How To Set Up The Tonearm On A Record Player

Turntable set up.

I moved my hi fi rack so that it wasn't back to front. That necessitated that I balance the tonearm and cartridge again. So I thought I would share the task with my YouTube viewers. Obviously different makes of turntable differ in the way that they are set up but the principle is the same. I took up a lot of time explaining this process, but if you are starting out on the path to vinyl heaven there a couple of important factors that you should know before you begin:

1.) Use a spirit level to make sure that the surface your record player is on is perfectly level. This ensures that you give your tonearm a fighting chance of being able to track the record properly, and results in better sound. Also, avoid placing any hi fi equipment but especially not record players on a cupboard! This will make the bass resonate horribly. A simple way round this is to get an MDF coffee table from somewhere like IKEA. These are quite cheap. Bang nails into the bottom of each of the 4 legs so they protrude by a few cm. These act as spikes that isolate the table from the floor, but make sure that you check the table is level. Adjust how far the nails stick out accordingly. Put amps/Cd players on a different surface, with nothing on top of the amp or blocking air from circulating round it! Amps can get very hot and may CATCH FIRE if you don't pay attention to this precaution.

2.) There are 3 types of cartridge in existence, ceramic, moving magnet and moving coil. Don't even bother with ceramic cartridges. Only the very cheapest all-in-one-box style record players have them. They sound terrible and damage records. Moving Coils tend to be very expensive and sound the best, but often require a separate phono stage to be plugged into. If an amp has a phono stage, it will likely be intended for moving magnet cartridges. These can sound very good indeed, and range from about £25 - £450+. The point I am getting round to is that unless your amp has a socket explicitly marked for record players (it will be labelled phono or similar) then DO NOT PLUG A TURNTABLE IN! Even though the plugs and sockets look similar, they have different electrical characteristics. If your amp has no phono stage built in, then phono stages for moving magnets range from cheap (about £50) to expensive. You plug your turntable into the phono stage, and then plug that into a spare line socket on the amp.

So having got the preliminaries out of the way, sit back and enjoy the tonearm set up video. There was a party going on up the road which you can hear in the background. Hopefully that will not be too intrusive. Also, I found it a bit difficult to hold a camera and set the tonearm up at the same time. Hopefully you can see what I am doing.

I need to also emphasise that although the basic principles are the same, tonearm setup does vary from model to model. For example, the Rega P1 has a very easy set up procedure provided you use the supplied cartridge. It is only slightly more involved if you decide to upgrade. On the other hand, there are more elaborate turntables with a plethora of other adjustments to be made. At least with the P5, you set it and forget it! (Until you move the furniture that is!)

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Rega
• P5
• P3
• P1
• LP
• vinyl
• tonearm
• tone
• arm
• anti
• skating
• bias
• tracking
• weight
• counterweight
• turntable
• record
• player

[EdWood2006]

Hi Mark. If you had a bit if groove less vinyl at the end of the record close to the spindle could you set anti-skate at that position or would you need a blank bit of vinyl in the centre of the record?

[MarkPMus]

@EdWood2006 No, as the playout groove of a record is not groove-less. Just set the anti skate to the same weight as your cartridge tracking weight.

[EdWood2006]

No I mean for the anti skate! Haha you thought to play a song! Haha! I didn't make myself clear.

[MarkPMus]

@EdWood2006 I know you meant anti skate. A stylus will be knackered by placing it on a CD and anyway it won't be the right thickness to make a correct judgement! Use the record player manufacturer's recommendation for anti skate if you don't have a disk. The instructions will tell you that e.g. for a cart with a tracking weight of 1.75g set a-skate to 1.75 also. Some players like the Rega's have a push-pull thing, others have dial and still others have a weight hanging from wire to adjust.

[MarkPMus]

@MarkPMus Anyway, how were you thinking you could get a CD to fit correctly onto a turntable and get it to spin correctly?

[monkeh88]

hi i have rega p1 does the pro-ject phono box works with it

[gregoryhamilton359]

Thanks for the help Mark!

[thisthyme]

@MarkPMus YOU COMPLETE PLUM

[fthirud]

Thanks! :)

[MarkPMus]

@nanette096 You shouldn't need any spacers, I don't have one. Your dealer should set up the cartridge so all you need to do is balance the tonearm as in the video. Rega say that spacers are only necessary when Rega arms are used on non-Rega decks. This is a moot point - I think my 2M Blue would have been better off with one, but the Goldring is about the same size and tracking weight as Rega's own cartridges, which need no VTA adjustment whatever on Rega arms.

[EdWood2006]

What about the blank side of a flexi disc? Would that work Mark?

[EdWood2006]

For the video it was very informative.

[EdWood2006]

Hi Mark. Thanks for that. Thank youn