HiFi 101·Turntables·April 24, 2026 Why Your Turntable Sounds Thin: 7 Mistakes That Kill Bass and Body
Thin, bright, or lifeless vinyl is almost never the format's fault. Here are the seven most common setup and gain mistakes that strip bass and body from a turntable — and exactly how to fix each one.
HiFi 101·Tonearms·April 24, 2026 What Is a Tonearm? Geometry, Bearings, Mass and How It All Affects Sound
The tonearm is the bridge between your cartridge and your turntable, and its geometry, bearings and effective mass quietly shape every record you play. This guide breaks down the key concepts owners and press coverage consistently highlight.
HiFi 101·Cartridges·April 23, 2026 Cartridge Alignment Geometry Explained: Baerwald, Löfgren & Stevenson
Baerwald, Löfgren B, and Stevenson are not preferences — they are mathematical solutions to the same physical limitation. Here is what each one actually optimizes, where the null points fall, and how to choose between them.
HiFi 101·Turntables·April 22, 2026 How to Level a Turntable
Leveling a turntable is one of the simplest setup tasks and one of the easiest to get wrong. This hifi-101 guide covers the tools, the sequence, and the platter-versus-plinth distinction.
HiFi 101·Turntables·April 22, 2026 Turntable Isolation Explained
A plain-language guide to why turntables need isolation, what decoupling means, and which product categories address airborne versus structure-borne vibration.
HiFi 101·Cartridges·April 22, 2026 Moving Magnet vs Moving Coil: Which Cartridge Type Is Right for You?
MM cartridges are forgiving, affordable and easy to upgrade. MC cartridges go deeper into the groove. Here's how to choose between them.
HiFi 101·Tonearms·April 21, 2026 How to Balance a Tonearm: Step-by-Step
Balancing a tonearm takes under five minutes and is the single most important setup step most new turntable owners skip. Here is exactly how to do it, and why it matters more than you think.
HiFi 101·Tonearms·April 21, 2026 How to Install and Align a Phono Cartridge
Installing a phono cartridge looks intimidating — tiny screws, fragile stylus, four color-coded wires — but the process is methodical and repeatable. Here is every step, in order, with nothing left out.
HiFi 101·Tonearms·April 21, 2026 How to Use a Cartridge Alignment Protractor
A cartridge alignment protractor tells you exactly where your stylus tip needs to sit and which direction it needs to point. Understanding the geometry takes two minutes. Using one correctly takes five.
HiFi 101·Turntables·April 21, 2026 How to Set Up Your Turntable: A Step-by-Step Guide
A complete step-by-step guide to turntable setup: levelling, tonearm balance, tracking force, anti-skate, VTA, cartridge alignment, phono connections, and speed verification — everything needed to go from out-of-the-box to dialed in.
HiFi 101·Cartridges·April 21, 2026 What Is Stylus Shape? Spherical, Elliptical, Line Contact and Shibata Explained
The diamond tip on your cartridge isn't just a point — its shape determines how much information it reads, how cleanly it handles inner grooves, and how quickly it wears your records.
HiFi 101·Cartridges·April 21, 2026 What Is a Moving Iron Cartridge?
Moving iron cartridges are the quietly brilliant third option — ultra-low moving mass, MM-compatible output, and a musicality that Soundsmith and Grado have turned into a serious following.
HiFi 101·Cartridges·April 21, 2026 What Is a Moving Coil Cartridge?
Moving coil cartridges flip the design of a moving magnet — lower moving mass, lower output, and a ceiling that MM simply can't reach.
HiFi 101·Cartridges·April 21, 2026 What Is a Moving Magnet Cartridge?
Moving magnet cartridges are the most widely used pickup type in the world — forgiving, versatile, and far more capable than most people expect.
HiFi 101·Tonearms·April 20, 2026 What Is Tonearm Resonance Frequency? The Arm–Cartridge Sweet Spot
The tonearm-cartridge resonance frequency is the point where the combined system naturally oscillates. Hit the 8–12 Hz sweet spot and low-frequency noise stays inaudible. Stray outside it — too high or too low — and rumble, warp, or mistracking becomes a real problem.
HiFi 101·Tonearms·April 20, 2026 What Is Cartridge Compliance? Why It Matters for Tonearm Matching
Compliance is the measure of how easily a cartridge's suspension deflects. Match it to your tonearm's effective mass and the system resonates in a safe frequency range. Mismatch it and the tonearm-cartridge system creates audible low-frequency problems that no amount of other setup work can fix.
HiFi 101·Tonearms·April 20, 2026 What Is Tonearm Effective Mass? Matching Arm and Cartridge
Tonearm effective mass is the total inertia the cartridge suspension has to work against. Match it correctly to cartridge compliance and you get a stable, resonance-free platform. Get it wrong and low-frequency resonances undermine everything else you've set up correctly.
HiFi 101·Turntables·April 20, 2026 What Is Inner Groove Distortion? Why Records Sound Worse Near the Label
Inner groove distortion is the sibilance, grit, and harshness that creeps in on the last few tracks of a vinyl side. It's caused by geometry, not pressing quality — and understanding why it happens is the first step to reducing it.
HiFi 101·Cartridges·April 20, 2026 What Is Cartridge Loading? Impedance and Capacitance Explained
Cartridge loading — the impedance and capacitance your phono stage presents to the cartridge — is one of the most audible and most misunderstood settings in vinyl playback. Get it wrong and the frequency balance shifts; get it right and the cartridge performs as designed.
HiFi 101·Tonearms·April 20, 2026 What Is Cartridge Alignment? Baerwald, Stevenson & Löfgren Explained
Cartridge alignment sets the precise position and angle of the stylus in the headshell so it traces the groove at minimum distortion. Three geometric standards — Baerwald, Stevenson, and Löfgren — each place the null points differently, with real trade-offs depending on how you listen.
HiFi 101·Tonearms·April 20, 2026 What Is Overhang? Tonearm Geometry Explained
Overhang is the distance the stylus tip extends beyond the tonearm pivot point. Set it correctly and your cartridge tracks at minimum distortion across the record — get it wrong and distortion climbs from the first groove to the last.
HiFi 101·Turntables·April 20, 2026 What Is Turntable Rumble? How It Affects Your Sound
Rumble is low-frequency mechanical noise generated by a turntable's bearing and motor, picked up by the stylus and amplified alongside your music. You may not hear it directly — but your woofers feel it, and your soundstage pays the price.
HiFi 101·Tonearms·April 20, 2026 What Is Anti-Skate? How It Works and How to Set It
A pivoted tonearm naturally wants to slide toward the centre of the record. Anti-skate applies a counterforce to keep the stylus tracking both groove walls equally — and getting it wrong costs you channel balance and stylus life.
HiFi 101·Tonearms·April 20, 2026 What Is VTA / SRA? Vertical Tracking Angle Explained
VTA is the angle the tonearm sits relative to the record surface. SRA is the angle the stylus actually contacts the groove wall. They move together — but only one of them determines what you hear.
HiFi 101·Turntables·April 20, 2026 What Is Wow and Flutter? Speed Errors and Why They Matter
Wow and flutter measure how steadily your turntable spins. Even tiny speed fluctuations translate directly into pitch instability — the slow drift of a piano note, the slight seasick quality on a sustained vocal. Here is what the spec means and why it matters.
HiFi 101·Tonearms·April 20, 2026 What Is Tracking Force? VTF Explained
Tracking force is the downward pressure your stylus exerts on the groove, measured in grams. Get it right and the stylus traces faithfully; get it wrong and every record pays the price.
HiFi 101·Tonearms·April 20, 2026 What Is Azimuth? How Cartridge Alignment Shapes Your Sound
The stylus sits in a stereo groove cut at two 45-degree angles. Azimuth is the rotational alignment that keeps it reading both walls equally — and when it's off, stereo imaging is the first thing to go.
HiFi 101·Phono Preamps·April 19, 2026 What Is a Phono Stage? (And Why You Can't Skip It)
Your turntable's cartridge outputs a tiny signal at the wrong frequency balance. A phono stage fixes both problems — here is exactly what it does and why your system cannot work without one.
HiFi 101·Turntables·April 19, 2026 What Is a Turntable? How It Works — A Complete Guide
Everything a vinyl record does — storing sound, spinning at exactly the right speed, turning groove geometry into a voltage — is mechanical physics. Here is how a turntable actually works, from the platter to the stylus tip.
HiFi 101·Turntables·April 17, 2026 Belt Drive vs Direct Drive vs Idler: The Complete Turntable Drive System Guide
Belt, direct, idler — the drive system debate has shaped hi-fi for 70 years. Here is what it actually means for how your record sounds.
