Tonearm height adjustment issue

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Tonearm height adjustment issue
Posted on: 16.12.2011 by Fredda Klarman
Sooooo, my tonearm is just a bit off level, but I have one issue. I have to lower the tonearm in order to fix the problem, but It's already at its lowest setting. Should I get some thicker slipmats or what? That's the only solution I can believe of. Any help is mucho appreciato.
Dorie Scelzo
20.12.2011
Originally Posted by Patch
You balance your tone arm using the counter weight (so that it is perfectly level) then add weight (as advised by your cart manufacturer) by rotating the counterweight and then adjust the tonearm height to your own preference.
No, the tonearm is supposed to be level.

Originally Posted by Patch
There's a balancing act required that will be based on how you play. If you scratch a lot, you'll have to find a suitable amount of weight to add (by rotating the counter weight) and a tonearm height that suits your style of play. You'll also need to adjust the anti-skip setting to suit your style of play.

The balancing act is how much record wear you are willing to accept vs how little skipping you're gonna encounter. The more weight/damage to your records - the less skipping you'll encounter.
Wrong. The tonearm should be level and you should be using the weight recommended by the manufacturer. The Stylus Arm is made of a bendable metal, and adding too much weight decreases skip resistance. If you go too far, you can get the cartridge body to bottom out on the record, which is really bad. But if the stylus arm is deflected too much, it's possible that any jarring (like your hand slipping or hitting a large transient on the record) will cause the whole arm to jump out of the groove.

Setting a tonearm up right is what keeps styli from skipping. The best case scenario for adding too much weight is that it wears your records too fast
Terese Bachorski
23.12.2011
Originally Posted by Patch
Cartridge manufacturers recommendations are based on normal use of their gear . Scratching is NOT normal use...
Not quite. DJ needles are a lot tougher than regular hifi needles. Use a regular needle for DJing and I can safely predict that you will break it within a week, if that.
Dorie Scelzo
20.12.2011
Originally Posted by Patch
You balance your tone arm using the counter weight (so that it is perfectly level) then add weight (as advised by your cart manufacturer) by rotating the counterweight and then adjust the tonearm height to your own preference.
No, the tonearm is supposed to be level.

Originally Posted by Patch
There's a balancing act required that will be based on how you play. If you scratch a lot, you'll have to find a suitable amount of weight to add (by rotating the counter weight) and a tonearm height that suits your style of play. You'll also need to adjust the anti-skip setting to suit your style of play.

The balancing act is how much record wear you are willing to accept vs how little skipping you're gonna encounter. The more weight/damage to your records - the less skipping you'll encounter.
Wrong. The tonearm should be level and you should be using the weight recommended by the manufacturer. The Stylus Arm is made of a bendable metal, and adding too much weight decreases skip resistance. If you go too far, you can get the cartridge body to bottom out on the record, which is really bad. But if the stylus arm is deflected too much, it's possible that any jarring (like your hand slipping or hitting a large transient on the record) will cause the whole arm to jump out of the groove.

Setting a tonearm up right is what keeps styli from skipping. The best case scenario for adding too much weight is that it wears your records too fast
Osvaldo Newhall
17.12.2011
Originally Posted by rgtb
^^^ cartridges differ in height which is why there's a height adjustment on the 1200 (there's a scale going from 0 to 6). the manual tells you which setting for the tone arm height is appropriate for which cartridge height.

Alex Wild's spacer comment is relevant. (Although it's not technically a spacer. You're supposed to use this thing depending on cartridge weight, not height.)
^^^This!
Fredda Klarman
16.12.2011		Sooooo, my tonearm is just a bit off level, but I have one issue. I have to lower the tonearm in order to fix the problem, but It's already at its lowest setting. Should I get some thicker slipmats or what? That's the only solution I can believe of. Any help is mucho appreciato.
Terese Bachorski
23.12.2011
Originally Posted by Patch
Cartridge manufacturers recommendations are based on normal use of their gear . Scratching is NOT normal use...
Not quite. DJ needles are a lot tougher than regular hifi needles. Use a regular needle for DJing and I can safely predict that you will break it within a week, if that.
Len Lukawski
22.12.2011		For you guys with Shure M477s - what are you setting your weights to for scratching?
Dorie Scelzo
22.12.2011		It is for a DJ cartridge.
Brunilda Kora
22.12.2011		I've been doing it my way for 10+ years. It took a lot of trial and error to get it right...

Cartridge manufacturers recommendations are based on normal use of their gear . Scratching is NOT normal use...
Dorie Scelzo
21.12.2011		What carts are you using?

On all of mine, m-44g on Stanton headshells seemed to work just fine. Shure Whitelabels also kind of just worked.

Especially if you're using a budget cart, I might just replace that. Otherwise, make sure your tonearm isn't bent (other than the way it's supposed to be, of course) and replace it if it is.
Terese Bachorski
21.12.2011		I'm doing it the old school way. Of course, the tonearm has to be flat and I do that by eye. Then I apply the manufacturers recommended weight and play around that afterwards using my ears.

I try the limits of adding and substracting weight until I can detect distortion then do the math and set the weight to the exact middle of these two extremes, and always end up very near the manufacturers recommendations. I used to service old school exotic hifi turntables with little cables and fancy weights on them, so calibrating a technics feels like a piece of cake.

and then adjust the tonearm height to your own preference.
no not quite. It has to be perfectly level so the needle does not attack the record at an angle, thus increasing tear and wear for both the needle and the record but also decreasing skipping resistance simply because the needle is not sitting properly in the groove. The weight is here to do the rest, though I have seen a few scratch DJs glueing pennies or putting blu-tack on the cartridges.


Try setting up one of these,





then going back on calibrating a 1200 never felt so easy....
Coral Nika
21.12.2011		so, going back to the topic: is there some solution for this height adjustment issue? stacking stuff is one option, any other? like, special headshells?
Dorie Scelzo
20.12.2011
Originally Posted by Patch
You balance your tone arm using the counter weight (so that it is perfectly level) then add weight (as advised by your cart manufacturer) by rotating the counterweight and then adjust the tonearm height to your own preference.
No, the tonearm is supposed to be level.

Originally Posted by Patch
There's a balancing act required that will be based on how you play. If you scratch a lot, you'll have to find a suitable amount of weight to add (by rotating the counter weight) and a tonearm height that suits your style of play. You'll also need to adjust the anti-skip setting to suit your style of play.

The balancing act is how much record wear you are willing to accept vs how little skipping you're gonna encounter. The more weight/damage to your records - the less skipping you'll encounter.
Wrong. The tonearm should be level and you should be using the weight recommended by the manufacturer. The Stylus Arm is made of a bendable metal, and adding too much weight decreases skip resistance. If you go too far, you can get the cartridge body to bottom out on the record, which is really bad. But if the stylus arm is deflected too much, it's possible that any jarring (like your hand slipping or hitting a large transient on the record) will cause the whole arm to jump out of the groove.

Setting a tonearm up right is what keeps styli from skipping. The best case scenario for adding too much weight is that it wears your records too fast
Kesha Orde
17.12.2011		I made a relevant comment, yay!
Osvaldo Newhall
17.12.2011
Originally Posted by rgtb
^^^ cartridges differ in height which is why there's a height adjustment on the 1200 (there's a scale going from 0 to 6). the manual tells you which setting for the tone arm height is appropriate for which cartridge height.

Alex Wild's spacer comment is relevant. (Although it's not technically a spacer. You're supposed to use this thing depending on cartridge weight, not height.)
^^^This!
Ngan Ernestine
17.12.2011		^^^ cartridges differ in height which is why there's a height adjustment on the 1200 (there's a scale going from 0 to 6). the manual tells you which setting for the tone arm height is appropriate for which cartridge height.

Alex Wild's spacer comment is relevant. (Although it's not technically a spacer. You're supposed to use this thing depending on cartridge weight, not height.)
Brunilda Kora
17.12.2011		I'm a little confused here? What's the problem?

You balance your tone arm using the counter weight (so that it is perfectly level) then add weight (as advised by your cart manufacturer) by rotating the counterweight and then adjust the tonearm height to your own preference.

There's a balancing act required that will be based on how you play. If you scratch a lot, you'll have to find a suitable amount of weight to add (by rotating the counter weight) and a tonearm height that suits your style of play. You'll also need to adjust the anti-skip setting to suit your style of play.

The balancing act is how much record wear you are willing to accept vs how little skipping you're gonna encounter. The more weight/damage to your records - the less skipping you'll encounter.

It's not a one time adjustment either. As you progress, you'll get lighter hands - and that means you can reduce the weight, and thus, the amount of damage to your records.
Kesha Orde
17.12.2011		Is there not some sort of spacer you can fit inbetween the headshell and cart?
Fredda Klarman
16.12.2011		Alright, cool. Thanks for the word. You've given me peace of mind ^.^
Nick Kingsley
16.12.2011		I rock one of the most common combos, techs with m447s with butter rug slip mats. With the tonearm adjustment pegged as low as possible, it still has a slight downward angle.

Yes, thicker slipmats is the solution, but only if its extremely off imo. I've tried a few different combos of different mats, stacking them, etc. I find just plain, paper thin, butter rugs to feel the best for me.

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