FEATURE - ALIGN YOUR CARTRIDGE

SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT Noel Keywood shows you how to align your cartridge. Setting up a cartridge is a little fiddly but not too difficult. Here?a simple and comprehensive step-by step guide, where we tell you what todo and why. Just be aware that the stylus cantilever is a delicate lightweightalloy tube that will bend easily if knocked. Take precautions to avoidthis happening! 1) Remove cartridge carefully from packaging. This is a potential dangerarea. If you have to wrestle a unit out, remove the stylus guard and thenthe stylus from the body. Moving magnet stylus assemblies always pull out. 2) To fit the cartridge it is safest if you remove the stylus assemblyfirst. Then screw the body to the headshell, making certain it is not skewed.This is quite important, since a degree or two of skew will put the trackingright out and raise distortion. Look at my diagram to sort this one. 3) Connect headshell leads to cartridge output pins. Red: right channel hot; Green: right channel ground; White: left channelhot; Blue: left channel ground. Take care not to get green and blue mixedup, which can happen in artificial light. 4) Replace stylus and guard. Refit headshell if it is removable. Withfixed headshell arms like the Rega RB250/300 slide cartridge to centreof adjustment groove. 5) Remove stylus guard and balance arm, then apply tracking force. Useeither the manufacturer? recommended figure or a value toward the topof any suggested range, 1.6-1.8gms being a sensible figure. DonC applybias force yet.