For my dad's birthday, my mom and I decided to dig up his old record player, receiver and speakers so he could spin a few records at the party. The system hasn't been used in years, and I have no clue how old it actually is (anywhere from the 70's to 80's). Today I hooked it all up and found that it still functions, but there are a couple kinks that I have no idea how to deal with.
The first thing I noticed was the turntable's output: two standard red/white stereo audio cables and a third with no plug (the kind you wrap around a connector). I have absolutely no clue what this is for and my google-fu is insufficient to find out. When I tried out the system without the third cable, the sound was present, but extremely quiet. So I'm leaving it in and assuming it's essential- but I'm really curious about what it
is.
Now, the receiver has a bank for 3 sets of stereo input: "Phono" 1 & 2, and Aux. In addition, there are two knobs for wrapping the aformentioned third cable around, marked as left and right. For my tests, I had it connected to the left one. The auxiliary input (the one my father had been using) is ridiculously quiet, so I tried phono 1. The sound is more robust, but after I turn it up beyond a certain point, the bass seems to rapidly deepen to an unlistenable point and, oddly, remains that way even if I turn the volume back down. I need to turn the receiver off to get things back to normal.
This issue isn't a big deal since the system isn't likely to be used much, but I'd like to know if the problems are easily solvable. So:
1) What is this mystery third cable, and which knob should I be attaching it to?
2) What can I do about the overbearing bass? Is this more likely due to the aging equipment or the cables?
Posts
This will get rid of the heavy bass tone and amplify the sound.