Turntable setup

Proper setup of a turntable's arm and cartridge are more important to great performance than even the electronics it feeds. Of course, it's all a system and even the most accurate setup won't sound great through a mediocre phono preamplifier but it's equally true that the world's best phono stage won't be worth its cost without the proper arm and cartridge attention. I wish I could impart an expert's step-by-step instruction on how to set up your table, but the extent of my knowledge just dusts the surface. Sure, I've set up plenty of arms and tables in my day. Protractor and stylus gauge in hand, I've fumbled through the basics as most of us have and the results were often good. Time spent adjusting and tweaking always paid off in better performance and the freeing of music trapped in vinyl grooves. Yet, a novice's best efforts pale in comparison to an expert's deft hand. Years ago I paid setup expert Brooks Berdan to tweak my table and upon its return I was floored with the improvements. Suddenly, two dimensions became three: surface noise and music were separated, highs and lows were balanced, and a musicality warmed the room like a fire in the hearth. Though my readers know I prefer an optimized DSD based system to that of vinyl, there's no disputing the magic that is trapped in those wiggly grooves. I fear the skills needed to expertly set up a turntable have largely been lost as, sadly, experts are dying off. However, we do live in an age of recorded wisdom and that's a good thing. One of the best setup people still with us today is our good friend Michael Fremer and, guess what. Mikey has a setup DVD available for sale. This video, followed closely, will bring as much improvement to your vinyl system as any new piece of gear. Maybe more. Building a reference quality vinyl system takes work. But then, so too does any worthwhile adventure.