I must be an idiot - need help

[kach22i]

I must be an idiot - need help

I'll skip the lead-up story and stick with the facts as I know them. I hope a few of you are smarter than me, there must be a flat spot on my brain when I was dropped as a baby or something. I just cannot figure this out on my own.

Problem definition:

1. I get sound out of only one channel, let's say the left for now.

2. When I switch speaker wires, left with right and right with left at the amp terminals, the sound changes speaker channels (not a bad speaker-yea).

3. When I flip the interconnect polarity between the pre-amp and amp there is no channel change.

4. I have changed the interconnects with spare ones, no change.

5. I have tried two different amps, no change.

6. I have tried three different pre-amps, no change.

7. I have tried two different sources (tuner and CD player), no change.

8. I have tried the bridge to mono switch on one amp, and the mono button on one pre-amp, no change.

My conclusion:
It's not the source, pre-amp, amp, speakers, speaker wires, or any of the interconnects.

I'm out of ideas and options.

I feel like an idiot.

This problem popped up out of nowhere one day about a month ago. I was sure it was the pre-amp for some reason. Now I don't know what to think.

 

[flez007]

might sound silly but..have you returned to the original settings to assess if it is OK now?

sometimes there is a connection issue in the beginning, once it is reconnected things go back to normal.

other than that, sounds strange to me...

 

[kach22i]

might sound silly but..have you returned to the original settings to assess if it is OK now?

sometimes there is a connection issue in the beginning, once it is reconnected things go back to normal.

other than that, sounds strange to me...

I've tried so many combinations of amp and pre-amp that I might as well go back to the original configuration, because that's where it all started. Back to the beginning, not much else I can do.

 

[NorthStar]

---That first original post is the best one that I read in a long time! :b

* I got not a single clue as what could be the cause of your dilemma!

** You did not try another pair of speakers.

 

[kach22i]

1. Spare speaker wires

2. Spare Speakers

3. Spare amp

4. Spare pre-amp

5. Spare Interconnects

6. Using the original two sources

Unbelievably has the same problems of the original equipment and original hook up.

I'm starting to think the ghost in my house, which both my wife and I have seen in the form of a smoky shadow and bright flash of light near dusk is having some fun with me. I'm out of natural causes, and looking to the supernatural.

This is ridiculous.

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

You said you changed speaker wire at the amp...moving the left speaker wire and attaching it to the right amp terminal and vice-versa. You then said, if I read it correctly, that the sound moved from one to the other. Wouldn't that indicate a bad terminal on your amp?

 

[NorthStar]

---He did try two different amps John.

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

---He did try two different amps John.

This is where my confusion comes in.....I guess too many lefts and rights, so my mind got scrambled. LOL!

 

[kach22i]

You said you changed speaker wire at the amp...moving the left speaker wire and attaching it to the right amp terminal and vice-versa. You then said, if I read it correctly, that the sound moved from one to the other. Wouldn't that indicate a bad terminal on your amp?

Yes, I diagrammed that out once and it said the right side of the amp or connecting terminal is bad. However, my spare amp used for home theater has the same results, and I've never had problems with it.

I've just switched back to my original pre-amp and the problem persists.

When I switched to back to the original amp, same problem again with either pre-amp.

Every combination of equipment using different interconnects and speaker wires has the same results.

EDIT:
I just changed out the last two remaining original interconnects to the sources with some el-cheapo spares, to no affect.

Is there anyway possible, that my old Tripp-lite power line conditioner and surge protector which everything except the primary amp is plugged into could be having an influence on things? I've had it since about 1987 ($600), it's a big black box with many electrical plug connections. It has it's own dedicated outlet of course.

Seems far fetched, but I'm looking into all possibilities right now.

 

[LL21]

perhaps build the system from sratch with all new components which work perfectly...and take it back down one unit at a time until the problem occurs?

 

[kach22i]

perhaps build the system from sratch with all new components which work perfectly...and take it back down one unit at a time until the problem occurs?

You read my mind, my plan for in the morning is to assemble an independent system in the next room so I can sign off on the Dynaco pre-amp I picked up today and still have to pay for. All I need to do is plug in the spare Direct Drive TT I bought last week at a flee market, and reclaim one of my HT amps.

I already unplugged the Tripp-Lite and will be doing an overdue cleaning and vacuuming behind my rack. I just need a clean start in more than one way.

 

[JackD201]

Do one channel at a time George.

 

[Bill Hart]

You didn't change out the speaker cable, you just switched them between channels, right? I'm wondering if you have a bad termination or something else wrong with one of the speaker wires since everything else, source, electronics and interconnects have been changed out with no difference. It's gonna be something stupid, i can virtually guarantee you. That's why you can't figure it out.
This IT guy once told me about a customer who he did a wi-fi installation for; he set it up, explained how it worked, and she was delighted to learn that it was wireless.
She called him a couple days later to say it didn't work.
When he went back, he couldn't find the wireless modem. She had unplugged it, packed it up and put in it the closet, in the belief that, since it was wireless, it didn't need to be connected to anything.
Even I'm not that dumb.
You'll figure it out.

 

[cjfrbw]

I won't confess the dumbest things I have done because, well, ah, you'll think I'm dumb.

 

[kach22i]

You didn't change out the speaker cable, you just switched them between channels, right?

No, I've tried whole new speaker wires, new speakers, new interconnects, different equipment to exhaustion.

I'm building a separate system, then will go back and debug the main one.

 

[Bill Hart]

No, I've tried whole new speaker wires, new speakers, new interconnects, different equipment to exhaustion.

I'm building a separate system, then will go back and debug the main one.

Oh, well, back to starting from scratch. Let us know how it goes.

 

[NorthStar]

Is there anyway possible, that my old Tripp-lite power line conditioner and surge protector which everything except the primary amp is plugged into could be having an influence on things? I've had it since about 1987 ($600), it's a big black box with many electrical plug connections. It has it's own dedicated outlet of course.

Seems far fetched, but I'm looking into all possibilities right now.

-----Yes! Try that, get rid of it and see what happens!

 

[RBFC]

Put a new battery in the hearing aid for the affected ear.....

Lee

 

[GaryProtein]

. . . . Is there anyway possible, that my old Tripp-lite power line conditioner and surge protector which everything except the primary amp is plugged into could be having an influence on things? I've had it since about 1987 ($600), it's a big black box with many electrical plug connections. It has it's own dedicated outlet of course. . . .

I am completely amazed your Tripp-Lite still works after 25 years. I have never had a battery back-up/UPS last more than a few years on my computers before it died.

 

[kach22i]

I am completely amazed your Tripp-Lite still works after 25 years. I have never had a battery back-up/UPS last more than a few years on my computers before it died.

Gary, no battery back up.

When first purchased this model I was renting an old apartment with a possible low voltage poor ground condition (hum in phono section for instance, and amber lighting). My first unit from Tripp-Lite ran very warm, then hot enough to fry an egg on. So I packed it up and mailed it to Chicago, they sent me back a new unit saying the old one did not measure well or meet specifications. No problems with the new unit for all of these years, so I guess I've gotten my monies worth.

Criticisms of my unit at the time, were that it was originally developed for bar bands going into unknown conditions who wanted to protect their stage equipment from low voltage. Therefore it was never intended for the cleaner line demands of audiophile use. I don't plug my 2-channel stereo amp into it, but they do share the dedicated duplex.