How To Improve The Sound Of Your Turnable

There are a lot of reasons why you may want to improve the sound of your vinyl player: it got old, started to sound worse for no reason, etc. There are many ways on how you can do that. Sometimes, you just have to put the turntable in another place to make it sound better. In other cases, you need to replace some components of your turntable or update other parts of your audio system.

We have gathered top ways on how you can make the sound of your record player better, so keep on reading.

1.  Buy a high-quality receiver

Most audiophiles that have a turntable also have a receiver as a part of their audio system. Why? The top-quality receiver can improve the sound of any turntable (the especially digital one), making it warmer and more natural. You can visit the has-sound.com to find the best receiver for turntables in accordance with your needs and budget.

2.  Tune your turntable

If you want to improve the sound of your turntable but don’t want to waste your money on this, spend some time on the correct tuning of the vinyl player. For example, you can change the clamping force. Try to play some part of a familiar recording several times. Remember how it sounds, and then change the clamping force until you hear that the record starts to sound better.

However, during different stages of tuning, your system may not sound as musically pleasing as it did before, but don’t think that you have made some wrong adjustments and don’t try to get back to the previous stage. With each stage, you will hear a sound that you have never heard before.

3.  Balance the tonearm

You can accurately balance the tonearm of your turntable with the help of a special scale located on the rear part of the tonearm. The pickup needle must put an exactly right amount of pressure on the record. This will eliminate the sound distortion and the possible damage of the record or cartridge.

4.  Replace the cartridge

The cartridge is one of the most expensive and fragile parts of a turntable that has a limited service life. If the cartridge of your turntable has worn out, no tuning will help to improve the sound. Besides, it will start to damage your records. Thus, if your cartridge has been serving you for a long time, there is a big chance that it has worn out.

5.  Place the turntable in the right way

It’s very important to choose the correct base for the placement of your turntable. It can be a massive stand or table that firmly stands on the floor. You also can buy a special vibration damping pad.

When the turntable is not perfectly aligned horizontally, it starts to sound worse. It causes a negative effect on the tonearm dynamics and anti-skating and makes the disc bearing slide over. So make sure that your turntable stands on a perfectly horizontal, flat surface. The turntable also should be placed as far as possible from all sources of vibration, including speakers.

As usual, the vinyl players are equipped with some kind of protection from vibrations, like rubber feet, for example. The better the protection, the easier the installation.

6.  Choose the right phono stage

A phono stage, or preamp, provides the connection between the turntable and an amplifier. When the vinyl players were invented, the phono stage was built into receivers and amplifiers. However, with the invention of digital technologies, the manufacturers started to remove the inbuilt phono stages from the amps. That is why many modern amplifiers won’t allow you to plug in a vinyl player directly.

However, why do you need a phono stage? It provides additional amplification and evens out the tonal balance. The right phono stage will let your turntable work at its fullest.

7.  Buy a record clamp

A clamp is designed to keep the record flat during playback and prevent slipping. It can improve the sound of your turntable by providing better damping of the plate. They are usually made in the form of a massive puck that presses the record with its weight.