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Turntable 101·Setup Checklist
📋Interactive Checklist

Turntable Setup Checklist

11 steps — from levelling your deck to dialling in azimuth. Check each step as you go. Your progress resets when you close this tab, so keep it open while you set up.

Your Progress0 / 11 steps complete

Setup Flow

⚖️
Level
🎚️
Balance
🎯
Tracking
↩️
Anti-skate
🔌
Phono
🧹
Clean
Beginner — do these first
0 / 6 done
Turntable component diagram showing platter and plinth
Step 1

Level the turntable

Place a bubble level on the platter — not just the plinth. Even a slight tilt affects tracking force accuracy.

Tonearm balancing with counterweight
Step 2

Balance the tonearm

Set anti-skate to zero first, then rotate the counterweight until the arm floats perfectly parallel to the record surface.

Digital stylus gauge measuring tracking force
Step 3

Set tracking force

Use the cartridge manufacturer's specified range. A digital stylus gauge is far more accurate than the tonearm's dial markings.

Anti-skate adjustment dial on tonearm
Step 4

Set anti-skate

Match anti-skate to your tracking force as a starting point — 2g tracking force means 2 on the anti-skate dial.

Phono preamp connected to turntable
Step 5

Connect your phono stage

Built-in preamp ON → connect to your amp's LINE input. Built-in OFF → connect to PHONO input. Never run both at once.

Clean your recordComing Soon

Want to understand the why behind each step?

The full Turntable 101 series covers every concept above in depth — written for curious listeners, not engineers.

Explore Turntable 101 →