Having a clear understanding of how a turntable and associated accessories function may help listeners avoid some common errors and mistakes when it comes to setting up a turntable. These insights provide the necessary foundation for maximizing the longevity of cartridges and records so listeners can enjoy the performance at the highest fidelity!
One of the most common (and easily fixed) errors is estimated cartridge and stylus alignment. Eyeballing the settings is less time consuming but can have a dramatic impact in the long run.
Correct alignment is important because the stylus has to follow an extremely small, precisely cut record groove while maintaining the intended connection between the cartridge and groove walls. Even a small setup error can affect both sound quality and lead to faster and more impactful record wear.
The primary reasons for correct stylus alignment are:
- Reducing tracking distortion: A pivoted tonearm travels across the record in an arc, so the cartridge cannot remain perfectly aligned to the groove at every point. Proper initial alignment at specific null points minimizes this angular error across the playable surface.
- Improving clarity and detail: Misalignment can produce harshness, congestion, smeared detail, and distortion, especially during complex musical passages.
- Reducing inner-groove distortion: Tracking becomes more demanding toward the center of a record because the groove's linear speed decreases. Proper cartridge alignment is particularly important to limit the impact of inner-groove distortion due to the change in speed at the end of an album.
- Improving stereo imaging: The stylus needs to contact both groove walls correctly and as equally as possible. Alignment errors can affect channel separation, balance, and the stability of the stereo image.
- Reducing sibilance: Excessive "S" sounds and vocal harshness can sometimes result from poor cartridge geometry or related setup problems.
- Protecting records and the stylus: Incorrect alignment can place uneven pressure on the groove walls, potentially increasing record and stylus wear over time.
- Allowing the cartridge to perform as designed: Even an expensive cartridge can sound mediocre if overhang, offset angle, tracking force, azimuth, or vertical tracking angle are significantly incorrect.
Along with proper alignment, another element that can have significant impact on the sound quality is the type of stylus or cartridge being used. The most common shape for lower-end styluses is the elliptical stylus, almost exclusively paired with Moving Magnet cartridges. These are typically in the $100-300 range and offer an affordable and easy to amplify option for low-to-medium end turntables. However, there are several other options available.
Understanding Turntable Stylus Shapes (from low-to-high end):
- Conical (Spherical) Stylus Features a rounded, ballpoint-like tip. It is inexpensive and durable, riding higher in the groove so it picks up less deep-seated dust and surface noise on older records, but it misses ultra-high frequencies.
Lifespan – Typically 300-500 hrs. An example would be the Audio Technica ATVMN95C which retails at approximately $35. - Elliptical Stylus: This stylus is tapered into an oval shape to reach deeper into the groove walls. It offers better high-frequency response and clearer stereo detail than conical tips because it touches a larger footprint of the sidewalls of the groove. Although an elliptical stylus wears faster than higher end designs (see below) it can also translate more clicks from damaged vinyl.
Lifespan – Typically 300-500 hrs. Very popular options of an Elliptical stylus would be the Grado Gold4 Cartridge (and Gold4 replacement stylus) or Red4 Cartridge (and Red4 replacement stylus). - Shibata Stylus: Features a multi-radius design with shaved edges designed originally for quadraphonic records. It provides an expanded contact area across the sidewalls and deeper into the vinyl groove for exceptional high-frequency tracking, improved bass response, and lower distortion.
Lifespan – Typically approximately 1000 hrs. An example of this configuration is the Michell Cusis S Moving Coil Cartridge. - Microline / MicroRidge / Microridge Stylus: This design mimics the geometry of the original cutting lathe taking into consideration the angle of the cut as well as the finer details. It offers the highest precision, lowest distortion, and longest lifespan and even-wear profile, however, it requires meticulous alignment to ensure correct playback.
Lifespan – approximately 1000 hrs. A great example of the Microline design would be the Cusis M Moving Coil Cartridge, also from Michell.
The importance of Alignment
A useful way to think about this subject is stylus alignment doesn't simply determine whether the needle stays in the groove. In actuality, it determines how accurately the stylus can read that groove. Proper setup can result in cleaner vocals, smoother high frequencies, better imaging, less distortion, and safer playback for the record collection and stylus, making this a crucial and necessary step in your turntable setup process.
Beyond just style and shape, two of the more important adjustments are overhang and offset angle. Overhang is the extra distance the tip of stylus extends past the center spindle when the tonearm is pulled straight over it.
Offset Angle is the inward angle of the cartridge inside the headshell relative to the straight line of the tonearm. An offset angle may be necessary for proper alignment and is often overlooked by novice turntable listeners because the cartridge comes pre-attached to the headshell. When pre-installed the alignment is often off-kilter from the ideal position.
Importantly, these alignments determine how closely the stylus follows the ideal tangential line of the groove as the tonearm moves across the record. Using a product like the Rek-O-Kut Cartridge Setup Alignment Protractor allows for an easy to reference starting point when setting up the cartridge for proper overhang and offset alignment.
Notably, alignment methods such as Baerwald, Löfgren, and Stevenson (Lofgren method established in 1938, Baerwald in 1941, and Stevenson in the 1970s) all use slightly different geometries to decide where alignment should be made and tracking error should be minimized.
Although the Baerwald and Löfgren options are viable methods of alignment, the Stevenson method is more popular given its simplicity and establishment on more modern equipment and materials.
Reference for Key Starting Points
Stylus Alignment:
- Stylus Rake Angle (SRA): about 92° (angle of the stylus tip relative to the flat surface of vinyl record when viewed from the side)
- Vertical Tracking Angle (VTA): typically, around 20° to 23°, depending on the cartridge’s angle of the cantilever. Records are cut with a lathe stylus at around 20 degrees, so the playback stylus should match this geometry for accurate tracking.
Tonearm Alignment:
- Tonearm height: start with the tonearm parallel to the record surface, then adjust the stylus force based on cartridge manufacturer recommendations (i.e. 2.5g) when the tonearm is in the down position.
- Stylus Force: It is highly recommended that this should be measured with a digital force gauge to set the force as accurately as possible. Digital force gauges are much easier to use than analog scales as well, given the small units of force involved.
- If the Tonearm is too high (tail up): The sound becomes thin, bright, and sharp with harsh treble or sibilance. Adjustments to the counterweight to increase the force should be made.
- If the Tonearm is too low (tail down): The sound gets heavy, muddy, or bloated with overly thick bass and recessed highs. Adjustments to the counterweight to decrease the force should be made.
- Antiskate: This setting (if available) should match the stylus force. For example, if the recommended force for a Grado Green4 stylus is 2.5g, the antiskate should be set between 2 and 3.
Antiskate is a turntable feature that applies a small amount of outward force on the tonearm to prevent and counteract the tendency to pull the stylus (or skate) off-axis through friction toward the center of a spinning record. The goal of Antiskate is to keep the stylus in the center of the groove.
For more information about how to properly setup the tonearm with the counterweight and antiskate, please reference the article How to Setup a Tonearm from our in-house subject matter expert, DJ Taylor. Alternatively, you can watch this helpful YouTube tutorial - Turntable Tonearm Setup Guide & Discussion.
How to identify issues with improper Antiskate alignment:
- Listen for distortion - Play a record with clear vocals or cymbals to identify if the instruments present clearly and well defined.
- If the sound distorts or breaks up more in the right channel, increase the anti-skate slightly. If it breaks up in the left channel, lower it. Repeat until left and right channels are balanced.
- Ultimately, it is important to accept a compromise. Skating force changes as the needle moves closer to the center of the record, so aim for overall balance rather than perfection.
Author’s Note: Perfection is maybe possible, but only from automatically adjusting tonearms on extremely expensive turntables. These types of turntables are incredible and can make incremental adjustments during playback to correct for the issues caused by skating, friction, angle, and speed as it approaches the center of the album.
Understanding the Cartridge
Poorly calibrated tonearm geometry and misaligned cartridges and styluses slowly degrade the stylus, elements within the cartridge, and can lead to groove damage that ruins tracking precision on the album on future playback.
Beyond the recommended alignment necessary, it’s also important to understand how the primary mechanism for translating the vibrations into an electrical signal is carried out by the stylus running through a physical groove. Below, the primary components of a cartridge are detailed.
Main Parts of a Cartridge:
- Stylus: The tiny diamond tip that physically rides inside the moving record groove.
- Cantilever: A thin, rigid metal or boron rod that holds the stylus at one end and transmits its vibrations to the internal generator.
- Suspension: A small rubber ring or bushing that holds the cantilever in place, allowing it to move flexibly while keeping the stylus centered.
- Generator: The internal assembly of magnets and wire coils that performs the actual conversion of vibration into electricity.
- Moving Magnet Assembly: MM cartridges have a magnet connected to the end of the cantilever and surrounded by copper coils. The vibration created by the cantilever moves the magnet within the magnetic field created by the coils that in turn generates an electrical current, or signal, that can be sent to the preamp through the cartridge pins to the tonearm cable.
- Moving Coil Assembly: MC cartridges are the opposite and have a coil wrapped around the end of the cantilever which is surrounded by magnets. The movement of the cantilever and coil produces a similar change in the electrical field of the magnets. However, the electrical signal has much lower output in terms of amperage and requires additional processing at the pre-amplifier stage compared to a moving magnet assembly.
- Cartridge Pins: The pins on the back of the cartridge send the electrical signal from the magnetic field within the cartridge out into the tonearm cable (within the tonearm). There are four cartridge pins for Left Channel Positive & Ground and Right Channel Positive & Ground and are usually comprised of White, Blue, Red, and Green respectively.
- Generating Electricity: As already stated, the movement at the back of the cantilever interacting with the internal magnetic field induces a weak electrical current via Faraday's law of induction. According to Faraday's law, a changing magnetic field induces an electrical voltage which is the at the heart of creating the music signal that will ultimately be sent to the speakers.
Understanding your Turntable and Correctable Mistakes
Getting the best performance from a turntable does not necessarily require the most expensive cartridge or stylus. Instead, it begins with understanding how the stylus physically interacts with the record groove and making sure the cartridge, tonearm, and associated settings are properly adjusted.
Even relatively small alignment errors can increase distortion, affect stereo imaging, accelerate stylus and record wear, and prevent a cartridge from performing at its best. Proper overhang, offset angle, stylus rake angle, vertical tracking angle, tracking force, and antiskate all work together to help the stylus remain accurately positioned and centered within the groove.
Using an alignment protractor and a digital stylus force gauge can make these adjustments much easier and more repeatable than simply estimating the settings by eye. The goal is not necessarily absolute perfection at every point on the record, but rather the best overall alignment and balance averaged throughout playback.
The stylus itself plays an important role. Conical, Elliptical, Shibata, and MicroLine designs contact the groove differently, which will impact the tracking precision, high-frequency response, distortion, and how much surface damage or contamination is reproduced.
However, regardless of the stylus profile or whether the cartridge uses a Moving Magnet or Moving Coil design, proper setup remains essential because the entire playback process begins with the stylus physically tracing the groove and transmitting those movements through the cartridge.
Ultimately, taking the time to accurately set up a cartridge can help protect both the stylus and the record collection while allowing the turntable to reproduce the music with greater clarity, balance, and fidelity.
Before considering a cartridge or turntable upgrade, it is worth verifying the setup of the equipment already in place. In many cases, a properly aligned cartridge can provide a more meaningful improvement than simply replacing components without first addressing the fundamentals.
