Take a record player apart piece by piece, see what each part does and what usually breaks, or follow a lesson on the model: set it up, change the stylus or the belt, level it.
3D model made by VinylAI. No manufacturer's design is shown.
Every record player has the same three systems: something that spins the record, an arm that reads it, and a body that keeps vibration out. Tap a name to find the part in the model above.
A small motor, usually DC or AC synchronous, sits away from the tonearm so its vibration stays out of the signal.
What goes wrong: Hum, or a speed that wanders after warm-up.
The stepped pulley on the motor shaft. On many belt-drive decks you move the belt to the larger step for 45 rpm.
What goes wrong: A dirty pulley lets the belt slip.
A rubber band that carries the motor's rotation to the subplatter while filtering out motor vibration.
What goes wrong: Belts stretch and harden with age. Slow or drifting speed is the classic sign.
The inner hub the belt wraps around. The heavy platter sits on top of it.
What goes wrong: Oil or dirt on its rim makes the belt slip.
The heavy disc that turns the record. Its mass smooths out tiny speed changes, heard as wow and flutter.
What goes wrong: A bent platter or a dry bearing shows up as wobble or rumble.
Felt, rubber or cork between platter and record. It grips the record and damps ringing in the platter.
What goes wrong: Dust collects in felt and ends up on your records.
The pin that centres the record. Below it sits the main bearing the whole platter spins on.
What goes wrong: A dry bearing adds rumble.
Switches between 33⅓ and 45 rpm, electronically or by moving the belt on the pulley.
What goes wrong: Wrong speed changes pitch and tempo. Check it with a strobe disc.
Carries the cartridge across the record on a pivot. It has to move freely while holding the stylus steady in the groove.
What goes wrong: A sticky bearing makes the stylus skip or mistrack.
Holds the arm's bearings. On adjustable arms it also sets arm height, which changes the stylus angle in the groove.
What goes wrong: Loose mounting adds buzz and mistracking.
Balances the arm and sets tracking force, the downward pressure on the stylus, measured in grams.
What goes wrong: Too light skips, too heavy wears records faster.
Pushes the arm gently outward against the pull toward the centre, so both groove walls wear evenly.
What goes wrong: Set wrong, one channel distorts more than the other.
Lowers and raises the arm slowly, so the stylus never drops onto the record.
What goes wrong: The damping fluid dries out and the arm falls too fast.
Holds the arm when the deck is off, usually with a clip for moving the turntable.
What goes wrong: Moving the deck without the clip can bend the cantilever.
The end of the arm that holds the cartridge. Some unplug from the arm, others are fixed.
What goes wrong: Loose screws or oxidised contacts drop a channel.
Turns the stylus's tiny movements into an electrical signal. Moving magnet is the common type; moving coil has a lower output.
What goes wrong: Misalignment causes distortion near the end of each side.
The diamond tip that rides in the groove. It wears with play time, and many cartridges take a plug-in replacement.
What goes wrong: A worn tip sounds harsh on loud passages and can damage records.
The base that holds everything. Its mass and damping keep motor noise and footsteps away from the stylus.
What goes wrong: Resonance shows up as hum or feedback at high volume.
Isolate the deck from the furniture. Adjustable feet are how you level the turntable.
What goes wrong: An unlevel deck pulls the arm to one side.
Keeps dust off the platter, mat and arm.
What goes wrong: Best kept closed whenever the deck is not in use.
Hold the lid open at any angle with spring tension.
What goes wrong: Springs weaken over the years and the lid starts to drop.
Send the signal to your amplifier. A cartridge signal needs a phono preamp, built in or separate, before a normal line input.
What goes wrong: Plugged into a line input without a preamp, it sounds thin and quiet.
The model above is belt-driven. The other common design puts the platter straight on the motor.
Each lesson plays out on the model, one step at a time. Tap a card to start it.
Pull a worn plug-in stylus out of the cartridge and fit the new one without bending the cantilever.
Start the lesson →Why a tilted turntable wears one side of the groove, and how to fix it.
Start the lesson →From the box to the first record in ten steps. The same steps play out on the 3D model above. Your own manual has the numbers for your deck: tracking force, belt position and which input to use. Play these steps on the 3D model →
Put the turntable on a solid, level surface away from the speakers. Turn the adjustable feet until a bubble level on the plinth sits centred.
Loop the belt around the rim of the subplatter, then stretch it over the motor pulley.
Lower the platter straight down over the spindle until it rests on the subplatter.
Lay the mat on the platter, centred on the spindle.
Screw the cartridge to the headshell and connect the four small wires by colour: red and green for the right channel, white and blue for the left.
Slide the counterweight onto the back of the arm. With anti-skate at zero, turn the weight until the arm floats level, then set the dial to 0 without turning the weight.
Turn the whole counterweight forward to the force your cartridge's manual gives, in grams.
Set the anti-skate control. Many manuals start it at the same number as the tracking force.
Plug the RCA cables into a phono input, or into a phono preamp first if neither your amplifier nor the deck has one built in.
Put a record on, choose the speed, take the guard off the stylus and lower the arm with the cue lift.
Fitting a new cartridge? Set its overhang and angle with our free cartridge alignment protractor, drawn for your tonearm and printed at true size.
Not sure the platter turns at the right speed? Print our free turntable strobe disc and check 33⅓ and 45 in a minute.
Each model page shows that deck in 3D with the replacement stylus, belt and cartridge listed from the manufacturer's own manual and parts pages.
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