I recently purchased a Harman kardon Cotation 21 preamp and am having an issue. The previous owner seems trustworthy and claims he had no issues. I beleive him. The amp I purchased with the preamp is working beautifully.
The issue is i have no output from the right channel. I have tried multiple inputs and swapped interconnecting cables. The output from the CD direct option is working on both channels. The output on the headphones is working on both channels as well using a normal cd input (not cd direct)
The fuses are both good and there appears to be no obvious flaws with burnt resistors, bloated capacitors, or bad solder joints.
Where do I start with thte troubleshooting? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Hifiengine has the service manual but it is too large to upload. Here is the link to the download
Harman Kardon Citation 21 | Owners Manual, Service Manual, Schematics, Free Download | HiFi Engine
The issue is i have no output from the right channel. I have tried multiple inputs and swapped interconnecting cables. The output from the CD direct option is working on both channels. The output on the headphones is working on both channels as well using a normal cd input (not cd direct)
The fuses are both good and there appears to be no obvious flaws with burnt resistors, bloated capacitors, or bad solder joints.
Where do I start with thte troubleshooting? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Hifiengine has the service manual but it is too large to upload. Here is the link to the download
Harman Kardon Citation 21 | Owners Manual, Service Manual, Schematics, Free Download | HiFi Engine
CD direct switch itself could be a problem if the changeover contacts have an issue.
Gajanan Phadte
Gajanan Phadte
that is a good idea. It seems to me that, given the preamp works through the headphones, the preamp board must be good. I can change balance/ volume /tone while listening to headphones so that part of the board must be good. The problem must be downstream of the board, prior to exiting the preamp. The only path is through the headphones + cd direct and to the rca jacks
BTW, this was the first time i ever used cd direct mode. I had a modern cd which had very high volume. I was connected to a 200 watt per channel amp and it sure put out a lot of volume with no easy way to turn it off. I did not blow my speakers but I sure got to the power switches in a hurry.
BTW, this was the first time i ever used cd direct mode. I had a modern cd which had very high volume. I was connected to a 200 watt per channel amp and it sure put out a lot of volume with no easy way to turn it off. I did not blow my speakers but I sure got to the power switches in a hurry.
I had an idea last night that might work. Instead of tracking down the fault, could i use the headphone circuit to a new pair of rca jacks in the rear for preamp out?
It seems failrly simple to disconnect the wiring to the headphone jack and run a pair of preamp out wires to the back of the unit. There is a lot of room for a new pair of rca out or I could try to use the existing rca jacks.
I am assuming that the headphone out circuit makes full use of the preamp tone controls and features.
It seems failrly simple to disconnect the wiring to the headphone jack and run a pair of preamp out wires to the back of the unit. There is a lot of room for a new pair of rca out or I could try to use the existing rca jacks.
I am assuming that the headphone out circuit makes full use of the preamp tone controls and features.
the other thing I might check is if I have a bad rca jack. I wonder if I should replace the output jacks prior to doing the jumper from the headphone board?
I'll take a closer look later but something doesn't add up here on a first look...
If you look at the manual you will see that the output (J3) is actually fed from the headphone inputs (the inputs to the headphone amp)
Can you confirm that by playing a stereo recording (one with clearly identifiable left and right differences), that you actually hear it as stereo in the headphones and not mono.
I'm just a bit puzzled by whats going on here. (but I've only had a two minute look)
If you look at the manual you will see that the output (J3) is actually fed from the headphone inputs (the inputs to the headphone amp)
Can you confirm that by playing a stereo recording (one with clearly identifiable left and right differences), that you actually hear it as stereo in the headphones and not mono.
I'm just a bit puzzled by whats going on here. (but I've only had a two minute look)
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I will check it tonight. If I get a stereo output from the headphones then it is almost certainly a bad right channel rca jack.
I don't think so. One thing that seemed odd (but looking at the circuit its the way it is) is that the CD direct just links through from "CD direct input" to the output sockets. I was expecting it to just bypass the tone controls and such like but still keep the volume control in circuit. Seems it doesn't though.
That aside, the other odd thing is that you say both channels work on headphones. That's what doesn't add up... if the output sockets pass the CD direct, they must pass the normal preamp signal too because they are fed from one and the same point and you say headphones are fine.
That's why you need to check this carefully 🙂 and make sure that L and R channels are separate when listened to via headphones. Then lets take it from there.
good thinking Moody. I will check when I get home. I am going to find a cd that has distinct left and right audio like old Zep stuff.
I did play a cd that seemed to be in stereo through the headphones. I adjusted the balance left and right and the sound went from one side to the other so the balance control is definitely working through the headphones. It could be balancing a mono signal but that doesn't make much sense unless the mono function is engaged.
Good point about the cd direct going through both output jacks. They must be good for that to have occurred.
I did play a cd that seemed to be in stereo through the headphones. I adjusted the balance left and right and the sound went from one side to the other so the balance control is definitely working through the headphones. It could be balancing a mono signal but that doesn't make much sense unless the mono function is engaged.
Good point about the cd direct going through both output jacks. They must be good for that to have occurred.
ok, so the headphones were definately sterreo so I went directly from the headphone jack to the amp. Still only one channel
hmmmmmm
I wiggled the speaker wire connector and, viola, everything works. These are pretty awesome with Dahlquist dq 10. I have heard of them being bass shy but, with the loundness on, it is all the bass i ever wanted.
BTW, Dahlquist dQ 10 pretty good speakers. I was sitting on the fence with them but I finally found the right amp / preamp
hmmmmmm
I wiggled the speaker wire connector and, viola, everything works. These are pretty awesome with Dahlquist dq 10. I have heard of them being bass shy but, with the loundness on, it is all the bass i ever wanted.
BTW, Dahlquist dQ 10 pretty good speakers. I was sitting on the fence with them but I finally found the right amp / preamp
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