The good turntables have systems to balance the weight of the cartridge and tracking the same but for an optimal calibration should be borne in mind the existence of some aspects not really secondary to make these calibrations.
For example one of the things to do for a correct calibration of our turntable is to check that the appliance rests on a stable, firm and horizontal plane.
To do this we must equip ourselves with a spirit level, a measuring instrument used to determine the slope of a surface, with which we will make sure that the support plane is horizontal. Then with the same level we will also measure the turntable and if you notice a slope not perfectly horizontal we will act on the feet of the turntable that in the quality models are adjustable.
If this adjustment is not possible, separately adjustable support supports can be purchased, which in some cases can be used as anti-vibration.
Once you have ascertained that the support surface and the turntable are perfectly horizontal, we will make sure that the soundproofer is mounted correctly to the shell of the arm, also giving some care in the shell - cartridge alignment.
The shell - cartridge alignment is very important because it determines the correct perpendicular tracking of the pin in the furrow, especially in the case of cartridge with an elliptical pin.
A bad tracing of the disc, in the long run, promotes the deterioration of the pin, the grooves of vinyl records causing those annoying rustles that sometimes interfere heavily on listening and unfortunately affect more the dust the longevity of the vinyl considering that the dust is removable from the furrows while the damage of a bad trace instead remain.
Each make and model of soundproofing machine has an optimal reading weight reported in the technical characteristics of the packaging in which they are sold.
Generally the cheaper models have less refined features of the most prestigious models but always return sound quality of excellent range if installed and calibrated correctly.
The cheaper models generally have a conical pin while in the medium-high price ranges the models adopt an elliptical pin. The elliptical shape of the pin, ellipses placed horizontally with respect to the tracing of the groove, determines a much more accurate reading of the groove itself, giving more detail to the sound signal, enriching it with details and nuances of a conical pin which, due to obvious physical limitations, can not do.
Once mounted the cartridge in the shell will be the latter to be mounted on the arm of our turntable.
At this point you will have to act on the counterweight at the opposite end of the arm. Usually this weight is a cylinder with a hole, positioned at the bottom of the arm with a movable ring marked by numbered notches. On the turntable arm you should also find a mark, a symbol or a notch positioned right in the middle of its width that serves to determine the "zero" point of the reading weight.
To determine the "zero" point, move the weight forward or backward along the final part of the arm until a perfectly horizontal balance of the arm - head body is achieved. The needle must not touch the turntable plate but remain suspended in midair and the arm must be perfectly horizontal hovering on its pivot. In this way the weight of the shell - cartridge and the counterweight will cancel out as on a scale with two equal weights in the respective plates.
Once the "zero" weight has been obtained, the ring nut must be aligned, holding the cylinder still, with the number zero on the sign of the arm. Now you can determine the amount of weight to be given to the pin going to act on the entire cylinder (not only on the ring) rotating it until the desired weight coincides with the mark or notch placed on the arm.
The finest printheads normally put pressure on the furrows with rather light weights on the pin, often less than a gram, because they are usually very elastic.
The mid-range ranges from one gram to two grams for both ellipticals and conics.
The heads for Dj are the most rigid, have conical pins and you get up to 4/5 grams for those used to scratch D.j. but of course scratching the vinyl is not for lovers of the clean and warm sound of vinyl records.
The last operation is the antiskating (anti-skid) adjustment, that device that counteracts the tendency of the needle to read the wall of the innermost furrow, increasing the volume of the left channel, due to the centripetal force that the rotation gives the pin inward of the groove during reproduction. Acting with an opposite force (centrifugal) also the external wall of the groove, the right channel, will obtain the correct reading being the pressure of the pin exerted on the furrow in identical measure on both sides. Avoid the antiskating coincides with the reading weight of the pin. If you need 1 gram of reading weight, the same is set on antiskating.
A large lines these are the operations to be performed for a correct calibration of the turntable. The measurement and tuning systems described here remain generic because each turntable is designed following philosophies and dictates that each brand offers for the best reproduction of the discs and obviously different solutions have different methods, keeping in mind however that the basic problems are always the same. But now it's time to enjoy the music of your favorite vinyl records at the highest quality and sure that their wear and that of your pins is limited in time. Good listening.
