Setting up your turntable

Proper record player installation pays dividends when it comes to performance. It’s time to shine a light on the dark art

Arguably one of the main joys of owning and using a turntable over, say, a streamer or CD player, is the fettling and fine-tuning that starts from the minute you remove it from its box. Whether setting up for the first time or making subtle adjustments, the journey you take with your vinyl spinner is a constantly evolving one that rewards the effort you’re willing to put in with an increasingly improving performance. As with all things hi-fi, the process might appear initially daunting, but with some care and plenty of patience you’ll quickly discover that this is not as difficult as you might imagine and there is a wide selection of inexpensive accessories available to help.

Your very first consideration after removing your sparkling new turntable from its packaging is where you’re going to place it – and the key to a stable performance is ensuring the record player itself is level. The stylus is held in the groove entirely by gravitational force and any imbalance means the downward force on it is not exactly perpendicular to the disc.

If you’re lucky, your deck of choice will come equipped with adjustable feet – making levelling easy using a spirit level. Place the level on the platter, to allow any variation in manufacturing tolerances to be adjusted out. A better solution is to use a level that fi ts over the central spindle, like Blue Horizon’s Prolevel tool (HFC 373).

Use the force