We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: analogue is complicated. Turntables are tricky. Phonostages are odd. Cartridges, anti-skating weights, platters and belts… all makes for something that requires an intense level of attention to detail in order to be a marked success. Vinyl is a labour of love, and there is no easy way around it.
… well. I say no easy way. There are plenty of little gadgets and gizmos out there that will make the whole thing a little bit easier. And when of those things is the Hi-Fi News Test LP. Lovingly created by Len Gregory, The Cartridge Man.
But how can a simple record make setting up and using your turntable> Well, the answer is quite simply… this isn’t a simple record. This is a piece of art crafted with very specific intentions – and very specific expertise.
Len Gregory (one of the UK’s leading cartridge experts – he’s called The Cartridge Man for a very good reason!) was also the man behind the first incarnation of the Test LP – first pressed into a 180g audiophile quality record in 1996 – so was the perfect person to improve upon it. The result of his labour of love was dubbed The Producers Cut: an extended 17 track test record which proved extremely popular with audiophiles all over the world. Since its release 5 years ago, it has sold 10,000+ copies.
Side 1 covers channel identification and phasing, pink noise, and bias settings (4 tracks at increasing amplitudes). Side 2 contains tracking ability bands at the outside, middle and inside of the disc, cartridge/arm resonance and alignment tests, full frequency (20Hz-20Khz) test and a residual noise test. All bands are separated by locked grooves.
This intensive and expert tool is supported by the inclusion of a unique, multi-discipline, alignment protractor (a truly universal device that can be used to set up all sizes and types of arm to fine degrees of accuracy) as well as a reprint of the seminal article by John Crabb on the theory and practice of arm/cartridge alignment. To top it all off, there are copious sleeve notes to take the user through the set-up procedure step by step.
So, yeah. It still won’t be easy, persay, but it will be a great deal easier by following this method. And it is guaranteed to have better results than doing it when flying solo.
Getting a new turntable, or refreshing your old one? Give us a shout. We have plenty of tips, hints and tricks up our sleeve. We’ve done it a thousands times ourselves!