Gear

First turntable setup: the basics that protect your records

Phono preamps, tracking force, anti-skate and a level surface, explained in plain English for a first record player.

A turntable that's set up badly sounds worse, and it can wear your records out faster. The good news is that the basics take about twenty minutes and need almost no tools.

1. Know what's in the chain

A vinyl setup has four parts: the turntable (platter, tonearm and motor), the cartridge and stylus (the needle), a phono preamp, and amplification and speakers (powered speakers, or an amplifier with passive speakers).

The phono preamp is the part beginners miss. A cartridge's signal is tiny, and it's recorded with the bass cut and the treble boosted (the RIAA curve), so it has to be amplified and re-balanced before an ordinary "line" input can use it. Your preamp might be built into the turntable (often switchable, labelled PHONO/LINE), built into your amplifier (an input labelled PHONO), or a separate small box. You need exactly one. Too few gives you a thin, quiet sound, and too many gives a loud, distorted one.

2. Find a level, steady spot

Put the turntable on a solid, level surface, away from the speakers if you can. A small spirit level on the platter tells you whether it's level. Footsteps, a wobbly shelf or speaker vibration can make the stylus skip or add a low rumble or howl.

3. Balance the tonearm and set the tracking force

Tracking force is how hard the stylus presses into the groove. Every cartridge maker publishes a recommended range, usually somewhere between 1.5 and 2.5 grams for common cartridges. Too light and the stylus can mistrack and chip at the groove walls. Too heavy and it wears both stylus and record faster.

1. Set anti-skate to zero and remove the stylus guard.
2. Adjust the counterweight until the tonearm floats level on its own, neither rising nor falling.
3. Holding the counterweight still, turn its number ring to zero. This is now your balance point.
4. Turn the whole counterweight to the recommended force on the dial. A cheap digital stylus gauge is worth having to check it, because the dial is only approximate.

4. Set anti-skate

As a record spins, the stylus is pulled towards the centre. Anti-skate pushes back. A sensible starting point is to set it to the same number as your tracking force, unless your turntable's manual says otherwise.

5. Check the speed and the belt

LPs play at 33⅓ RPM, and most 7-inch singles at 45. Some players switch speed electronically, and others need you to move the belt to a different pulley step. If music sounds slightly sharp, flat or wobbly, check the speed setting and make sure the belt is seated correctly and not stretched.

6. Look after the stylus

• Brush it gently from back to front every few records.
• Stylus tips wear out. Check your cartridge maker's suggested replacement interval, which is commonly given in hundreds of playing hours, and replace the stylus sooner if records start to sound harsh or distorted.
• Lower the arm with the cue lever, not your finger, so the stylus lands gently.

A note on all-in-one "suitcase" players

Many budget all-in-one players use basic cartridges that track heavily, and their tonearms can't be adjusted. They're fun, but they can wear records faster than a properly set-up turntable. If you're buying records you care about, an entry-level turntable with an adjustable counterweight is a worthwhile step up.