Tips Tricks and tools for turntable setup - a must for newbies

ohbythebay

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Hello Sharks,

I don't pretend to be an expert but I will say I am pretty proficient at setting up a turntable and squeezing the best sound from ANY turntable. If you are experienced, this is not for you though you will find some tidbits (like setting anti-skate). For newbies, this is essential. dont short change your listening pleasure. Proper setup is essential for a variety of reasons as follows:

  • Best Sound
  • Even and proper cartridge wear
  • Avoid damaging your vinyl

I do have a 20+ minute setup video but it is truly 101 and perhaps by posting here, it would be easier to follow. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnskL8Pe6fk

So let’s begin.

There are x number of areas to address (in order) for proper setup. Do these and you will be amazed at how well your table sounds and performs

Table balance
Cartridge mount and overhang
VTF - Vertical tracking force (how much weight is being applied)
Alignment
VTA - Vertical tracking angle (the angle of the arm as it applies to the cart and stylus)
Azimuth
Anti skate

Table Balance
Before you do any you want to ensure your table is balanced. If you are going to setup the arm and cartridge someplace other than where it will be placed finally, then skip this step until then. Using a small level (6" or 12") check the level by placing it on your platter facing front to back and then left to right. Is the bubble dead level? If not, shim the feet in whatever direction is needed to make the table dead level. You would be surprised how much this affects tracking and skating forces.


Cartridge mounting and overhang
No matter if your cartridge came unmounted or mounted, you want to be sure it is in the proper area within the headshell or mount. That is, how far forward or back and square in the mount. The manufacturers talk about overhang. So what is overhang? Overhang is how far the tip of the stylus should be PAST the spindle if you moved the arm all the way over. It is generally some number like 17mm or 15mm...Everyone is different. This is helpful because every cartridge is built differently, some longer or shorter or longer than others. What does not change is where the tip of that needle should be.

But Rob, how do I measure overhang? Good question and not always easy to do. Some manufacturers give you an overhang gauge which you put over the headshell mount (while it’s off the arm) and align the stylus tip to the line. See diagram.

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If you dont have a gauge, don’t sweat. Never sweat. Another way is to mount it square, somewhat centered in the headshell (forward and back equal) and keep the cart loose enough to move. Make a small index card with a measurement that you need (say 17mm). With two lines. Hold the card by the spindle, straight up centered on one line. Move the arm over and see if the needle aligns to the second line. if it doesn't, slide the cart forward or back until it does. This is your rough approximation and will save you ALOT of time later when you get to alignment. See diagram.

17421_633282283353904_2125947438_n.jpg


Before you do the next steps, if you have an anti-skate dial, set it to ZERO for now. Important.

VTF - Vertical tracking force (weight applied to the vinyl from the cartridge)
This is another important step and one best completed with a tool (in a moment) as it is directly related to tracking and wear. Let’s first dispel a myth. Myth - use the lightest tracking you can. False False. Insufficient force is just as bad as too much force. It causes mistracking and can damage your vinyl.

Ever cart manufacturer gives recommended tracking force for their cart. Some are light, some are heavier but don't let that be your decision on purchasing a cartridge. A cartridge that tracks at 2gr does not wear your vinyl more than one that tracks at 1.25gr. It’s just the nature of the cart, suspension, needle type, etc.

The first step is to balance the arm. This is done with the cart mounted and using your counterweight on teh back of the arm. Set the arm in is rest but not locked. Turn the counterweight clockwise or counter clock wise till you get the arm to "float"..not moving up, not down on the rest. You will only be turn the BACK part of the counterweight, NOT the dial.

Once the arm is floating turn the dial (just the dial) to zero. This is your rough calibration. Now, holding BOTH the dial and the counterweight, turn to apply more weight (dial is moving up in numbers) until you reach the grams recommended. I suggest move to the HIGH side of recommended. Example - the cart recommends 1.0 to 1.75... set it for 1.6 to 1.65. Why? Because marketing material and engineering specs differ. The marketing wants to sell you on the idea on how light it tracks. The engineers know optimal is higher, not lower.

So, it’s set, right ? Not yet. Many counter weight gauges are way off or at least enough to be worrisome. I recommend an inexpensive ($15) digital gram scale. They are used generally for weighing jewelry, easily available and only slightly larger than an ipod mini. Use this to measure the actual gram weight (lower the cart gently onto the scale) and adjust as needed. See picture.

Digital-Pocket-Scale-300x0-01-Gram.jpg


Alignment
Okay, this is the one that throws people and is very important. It can be very easy if you breathe, relax, understand what you are trying to achieve. The whole purpose of alignment is to get the best possible tracking of an arm/cartridge across an ever decreasing radius of the album. So it takes two points measured to split the difference because there is no such thing as 100% perfect alignment . Well, maybe on a linear tracker. :rolleyes: But the typical arm, it is impossible to achieve perfection because of physics. You can read more on this on your own. Suffice to say what we want to achieve is NEAR perfection balanced across all tracks.
 
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Part II

For this you need a protractor. There are different types and I tend to go with the bearwald .Again, inexpensive tool ($15 at Amazon) or you can spend 100's. Not necessary. Or if you want you can’t print free ones at vinylengine.com and learn more about the different type. Again, I am making this simple. This is what a basic protractor looks like.

http://www.amazon.com/Turntable-Cartridge-Stylus-Alignment-Protractor/dp/B005KR15HU

Okay, now remove the mat from your platter and place the protractor over the spindle. *Note, make sure the table is OFF, unplugged because you don’t want to take a chance of the motor turning mid alignment. Loosen the cart screws so that you can move the cart with a little pressure but not so loose that it will move on its own.

Move the arm/cart to the INNER cross hatch mark so the tip of the stylus rests on the center dot. Move the cart (if needed) so that it sits square in the grids, all directions. It does not have to be ON lines but it must be parallel to those lines, not tilted.

Okay, now move the arm to the outer alignment dot (note - you will have to rotate the platter a bit to go to the second line...don’t think they have to align to both without moving the platter...that will NEVER happen, it’s impossible). Okay, repeat what you did with the inner spot with seeing if it is square. If it is not then your overhang is slightly off. See which way it is off.

If at the second spot is turned outward, you are too far forward in the headshell . If the second spot is turned inward, you are too far back. Adjust in small amounts the direction you need and go back to the inner. Align. Try the second spot again. Spot on or off? Do again.

When you can get the inner point and outer point aligned square at both points, you are aligned!!! Now gently tighten the screws (make sure the cart does not move) so it does not go out of alignment.

Congratulations ! You have aligned a cart. It takes practice and may be frustrating but so worth it. You may need to use a flashlight and or magnifying glass to help, but you will get it.

VTA - Vertical tracking angle (affects SRA - Stylus rake angle) When vinyl is made, a cutter cuts the grooves at a specific (21 to 23 degree angle). So for playback to be the best, you want the stylus (which is angled) to be as close to that as possible. To do this, you want the arm/headshell/cart to run parallel to the vinyl so that the pre-angled stylus matches as close to those degrees as possible. This is achieved on tables that have a VTA setting (raises or lowers the back of the arm so it can be straight). Directions should be in your manual but generally there is either a locking screw that you loosen and move the arm base up or down or some lock and dial to set.
Here is a picture to give you frame of reference for how you want the arm to be. See picture.

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If you do not have a VTA adjustment you can do several things.

Front of arm too low. Add a thicker turntable mat or felt pad to raise. If that is a problem, there are cartridge shims that go between the cart and the headshell that raise the arm higher so the cart is at the right angle.

Front of arm too high. This one is more difficult if there is no VTA adjustment. You can try a thinner mat, but if it is way too high, then something is probably off on the table.

When finished, your arm should look like the level arm in the picture above.

AzimuthAzimuth is the left to right level of the cartridge as you look straight on to the cartridge as it is sitting on an album. If it is angled one way or the other, you need to correct. Sometimes just a very small GENTLE twist of the headshell is enough. Also make sure your screws are adjusted equally. Azimuth should look like this picture bottom part). If your cart or stylus looks like the top part, you have a problem.

azimuth3tip.gif


ALMOST DONE

Anti-Skate
Anti-skate is used to apply a counterforce to the tone arm as it goes across an albums. There is a physical tendency for the arm to want to skate INWARD which is compensated by a slight outward pressure known as anti-skate.

This is probably one of the least defined and often easiest to set however; we need to clear up misconceptions. In order:

The user manual says set the anti-skate to the same number as the VTF. So if VTF is 1.5gr, set anti-skate to 1.5. FALSE. It may be close, it may be way off. This was a cop out by many manufacturers and does not take into account so many things.

You don’t really need anti-skate, there is not that much inward force. Some broadcast table’s don’t even have anti-skate. False False and true. You do need anti-skate, any force not beneficial causes improper tracking (sound) and broadcast tables that don’t use anti-skate often have heavy arms and track at 3 to 4 grams !!!

The best way to set anti-skate is use a blank track and when it doesn’t move in or out (stays stationary) you are set. FALSE. When you cartridge rides a groove, is it on a smooth service or are the grooves and rotation pulling it inward? It’s the latter. So you want to counter THAT force, not the small force of riding a blank track.

So now that we've cleared up the myths, how does one set anti-skate as best as possible.

Two ways. Both involve your ears.

Get a test record. There are many test records that use tones to help you set anti-skate.

Use a mono record. Find a good musical mono record preferably with nice vocals. Keep your stereo set for STEREO. Play the mono album. Stand just in front of and exactly between your speakers. do you hear the voice equally centered? If not, add or back off anti-skate until you achieve perfect sound balance.

Anti-skate is now set.

Okay, now put your table (carefully) where it will be used and go back to the first step. Balance the table. If you already did this and didn’t have to move the table, check again anyway.

ENJOY YOR MUSIC
 
Rob,

Awesome! This should be a sticky.

LOL...was hoping you would make it one. This encapsulates what every newbie should read. Searching the net gives variations, some overly technical, some not enough. I try to make things somewhat recipe format. Follows the steps and you will succeed ! Thanks !
 
Thanks..............I thoroughly enjoyed your video. Professionally done and articulate. Anyone can now setup a turntable. Looking forward to other videos'. :bananamouse:
 
Very good thread! I have been experiencing a problem with my Nottingham Space 294 not maintaining 45 rpm though it always works perfectly at 331/3... I decided that cleaning and re-lubrication was the least expensive option, and fortunately it worked! Cleaned the belt, tracks on pulley
and platter, and replaced the lubrication, now it works like new again!
 
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