The listening sleeve
How-to guides and reference charts for turntable setup, phono preamps, replacement styli and record cleaning.
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Guides are grouped by what you are trying to do.
Factory overhang against Baerwald for 17 turntables from Technics, Pro-Ject, Rega, Denon, Fluance and U-Turn, computed from the makers' own specifications, with a CSV.
Look up your cartridge model and buy the stylus its maker lists: Audio-Technica, Ortofon, Grado and Sumiko pairings and tracking forces from maker pages.
Find your turntable model and buy the stylus its maker lists: AT-LP60X, AT-LP120X, Victrola, Fluance and Rega pairings, all from maker pages and manuals.
Dry-brush before every play, wet-clean with alcohol-free fluid when grime remains, and use a machine for batches. Steps from archive and maker guidance.
You need a phono preamp only if neither your amplifier (PHONO input) nor your turntable (LINE switch) has one. It boosts and equalizes the cartridge signal.
A new turntable owner needs a dry record brush, a stylus brush and clean inner sleeves. Add a preamp, wet cleaner or setup tools only when needed.
Turntable to preamp input, ground wire to the ground post, preamp output to a line input (never PHONO). Start near 40 dB gain for MM, 60 dB for MC.
Turntable hum usually comes from a loose ground wire, phono cables near power cords, two phono stages in one path, or a noisy adapter. Check them in that order.
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