Solved! Sony STR-350Z Receiver only playing one speaker

[pipere95]

I recently purchased some old Kenwood floor standing speakers (JL-870) and a Sony STR-3D50Z receiver to play a turntable. I connected the turntable to the "Phono" input on the receiver using a 3.5mm to RCA adapter cable.

When I connect the set up (the 2 Kenwood speakers to the Front Speaker Channels on the Sony receiver) I can get sound from both speakers on the radio input source. But as soon as I switch to the "Phono" input source on the receiver to play the turntable, the sound only plays out of one of the speakers (whichever is connected to Channel "A") and has a very low amount of sound coming out of the other. When I adjust the balance setting all the way to the non-working channel, and turn the volume up high, I can hear it playing, but at a muffled level.

Additionally, I've verified the following:

• 
  The speakers and associated wire are not the source of the problem, as the both work when using another input source (Tuner AM/FM Radio);
  
  The toggles for "A" and "B" on the sets of speakers are not the error (I'm also aware that having both toggles activated will yield no output on a given channel unless both sets are connected for that channel);
  
  The turntable plays well on other devices (it has Bluetooth capability and has no issues when playing on another sound system).

I have listed additional information about the speakers and receiver below, in case this is of any help.

Kenwood JL-870 Speakers:

• 
  Nominal Impedance: 8 ohms
  Max Input Power: 180 Watts
  Rated Input Power: 90 Watts
  Sensitivity: 92 dB/W at 1 m
  Frequency Response: 35 Hz to 20,000 Hz
  Crossover Frequency: 2,000 Hz, 5,000 Hz

Sony STR-D350Z Receiver:

• 
  AC 120 V
  60 Hz
  150 Watts

Thank you in advance for any help or possible solutions you guys can give on this. I am completely new to this, and have tried to troubleshoot the problem with the limited knowledge I have on the subject.

 

[kanewolf]

If the radio plays on both speakers, then the amplifier portion of the Sony is OK. Most of the newer turntables have a built-in phono pre-amp that you can enable or disable. If it does have a built-in pre-amp, then you could connect to another of the Sony inputs like CD or Aux. My first suspect would be your cable if it was not supplied with the turntable. It might not be a standard 3.5mm stereo cable required. Check the specs.