Getting started with Thorens TD166 MKII - Tonearm / Cartridge

[enricosonic]

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Got my Super OM / stylus 30 connected today. Very happy to be making progress.
I have yet to purchase any gauges or learn much about alignment yet. I just centered the cartridge the best I could on the headshell and set the counterweight.
Im hoping without proper alignment I’m only sacrificing sound quality, and not causing any damage to my records. Very grateful for all the input I’ve gotten from everybody.

Looking good. It's difficult to tell from photos about "perfect" alignment. I'd echo ml69 about getting a digital scale, they're dirt cheap and leave no mystery as to your tracking force... I think mine was $12 from Amazon. The Super OM 30 on was great on my 145 MkII for many years, as it wore I replaced it with the 40 stylus and always felt the 30 was more to my liking.

 

[ml69]

I bought one of these and it seems to work well for me, LP Gear if I remember correctly. I like the mirror - easy to see where the stylus is and if the cartridge is lining up correctly.
Hope this helps, you have a lot of knowledgeable people here with great experience to share.

 

[KukuWalrus]

Looking good. It's difficult to tell from photos about "perfect" alignment. I'd echo ml69 about getting a digital scale, they're dirt cheap and leave no mystery as to your tracking force... I think mine was $12 from Amazon. The Super OM 30 on was great on my 145 MkII for many years, as it wore I replaced it with the 40 stylus and always felt the 30 was more to my liking.

For sure. Thanks for the feedback everyone. I know I have a digital scale around somewhere. I’ll make sure to grab a new one if I can’t locate mine. Still need to find a solid gauge for my set up. I’ll be sure to check the recommended ones. I appreciate all the helpful input. Just been a busy last week.