2. analog
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I am at the end of my rope, please help

I have a problem that I can not solve and makes no sense to me at all.
My right channel is stronger than my left by a large margin. I can plug my tonearm cable directly into a Fozgometer (measures left and right output) and I get a substantially stronger signal on the right side. I confirmed this with my Voltmeter to make sure there was not a problem with the Fozgometer. So, as far as I can tell, this narrows the problem down to the Cart, Tonearm, Tonearm wire or the table.

Here is what I have tried:
1. Changed Azimuth in both directions. Small change but still much stronger on the right side.
2. Changed antiskating. Very little change.
3. replaced the cartridge. No Change.
4. replaced the tonearm and cartridge. No Change.
5. replaced the tonearm, cartridge and tonearm wire. No change.
6. I have used a second test record. No Change
My turntable is perfectly level.
I simply do not see how this is possible! I have an $83,000 system that I can not listen to. Any ideas would be much appreciated.

My system:
DaVinci Turntable > Lyra Titan i > Schroeder Reference tonearm > Manley Steelhead > Stealth Indra cables > VTL 450 amps > Stealth Mlt speaker cables > Vienna acoustic Mahler speakers
audioraider
almarg's avatar
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almarg
9,670 posts
 
Thanks, Hifihvn. If I understood one of Audioraider's earlier posts correctly, he already tried swapping channels at the cartridge, and the problem DID move to the other channel.

One further note to Audioraider: If you measured continuity using a yes/no "continuity" function the meter may provide, that for example simply indicates the presence or absence of "continuity" via a buzzer or some other comparable mechanism (as opposed to measuring the specific resistance quantitatively), then the detection of "continuity" with the LOMC connected would definitely have been expectable, and not indicative of anything abnormal. That kind of meter function will indicate "continuity" even when a considerable number of ohms are present.

Regards,
-- Al
hifihvn
943 posts
 
Almarg,I understand that.Would a Fluke be safe for a LOMC.I never had to measure one.I use a model 179 or 85 for good stuff.
hifihvn
943 posts
 
Pardon,87v is the correct one.To late for me.
hifihvn
943 posts
 
If this is correct,it is low ohms for the Lyra Titen.If I have the correct one.[http://www.audioasylum.com/cgi/t.mpl?f=vinyl&m=940292]
almarg's avatar
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almarg
9,670 posts
 
Hifihvn, all of the specs that I've ever seen for digital multimeters do not provide enough information to determine the safety of their resistance or continuity functions with respect to a LOMC. The things that have to be known are the voltage the meter puts out into an open circuit when in those modes, and the output impedance of the meter when in those modes. That information together with the coil resistance specification of the cartridge would allow calculation of how much current would flow through the coil.

Without intimate knowledge of the design of the cartridge, it would then still not be possible to precisely say how much current would be safe, or for how much time a given amount of current could be safely applied.

The meters on analog multimeters typically move to full scale (which would indicate 0 ohms for the ohmmeter function) when the current flow is somewhere between 50 ua (microamps) and 1 ma (milliamp). The Lyra Titan i cartridge is spec'd to provide 0.5 mv (millivolts) into a load that can be as low as 10 ohms. 0.5 mv/10 ohms = 50 ua. So an analog ohmmeter for which 50 ua results in full scale meter deflection would certainly be safe. But one which required 1 ma for full scale deflection would be putting 20 times as much current through the cartridge as it would normally be called upon to provide under worst case loading.

Regards,
-- Al
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