Through with Buzz.


My turntable has just started creating an obnoxious buzz. Maybe you can help me fix it.

When I lift the arm, and the motor fires up, there is a loud buzz coming through the speakers. The sound stops at different times, but usually in the amount of time it takes for me to lower the needle to the record. Sometimes less time, sometimes more. When the record is over, and the arm is automatically lifted and dropped into the arm holder, the buzz comes back between when the arm is dropped and when the motor stops. If it weren't so loud, I wouldn't care, but man is it obnoxious.

I checked all connections, and they are secure.

Any ideas? Or should I just bring it to the shop?

The player is a Pioneer PL15d-II if that matters.

Thanks.

KB
karlrborne
Sounds like a wire is damaged inside the arm or the arm wiring harness at the very least. As the arm is moved, the buzz comes and goes. So it would be the wire that grounds the arm (black wire) that is having the problem.
Is it a buzz or a hum? They are completely different things, a buzz is a BBZZZ and a hum is HHMMMM.
Is there a dimmer switch on the same circuit? That was causing my intermittent buzz problem. If the TT has muting, the buzz will stop while the arm is moving.
Thanks for the feedback. This is most certainly a buzz and not a hum. When the buzz stops, quickly after the needle touches the record, it usually is gone for good. Very, very rarely it buzzes for a split second during play, then disappears. But that makes me nervous to play anything too loud.

Due to my lack of understanding of how these turntable operate, I think I'll bring it in for a fix so I can get back to tearing into some Steely Dan, among others. My current favorite song to play on the turn table is actually a Robert Palmer song, "Every Kinda People." Love it.

I'm not sure if there is a dimmer switch. But I think Atmasphere is on to something.

Again, thanks.