Cartridge alignment tool

Cartridge alignment tool

This alignment tool with mirror is a reliable way to ensure your pickup is set up correctly. Whether you’re replacing your old one or installing a new one for the first time, the goal is to prevent tracking errors. This indispensable tool allows you to adjust your pickup so it performs optimally throughout the playing life of your vinyl. It uses a protractor to find the correct distance between the pickup needle and the tonearm pivot point.

A protractor is a template on which the zero points and tangents are printed to which the pickup must be aligned. The template is placed over the spindle (made possible by a hole in the template, the same size as the spindle) and placed on the record. The pickup housing must be adjusted until the pickup needle is parallel to the parallel lines on the protractor. And this must be achieved for both points indicated. When the longitudinal axis of the housing is parallel to the horizontal lines, tracking errors are reduced to an absolute minimum.