5 out of 5
Using a turntable is one of the most enjoyable and rewarding ways of listening to music but it can present issues occasionally. Setting up and using a turntable is a little tricker than pressing play on a CD Player or Network Streamer but is well worth a little hassle. If you’re having setup issues with your turntable, this guide should help.
For advice on setting up a Rega turntable, see our set-up guide by clicking here.
My turntable no longer turns on!
The first thing to check, if your turntable is belt-driven (e.g. Rega, ProJect, Vertere, Clearaudio) is that your drive belt hasn’t fallen off, it happens more often than you’d think. Your drive belt will either be wrapped around the turntables entire platter or, like with a Rega turntable, underneath the platter. This can be checked by lifting your platter straight up, to reveal the sub-platter underneath. Your drive belt should wrap around the sub-platter and the drive motor next to it.
If your drive belt is in place, check that the power connection is switched on at the mains and the cable connected correctly to your turntable. Again, it sounds obvious but can easily be forgotten.
I can hear humming?
Humming or buzzing is a common system fault with turntables and is often down to your systems configuration and setup, not necessarily a fault with your turntable.
The first thing to check would be that the four metal tags/connections on the back of your cartridge are connected firmly. Take a look at the back of your cartridge to see if any of the connections are loose or wobbly. You can carefully wiggle these connections to check but don’t pull hard as they can be very delicate.
If your turntable has an earthing connection (Not Rega), then an earthing wire (often connected to the included RCA cable) should be connected between the earth connection on your turntable to your amplifier earthing screw. If your amplifier has no earth connection but does have a metal chassis, a screw in the chassis can be a good grounding point.
Often turntables can pick up noise if they are in close proximity to an electronically ‘noisy’ piece of equipment such as an amplifier, CD player, power supply, wifi router, TV or any other electrical equipment. It’s recommended to keep your turntable as far away from electrical noise as possible. A dedicated wall shelf or Hifi Rack can help with noise reduction.
The tonearm is skipping!
This can often happen if the cables from the back of your cartridge are hanging too low. This means they touch your records surface before your stylus does, causing skipping. Just push the wires upwards and out of the way.
If your cartridge wires are tidy and out of the way then your counterweight could be set too light. Move your counterweight further along the tonearm, closer to the cartridge, in small increments until it stops skipping while playing. The best way to set your tracking force is by using a dedicated tracking force gauge like the ProJect Measure IT E.
No Volume?
Firstly, ensure the correct input of your amplifier is selected and the volume is up. Most (sub £1000) turntables have an MM (Moving Magnet) cartridge installed from the factory. Please ensure your amplifier has a phono stage. The phono input on your amplifier is often input number 1 and will be marked with the words ‘phono’ or ‘turntable’.
If your amplifier has no phono stage then you either require a turntable with a built-in phono stage (Like the Rega Planar 1 Plus or Attessa Turntable) or you need an external phono stage. This is used to amplify the very small signal from your cartridge to an audible level your amplifier can accept.
For suitable phono stage recommendations, please give us a call on 01432 354921 or email info@hifigear.co.uk
If you have a moving magnet cartridge, such as the Rega Carbon as fitted on the Planar 1, Planar 1 Plus & Planar 2, the stylus is removable and can sometimes come loose in transit or mishandling. Make sure the stylus is properly attached to the cartridge body and 'clicked in'. Do this with the stylus guard attached to reduce the risk of damage to your stylus.
The sound is distorted
Please check the condition of your stylus. They don’t last forever (often around 1000 hours) and any damage, dirt or dust can affect playback. To keep your stylus in good condition we recommend the use of a good stylus cleaning putty or brush.
If your stylus is bent or damaged, it can often be replaced (most MM cartridges) or repaired by the manufacturer (MC cartridges). Please call us on 01432 354921 for recommendations on stylus replacements and repairs.
Sound only from one channel?
If there is sound from just one channel, start by narrowing down the cause.
If you swap your speakers around does the issue move with the speaker or stay in place?
If the fault has been narrowed down to a certain channel of your turntable, please check that all four of the connections on the back of your cartridge are in place. Take a look at the back of your cartridge to see if any of the connections are loose or wobbly. You can carefully wiggle these connections to check but don’t pull hard as they can be very delicate. If one of these has come loose, you can tighten the tag with a small pair of pliers or tweezers before placing it back on your cartridge.
