What factors are important for playing LPs well?
LP replay works by converting very small vibrations of a stylus (needle) tracking the rotating record into electrical signals which are an exact analog of those vibrations. Since the dimensions involved are incredibly small, care must be taken that the stylus and record are clean. The stylus must stably contact the record groove at all times with the correct alignment – it should not be worn or damaged, and it should be set up with the correct geometry. All sources of unwanted vibration must be minimized – this includes motor and bearing noise, vibration transmitted from the speakers and from footfalls or other structural noise. Parts of the turntable system should not vibrate (resonate) themselves. The turntable platter should rotate at an accurate and stable speed. Finally, since the electrical signal from the cartridge is very low in level, care must be taken to minimize noise pickup and the phono preamplifier must be capable of boosting the signal without adding noise of its own. H
