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Tracking force q's

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dav305z

Active Member
It seems every week I become obsessed with a new adjustment on my turntable.

This week it's tracking force. I've read the proper method is to start the tracking force at the highest recommended, and then back it off until I begin to hear distortion. Is this correct?

I'm also confused about the necessity of a tracking force gauge. My method has always been to adjust the counter weight until the tonearm is balanced, and then adjust the counter weight to the desired tracking force. I've heard this is horribly inaccurate, but am not quite convinced yet.

Anything else I should know?
 
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Go ON To The (auction Site) And Purchase One Of The Lcd Digital Jewelry Scales, About $12-$20. Then Set By The Spec Provided By The Cart Manufacturer! From There You Can Adjust One Way Or The Other! These Scales Work Great And Are Very Accurate!!:thmbsp:
 
Correct tracking force is essential for proper playback of any cartridge. A stylus force gauge is a required tool.
 
Your method for setting the weight sound OK. How accurate it is depends varies from turntable to turntable.

Both digital scales and conventional ones like the Shure are fairly inexpensive, so it's not a bad idea to have... just to make sure.

I've always tried to set the weight midway in the recommended range for a stylus. Say the range is 1-2 grams, I shoot for 1 1/2 or slightly higher. If all sounds fine, then no problem. Of course, it never hurts to experiment to try to find that "sweet" spot.

Happy listening!:music:
 
dav305z said:
It seems every week I become obsessed with a new adjustment on my turntable.

This week it's tracking force. I've read the proper method is to start the tracking force at the highest recommended, and then back it off until I begin to hear distortion. Is this correct?

I'm also confused about the necessity of a tracking force gauge. My method has always been to adjust the counter weight until the tonearm is balanced, and then adjust the counter weight to the desired tracking force. I've heard this is horribly inaccurate, but am not quite convinced yet.

Anything else I should know?
Click to expand...


If you are a turntable owner, a tracking force gauge is a necessity. Balancing the arm and setting the tracking force that way is okay, but a gauge will be more accurate. As for setting the tracking force....if the cartridge instructions provide a tracking force range, you should use the mid-point as the "starting point" and adjust either up or down from there. I always track my cartridges at the higher end of the range. Example, if I have a cartridge with a recommended range of say 1.6 to 2.1 grams, I'm going to track it right at 2.0 grams. You don't want to go over (or under) the recommended range.
 
What you have said, about backing off of VTF is one way. Lloyd Walker I think suggests the exact opposite, starting lihgt, and then increasing VTF.

Either way, the same goals can be achieved.

An accurate Stylus Force Gauge is a good tool to have, I'll agree it should be in every vinylphile's aresenal. It should hopefully be repeatable in it's readings, and this is actually more important than whether or not it reads to .01g.

Using the "teeter-totter" method can be close, and close enough to get you into the ballpark. At least with less expensive MM Cartridges

If-when noting distortion, just hopefully make sure it is not due to inaccurate Cartridge Alignment, or poor Anti-Skate Adjustment.

These Digital "Dope Scales" as they're more commonly called, available from many sources online, are-can be amazingly accurate. I bought one from Old Will Knott caled the Proscale LC-50 for $32 shipped, and it is unbeleiveable just how accurate is actually is. (Checked by Lab reference weights) Mark
 
Most adjustable counterweights do a perfectly adequate job of setting tracking force. The fact that every poster has said that you need to adjust once the initial tracking force is set suggests that starting out with a very exact value isn't all that crucial. The ideal tracking force depends on the arm and the record as well as the cartridge, so there is a limit to how exactly close to the suggested force you need to be.
If a gauge is neccessary, so should a thermometer be, since tracking force depends on the compliance of the cantilever suspension, which often is affected by temperature.
 
tru. a tf gage is not absolutly necessary, but is nice to have and they're cheap. time was arms didnt have nice calibrated dials on counterweights so gages were a necessity when low force and hi complience carts and arms came along.
 
Rule of thumb
Better to track a bit heavier that to track to light. I've found with the many different cartridges I've tried most sound better tracked on the higher side vs the lower side.
 
Mfrs also recommend higher over lower TF. Low force will mistrack more easier and damage vinyl as it does.. You want a force that keeps the stylus in the grooves at all times under the most demanding music conditions. That was Shure's whole selling point with their Hi Trackability, the V15s. They even put out a test record to prove their point, The Audio Obsticle Course. Great cartridge tests. Really brings out the weak points in a cartridge. shure or otherwise.
 
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