Turntable Setup & Calibration
Tonearm Drifts Across the Record: Anti-Skate and Bearing Checks
If your tonearm drifts across the record on its own — sliding inward toward the label, or skating outward —…
Category: Turntable Setup & Calibration
Turntable Setup & Calibration
Azimuth Adjustment for a Turntable Cartridge
Azimuth is the side-to-side tilt of the cartridge — whether the stylus sits perfectly vertical in the groove or leans…
Turntable Setup & Calibration
Record Player Repeats the Same Groove: Causes and Fixes
When a record player repeats the same groove — the same second or two of music looping over and over…
Turntable Setup & Calibration
Cheap Record Player Tracking Force: Why It’s the Real Risk
Tracking force — the weight a stylus presses into the groove — should sit between 1.5 and 2.0 grams on…
Turntable Setup & Calibration
Turntable Skips When You Walk Past It: Fixing Footfall Skips
If your turntable skips when you walk past it, the cause is footfall vibration: your weight flexes the floor, the…
Turntable Setup & Calibration
Last Song on the Side Sounds Distorted: The Inner-Groove Problem
When the last song on a vinyl side turns harsh, grainy, or distorted and the rest of the record plays…
Turntable Setup & Calibration
Why Your Stylus Jumps Grooves and How to Stop It
A stylus that jumps grooves is almost always failing to hold the groove for a mechanical reason you can fix:…
Turntable Setup & Calibration
Record Skips at the Same Spot Every Time: Groove Damage or Setup?
When a record skips at the same spot every single time, the cause is almost always in that one piece…
Turntable Setup & Calibration
Does Anti-Skate Affect Inner-Groove Distortion? Tested
Yes, anti-skate affects inner-groove distortion, and it is one of the few setup variables whose effect you can hear in…
Turntable Setup & Calibration
Right Channel Quieter Than Left on Vinyl: Azimuth and Wiring
If one channel plays noticeably quieter than the other on vinyl, the turntable is the most likely suspect, and within…