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First off, I'll readily admit that I'm a newbie to turntables, but I'm eager to learn and get into the thick of things. I recently bought an Audio-Technica AT-PL120 turntable via Amazon. I've been trying to set it up, and when calibrating and balancing the tonearm, I've noticed that the tonearm will not remain steady over to the platter, but consistently swings outwardly back to the tonearm lock. It does this even with anti-skate set to 0. I have checked the leveling of the turntable, but that does not appear to be the issue. Does anyone know what might be the issue here?
After perusing the manual again, I found a "Quick Start" guide in the box that had a few discrepancies in regards to describing how to attach the counterweight on the back of the tonearm. So this time I followed the Quick Start guide, and realized that I had put the counterweight and gauge on backwards, which is the reason it wasn't working right...kinda makes me feel like an idiot =/ Anyway, I got it working fine now. Although I am still troubled by the fact that the cartridge requires so much tracking force (as stated in the specifications for 3.5g) - I think it is probably designed for more of a DJ application, but should I be worried that using this for casual listening will diminish the lifespan of my records?
As long as you've calibrated it to the least amount of pressure without having the tonearm swing back to its resting position, you should be all right. The wear and tear on your vinyl will also depend on the age of your records. Newer vinyl will handle the wear and tear just fine. If you're playing old '78s, you need to be careful no matter what.
To date, I haven't managed to significantly reduce the quality of any record-despite at times becoming obsessed with certain tracks for both personal and party use. Time and time again they would play.....that weight is somewhat heavier than the kit I used to have, but I think it would take some serious mistreatment rather than careful use to shorten the lifespan.
Years ago, I had an old workhorse RCA system. The tonearm balance control consisted of placing a nickle or a quarter on the tonearm to balance, and prevents skips. To be certain, not the best of suggestions, but before spring-screw type of adjustments were added, you did what you had to do! This was what you couldcall anti-skate by the seat of your pants!