Cartridge Left Channel Dead

Have you checked the connections on the cartridge? While unlikly they would have come undone, in this world anything is possible. Also the phono cable's connections.
Good luck
Michael

I agree. Check the cables and tonearm connections first. Unplug the cables, then replug them in again. I gather that the CD section of your system is running well??

Check those connections.

i swapped the connections from cartridged to tonearm (left to right, right to left). that's how i confirmed it was the cartridge.

The Excel is discontinued as you may know, so if you replace it, it will have to be by something else.

You could sell the dead cartridge at a low price for rebuilding.

Alternatively you could have it rebuilt and continue to enjoy it. The cost would be less than a new one. I have had two cartridges rebuilt by Soundsmith in Peekskill NY and another done by Benz in Switzerland. In both cases the work was excellent, the cartridges sounded new and in one case, apparently better than new.