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Audio Solutions
Question of The Week:
How Do I Align My
Audio-Technica Phono
Cartridge?

Question: How do I align my Audio-Technica

phono cartridge?

Answer: There are a few ways to align a

phono cartridge, and we will cover some
simple and some more advanced methods in
this blog post. Proper alignment of a
turntable’s stylus (needle) is needed in order
to realize the full potential of the turntable’s
cartridge and stylus system. Proper
alignment of the stylus as it relates to the
record groove ensures the most accurate
reproduction of the recording, low tracing
noise, and the least amount of wear on both
the record and stylus. Various tools are
available for achieving this alignment.

Stylus Overhang Gauge

At the very least, the stylus overhang
distance specified for a given turntable or
tonearm should be met. This is a common
spec. Specifically, overhang is the distance
the stylus tip extends beyond the center
spindle when the tonearm is positioned
directly over the spindle. Stylus overhang
makes up part of a tonearm’s effective
length.

A simple way to set overhang is to use a

dedicated overhang gauge that has markings
in millimeters (mm). Some gauges are
designed to be placed against the spindle, on
the side opposite the tonearm pivot, while
others, such as our AT6180a Stroboscope
Disc / Overhang Gauge shown below, are
designed to be placed on the spindle (like a
record disc). Spindle-type gauges are
sometimes supplied with the turntable,
tonearm, or cartridge.

AT6180a Stroboscope Disc with 10 – 20 mm

stylus overhang markings

If your particular tonearm does not swing far

enough inward to reach the spindle, a
headshell-type gauge is a good alternative.
This gauge holds a removable type
headshell/cartidge assembly, and the
measurement used is taken from the
headshell post shoulder (aka flange) to the
stylus tip. An example of this is the white
plastic Technics Overhang Gauge, which
Technics supplied with their turntables for
many years. See below for instructions.
Other manufacturers supplied similar
versions. The Technics gauge is 52 mm from
the post shoulder to the tip of the stylus. This
should equate to 15 mm from the spindle to
the tip. The Technics gauge is available for
separate purchase.

Instructions for using the Technics Overhang

Gauge (shown above):

Insert the headshell into the

opening in the gauge until the
shoulder on the post of the
headhell bottoms out against the
gauge.

Move the cartridge forward or

backward as needed to align the
stylus tip with the end of the
gauge.

Square the sides of the cartridge

body up to the sides of the
headshell and snug the cartridge
mounting screw.

Cartridge Alignment
Protractor
A cartridge alignment protractor may also be
used to set overhang and, in addition (and
perhaps more importantly), to set the
cartridge offset angle and null points. It is
important that the stylus be aligned in such a
way that its tip remains as tangent to the
record groove as possible as it travels across
the record. With a pivoted tonearm, it is
possible to achieve perfect tangency at only
two points as the tonearm travels in an arc
across the record. These two points are
known as null points (the distance between
the spindle and the pivot point where there is
no tracking error). A two-point alignment
protractor can help achieve this tangency. It
is important to choose a protractor that
meets the tonearm mounting distance
specification published in your turntable’s,
tonearm’s, or cartridge’s documentation.
Tonearm mounting distance is the distance
between the spindle and the pivot. If your
documentation does not specify the
mounting distance, it can be determined by
subtracting the stylus overhang distance
from the effective tonearm length. For
example, a tonearm with an effective length
of 230 mm less an overhang distance of 15
mm would have a mounting distance of 215
mm. If a cartridge alignment protractor was
not furnished with your turntable or tonearm,
they are commercially available, and
printable versions can be found online at
websites such as vinylengine.com and
conradhoffman.com (click “Custom arc
template generator for phono cartridge
alignment” to download). Some protractors
are designed for specific tonearms and some
are more generic, you can even design your
own at conradhoffman.com. When using the
printable type, make certain the protractor
prints to actual size!

The two-point protractor has a dot for the

stylus tip to rest on and a grid with lines
running parallel to the sides and front of the
cartridge to which it should be aligned. Note
that we are assuming that the stylus
cantilever is centered under the cartridge and
parallel to the sides of it. Following is an
example of a two-point-type protractor. Like
all two-point protractors, it has an outer
dot/grid and an inner dot/grid.

Cartridge Alignment Protractor for AT-LP5

Turntable

With the cartridge mounting hardware just

loose enough to allow forward and
backward movement of the cartridge in the
headshell, position the cartridge within the
headshell so that the stylus tip rests on the
protractor’s outer dot (the dot farthest from
the center spindle). Align the sides of the
cartridge body to the lines on the grid which
run parallel to its sides. Next, carefully move
the cartridge forward or backward (adjust
overhang) within the headshell so that the
sides remain parallel while the front of the
cartridge becomes parallel to the lines on the
grid that run across the cartridge’s front.

Once you’ve aligned the cartridge to the

outer dot/grid, move the tonearm to the inner
dot/grid and check the alignment there. If the
alignment is off on the inner dot/grid, adjust
the overhang by moving the cartridge
forward or backward until the sides and the
front are parallel to their respective lines.
Recheck the alignment on the outer dot/grid.
You may have to go back and forth a few
times to achieve the same alignment at both
grids. Once aligned, tighten the mounting
hardware until snug.

If you need additional assistance aligning

your cartridge, please contact our Audio
Solutions Department.

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