Only getting mono from new turntable

[basinku]

Hi everybody, this is my first post here, so I apologize if this has been covered somewhere else, or if I am not following protocol.

I have a question regarding only getting mono from a brand new turntable.

I recently purchased a audio-technica AT-PL120 turntable and hooked it up to my Pioneer VSX-455. So, the day I hooked up my turntable, I noticed nothing was coming out of the left speaker. I detached and reattached the cables going into the receiver, and boom...I had stereo sound. Must have been the cables. I assumed they were loose or something. Well, the other night, I go to listen to the new Low record, and same thing. No sound out of the left speaker. So I do the same thing, and voila...stereo sound. Now today, I go to listen to a little Of Montreal, and the same thing! No sound out of the left speaker. So I do the same thing, but I test it first. First, no sound out of the left speaker with the turntable, but sound out of the speaker with the cd. Fine and good. Next, switch the turntable on, play, no sound, unattach and reattach, and suddenly sound. Turns out, every time I turn off and turn on the stereo, I lose sound to that left speaker.

Do you have any idea what may be causing this? My hope is that it is my 10 year old receiver and not the brand new turntable. I know in the directions, it said not to plug in the AC until plugging in the RCA cables, which I did. I followed every rule. The turntable has a built-in pre-amp, and the receiver has a phono input built for a magnetic cartridge. There is great sound out of the right speaker, just not the left. Unless I detach and reconnect the RCA cables with the receiver on.

Any help would be very appreciated. You can email me at thesink77@yahoo.com or post here. Thanks in advance.

 

[MDS]

It really just sounds like a loose Phono jack. The next time the sound cuts out, try gently wiggling or twisting the RCA connector. If the sound comes back then the problem is definitely within the jack on the receiver - probably a loose solder joint.

 

[Haoleb]

If your turntable has a built in preamp- which you said it does, then do not plug your turntable into the phono inputs. Those are only for turntables that do not already have a preamp built into them. You should be plugging your turntable into anyone of the other jacks instead.

 

[MDS]

Boy did I miss this one...just glossed right over the built-in pre-amp.

 

[basinku]

If your turntable has a built in preamp- which you said it does, then do not plug your turntable into the phono inputs. Those are only for turntables that do not already have a preamp built into them. You should be plugging your turntable into anyone of the other jacks instead.

Thank you for the response. The turntable does have a built in preamp, and I plugged it into the DVD jack. While sound comes out of the left channel, it is really quiet. Any thoughts on that?

 

[Adam]

I'd suggest plugging into a different input (e.g. CD) and seeing if that makes a difference. If you still have trouble with the left side, then it's likely not the receiver. If you don't have trouble any more, then it's your left DVD input that's the problem.

EDIT: I just saw that your turntable has a selectable phono preamp. If you plug it into the PHONO inputs on the receiver, you'll want to bypass that preamp. If you plug it into any other inputs, you'll want to use that preamp.

 

[basinku]

I'd suggest plugging into a different input (e.g. CD) and seeing if that makes a difference. If you still have trouble with the left side, then it's likely not the receiver. If you don't have trouble any more, then it's your left DVD input that's the problem.

I'm kind of an idiot, and on top of it, can not follow directions.

I left it plugged it into the DVD input and switched the turntable to line out instead of phono out, and now I have sound out of both speakers. Although somewhat quiter than CD, it sounds pretty good. I think investing in a new receiver isn't a bad idea though.

 

[basinku]

So, whenever I would shut the receiver off, the problem would come back. I would only get sound out of the right channel. Even when the turntable was hooked up to the DVD input on the receiver (or is it output...lol). Anyhow, I was told by a friend to switch the rca cables in the back of the receiver and see if the problem was in the right channel instead of the left, and it was. My friend said this was a problem with the turntable. So I had to return it to Amazon. Sucks...