Is Your Turntable Tone Arm Balanced Properly?

If your turntable has a tone arm that has a counterweight at the rear, the pressure that is exerted from the tone arm onto your vinyl may be excessive or exceed the recommended tracking designed for the cartridge you are using. This excessive pressure can ruin or damage your stylus (needle) and your records. Those without counterweights, and many with the straight tone arm design, may have had this pressure pre-set at the factory.

ADJUSTING HORIZONTAL ZERO (0) BALANCE AND STYLUS PRESSURE:

1. Without touching the stylus tip, remove the stylus protector (if you have one).
2. Release the arm clamp and lift the tone arm off the arm rest.
3. Clockwise advancement of the counterweight will cause the cartridge side of the tone arm to be lowered. Turning the counterweight counter clockwise will cause the cartridge side off the tone arm to be raised.
4. Turn the counterweight clockwise or counter clockwise as needed until the tone arm is balanced horizontally. You can easily tell this by watching for the point where the tone arm “floats” freely (level), not too high or too low.
5. Return the tone arm to the arm rest and lock it in place.
6. With the tone arm locked on the arm rest, hold the counterweight steady with one hand while rotating the stylus pressure ring (with the calibrated numbers) until the numeral “0” on the ring aligns with the centerline on the tone arm rear shaft. The horizontal zero balance should be complete.
7. Refloat the tone arm to ensure horizontal zero balance. If zero balance has not been maintained, repeat the above counterweight steps.
8. After adjusting the horizontal zero (0) balance, turn the balanced counterweight (from the rear) until the cartridge manufacturer’s recommended stylus pressure appears on the Stylus pressure ring, where it meets the center line of the tone arm rear shaft.
9. Average recommended tracking is about 1.5 grams, however you should check your cartridge specifications to be more precise.
10. Anti-skate adjustment should be equal to the stylus pressure value.
11. Check your balance often.