Trouble with brand new 424mkIII

[Speedy]

I just bought a new TASCAM 424mkIII, like, yesterday, and I've followed the exact procedures written in the manual for recording and dubbing. The problem is, even with an outside preamp, the playback volume is so weak that I have to turn the level and master volume all the way up just to hear it. This means that when i try to record another track onto a song, not only can I barely hear the first track, but what I'm now playing is so loud that it's way over +6 on the monitor, not to mention it's really hurting my ears. How can I get a reasonable playback volume? The troubleshooting section in the manual says my heads may be dirty, but the thing's right out of the box!

[skweeks]

there was a mistake in the manual i believe.. check this site, it's somewhere on here but i forget where, that explains the correct procedure...

[Speedy]

I know about the mistake in the manual, and I am able to record, it's just a really weak signal on the playback.