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auxy
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Re: Pyle Home PTA4 Mini amplifier

Fri Feb 08, 2013 10:29 pm

ludi wrote:
The "wiggle the wires" problem, especially at low volume levels, usually means the speaker wire isn't making good contact inside the jack.
I know this is something stupid I can probably google the answer for, but is there any "accepted" or reliable way to configure the speaker wire to make sure I'm making good contact inside the jack? I've always just folded it over, twisted it, and put that in the jack, but it seems like that may not be the best way after all...
 
Captain Ned
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Re: Pyle Home PTA4 Mini amplifier

Fri Feb 08, 2013 10:34 pm

If it's the standard spring-clip jack there's not much you can do except wiggle and then hot-glue the speaker wire when you find the sweet spot. Binding posts would be a much better option but not one I expect to find on a sub-$100 amp.
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auxy
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Re: Pyle Home PTA4 Mini amplifier

Fri Feb 08, 2013 10:42 pm

Yah, it's the spring-clip doohickeys. Dang! The old Kenwood has those binding-post thingies, but ...
 
auxy
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Re: Pyle Home PTA4 Mini amplifier

Sat Feb 09, 2013 12:50 am

auxy wrote:
Yah, it's the spring-clip doohickeys. Dang! The old Kenwood has those binding-post thingies, but ...

Well, I just got home; I basically double-looped the speaker wire, and shoved that whole thing into the jack on the PTA4, and that seems to have resolved my problem ... for now. Didn't help with the weird headphone issues, though.
 
ludi
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Re: Pyle Home PTA4 Mini amplifier

Sun Feb 10, 2013 9:53 pm

Your location says Texas, if you're anywhere along the gulf coast then humidity may be accelerating corrosion buildup on the copper. One thing that can help is to pick up an antioxidant grease for aluminum wiring (any home improvement store, in the electrical aisle), take a light sandpaper to the wires so they shine a bit, then work a little grease into the strands before twisting and reinserting into the spring jack.

The grease is basically to prevent moisture incursion, while containing sacrificial zinc to interact with the atmosphere before the wire does. It's required for old aluminum wiring, but I've also used it for speaker jacks and switch repairs.
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auxy
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Re: Pyle Home PTA4 Mini amplifier

Sun Feb 10, 2013 10:05 pm

I see! Thanks for the tip, ludi! I do in fact live on the Gulf Coast; within the Beaumont-Port Arthur metroplex. Still, I'm basically a hermit, so my house is always super A/C'd and thus super-dry. ¦3c It seems to be working great now aside from the headphone oddities, which my IRC friends say are more likely just poor engineering in the amplifier.

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