OT: Headphone jack gets only mono

[Higgs Boson]

Apologies for OT posting. I tried to put this on a high-end audio NG but it never showed up. Since you guys know everything (g), here's the problem:

I had friend run new TV sound through a high-end Harmon Kardon stereo (used but good!). Speakers on new TV were hopeless, and TV had no place for headphone jacks.

I need to watch with headphones because of lousy hearing; need "proximity effect" -- sound close to ear.

This worked OK for a while, but now can only get mono. Have switched around adapters, jacks and headphones; tried them on other audio equipment; problem is with the stereo input (hole).

Was told that stereo comes from jack touching SIDES of input. ???

Dilemma: Can the input be repaired economically?

Hate to buy another stereo which might not even have as good sound.

Any thoughts welcome.

HB

[Stormin Mormon]

A couple things come to mind.

1) if headphone plug isn't in "just right", sometimes that happens. 2) Problem might be between the TV and the stereo.

On a stereo plug, there is tip, center, and ring. Tip goes to both channels, center is one ear, and ring (back towards the rubber handle) is the other ear.

[J Burns]

If you lose the tip connection, which I call ground, both phones will play the difference between channels. It will be faint, worse on some material than others.

If the sound is as strong as before, the channels are probably shorted together. If the headphones have a plug with a cover that unscrews, it's easy to check with a meter. With the phones unplugged, there should probably be about 50 ohms between channels. If it goes to zero when they're plugged in, there must be something wrong in the jack or the wiring. Jacks are cheap, but before I replaced it, I'd unsolder the wires and use the meter to see if there was a short not involving the jack.

[None]

No.

In order from the end, it's Tip Ring Sleeve (TRS) T and R connect to the two stereo+ signals. S goes to the common-.

[None]

T = left + R = right + S = common -

[None]

It's likely the problem is here.

Are you getting the exact same signal in both ears, or are you getting signal in one ear only?

[J Burns]

That looks right. I haven't put a meter on headphones in a while, so I went by what SM said.

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, Tip and ring is stereo left and right. Sleeve is ground. I think the jack is not making contancts with either tip or ring of the plug. You have to open the stereo amp and take a look. bend the tangs in the jack or replace it with new one. Remote possibility maybe one channel of the amp. is shot. Get an old stock good jack not new Chinese crap.

[Bob F]

Do the speakers on the stereo produce stereo?

[Higgs Boson]

YES! Unplug jacks, stereo is fine.

The history of how jacks & input degraded over time makes it almost certain that the input is the problem. At first I'd get stereo sporadically, now only L. ear.

I do not have the skill to take the stereo apart and do repairs recommended above. Will have to ask around for the right kind of shop to take it to. Wish my smart neighbor hadn't moved out of town. He could have done it!

HB

[Higgs Boson]

L. ear only.

HB

[WW]

Apologies for OT posting. I tried to put this on a high-end audio NG but it never showed up. Since you guys know everything (g), here's the problem:

I had friend run new TV sound through a high-end Harmon Kardon stereo (used but good!). Speakers on new TV were hopeless, and TV had no place for headphone jacks.

I need to watch with headphones because of lousy hearing; need "proximity effect" -- sound close to ear.

This worked OK for a while, but now can only get mono. Have switched around adapters, jacks and headphones; tried them on other audio equipment; problem is with the stereo input (hole).

Was told that stereo comes from jack touching SIDES of input. ???

Dilemma: Can the input be repaired economically?

Hate to buy another stereo which might not even have as good sound.

Any thoughts welcome.

HB

Have you tried a different set of headphones? WW

[Robert Green]

Obviously your friend was able to "pipe" the output audio output of your TV to the audio input of your HK stereo. If we knew a little more about how he did that we could probably bypass the troublesome headphone connector altogether.

effect" -- sound close to ear.

around adapters, jacks and headphones; tried them on other audio equipment; problem is with the stereo input (hole).

While it's unusual for the jack to fail before the cord itself, it's certainly possible. There can be foreign material in the jack, it could have suffered physical damage if you didn't "tie down" the headphone cord to relieve the stress of moving around on the jack or there could be trouble in the pathway from the TV to the stereo and not from the jack to the headphones. To proceed further, model number specifics would be helpful as well as information about how the TV connects to the HK. There are several ways it could be done and potential solutions depend on knowing exactly.

Scroll down to the picture of a stereo plug to see what people are talking about with tip, ring and sleeve. Be advised that there are often significant differences in the width of those segments and often, the plug has to be "worked around" in the jack to find a spot where the ring segments and the metal fingers in the jack like up correctly. The jack's tiny metal fingers also lose tension sometimes, and don't press against the shaft of the plug well enough to make contact.

Let me be certain of some things. When the headphones are plugged into a totally unrelated stereo source, is there proper stereo sound coming through? Is the plug pencil size or wooden match size (diameter is usually either 1/4" or 1/8" - but sometimes even smaller)? Some earphones, like Apple, have four, not three segments on the plug body. Does proper stereo sound emanate from the stereo's speakers but not through the headphone jack? What happens when you adjust the Left/Right balance - usually a knob or a menu option?

Yes, it's *usually* easy DIY stuff for even a mediocre solderer. But it will probably be cheaper to do some sort of workaround. It would probably be cheaper to get a pair of wireless infrared/RF headphones to connect to the TV than it would to have the HK jack repaired, though. More convenient, too. That's if the TV has RCA-style audio outputs - most wireless headphones have provisions for that type of input or a standard headphone jack.

We're a long way away from that.

[gregz]

I would normally first try a liquid cleaner. Alcohol, wd40, CRC 2-26, deoxit, spit.

Greg

[None]

Then you're not getting mono, you're getting half of the stereo (mono would be the sum of L and R in both ears).

The "ring" connection is not being made. Could be a problem with the jack, could be a problem with however it was wired into the TV.

[None]

No. If you get both speaker when the headphone is unplugged, then it's not the input. Maybe you're using the term "input" wrong. There's a high probability it's the jack. Maybe the plug or the headphones or the wiring from plug to headphones.

[makolber]

if you have one side working and one side not working,

start moving cables and connections from the left to the right and see which item "follows the problem"

Mark

[Higgs Boson]

Look at the message you replied to. Sigh! I try so hard to set out the whole enchilada, but not everyone reads to the end. Thanks anyway for reply.

[Higgs Boson]

UH-OH!!!!!! Good possibility. Didn't know I was supposed to!!!

or there could be trouble in

AS MENTIONED BELOW, WILL SEND PIC FROM REAL OF STEREO, PLUS MODEL #.

YES

Will check it out & advise -- but note that set-up worked OK for a while, then failed. So your thought about "tie-down" might be on target.

But I don't WANT the TV's mediocre sound; that was the reason for the HK workaround in the first place.

More convenient,

OK, Will RTFM to check that.

WILL ALSO UPLOAD A PIC TO SHOW THE CONNECTIONS MY FRIEND MADE SO TV WOULD PLAY THROUGH STEREO.

Thanks Bobby and others for constructive suggestions.

First, I have to apologize for using wrong/confusing terms. I thought the JACK was what you put it; now I learn it's the PLUG. I was calling JACK "the hole" for want of better term

Second: To repeat: I HAVE switched around plugs, adapters, cords from stereo to headphones; headphones themselves, umpty times. Have also plugged various headphones into other audio equipt. where they work fine. All points to JACK.

Third: (not mentioned earlier): Have to use "adapter" ? to plug headphones into jack; headphone plug is too small. Have also switched these around; no change.

Fourth: IMPORTANT Is there any bad downside to Greg suggestion of liquid cleaner? Or Bob F's suggestion of sandpaper?

I'm learning a LOT & appreciate your help.

HB

[Robert Green]

workaround in the first place.

If you take the the output currently going from the TV to the stereo and instead pipe it to the base station of wireless headphones, it should sound as good as the HK unit. It all depends on whether your friend hooked up the TV's with RCA audio output to the HK's input.

stereo to headphones; headphones themselves, umpty times. Have also plugged various headphones into other audio equipt. where they work fine. All points to JACK.

Does that include the adapter? I've had those units fail on me, too and that would be the cheapest solution - obtaining a new size-changing adapter. Have you established that the connector passes a stereo signal using other equipment? Do you have a unit that had a 1/4" stereo output jack to test the adapter/headphone combination exactly the way that you use it on the HK? What devices are you using to test the headphones? I want to make sure you're not checking the headphones without the adapter connected.

headphones into jack; headphone plug is too small. Have also switched these around; no change.

It sounds like you are using mini-plug headphones (matchstick diameter) in a stereo that uses standard 1/4" phone plugs. Those big connectors aren't used much anymore except on larger stereos.

cleaner? Or Bob F's suggestion of sandpaper?

I would try a Q-tip dipped in rubbing alcohol (90+% if you have it) and squeezed damp to see if any material comes off on the swab. Sandpaper I am a little less sanguine about. I seriously doubt it's corrosion - it sounds much more like physical damage.

I would focus on the adapter because it sounds like it sticks out of the HK jack and absorbs the brunt of any tugging on the line even before the HK jack does. The fact that it failed gradually seems to point to one of the jacks - either the stereo or the adapter jack. I would also look at the adapter first because the fix would be a lot easier. (-: