Turntable Troubleshooting

[dntheman1]

I have run into a problem with my record player and I'm looking for some help. Midway through playing a record the sound stops, then a little bit later the sound resumes. This doesn't seem to be in any particlar part of the record, some play longer than others before the sound cuts out. If I put my ear next to the needle, I can still hear a faint sound, but nothing from the speakers. I can play radio/tape/CD on the receiver w/out any trouble.

Any ideas for what could be wrong? My thoughts are an issue with the cartridge or in the connection between the turntable and the receiver, but I figured I'd ask before spending any cash guessing at the problem.

It's a pretty inexpensive setup (Ion turntable), but I'd rather put off buying a new turntable until I'm out of school next year.

Thanks for the help.

[xxmartinxx]

Make sure the four wires on the back of the cartridge are plugged in all the way.

[ajxd]

Could be 100 different things. Is the pre-amp built into the Ion? It could be faulty. Is it the same point in every record? As in, play to same record twice and it happens at the same time? Could be the platter/tonearm connection is lost there due to a terrible angle (got dropped?). Is the cartridge properly aligned and VTA perfect? The tonearm could again be at a funky angle and not make full connection. Is the receiver's pre-amp faulty?

If the Ion has a pre-amp, try running all the channels with the turntable. If it doesn't, still try it to try to pin-point the issue.

[artificialsundown]

try this page: http://www.turntablebasics.com/advice.html