So Weird- No Stylus Contact Woofer Pumping with Hana ML and Elac PPA-2

Also I input square waves at the phono cable end and scoped the cartridge end with the cartridge connected- all square with the left and right showing a slight amplitude difference. My next plan is to try to bypass the arm and phono cable wiring with an alternate set up mounted external to the arm to see if the problem repeats.

Somebody asked for a video of the o-scope display

Enjoy

https://youtube.com/shorts/O9GJToBeZAk?feature=share

SOLVED- Short answer, my fault. The Audio Note silver litz is notoriously difficult to work with and in this case my reach exceeded my grasp. The o-scope trace of the left vs the right channel was different by about 15%. I figured there had to be something there to explore. I desoldered the wires to take a look under the microscope and saw very few clean areas free of urethane. Every connection point was wildly different.
 

I picked up an el cheapo solder pot so I would theoretically have an advantage clearing the goop. The trouble with el cheapo Amazon solder pot is that the temp controller swings too wide. Just when a wire was almost there- zap- melted in the pot. I need 13” of wire and at some point my second wire ended up at 12”. No more Audio Note wires.

I reinstalled the original Mogami set. This was designed for MC cartridges and despite my concern for the mass that the original setup adds, with the Hana ML it worked out to a tone arm resonance of 10 hz. The original set is copper and unlike the Audio Note it’s obviously larger than a human hair. It has the added advantage of existing within my skill and equipment set.

At any rate, the effect of static on the cartridge is gone. To be honest the circa 1970/80’s wiring sounds very good. I had originally pulled the factory set because it’s curiously heavy and the mass was too much for a 2M Black, I also suspected an electrical mismatch in design.

The PPA-2 using balanced input and balanced output is a different animal than in single end mode. It wipes the floor with its unbalanced self. More transient energy by a mile. It really comes alive.

This thread is solved, if nothing else, if someone else tumbles into this scenario it may help.

I'm stumped. What do you reckon was the mechanism of your original observation? Which is to say how do you suppose the wiring fault had something to do with the woofer movement?  I am not at all challenging you or trying to contradict you; I am just truly curious, even though I do not doubt that you may have had some bare wires somewhere in your arm tube, if that is what you are suggesting.

By the way, I too tried to work with the Audio Note silver Litz, and I too used a solder pot.  I melted more wire than I soldered, and in the confusion, the four wires got hopelessly entangled with each other.  It's a job for a pro who preferably works with that wire every day.

I understand that resistance is additive in series. So in one sense there is no possibility where there would be an EM potential difference. However I saw on the o-scope various differences between the left and right channels that increased in amplitude as I lowered the input frequency. I figured all this was reactive- an impedance change. Also it was disappearing in single end- linking the ground fixing the problem, at least as I understand it. I was in the Submarine service and got a nice commendation for recommissioning a failing hovering system, it was a corroded solder joint. That’s how I got to a garbage solder joint as the possible cause. Change wire, add solid connections- problem gone. I figure someone in 2056 will have this trouble and thank me after I’m dead.