How do I balance the tonearm and set the tracking force?

When you first set up your turntable, the most crucial step will be the balancing the tonearm and setting the tracking force.

This determines how much downward force is applied to the stylus on the record.

When set correctly, this prevents the following issues:

• Skipping
• Skating (sliding across the record)
• Stylus won't touch the record
• Poor audio quality

We have created a short instructional video to help walk you through this process, please find it below:

How to Set Up the Fluance® RT80 & RT81 Turntable

1. Reset the anti-skate to '0'
2. Remove the stylus protector.
3. Unlock the tonearm and lift the cueing lever.
4. Position the tonearm over the platter.
5. Hold the headshell and lower the cueing lever completely. Protect the stylus from touching the platter.
6. With the cueing lever now lowered, turn the entire counterweight until the tonearm is balanced and floating horizontally when headshell is released. Do NOT allow the stylus to touch the platter.
7. Set only the counterweight indicator ring to “0” on the center line while keeping the tonearm balanced then lock the tonearm on the tonearm rest.
8. Rotate the entire counterweight counterclockwise until the indicator ring is aligned to the required tracking force on the center line.
9. Set the anti-skating control value to match the recommended tracking force as a starting point. If needed, it can be increased or decreased if you experience issues with skipping or sound from one speaker.

Tracking Force by Cartridge