Turntables for laymen

[Mark C Flick]

So I've always loved listening to vinyl, probably due to my age. I've been buying and listening for over 40 years but never really got Into the details. So now I'm a bit curious about them. One thing that intrigues me is the effect of downforce. If my cartridge manufacturer recommends 1.8g of downforce (tracking issues aside) I'd suspect I would get the best sound and life from the stylus. If I set it at 1.6 I would guess I would hear a little more snap, crackle and pop and stylus would last longer as would the LP. OTOH, if I set it at 2.0 I would think I'd hear a bit warmer sound with less noise at the expense of stylus and LP life.

Keep in mind I have no idea how this works, and I'm but I'd really be interested in learning more.

 

[Grayson Dere]

So I've always loved listening to vinyl, probably due to my age. I've been buying and listening for over 40 years but never really got Into the details. So now I'm a bit curious about them. One thing that intrigues me is the effect of downforce. If my cartridge manufacturer recommends 1.8g of downforce (tracking issues aside) I'd suspect I would get the best sound and life from the stylus. If I set it at 1.6 I would guess I would hear a little more snap, crackle and pop and stylus would last longer as would the LP. OTOH, if I set it at 2.0 I would think I'd hear a bit warmer sound with less noise at the expense of stylus and LP life.

Keep in mind I have no idea how this works, and I'm but I'd really be interested in learning more.

It could be due to placebo effect but I've noticed in the past that when my tracking force is just slightly heavier than the recommended setting I get a more 'thick' sound.

 

[Matthew J Poes]

I’m not sure you can set tracking issues aside. The higher tracking force helps it track big bass dynamics better.

I don’t usually find that small increases make a big difference in the highs but does in the bass. Personally I like my needle set on the high side of right. I have some 180 gram and 200 gram records that my needle mistracks on the bass if I go on the light side of correct. I was chasing a tracking issue in one of those records, a white stripes album, and only felt certain the tracking issue was resolved once I got to the highest recommended tracking force.

 

[Mark C Flick]

Interesting.. like I said I'm not well versed at all and have no interest in experimenting with my own turntable and vinyl. I guess what I meant by "tracking issues aside" was assuming no matter the down force the stylus would continue to track correctly. I suppose my real question is, what effect does downforce have on sound? In general, does greater downforce increase bass and warmth and lesser downforce equal thinner sound?

 

[Jack]

Might I recommend that you try different settings to determine what sounds best to you. This issue can be very subjective and personal. Like Matthew indicates he feels a bit more weight helps him get through tougher tracks, especially in the bass. I remember when Telarc came out with a record that recorded real canon blasts and no matter what I did the stylus would jump out of the groove.

So experiment with your own system and go with the good sound.