I have an NVA MM Phono 1 with metal enclosure (purchased from a list-member years ago), which must be very old. One day it went bonkers with a howl-like sound. From then on, my cartridge (Ortofon 2M Blue) no longer worked, only outputting a faint signal with the volume turned all the way up -- on another, presumably working MM phono amp; I have in fact tried two brand new phono stages. When trying out the old amp again, it won't stop its antics when the needle is lifted, making some regular noise in the one channel, while the drivers in the other speaker are forcefully pumping in an out. Not to be tried again!
I suppose that amp is gone, but what kind of fault can this be? And has the generator system of the cartridge somehow got "fried"? I would like to think there's a connection between the two failures, but coincidences happen.
I installed another cartridge in another deck, and this cartridge doesn't work either (it has not been played on the Phono 1), just outputting a faint sound at max volume (is that the typical behavior of a damaged cartridge?). But it hasn't been used for at least 15 years, I think, so it's probably impossible to tell what happened to it.
Is it normal for phono cartridges to just stop working, when sitting there in the headshell without physical mishandling? I've had two other cartridges that just stopped working many years ago now; those weren't all that old either. Usually, you hear about snagged needles, bent cantilevers and stuff like that. I wonder if cartridges can be damaged by some kind of electrical rush... As you probably understand, I know little about these things.
My DAC works fine in the same preamp input as I use for phono. I have checked continuity with a multimeter between the headshell leads at the back of the cartridge to the plug on the amp end of the turntable interconnect. Dual mono P90sa + A80s (without heatsink).
I suppose that amp is gone, but what kind of fault can this be? And has the generator system of the cartridge somehow got "fried"? I would like to think there's a connection between the two failures, but coincidences happen.
I installed another cartridge in another deck, and this cartridge doesn't work either (it has not been played on the Phono 1), just outputting a faint sound at max volume (is that the typical behavior of a damaged cartridge?). But it hasn't been used for at least 15 years, I think, so it's probably impossible to tell what happened to it.
Is it normal for phono cartridges to just stop working, when sitting there in the headshell without physical mishandling? I've had two other cartridges that just stopped working many years ago now; those weren't all that old either. Usually, you hear about snagged needles, bent cantilevers and stuff like that. I wonder if cartridges can be damaged by some kind of electrical rush... As you probably understand, I know little about these things.
My DAC works fine in the same preamp input as I use for phono. I have checked continuity with a multimeter between the headshell leads at the back of the cartridge to the plug on the amp end of the turntable interconnect. Dual mono P90sa + A80s (without heatsink).
