Expert: Wayne Tapia - 9/19/2010

Question
QUESTION: Hi there,

I am trying to connect a Pioneer PL-S40 to Kenmore speakers, using a Kenmore amp. I have connected the ground wire and have plugged into the "Phono" jack on the amp. The sound only comes out of the left speaker. Sound comes out of both speakers when playing CDs or DVDs. This problem is only happening with the turntable.

Am I connecting this wrong, or is there a problem with the turntable?

Thanks!
Amy

ANSWER: Hi Amy,

Before I go into any troubleshooting, I have one question - does the turntable have hard-wired output cables coming from it, or does it allow you to use separate interconnects?

One thing you can do to check if the input on the amp is functioning properly is to go ahead and plug a CD player into the phono input. Turn the volume down for this, AND it may not sound very good,but we're only testing the input.
If you're not getting sound from both speakers, you may have an issue with the phono input. If you are getting sound from both, it's more than likely the turntable's output section.

Either would require a certified tech for a repair.

I hope this helps. Cheers!

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi,

Thanks for the quick response!

We tried the CD player in the phono input and there was sound from both speakers, so I guess it's not the phono input on the amp, which is good.

The turntable has hard-wired input cables coming from it, so does that mean that the turntable needs to be repaired or replaced?

Thanks again,
Amy

Answer
Hi again,

I would suspect that the turntable is the culprit.

One more thing to try is to plug the turntable in, except this time - reverse the plugs (left into right & right into left). If the sound only comes from the right speaker, then this will nail the problem down.

Many times, with gear that has hard wired cables coming out, it's usually just one of the internal contacts has come unsoldered (a very quick fix for someone handy with a soldering iron). Hopefully, that's all you'll need to have done, possibly a cable replacement, but that shouldn't be too costly either.

Cheers!