Support Header Image
Ondersteuning

Ondersteuning

Understanding platter wobble

It is not unusual for a turntable platter to exhibit a slight undulation whilst rotating, it is likely to be more apparent at a faster speed such as 45 RPM or 78 RPM. However, this should not cause any negative artefacts in the audio reproduction.

The tonearm bearings and cartridge suspension are designed to move fluidly to absorb motions that could be introduced by these small amounts of height deviation. This does not, however, take into account “warping” that may be present in the vinyl record being used as this is, of course, beyond our control.

The tolerance within which this is measured is dependent on the model chosen and the materials/ construction utilised in the platter.

Should you experience excessive platter deviation, the following steps offer a guide on how to provide a video, so we can best advise you:

 

  • Firstly, please re-set up your turntable from scratch to ensure that there are no other setup issues that are causing or increasing the issue that you are experiencing. When replacing the platter please ensure that it is centrally located on the centre spindle. Setup procedures for your model can be found here.

  • Should doing this not resolve or improve the issue:

    • Set your turntable to 33 RPM and lower your tonearm onto a vinyl record, allowing it to play.

    • Record a short video, showing the platter and vinyl record approximately at 'eye-level' of the recording (in the middle of the screen, as level as possible). The best angle will be from the front right-hand corner, so that we can clearly see the performance of the platter where it rotates around the tonearm position, as well as how the tonearm is performing on the vinyl record itself.

 

With the video perspective described above, we can then assess your turntable and review the performance of the tonearm, to confirm whether your platter is operating within manufacturer specifications.

If you believe your platter has excessive travel, resulting in a detrimental effect on the replay of your vinyl, please contact us, including your short video demonstrating the effect.