I’ve lost count of the number of customers who’ve come in complaining about sound quality, only to discover their turntable was set up wrong. A poorly set up turntable doesn’t just sound bad — it actively damages your records. Every play with incorrect tracking force or a misaligned cartridge is grinding away at the grooves.

Let’s get this right.

Choosing Your Spot

Before you even unbox the turntable, think about where it’s going to live. This matters more than people realise.

Stable, level surface. Turntables are sensitive to vibration. A wobbly table, a shelf that flexes, or anywhere near speakers will cause problems. If your turntable is on the same surface as your speakers, the bass vibrations will feed back through the platter and you’ll hear rumbling.

Away from foot traffic. Walking near a turntable creates vibrations that translate into audible thuds. Concrete floors are better than suspended timber floors, but regardless, keep the turntable somewhere people aren’t constantly walking past.

Level. Use a spirit level on the platter. Even a slight tilt will affect tracking and put uneven wear on your records. Most turntable feet are adjustable — use them.

The Unboxing

Most turntables come partially assembled. Typically you’ll need to:

1. Attach the platter (the spinning disc)
2. Attach the belt (if it’s a belt-drive turntable)
3. Mount the cartridge on the headshell (if not pre-mounted)
4. Attach the headshell to the tonearm
5. Set the counterweight
6. Set the anti-skate

If your turntable came with the cartridge pre-mounted (common on entry-level models like the Audio-Technica LP60X), skip the cartridge steps. If it came without a cartridge (more common on enthusiast tables), you’ll need to buy and mount one separately.

Mounting the Cartridge

If you need to mount a cartridge, take your time. This is the fiddliest part of turntable setup, and getting it wrong affects everything.

Secure the cartridge to the headshell using the supplied screws and nuts. Don’t overtighten. The cartridge should be firm but not crushed. Connect the four tiny wires to the corresponding pins on the cartridge:

• White = Left channel hot
• Blue = Left channel ground
• Red = Right channel hot
• Green = Right channel ground

These connections are delicate. Use tweezers or small pliers and be gentle.

Cartridge Alignment

This is where most people go wrong. The stylus needs to sit in the groove at a very specific angle, and that means the cartridge needs to be aligned accurately.

Most turntables come with an alignment protractor, or you can download one online (the Baerwald alignment template is the standard). Place the protractor on the platter, put the stylus on the alignment points, and adjust the cartridge position until the cartridge body is parallel with the grid lines on the template.

This takes patience. Tiny adjustments matter. But get this right and everything else improves — tracking, channel separation, detail retrieval, and reduced record wear.

Setting Tracking Force

The counterweight on the back of the tonearm controls how much downward pressure the stylus applies to the groove. Every cartridge has a recommended tracking force range, measured in grams.

To set it:

1. Move the counterweight until the tonearm floats level — neither rising nor dropping. This is zero.
2. Set the dial on the counterweight to “0” without moving the weight itself.
3. Now rotate the counterweight inward (toward the pivot) until the dial reads the recommended tracking force for your cartridge.

For most common cartridges, this is between 1.5 and 2.5 grams. The Audio-Technica VM95E, for example, recommends 2.0 grams. Set it to exactly what the manufacturer specifies.

Too little force: The stylus will skip, mistracking will distort the sound, and the jumping needle can damage grooves.

Too much force: Excessive wear on both the record and the stylus.

Setting Anti-Skate

As a record spins, the groove pulls the tonearm inward. Anti-skate is a counterforce that keeps the stylus centred in the groove. Most turntables have an anti-skate dial or weight mechanism.

The general rule: set anti-skate to match your tracking force. If your tracking force is 2.0 grams, set anti-skate to 2.0. This isn’t always perfect, but it’s a reliable starting point.

Connecting to Your System

Turntables output a very quiet signal that needs amplification through a phono preamp before it reaches your speakers or amplifier. Some turntables have a built-in phono preamp (look for a switch marked “line/phono”). If yours doesn’t, you’ll need an external phono preamp.

Connect the turntable’s RCA outputs to the phono input on your amplifier or to an external phono preamp. Connect the ground wire to the grounding post. If you skip the ground connection, you’ll get a loud hum.

The First Play

Once everything’s connected, put on a record you know well. Listen for:

• Distortion or sibilance (excessive “sss” sounds on vocals) — could indicate alignment issues
• Channel imbalance (one side louder) — check the cartridge wire connections
• Rumble or hum — check the ground wire connection and turntable placement
• Skipping — check tracking force

If it sounds clean, balanced, and natural, you’re done. Put your feet up and enjoy it.

Final Advice

Don’t rush the setup. A properly set up budget turntable will outperform an expensive turntable that’s been carelessly assembled. And if you’re not confident doing it yourself, most good record shops — mine included — offer setup services. It’s worth paying someone to do it right.