cables and my turntable is plugged into phono. It was right after bumping the arm that my speaker sound was gone. Does anybody have any idea what this could be? Or how I could determine what the problem is?

Many thanks in advance

That is a nice turntable. Turntables are simple electrically and we can help you trouble shoot this turntable.

You do need a meter.

This is the color code on the back of the cartridge.

Left = white wire
Left Ground = blue wire
Right = red wire
Right Ground = green wire

Now do not trouble shoot with the cartridge connected, as the wires are so delicate the test meter can burn them out.

Make sure the wires are connected as suggested.

Now with fine pliers carefully remove the connectors from the pins on the back of the cartridge.

Now disconnect the turntable from the amp, so you are dealing with the connectors coming out of the turntable.

Make sure none of the removed connectors are touching each other.

Now make a test with your meter to make sure the white wire connects with the pin of the white RCA plug.

Make sure the blue wire connects with the body of the white RCA plug.

Make sure the red wire connects with the pin of the red RCA plug.

Make sure the green wire connects with the body of the right RCA plug.

Now make sure there is no short between pin and body of the white RCA plug and then check the red plug.

If all checks out correctly, then you need to test the preamp. You can turn down a CD player very low and see if it transmits a signal, if you don't have another turntable available.

If everything checks out, then you need to replace the cartridge.

A lot of cartridges are frail and easily destroyed by the accident you describe.

This trouble shooting will tell you where the problem is.