Listening to vinyl is a matter of personal preference. We mean this seriously – and it's the reason for this tutorial. Because a turntable is not a component you unpack, plug in, and use. It needs to be set up. Skipping this step means sacrificing sound quality and, in the worst case, risking damage to your records and cartridge.
The good news: it's not rocket science. With the right tools, a little patience, and these instructions, you can properly set up your turntable in fifteen minutes. We'll walk you through the process we use in our shop – step by step, on a typical entry-level to mid-range turntable.
If you're still considering a purchase or have fundamental questions about drive, cartridge, and accessories, start here: Turntable Buyer's Guide: Which one is right for me?
Contents
- Why setup is so important
- What you need
- Preparation: Unpacking and assembly
- Step 1: The turntable must be level
- Step 2: Establish the zero point
- Step 3: Set tracking force
- Step 4: Align the cartridge with the protractor
- Step 5: Check tracking force again
- Step 6: Set anti-skating
- In operation: Keep records and stylus clean
- For advanced users: VTA and Azimuth
- Common mistakes
- When you should leave it to us
- FAQ
Why setup is so important
A cartridge tracks a groove that is modulated in the micrometer range. Tiny deviations in tracking force, tracking angle, or level therefore have a major impact – on sound and on wear.
If the turntable is incorrectly set up, it doesn't just sound worse. Too much tracking force stresses the cantilever, too little causes the stylus to jump in the groove, a wrongly aligned cartridge causes uneven wear – and all of this will sooner or later affect your records. A properly set up turntable, on the other hand, simply brings joy: It sounds better, and it protects what it plays.
Therefore, an honest piece of advice upfront: Take those fifteen minutes. Not as an afterthought, not in a rush – but calmly. It's worth it for every single evening afterward.
What you need
You can't do it without tools. Four things are the minimum equipment for properly setting up a turntable:
- A spirit level – to check if the turntable is level.
- An alignment protractor – to correctly align the cartridge.
- A stylus force gauge – to accurately measure the tracking force. This is the most important single item we recommend to everyone.
- Cleaning accessories – a carbon fiber brush for the record and a stylus cleaner for the diamond, for ongoing use.
We have bundled exactly these parts into a starter set that is more than sufficient for beginners and significantly cheaper than buying the individual parts. For more ambitious systems, there are finer sets with more precise gauges and elaborate protractors. Alignment Accessories
A practical tip that will help you with alignment: Keep a thin pencil lead ready with a small piece of tape. You'll see why in Step 4.
Prefer watching to reading? We've also filmed the whole process and go through each step live on the device. It's best to have the video playing alongside and work along with it:
Preparation: Unpacking and assembly
When unpacking, you'll immediately notice: the platter and counterweight are separate, not assembled. There's an important reason for this – both run on sensitive bearings, and if they were assembled during transport, these bearings could be damaged by vibrations.
Remember this for later: If you ever transport the turntable – when moving or bringing it to us to have a new cartridge aligned – always remove the platter and counterweight. Not for moving it within the same room, but for any actual transport. This is really important.
Here's how to assemble:
- Place the platter. Make sure it sits cleanly on the spindle.
- Lay down the mat. Depending on the manufacturer, rubber or felt – some turntables don't come with a mat at all, in which case you leave it off.
- Lock the tonearm. Before doing anything with the tonearm: secure it so it doesn't swing away.
- Remove the stylus guard. It has its own weight and must be removed before setting the tracking force.
- Screw on the counterweight. Screw it onto the back of the tonearm – loosely at first.
If a cartridge is pre-mounted at the factory – as is the case with many entry-level and plug-and-play models – you can skip the mounting step and proceed directly to setup.
Step 1: The turntable must be level
Before you adjust the tonearm, the surface must be correct. Place the spirit level on the platter and check at several points whether it is absolutely horizontal.
If it's crooked, you compensate – either by height-adjustable feet, if your turntable has them, or by adjusting the surface itself. Only when the spirit level is perfectly centered can you proceed.
This sounds like a minor detail, but it's the foundation for everything else: A crooked turntable will throw off every subsequent adjustment.
Step 2: Establish the zero point
Now comes the most important maneuver during setup – the so-called zero point. This allows you to bring the tonearm into perfect balance before you even set a tracking force.
Here's how:
- Remove the stylus guard, carefully release the tonearm from its clamp – guiding it gently with your hand so it doesn't swing away.
- Now finely turn the counterweight back and forth until the tonearm floats horizontally in the air on its own – freely, without tipping forward or backward.
- This is the zero point: The tonearm is exactly balanced, and the tracking force at this moment is zero.
Take a minute or two here. It's a bit of a feel, until the arm truly floats freely. Once it's stable, re-clamp the tonearm.
Step 3: Set tracking force
From this zero point, you now set the tracking force – that is, the pressure with which the stylus rests in the groove.
First: What is the correct tracking force? This is determined by the cartridge, not the turntable. Every cartridge has a manufacturer-recommended tracking force – for example, a common entry-level system might be 1.8 grams, while others might be 1.75 or 2.0. You'll find this value in the data sheet or manual for your cartridge. Use exactly this value.
There are two ways to set it:
Using the scale on the counterweight. Many turntables have a rotating scale ring on the counterweight. From the zero point, set this ring to zero without moving the weight itself. Then turn the counterweight forward until the scale shows the desired value – for example, 1.8. If your turntable doesn't have such a scale, skip this and go directly to using the gauge.
Check with a stylus force gauge. The scale is a good guide, but you shouldn't rely blindly on it. Place the stylus force gauge on the platter, turn it on, and carefully lower the stylus precisely onto the marked measuring point. Now read the actual value. If it matches the manufacturer's specification – perfect. If not, lift the tonearm, clamp it, correct it with the counterweight, and measure again until the value is correct.
By the way, you don't just need the stylus force gauge now. The tracking force changes slightly over time – so check it occasionally.
Step 4: Align the cartridge with the protractor
Now you ensure that the cartridge tracks the record at the correct angle. It should track the groove as closely as possible to how it was originally cut – and for that, it must be precisely aligned. That's what the protractor is for.
Here's how to proceed:
- Place the protractor with its hole onto the turntable's spindle.
- Pull it close enough so that the stylus tip lands exactly on the marked measurement point.
- Carefully lower the tonearm so that the stylus rests precisely on this point.
- Now look from above: The cartridge body should be parallel to the lines drawn on the protractor.
Here's where the pencil trick helps: Many cartridges taper at the front, making it difficult to see if they are truly parallel. Tape a thin pencil lead to the front tip of the cartridge. This extension immediately shows whether the body is exactly aligned with the lines.
If the angle isn't right, use a small flat-head screwdriver to loosen the cartridge's mounting screws in the headshell – but only slightly, not all the way out. Then twist the cartridge minimally until it runs parallel. Hold it gently so it doesn't slip completely: If it's completely loose, you'll have to start over.
Important – there are two measurement points: The protractor has two points, one further in and one further out. You check and adjust at both, as this minimizes the tracking error angle across the entire record. So, place the stylus on both points consecutively and align the cartridge parallel at both. This involves a bit of back and forth – always re-clamp the tonearm between adjustments so that nothing slips and, in the worst case, the cantilever breaks off.
Take those two minutes. Ultimately, it's about fractions of a millimeter, but those are precisely what determine a clean, low-distortion sound.
Step 5: Check tracking force again
A step that many forget: When adjusting the cartridge, you may have moved it slightly – and that can have minimally altered the tracking force.
So, place the stylus force gauge on again and re-measure. Small deviations within the measurement inaccuracy are normal. However, if the tracking force has noticeably changed, correct it using the counterweight until you are exactly back at the recommended value.
Step 6: Set anti-skating
The final step. During playback, a force pulls the tonearm inwards towards the center of the record – this is called skating. Anti-skating counteracts this, ensuring that the stylus tracks both groove walls evenly and doesn't wear out unevenly.
How you set it depends on the turntable: Some have a rotary dial on the side, others use a small thread and weight. The exact method is described in your device's manual.
The value as a rule of thumb: You set the anti-skating to approximately the same value as the tracking force – at least 80% of it up to the full value. For a tracking force of 1.8 grams, for example, about 1.8. This can be set quite precisely with a rotary dial, while with a thread and weight it's more of an approximation – which is perfectly fine.
After that, the turntable is fully set up: it's level, the tracking force is correct, the cartridge is aligned, and the anti-skating is set. Now you can start playing records.
In operation: Keep records and stylus clean
A properly set up turntable also needs to be operated cleanly – dust in the groove is the enemy of sound and stylus.
The carbon fiber brush should be used before every playback. Its fine bristles remove dirt from the groove, and it also acts as an anti-static agent – important because records become electrostatically charged during playback and attract dust. Place the record on, let the platter spin, hold the brush lightly on for a few rotations, then gently pull it off outwards. This step is also necessary after cleaning a record – but only with a clean brush.
The stylus cleaner should be used if dust bunnies accumulate on the diamond. Proceed carefully and lock the tonearm so nothing breaks off.
For advanced users: VTA and Azimuth
The steps above are sufficient to enjoy an entry-level or mid-range turntable. However, there are two additional adjustments that can extract the absolute best from higher-quality turntables and cartridges. They are only briefly explained here because they require more experience, finer tools, and a turntable that even allows for such adjustments.
VTA – the tonearm height. VTA stands for the vertical tracking angle. Simply put, it's about adjusting the tonearm's height so that it runs horizontally over the record and the stylus enters the groove at the correct angle. If a cartridge with a different height is installed, this angle changes – then the tonearm height needs to be readjusted. This is only possible with turntables that have tonearm height adjustment, which are usually found in the better mid-range models and above.
Azimuth – the cartridge tilt. Azimuth describes whether the cartridge is exactly perpendicular in the groove, rather than tilted slightly left or right. If it's correct, both channels track evenly. This can also only be finely adjusted on appropriately equipped tonearms.
Both adjustments also require higher-quality tools – a more precise stylus force gauge and finer protractors.
Common mistakes
Setting up without tools. Tracking force "by feel" or without a gauge is a guessing game – and comes at the expense of sound and stylus. The four tools are the minimum equipment, not a luxury.
Not leveling the turntable. The first step, most often skipped – and it distorts all subsequent adjustments.
Adjusting at only one point. The cartridge must run parallel at both measurement points on the protractor, not just one.
Loosening the screws completely. Then the cartridge slips completely, and you have to start over. Always loosen only slightly and hold it.
Handling the cartridge too roughly. The cantilever is delicate. If it breaks off, you'll need a new stylus for an MM system – and often a completely new cartridge for an MC system. Therefore: calmly, clamped, without haste.
Not re-checking tracking force after adjustment. It can shift slightly during alignment.
Leaving the stylus guard on when setting tracking force. It adds weight and falsifies the measurement.
When you should leave it to us
This guide will get you to your goal safely with an entry-level to mid-range turntable. However, there are situations where it makes sense to let us handle it:
If you simply don't trust yourself with the initial setup and don't want to take any risks with a sensitive cartridge. If you have a high-quality system where VTA and azimuth come into play. Or if you're unsure whether your turntable is working correctly – then bring it in (remove platter and counterweight!), and we'll take a look.
Unfortunately, it's hard to assess this remotely, but in the shop, it's quickly done. And if you buy from us, we'll set up the turntable for you upon request before you take it home.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the correct tracking force?
The one specified by the manufacturer of your cartridge – not a general value. It's in the cartridge's data sheet or manual; typical values are between approximately 1.5 and 2.0 grams. Always measure it with a stylus force gauge.
Do I really need a stylus force gauge?
Yes. The scale on the counterweight is a guideline, but not perfectly accurate on every turntable. The gauge is the only way to know the actual tracking force – and it's the most important single item for setup.
How often do I need to readjust?
The tracking force changes slightly over time – measuring once a year is usually sufficient. After a stylus or cartridge change, you should set it up completely new.
What is anti-skating and why do I need it?
During playback, a force pulls the tonearm inward. Anti-skating counteracts this, ensuring that the stylus tracks both groove walls evenly and doesn't wear out unevenly. As a rule of thumb, set it to about 80% to 100% of the tracking force.
Can I simply transport my turntable when moving?
No. Always remove the platter and counterweight – both run on sensitive bearings that can be damaged by vibrations. This is not necessary for moving within the same room, but it is for any actual transport.
What happens if I set it up incorrectly?
Too much tracking force stresses the stylus and record, too little causes the stylus to jump, and an incorrect angle leads to uneven wear and distortion. None of this is an immediate total loss, but everything will eventually impact sound, stylus, and records.
Is a More Expensive Tool Set Worth It?
For beginners, the basic set is perfectly sufficient. Finer scales and more elaborate templates are worthwhile if you're working with a high-quality cartridge that has a narrow tracking force tolerance, or if you want to adjust VTA and azimuth.
Author: Mark Last
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