[chgolatin2]

I've been looking for an automatic return table for quite sometime.  I went ahead and purchased the Denon DP300F, by no means a high-end audiophile TT but it does the job.  Went on the hook up the table to my amplifier which is a Cary Audio SLI 80, I am also using a tube phono (Budgie) By Shannon Parks Audio, LLC.  Anyway, like a dummy, I forgot to turn off the equalizer to the built in phono on the Denon table.  Therefore it caused distorted sound volumes, such as the subwoofer on my vintage JBL L50 subwoofer moving at a rapid pace, hard to explain but it just didn't seem normal, compared to my other turntable setup (Technics SL1200MK2) which everything seems to flow right, sound good too~ Now I did several trials one using the built in phone equalize on the table and the other bypassing the stock Denon equalizer, still I get sound at very low volumes.  Quite frustrating to be honest because I can't figure out what's the issue.  I am using a Shure M97Xe cartridge too, stylus looks to be clean..      Can the table be defective??? Or could they be another possibility?  The table is pretty much dummy proof, so I don't know....

[neobop]

If you bypass the Denon phono you should be able to plug the TT into the Budgie.  The Budgie then plugs into an aux input.

If you use the Denon phono you should plug it directly into aux input.  Check the manual to see if there are any alternate settings on the Denon phono. 

neo

[chgolatin2]

If you bypass the Denon phono you should be able to plug the TT into the Budgie.  The Budgie then plugs into an aux input.

If you use the Denon phono you should plug it directly into aux input.  Check the manual to see if there are any alternate settings on the Denon phono. 

neo

Those steps have been done~ still some issues

[neobop]

It's not easy to diagnose long distance.  It could be anything from a bad connection, to your cartridge connected out of phase.  About the only thing I found out was the switch for the phono stage is under the platter, but you must know that.

I assume you can still plug your 1200 into the Budgie and all is well?   Where did this cart come from, use it before so you know it works? 
Check the wires going to the cart.  Do the colors match up, and the connections tight?  Check the stylus and see if it's seated properly.  Not much to go on here.  You can try another cart and if it still has low volume it might be defective.  Is the Denon new or used?
neo

[chgolatin2]

It's not easy to diagnose long distance.  It could be anything from a bad connection, to your cartridge connected out of phase.  About the only thing I found out was the switch for the phono stage is under the platter, but you must know that.

I assume you can still plug your 1200 into the Budgie and all is well?   Where did this cart come from, use it before so you know it works? 
Check the wires going to the cart.  Do the colors match up, and the connections tight?  Check the stylus and see if it's seated properly.  Not much to go on here.  You can try another cart and if it still has low volume it might be defective.  Is the Denon new or used?
neo

Hey Neo, thanks for the recommendations. The table was purchased pre owned. The gentlemen which it was purchased from seem to be an avid vinyl collector, tons of music gear, etc seemed like a down to earth guy. I tested the TT before purchasing and it was working fine, I don't know if the TT went bad during transport. How can a table work flawlessly before being purchased and then all a sudden not work is beyond me but it's an electronic equipment and many things could go wrong and I can't blame the guy who sold me the table because it was indeed working.  I'm not vinyl guru, nor do I know much about turntables plus I don't consider myself an "audiophile" by any means but I do enjoy good sounding music.  Honestly I've gotten frustrated w the TT and it's been sitting in storage for a bit. I'm still enjoying my SL1200MK2 the only thing that bothers me about my TT is that completely manual, it's a PITA to forget that you have vinyl playing and once it down playing the atylus is making noise and getting possibly damaged. But I've been cautious enough to not let that happen, I've heard of a product called Q Up. I may have to consider such option for my table.  I also have a Pioneer PL 514 that needs some TLC I do believe that the pioneer is an automatic TT, but it needs to be worked on by an experience tech.  I would love to find a TT that would be of high quality, offers the option of automatic return and the possibility and option to repeat. Not looking for some cheap plastic TT but something made solid, good quality, but without a super duper high price tag... Any recommendations???


Thanks Neo!

[neobop]

You probably hit a bump on the way home with the Denon and a loose connection came apart, or something like that.  Can you solder?  Sometimes you can open it up and find the problem and fix it yourself if the problem is obvious.  If you don't feel confident about this, you should download the service manual anyway for the tech/repair shop.
http://www.vinylengine.com/library/denon/dp-300f.shtml

It would be good to resolve this or eventually you'll wind up with a bunch of junk tables in the basement.  I don't know about the Pioneer.  It looks similar to the Denon - semi-auto.  Same deal with the service manual:
http://www.vinylengine.com/library/pioneer/pl-514.shtml

If you take either one to a shop there's probably a minimum fee for an estimate.  A big repair could cost more than the table is worth and you might have to decide if it's worth fixing.   If you want basic instructions on how to open it up, just say the word.  If you're lucky you might be able to save a bunch of $.

I believe I mentioned some upscale semi-auto tables on the other thread.  All the major Japanese companies had them.  If you're looking for one good table with end of record lift, it will take some money to beat your 1200 with a Q-up, but it can be done.  With any vintage table there's always the risk of needing a repair.  If you could identify the problem it would shed some light on how to proceed.  Hope this helps.
neo

[chgolatin2]

You probably hit a bump on the way home with the Denon and a loose connection came apart, or something like that.  Can you solder?  Sometimes you can open it up and find the problem and fix it yourself if the problem is obvious.  If you don't feel confident about this, you should download the service manual anyway for the tech/repair shop.
http://www.vinylengine.com/library/denon/dp-300f.shtml

It would be good to resolve this or eventually you'll wind up with a bunch of junk tables in the basement.  I don't know about the Pioneer.  It looks similar to the Denon - semi-auto.  Same deal with the service manual:
http://www.vinylengine.com/library/pioneer/pl-514.shtml

If you take either one to a shop there's probably a minimum fee for an estimate.  A big repair could cost more than the table is worth and you might have to decide if it's worth fixing.   If you want basic instructions on how to open it up, just say the word.  If you're lucky you might be able to save a bunch of $.

I believe I mentioned some upscale semi-auto tables on the other thread.  All the major Japanese companies had them.  If you're looking for one good table with end of record lift, it will take some money to beat your 1200 with a Q-up, but it can be done.  With any vintage table there's always the risk of needing a repair.  If you could identify the problem it would shed some light on how to proceed.  Hope this helps.
neo

Excellent suggestion, thanks Neo..  If you can provide some basic instructions, please do so.  Thanks and happy holidays~

[neobop]

The first and most important thing is not only to download the service manual, but also to read all the disassembly instructions and familiarize yourself with how things are laid out.  With a direct drive you can usually just pop the platter, secure the arm and turn it upside down.  With a belt drive you might have a mess on your hands when the oil spills out of the bearing.  So, before you start, have the proper replacement oil (see service manual).  If it's not specified sewing machine oil works.

Put a piece of masking tape over the bearing hole.  You have to take the bottom panel off.  This is usually held on with a bunch of Phillips head screws.  First you might have to remove the feet.  These should unscrew with the top of the foot being a 6mm bolt.  With a relatively light table you can do these operations either holding the table vertical on its side or back, or upside down on the dust cover with a cloth underneath.  Once you get the bottom off, use your meter to test tonearm lead continuity.  With a semi, the wires usually come out of the arm to a strip junction.  From there they exit the table.  On the Denon they go into the phono stage.  Somewhere between the wires coming out of the arm and the output jacks, is where you might find the problem, if you're lucky. 
If so, clean the oil out of the main bearing with some cotton and replace.  Clean the motor pulley with alcohol and put the belt back on.  Of course this is after you've buttoned it back up and all is right with the world. 
If you couldn't find the problem have a good turkey day anyway. 
neo