Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh

[Enochrome]

Guys I'm about to crack!! I spend some much time getting my analog rig to where
I want it but if it is not one thing it is another.

Why do the analog gods punish me so much!!

I just got a new Cambridge 640p because my phono board died. I listened for one day and the the right rca went out on my new Rega RB300!!!!! (bought used though) At least I think it is the rca, which I now am doubting if the phono board on my Luxman was even an issue. And this after spending a month rebuilding a Thorens TD-125 MKll.

There is no way I am spending $200 on Icognito rewire, that's how much I paid for the arm!

I'm at my wits end, seriously. I am heading down the serious road of the "law of diminishing returns". I can't afford to have it fixed at a shop because the local guys charge $90 per hour.

I feel like giving up and going back to itunes and cd's.

[jrhymeammo]

Enochrome,

What exactly do you mean when you say
the right rca went out on my new Rega RB300!!!!!

I was working for a day, right? Have you tried swapping L&R RCA on tonearms, phono pre outputs, and received inputs? One step at a time of course.

Tonearm wiring shouldn't just "go out" all the sudden under a normal usage.
Also, check tonearm's leads pins and make sure they are all snug against cartridge pins.

I suspect it's either the new Cambridge's output stage or tonearm's leads connection.

[basite]

Guys I'm about to crack!! I spend some much time getting my analog rig to where
I want it but if it is not one thing it is another.

Why do the analog gods punish me so much!!

I just got a new Cambridge 640p because my phono board died. I listened for one day and the the right rca went out on my new Rega RB300!!!!! (bought used though) At least I think it is the rca, which I now am doubting if the phono board on my Luxman was even an issue. And this after spending a month rebuilding a Thorens TD-125 MKll.

There is no way I am spending $200 on Icognito rewire, that's how much I paid for the arm!

I'm at my wits end, seriously. I am heading down the serious road of the "law of diminishing returns". I can't afford to have it fixed at a shop because the local guys charge $90 per hour.

I feel like giving up and going back to itunes and cd's.


NOO don't give up!

do you have a multimeter of somekind there, you can measure continuity (measure resistance) in the cable, reads something.

I know just how frustrated you feel about the Rega cables. The contacts in my 301 weren't soldered to begin with, so off to england for 3 weeks repair (free, of course, I would have been a very angry 20 year old otherwise), and then several months later it broke again. hooray. this time, no warranty so I decided to fix it mysel. first soldered the cables on again (PITA, really), and then got a Cardas Din plug (the 5 pin phono plug, not the big one you find on old receivers, but the small one often used with tonearms), cheap repair, worked excellent, but it didn't fit properly in my 301 (hooray, almost felt bad that I bought a 301 instead of a 300), and eventually fixed it by drilling a 1mm hole in the top of the tonearm, as close to the pivot as possible, and sticking longer tonearm wires through there (normal rewire didn't work out).

Now it works. Finally.

anyhow, I always found that the problem lies in the end stub, where the external cables are connected to the internal tonearm wire, it's a fine work to repair, but definitely doable (I soldered mine with a 1cm diameter solder tip, and still managed to do it)

use the original internal wire though.

sure it's not another connection though? also check the RCA plugs, they can break too...

btw, about the luxman phono stage: if it's the same channel as your aux that "died", def. clean it, dust and all, kills channels :D, otherwise it's probably a cap somewhere, but not such a hard fix actually... or a bad connection, clean it, clean it again with contact cleaner, wiggle stuff when it's operating and see what it does. While you're at it, you could set the DC offset again (not hard neither). It's not in the power amp section, because then it would have gone out with a messy fight and some weird noises or even the magic blue smoke. if it's in the pre, you would have had weird popping, scratching "evil" noises while it's just operating, heavy distortion without touching it.

if it didn't do any of that, it's a connection or dust for sure.

Good luck, and ask away, I'd be happy to help :)

Keep them spinning,
Bert.

[JohnMichael]

The RCA's would be an easy fix if that is what the problem is. To expound on what JRA had to say I would also like to mention the cartridge wires and checking the cartridge clips. Check for snugness as was suggested but also make sure they are not touching and shorting out a channel.

I would check the RCA's by moving the wires connected to them to check for intermittent sound. I would also check the IC's from the Cambridge to whichever amp you are using. After you check and switch channels back and forth and you have not found the problem then I would look to the cartridge and arm. Cartridges have been known to fail in one channel but that is rare.

Once you have narrowed the problem to the arm it could be one of the solder joints. There are numerous solder joints in the arm. The cartridge wires are soldered to the thinner wire that runs through the arm tube. Those thinner wires are again soldered at the brass bass to the wires terminated in RCA plugs. All in all the wires are soldered to the cartridge clips, soldered again from cartridge wires to arm tube wires, arm tube wires soldered to brass base to leadout wires and then soldered one last time to the RCA's. Those are the points where signal might be lost.

The Rega arm is worth the effort for the rewire. If you find it is in the arm I would return the 640p and buy the Incognito wiring harness. The cardas wire and cartridge clips are a nice improvement. The only solder joints are at the clips and not again until the RCA plugs.

[Enochrome]

Thanks guys for all the words of encouragement and deducing what the problem could be.
It gets frustrating when you just want to focus on the lush sounds of music but the gear problems keep on coming.

It is most likely the tone arm wire of the right channel. I switched the tone arm wires and the rca's and the problem followed the switch. So, I will investigate it further tomorrow following all of your point by point advised steps.

You guys are soooo appreciated right now!!!!!

If I can't find a simple resolution in the solder joints, does anyone know of good place to get the Cardas wire or wire kit?

[poppachubby]

Eno, sorry to hear you're having problems. "Nobody moves, nobody gets hurt" as the saying goes. It sounds like you may be biting off a bit too much at once. Table, arm, phono stage...

BUT, all the ingredients are there for a delicious vinyl stew, so don't give up!! I have been enjoying the music for some time now, I don't even think about gear anymore. You will be there soon, but apparently it's gonna cost some blood, sweat and tears.

Hey check this out... http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=346388&highlight=camnridge+640p

[02audionoob]

If I can't find a simple resolution in the solder joints, does anyone know of good place to get the Cardas wire or wire kit?

http://www.partsconnexion.com/wire_tonearm_cardas.html

[Enochrome]

Thanks Noob and Poppa for those suggestions. I had forgotten about Parts Connexion.
Do you think those Blackgates they sell are for real? I thought they were discontinued long ago? But in truth I am a scrub with all this, so I probably am wrong.

I just got a multimeter from my dad. I will post soon with questions on how to use it, but right now I am late for work. Oh, yeah I have several reviews to write on carts, receivers and phono stages.

Thanks again

[hifitommy]

of all places for wire to make a difference is in the phono cartridge level. when audioquest was offering tonearms, the different levels in price were determined by the tonearm wire.

sumiko's hs12 headshell (not for your arm of course) has premium litz wires from the shell to the cart. those wires alone sell for $20 or so.

lots of sonic improvement can be had for the money by upgrading the tonearm wires if one is up to the job.

[JohnMichael]

I have never regretted purchasing the Incognito rewire for my RB250. The Cardas cartridge clips and Cardas wire are superior to what was in the RB250 originally. I also like the idea that it is one continuous length from cartridge clips to RCA plugs at the end of the turntable cables. The Incognito also includes a ground wire that the Rega wiring did not.

[Enochrome]

Hey guys I followed all of your suggestions and could not find the fault. Hooked it up again and the left channel was still out. The repair is beyond me and I already accidently pulled one of the tone arm wires off (oops!!!, it was already dead.)

Looked into the Cardas rewire service on the web and at Brooks Berdan and none of them had the services for less than $375. I don't doubt the upgrade in performance at all, and I envy those who have it and would love to hear it some day; it's just not my turn due to funds.

But on the sunny side, once I accepted this I found a Jelco 250-ST on Audiogon and the seller sold it to me for $150.00 with cable and shipping included (really good guy)
I read that these are better matched for the TD-125 so I pray this will workout.

Will sell the RB-300 on Audiogon cheap to some who is up for the rewire project.

Basite, I really like the Cambridge 640p!! Dead quite and great transparency. Makes me wonder what a match with one of their integrateds would sound like. There is a 840 for $800 on Audiogon right now......hhmmmm?

Thanks again. I hope to post more frequently, but been busy. Hope you all picked up some tasty audio treats recently.

[JohnMichael]

I agree with your observations about the Cambridge 640p phono preamp. I find it a great budget phono amp for mm or medium to high output moving coil cartridges. The 640p did not have enough gain for the Benz Gold or the AT F7.

The wire you pulled off may have already been broken or a solder joint gone bad. I would think it would sell easily since many love modding Rega arms.