taylo234 Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 Hey guys, I just had a quick question. I bought a pro-ject debut carbon and was having an issue with certain records sounding unbalanced. Basically the vocals and treble would be much louder on one side making everything sound off. I kept having a few other issues with it, so I exchanged it for a new one. The new one got rid of all the other issues except the unbalanced sound on some records. It's always the same records as well. The one I can notice it the most on is "Relient K - Forget & Not Slow Down". My setup is: Project Debut Carbon Yamaha A-S500 Wharfedale Diamond 10.1 I know 100% that it is not the Wharfedales, because I use them for my ps3 and my computer and not once have they ever had that issue. That being said, my computer and ps3 go through the a-s500 and dont have any issues. Could it be an issue with just the phono input? Could I have balanced the tonearm wrong? Only reason I feel it isn't the Yamaha is because it's only on some records.If anyone could help me troubleshoot this it would mean so much. Thanks! Edit: Also forgot to mention it isn't the RCA cables either, I've swapped them out with a few and same issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
000000 Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 Try realigning your cartridge? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taylo234 Posted June 30, 2013 Author Share Posted June 30, 2013 Try realigning your cartridge? I thought the Carbon came with it already aligned? I'm not exactly sure how to go about doing so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bearchuck Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 If it's just on certain records, have you considered that it's the way they were mastered to vinyl? Some records are simply cut too "hot," and in general, it affects the mids and highs - especially the highs - the most negatively. I won't get into the science of it all (because I only moderately understand it myself) but an album that has been mastered too loud can definitely cause playback issues. Most apparent is tracking issues, sibilance and distortion on high end. Hell, the problem could even be with the original recording or the way it was mixed. I've personally been involved with records that sounded great digitally, but cutting them to vinyl was a different story. It's really a very fickle medium, from the recording stage to mastering to manufacturing and right down to the part where you actually play the record on your turntable. Of course, I'd still double check your Carbon's alignment and all that jazz. VTA is important. Generally you want the tonearm to be parallel with the record while it's playing. If the tonearm is "tail up" it can affect the highs. Tail down usually affects the lows. Does the Carbon even have VTA adjustment? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taylo234 Posted June 30, 2013 Author Share Posted June 30, 2013 I've thought about it being the records...but on my shitty old Ion table all the records sounded balanced..but again that's an ion table. Is that a common thing for there to be unbalanced sound? It always seems to be the right channel. As far as I'm concerned, I'm pretty sure the Carbon does not have VTA adjustment because I remember something like that being a complaint about it. Is it safe to plug in the turntable to another input besides the phono one, even if its grounded? I'm not too knowledgeable on the inputs so bear with me here haha. That could help show if it might have something to do with the input? But again, it's just some records. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bearchuck Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 So I sort of misunderstood you. You're saying that the treble + mids sound louder / worse in one channel, but it's only on certain records? That's the part that's throwing me off. If it was an issue with the Yamaha's phono stage, you'd probably hear it on every album you played. Does the Carbon have azimuth adjustment? Of course, if the cartridge azimuth was off, you'd probably hear it on all records as well. You could plug the turntable into one of the line stage inputs, but it's going to sound waaaay quiet. You wouldn't be able to diagnose anything. What I would consider is borrowing / buying a stand alone phono stage. Run the TT into that, and the phono stage into one of the amp's line stage inputs. That would eliminate (or point to) the Yamaha being the issue. I'm a little stumped to tell the truth. I'd definitely re-align everything on the Carbon. And make sure the stylus and your records are clean. What is the position of the speakers in relation to your listening position? It's not something weird where one speaker is nailed to a wall and the other is sitting on the floor, is it? Check your Wharfedale's user manual for tips on how to set them up properly. It could still have something to do with how the record was recorded / mixed / mastered ... although that doesn't explain why they sounded okay on your Ion. Of course, the Ion probably made everything sound like tepid, muddy soup anyway. I'm sure you weren't getting much nuance, clarity or detail from your records. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taylo234 Posted June 30, 2013 Author Share Posted June 30, 2013 The treble is louder on one channel and the other is more bass heavy. The positioning is fine, equal distance from the area I'm sitting on isolation pads..like I said they sound 100% fine when listening to itunes on my computer or playing the ps3. I'm leaning toward it being the record..hopefully someone with the Relient K record could let me know if they have the same issue. I'm gonna run the record through the spin clean tonight and see if I can tell any difference. I'm leaning toward it being the way the record is. It's not the worst thing in the world, I can just adjust the balance on the Yamaha, just kind of weird I never noticed it before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taylo234 Posted June 20, 2014 Author Share Posted June 20, 2014 Sorry for the...wow almost a year late...response. It seemed to fix itself but earlier this month started doing it again. Just wanted to follow up. I ended up getting a free preamp (The Art DJ Pre II) so I've been able to test it through that and the issue definitely lies within the Yamaha AS500. Everything is perfectly balanced, I'm sure I'll upgrade to a different preamp down the line but for the time being this one sounds fine to me. But anyway, just wanted to leave this here for anyone down the line having this issue! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaviorSelf Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 Sorry for the...wow almost a year late...response. It seemed to fix itself but earlier this month started doing it again. Just wanted to follow up. I ended up getting a free preamp (The Art DJ Pre II) so I've been able to test it through that and the issue definitely lies within the Yamaha AS500. Everything is perfectly balanced, I'm sure I'll upgrade to a different preamp down the line but for the time being this one sounds fine to me. But anyway, just wanted to leave this here for anyone down the line having this issue! Are you sure it is the yamaha? Have you tried taking a recording of the vinyl and checking the levels between each side? I have the same amp and same problem but I am convinced it is jsut my turntable as Ive tried 3 different carts and they all have the same result. Ive used both the yamaha phono and my phono box and have problem on both. When I switch the leads, the balance issue follows, so I have a feeling its something to do with the turntable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allenh Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 Are you sure it is the yamaha? Have you tried taking a recording of the vinyl and checking the levels between each side? I have the same amp and same problem but I am convinced it is jsut my turntable as Ive tried 3 different carts and they all have the same result. Ive used both the yamaha phono and my phono box and have problem on both. When I switch the leads, the balance issue follows, so I have a feeling its something to do with the turntable. If it follows your leads it's not the amp, sounds like bad joints at one end of the tonearm wiring, or more likely bad connections at the phono's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaviorSelf Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 If it follows your leads it's not the amp, sounds like bad joints at one end of the tonearm wiring, or more likely bad connections at the phono's. Well it is a mass produced Denon so it wouldnt surprise me. Not really handy with electronics so Im not ganna open it up and try and fix it. My plans are to just go big and purchase something serious next year. In the meantime, the imbalance is hardly noticeable unless I am sampling/recording where I have to make up for the gain differences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allenh Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 Separate left and right gain and record monitor were made for situations like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taylo234 Posted June 24, 2014 Author Share Posted June 24, 2014 I went through 3 separate debut carbons...so I'm pretty sure it's the Yamaha. All 3 of those turntables had a new set of cables so it's not that either. Everything is still fine with the new preamp! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allenh Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 I went through 3 separate debut carbons...so I'm pretty sure it's the Yamaha. All 3 of those turntables had a new set of cables so it's not that either. Everything is still fine with the new preamp Component tolerances are on very rare occasions not that close but are way better than they were in the 70's and 80's so I guess the customer is now the final test and inspection for a lot of this equipment. Sounds like you have one of those very rare occasions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.