Turntable, Tone-Arm, Cartridge and Set-up

Many people are surprised to hear that there are people who still listen to records. They are even more surprised to hear that it is still possible to buy new records. They do, and it is, and some of us still think that a nice good record, played on a well-set-up, high-quality 'table would sound much better than even the best-produced CDs played on the finest player. This is particularly true as regards older recordings especially those from the 50’s and 60s. The sound of a record is simply much more musical than that of a CD. To my ear, a violin usually sounds more like a violin when reproduced by vinyl; cymbals, in particular Enoch Light's first Command release, Persuasive Percussion performed by Terry Snyder and the All Stars and released in 1959 by Command Records (run by Enoch Light) sounds much more realistic. Even more dramatic differences accompany the spatial aspects of a recording.


There are still some who think that vinylphiles are crazy, victims of wishful thinking, or what have you: One can only invite the skeptic to listen for himself. Anyway, many people does not think that he is worth going for a trial audition!

A 'turntable' consists of three parts: The turntable rotor, whose job it is to spin the record, at the prescribed speed; a tone-arm, where the cartridge is mounted, and whose job it is to hold it as steadily as possible over the groove of the record.

And the cartridge itself, which contains the stylus, or needle, and the electronics which convert the mechanical energy, created by the groove of the record, into an electrical signal, which can be sent to the phono pre-amp.

All of these parts are crucial. It is easy to think that the most important part is the cartridge: After all, that's where the sound is coming from. But many people think that the cartridge is the least important part. Not, of course, that it doesn't need to be good: It does; your 'table is not going to sound any better than your cartridge. But the cartridge cannot do its job unless it is held precisely over the groove; it cannot do its job if the tone-arm is having resonant vibrational energy. And it cannot do its job if the 'table itself is transmitting all kinds of vibrations to the stylus through the platter and platter matt, through the record itself, or through the tone-arm. Moreover, many of the most unpleasant colorations one hears in poor turntables are actually caused by fluctuations in the speed at which the record is being played. Such minor variations can make a piano sound harsh and 'brassy', for example. One Audiophile mantra is: Nothing is unimportant. Nowhere is that more true than with turntables.

As important as the 'table itself is how it is set-up, in particular, how the cartridge is set-up. One cannot simply screw a cartridge onto a tone-arm and expect to get good sound: The cartridge has to be aligned properly, so that the stylus meets the groove at the right sort of angle. This cannot be done visually: The tolerances are much too small for that to be possible; it can only be done with the right sort of equipment. A Terlarc OMNIDISC - Test LP Disk/Demo Vinyl set is the complete tool for set-up your turntable, tone-arm and Cartridge alignment.

Enjoy your music through the tiny grooves of your LPs

HK Snob