Hi, I'm Ty Pendlebury and today we're gonna look at how to set up a turntable.
They can be a little bit tricky, but with a few simple steps you can step up one yourself.
Today we're looking at the impossibly named AT-LPW40WN, which has a number of useful features including an inbuilt phono stage.
But if you can set up this turntable, you can set up any one.
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So this is the plinth.
This is the main part of the turntable, and it's what all of the other parts attach to.
So what you have here is the motor under here, and this is the main spindle.
So, the next part is the platter.
So, most budget turntables are belt drive, which means they have a band, a rubber band that drives the platter from the motor.
And sometimes if it's in the box, it'll either go around the outside of the platter, or the inside.
And usually you'll find it in the box, but sometimes they pre-attach it to the platter, which is very confusing.
And then you just stick it on the spindle like that.
Then if you put your little fingers in here, you'll find this little rubber band.
So what you want to do is line it up here.
With the actual motor, and attach it around this little pulley, and that's what drives your platter when you turn it on.
Okay, then most come with a mat.
Either it's felt or it's rubber.
So that just goes on top there.
Okay, so the next thing you need is you will need your cartridge and head-shell.
Sometimes they're attached, in this case they're not.
So you just slip it in there, and it comes with a little.
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A little wheel there just to make it nice and secure.
Now this is actually pre installed at the factory usually you won't have to attach the cartridge to the head shelf cuz that's another video entirely.
So today we're just gonna presume that most of this stuff is set up at the factory so you don't have to do too much.
Okay now, this is the counterweight, this counter balance is the cartridge so you get a consistent weight on the record when you're playing it.
Sometimes this is preinstalled and it's a lot easier when it is, if it's not You slip it on the end here.
Usually they'll click or something, so you kind of know where it is.
So after you've attached the counterweight, the best way to set up your turn up is to balance it manually.
So just keep adjusting it until it's floating, not touching this lift here or god forbid the bottom of the.
The plank there.
So it's kind of level.
Okay so once that happens you then need to apply the tracking force of the actual cartridge.
It will tell you in the manual it's usually about two grams.
So what that means is that theres a little wheel here.
So you just zero that out.
And then, you grab both it and the counter weight together, and push it forward until the number there reads the amount of tracking force that you want.
So, in this case, two grams, which is this here.
So, that means then.
Hopefully.
That that will have enough force to actually track the record correctly.
Next step after setting the tracking force is setting the anti skate.
Some have a little fishing line, this one has a little dial.
So if your tracking weight is two grams, your anti skate- Should be two grams as well.
So what the end escape does is prevents the cartridge from skipping in the middle.
So we'll get to the middle and not be able to go across.
So it's just it has a counterforce to pull it the other way so continue around the record.
Okay, so those two things are set that's basically All you really need to do to set up a turntable, except obviously now connect your power and then connect your cables.
Okay, so sometimes they're pre-connected, and other times they're just a RCA out.
Last thing is a ground wire.
There's a little switch here where you should connect these little things to at the back and that connects.
There's usually a ground plug on your actual receiver or stereo as well.
And you should experiment with that because you may find that there's actually more noise with the ground wire connected than without.
So all you really need to do is supply power now so you can.
On this turn table you have a speed selection switch.
So it's 33 or 45 for singles.
Some turn tables have an external pulley.
It means you have to move them physically.
The belt from 33 to 45.
You need to make sure to take the stylus guide off before you play your record.
Or else you're just gonna scratch up your record.
So just pop it on the platter, turn it on, queue it up.
And there you go.
Listening to vinyl.
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Okay now that you've got records playing theres a couple more tweaks that you might want to do.
For example, you might want to get your turn type level.
Use a bubble app on your telephone.
Just to get it, you know, completely horizontal, Stick some cards under there if it doesn't have adjusting feet.
The second thing you might want is the dust cover.
I reckon it sounds a lot better without one, but will protect the workings and your records from getting dust.
And that's pretty much what you need.
Thank you very much for watching and stay tuned to cnet.com for more information.
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