Lower needle, one channel comes in before the other. Problem?

[81828384]

Another random TT question since you people are so helpful. :)

This just started a couple days ago. Whenever I lower the stylus, one channel kicks in before the other channel. After a few seconds, both channels come in no problem, but still this has disconcerted me. Is this something I should be worried about?

[Gary]

I wonder if the needle is misaligned somehow? Is the music balanced ok (right & left)?

[81828384]

I wonder if the needle is misaligned somehow? Is the music balanced ok (right & left)?

Sure, after a couple of seconds everything is fine. Its just the first two or three seconds after I lower the needle, the sound just comes out of the left channel, then everything starts playing normal.

This has never happened before yesterday, or maybe a day earlier. Only thing that has changed is I started using Magic Eraser to clean my needle, but that was last week. Could be related, could be totally unrelated.

[81828384]

Here is something that might be related to my problem. Forgive my use of my own terms, I'm not totally down with analog lingo.

I'm having a hard time getting the needle to "catch" on a record when I lower it. Instead of catching in the groove and playing music, the stylus seems to want to skate across the entire record instead, rushing from the outside to the inside. My alignment is fine (integrated cart), and my VTA and VTF are fine per my own balancing and measuring with a Shure stylus gauge, anti-skate is set per turntable instructions.

I've tried lowering the needle while the record is spinning, as well as lowering then starting the record, and no matter what it takes me multiple tries to get the cart to catch and start tracking correctly. Once it does, everything is peachy.

This did NOT happen when I first got the TT, tracking was always perfect and spot on. The problem has grown worse, it just didn't occur to me until just now.

I'd appreciate any feedback.

EDIT: Also, maybe, MAYBE, their might be a tiny bit of channel imbalance. MAYBE. I don't have any way of testing it besides my ears, and my ears have played tricks on me in the past. Please note I do all my listening with headphones, per my profile. I own no speakers. Well, some velodynes, but they are for HT only.

[xman]

Re-balance the Tonearm. Set the calibrator back to zero, then adjust the grams and your anti-skate. Make sure you TT is level. If you don't know what I'm talking about you may want to do a search on calibrating your TT. Lots of knowledgeable TT enthusiast suggestions to be found. Lots of luck. :wave:

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[oblique_parallax]

Maybe in order to save your speakers from the "pop" associated with the needle catching the groove, your turntable doesn't pass a signal until after the arm is down. I've got a couple of old DUALs that do this. Maybe that got out of whack somehow.

What kind of turntable/cart do you have?

edit: ..oh I see yr profile. I'm sure the Technics doesn't do this.

[DaleH]

I'm having a hard time getting the needle to "catch" on a record when I lower it. Instead of catching in the groove and playing music, the stylus seems to want to skate across the entire record instead, rushing from the outside to the inside. My alignment is fine (integrated cart), and my VTA and VTF are fine per my own balancing and measuring with a Shure stylus gauge, anti-skate is set per turntable instructions.

Sounds like something is wrong with the anti-skate mechanism. Even with zero anti-skate the stylus shouldn't pull to the center of the record that much. Try moving the adjustment throughout its range and see if it feels smooth. When you get the needle tracking a record adjust the anti-skate till the cantilever looks straight to the body of the cartridge.

[81828384]

Re-balance the Tonearm. Set the calibrator back to zero, then adjust the grams and your anti-skate. Make sure you TT is level.

Did all this earlier, good suggestion though.

Sounds like something is wrong with the anti-skate mechanism. Even with zero anti-skate the stylus shouldn't pull to the center of the record that much. Try moving the adjustment throughout its range and see if it feels smooth. When you get the needle tracking a record adjust the anti-skate till the cantilever looks straight to the body of the cartridge.

I'll give this a shot tomorrow evening, thanks.

[Dugan]

Every once in a while mine does the same thing. It's the left channel that comes on about a second before the right.

[81828384]

Every once in a while mine does the same thing. It's the left channel that comes on about a second before the right.

Yes, exactly!

FWIW, I lowered the VTF slightly and adjusted the anti-skate accordingly, and I think I have solved the skating issue. Still having the same issue as Dugan describes above. No worries, its not a deal breaker. I'll be trying a new cart on this table soon anyway, just for fun and to learn the basics of affixing a "real" cartridge. AT440MLa. :thumbsup: