Do you remember the first vinyl record you ever purchased? Did it start an obsession that persists to this day? I’ve been collecting vinyl since 1980, when I bought my very first album. I can still remember the thrill of bringing home my copy of Grease and playing it on my father’s Technics system. The first single I ever bought was a gloriously avant-garde and moody slice of electronica from January 1981: Ultravox’s “Vienna.” Back then, it felt like a totally new world was opening up—and it was!
After nearly 45 years of collecting records, I’ve learned a thing or two about vinyl accessories—for cleaning, preserving, and optimizing playback—that offer the best bang for the buck. Turntables and records are totally unlike CDs and streaming, because their performance is heavily impacted by a wide range of factors, including dust and grime, support-table design, leveling, cartridge alignment, tracking weight, bias, vertical tracking angle (VTA), and azimuth. A turntable is not something you can plonk down on any surface and forget about. It demands a level of care and attention that goes far beyond that of digital sources. For many music enthusiasts, that’s part of the fun.
The author’s Michell GyroDec turntable with SME Series IV tonearm and Lyra Kleos SL cartridge
Here, in no particular order, are the accessories that have served me well over the years, and that I consider absolutely vital for any collector of vinyl.
Cleaning brush
A good record brush is a must-have for any vinyl enthusiast. A myriad of designs can be found, but the one I have used for decades is the Hunt EDA Mark 6. This now seems to be sold in the UK as the Analogis Brush 2 (£16.99) and in North America as the Music Hall Carbon Fiber Brush ($29, all prices in USD except where noted). This economical accessory features a soft velvet pad sandwiched between two rows of more than a million flexible carbon-fiber bristles. The carbon-fiber bristles do a good job of getting down into the record groove and pulling out surface debris, while the velvet pad helps by trapping dust and debris within its pile.
I use mine to clean every record before I play it. With the platter spinning, I sweep gently (using just the weight of the brush) from label to record edge. This removes most of the loose surface dust and contaminants that could be burned into the vinyl as the stylus travels along the groove walls. I owe the good condition of all my records, some of them with decades of use, to this marvel.
Antistatic brush
The other brush I use is the SGC SK-III Rhodium antistatic brush (£149), which is available in the US under the Furutech brand for $159.99. Before you recoil at the price, it’s important to note that this is a supremely effective brush for removing static from records, and static is what attracts dust and contaminants to your records in the first place.
The SFC SK-III Rhodium antistatic brush—reassuringly expensive and effective
This brush has incredibly soft bristles made from goat hair, combined with proprietary conductive bristles made from a material called Thunderlon. A rhodium-plated metallic band around the brush is held by a fingertip in order to provide a conductive path to ground for any static. The design enables the tips of the natural hair to fit deep into the groove of the record, effectively sweeping it clean, while static charges are discharged to ground via the rhodium band. Records treated in this way are noticeably less likely to attract dust.
In addition to cleaning records and reducing static, I find the Rhodium useful for dusting the turntable itself. Its bristles are long and soft, making it easy to reach all the nooks and crannies of tonearm housings and other hard-to-access areas.
Stylus brush
A stylus brush is the second accessory I would purchase after buying a record brush, although one is often included with a good-quality cartridge. I actually use a variety of stylus brushes supplied with my various cartridges: most recently, the brush supplied by Lyra with the Kleos SL. These small carbon-fiber brushes are quite stiff, so care should be exercised when cleaning the delicate cartridge tip and cantilever. Despite this, a stylus brush is vital for eliminating grime attached to the tip or the bottom of the cartridge body. The Clean it, from Pro-Ject Audio Systems, is effective and widely available. It sells for £9 in the UK and $15 in the US. It’s almost identical to a myriad of similar brushes from Ortofon, Lyra, Dynavector, and Audio-Technica.
Lyra stylus brush, complete with dust!
I scrupulously avoid using wet cleaning products on my cartridges, for fear they contain solvents that might affect any glues used on the delicate diamond and cantilever, or even travel up the cantilever into the generator mechanism. My aim—and it should be yours, too—is to only play clean records, and thus avoid major contamination of the diamond in the first place!
Turntable level
The importance of having a level platform underneath your turntable cannot be overstated. If the supporting turntable shelf or table isn’t level, then the suspension system on a sprung-subchassis deck will never work properly or bounce pistonically. And on any deck, the forces acting on the stylus will not be balanced, because gravity will pull the diamond stylus harder against one side of the groove than the other, degrading the sound. Furthermore, any bias compensation will be inaccurate.
It’s surprising how unfit for purpose most spirit levels are. I purchased one of those cheap bubble levels from Amazon, and it led to hours of frustration. The bubble would behave inconsistently, depending on which way I oriented the housing.
The AVID HiFi Level 45 (£90) is a fabulously accurate, beautifully machined precision bubble level, which comes complete with a mounting base that enables it to fit over most turntable spindles. After you have leveled the support surface, you simply place the Level 45 on the spindle—the perfect position to commence suspension leveling. It should be noted that the Level 45 is machined to weigh 180gm, to match the weight of a modern record. This means you are measuring the suspension when it is slightly compressed, as it would be if a record were mounted on the platter.
I ran into a minor problem with Level 45. The spindle of the GyroDec is longer than the one on most turntables, to accommodate the fabulous Michell Orbe clamp. I explained the problem to Conrad Maas, AVID’s helpful managing director, and he machined a taller spindle base, making sure that the total weight of level and base remained at 180gm. Maas has since told me that he is happy to supply either the standard-height spindle mount or the taller version, depending on the customer’s turntable.
AVID Level 45 with both short and tall bases—note the superb metalwork
This is probably the best bubble level in the world, and an essential tool for vinyl enthusiasts. It makes leveling shelves, speakers, support platforms, and turntables a breeze.
Record-cleaning machine (budget)
Part of the joy of building a vinyl collection comes from digging through secondhand record shops and record fairs in pursuit of vintage vinyl. This isn’t without its pitfalls, and it’s wise to invest in some sort of record-cleaning machine if you want to protect your stylus from dirt and damage. A record cleaner will also maximize the replay quality of your secondhand purchases.
The Knosti Disco Antistat Mk II—great bang for the buck
The difference a decent record-cleaning machine can make to replay quality is staggering. A crackly record that is annoying to listen to can often be improved by cleaning, to the point where it approaches the sound of new vinyl.
The best bang-for-the-buck cleaner in the world is the one I started with 25 years ago—the Knosti Disco Antistat, which costs around £80 in the UK and $80 in the US. A record is mounted on a spindle above a reservoir filled with Knosti cleaning fluid and spun through a pair of goat-hair brushes. After a few rotations, you remove the record and place it on the integral drying rack to air-dry for a few minutes. After cleaning, you just pour the used fluid through a filter to remove contaminants and back into the supplied bottle. This simple little device makes a huge difference to replay quality. You get no automation here, but an hour or two spent running, say, 20 discs through the Antistat can be a very satisfying prelude to any listening session. Start here and look no further until your collection has grown to more than 100 records.
For even better results, I recommend using L’Art du Son cleaning fluid—as recommended by Loricraft—in the Antistat. I totally trust it to leave no residue.
Record-cleaning machine (deluxe)
I have reviewed and tried a number of record-cleaning machines, ranging in price all the way up to £5000+, but the quietest and most effective for the money are the models in the Keith Monks Prodigy range, from around £1150. Keith Monks introduced the first commercial record-cleaning machine over 50 years ago, so the firm knows a thing or two about cleaning records. Unlike cheaper motorized cleaners, Keith Monks machines use higher-quality, quieter pumps that were originally designed for medical use. They also suck up the dirty water through a much smaller nozzle than those cheaper machines, which usually have a slot-shaped nozzle covering the full width of the record. To my mind, the Keith Monks Prodigy Plus (£1495 / $1595) cleans as well as £5000+ machines like the Loricraft and the top-flight Monks record cleaners.
The superb Keith Monks Prodigy Plus makes old vinyl sound new in under two minutes
The supremely quiet operation of this machine means records can be cleaned immediately before play. I’ve purchased scores of secondhand records that were covered in 30 years of accumulated fingermarks, mold, and dust, and have been astonished to play them after passing them through the Monks, only to find they were as silent as a new record, with greatly improved acoustic transparency and detail. I would recommend buying one of these high-end machines once your collection tops 100 records.
Turntable setup tools
Most dealers will set up a high-quality turntable properly at the time of purchase. But if you think how often you might move a turntable or change your cartridge, you’ll realize it can be handy to master some simple setup skills yourself. Acquiring a basic set of dedicated tools for this purpose will make the whole task much easier and more enjoyable. I have a cheap, basic set of tools:
Dedicated screwdriver set: I use a compact 31-piece precision screwdriver set manufactured by CRV. Similar sets are widely available on Amazon for around £10, consisting of a screwdriver handle with detachable bits for Torx, flathead, crosshead, and Allen-key fittings. There’s no need to go overboard on this. A handful of basic screwdriver bits should cover all likely sizes required for cartridge installation or tonearm adjustment.
Nasotec tweezers (£24.99 / $24.99): These brilliant little tweezers make installing headshell or tonearm wires onto cartridge pins a breeze. The ends are curved to precisely grip the plugs fitted to tonearm lead-out wires, significantly reducing the risk of damaging the delicate plugs and wires.
Stroboscopic turntable disc
A turntable strobe disc is invaluable for making sure that your turntable is spinning at the correct speed. Illumination by a suitable light source (e.g., an AC-powered tungsten bulb) will reveal any speed instability. I use an SME disc I acquired years ago. It’s now out of production, but good-quality versions are available from Pro-Ject, Audio-Technica, and many other brands for around £10.
My SME strobe disc has been a faithful companion for decades
All belt-driven turntables suffer from belt stretching over time, which usually causes a turntable to run slowly or have increased wow and flutter. If you keep a strobe disc on hand, you can detect this in good time to order a new belt.
Stylus-force gauge
All cartridges have an optimum tracking-force range within which they are designed to operate. Setting this is critical for achieving secure tracking, minimizing record and stylus wear, and maximizing frequency response. Many tonearms have a weight scale on the counterweight, but over the years I have learned not to trust these as they are only ever an approximation.
Affordable stylus-force gauges are widely available
The solution is a stylus gauge, and in truth, some of the cheap digital gauges from Amazon at around £10 are pretty good. I used one for years, but nowadays I use the Rega Atlas MK2. It’s pricey—£210 in the UK and $275 in the US—but it’s certified to be accurate to 0.01gm. Housed in a substantial black case, the Atlas utilizes a full-bridge shear beam load cell. Shear beam load cells work by measuring the deformation of a metal under load by means of internal strain gauges that stretch or compress, altering their electrical resistance. This change in resistance is used to calculate mass, which is displayed on the red LED readout on the top of the Atlas. The advantages of a shear beam load cell are greater accuracy than other types, better longevity, and higher resistance to environmental factors. In fact, the Atlas is fully temperature-compensated—you can set stylus force accurately whether your room is freezing cold in winter or boiling hot in summer.
The Rega Atlas MK2 is the Rolls-Royce of stylus gauges
Cartridge alignment gauge
Using a conventional tonearm, the stylus is only ever exactly parallel to the record groove wall at two points during a single record side: these are called the null points. At every other point during replay, there will be a degree of tracking error. This limitation can only be overcome by using a linear-tracking tonearm, moving the arm base during replay, or pivoting the headshell/cartridge mount. Linear-tracking tonearms were popularized in the 1970s and 1980s by Technics and other brands, and Air Tangent’s high-end designs enjoyed great success with the firm’s air-bearing parallel tracker. Max Townshend, of Townshend Audio, designed a moving tonearm mount that compensated for tracking error in the early 2000s, but sadly it was complex and never went beyond a prototype. Deeper into history, both Thales and Garrard have experimented with pivoting headshell designs.
Assuming you are one of the 99% of turntable users with a conventional tonearm, a cartridge alignment gauge is required to minimize tracking error. Personally, I prefer to use the gauge provided by my tonearm manufacturer. All arms differ in their geometry, and I feel that the arm manufacturer is best placed to ensure that the relative geometry of cartridge tip, tonearm, and mounting board is spot on. Almost all high-quality tonearms come with an alignment gauge—often merely a simple printed card that fits over the center spindle, indicating one or two points where the cartridge should be aligned.
The Tonar Cartridge Alignment Protractor is useful, simple, and economical
In my view, these gauges are perfectly adequate, and best of all, free. My advice is to use your manufacturer’s gauge rather than getting caught up in the complexities of Baerwald vs. Loefgren vs. Stevenson alignment. I purchased a Tonar Cartridge Alignment Protractor, which costs around £15, in case a turntable ever comes in for review without a gauge. The Tonar has the advantage of offering measurement at two null points, and a mirror finish to aid in judging alignment with the cartridge body. For the record, this alignment gauge uses the Baerwald alignment, and is well made and simple to use.
Azimuth/VTA gauge
Another key parameter for optimal cartridge alignment is vertical tracking angle (VTA). When a lacquer is cut, the cutting head operates at anything between -10 and 20 degrees to the lacquer surface, depending on the shape of the cutting stylus (the stylus rake angle—SRA) and the preferences of the cutting engineer. It’s worth noting that the cutting angle can even vary across the radius of an individual lacquer. In theory, a stylus will perform best on a particular record when its rake angle closely matches that of the cutting head used to produce the pressing’s lacquer—but the listener has no way of knowing what this was. The SRA of a playback cartridge depends on how the diamond stylus tip was cut and the angle at which it is fixed to the cantilever. Adjusting the VTA alters the SRA as measured at the groove wall. (A spherical or conical stylus doesn’t have a defined SRA, but line-contact and elliptical styli do.)
The Elvon Azimuth/VTA gauge makes adjustment a breeze
Cartridge manufacturers design cartridges for optimum SRA and VTA, and this will usually be achieved when the cartridge body is perfectly horizontal to the groove. The cartridge manufacturer is however influenced by other considerations beyond optimizing SRA and VTA: these include the length of the cantilever and making sure that the cartridge body will clear warped records.
Tracking angle is an inexact science, and that’s one reason why Rega tonearms don’t have VTA adjustment. However, it’s undeniable that VTA does have a significant sonic impact. In general, having the arm base higher will brighten the sound, while having it lower tends to result in a duller sound and less sparkle.
Personally, I take quite a bit of time and trouble to ensure that my tonearm is sitting level over the record. Fortunately, my SME Series IV tonearm is marked with a line down its entire tapered length to facilitate alignment. Most armtubes aren’t tapered, so it’s enough to ensure that the bottom of the armtube is parallel to the record surface. It’s worth noting that records vary in thickness, which means that VTA varies from pressing to pressing. I usually set VTA for a record of average thickness and accept that there will be minor changes in VTA during a listening session.
To check this, I use the Elvon Azimuth/VTA gauge, which is inexpensive (around £8 or $10) and widely available. This simple-to-use device is an acrylic block inscribed with a series of parallel lines, which should be lined up with the bottom of the armtube (or, in the case of tapered SME arms, with the horizontal line marking).
Notice the center markings on the Elvon gauge for azimuth
The Elvon has one other useful feature—an azimuth gauge incorporated in its markings. Cartridge azimuth is another key element of setup, although it is something I tend to assume to be correct if the tonearm has been properly mounted. To use this gauge, simply place it directly in front of the cartridge when the stylus is resting on a stationary record. As long as the vertical lines are aligned with the front left and right walls of the cartridge body (assuming they are straight and vertical), you are good to go.
Support platform
All turntables are extremely sensitive to the surface on which they are placed. A turntable is a measuring device which seeks to accurately measure modulations in a record groove wall, and these can be as tiny as 0.001mm—about the size of a single bacterium! Any vibration, whether internal, airborne, or structurally transmitted, will reduce the accuracy of this measurement. I have experimented over the years with a variety of support solutions of varying cost, from a cheap IKEA Lack table, through the classic Sound Organisation ZO21 turntable rack, to my current Ash Designs Cosmic stands. None of them made much difference to the resulting sound quality until Townshend Audio’s Seismic products entered into my orbit.
While delivering a Townshend Rock turntable for review, the firm provided a range of different support solutions for me to try. First up was the Townshend Seismic Vibration Isolation Platform (£525–£730, depending on size), which is an aluminum shelf mounted on four “Seismic Load Cells.” Each load cell comprises a spring—the resistance of which must be selected according to the weight of the component being supported—encased in a rubber bellows, which is vented to pass air at a precise rate in order to damp the movement of the spring. Crucially, these load cells are tuned to a frequency of 3Hz—well below the audio band. Think of them as mountain-bike air suspension for your hi-fi. Leveling is accomplished by turning the metal ring surrounding each load cell. I was grateful to have my AVID Level 45 on hand to ensure accurate leveling.
The second I placed this platform under my GyroDec and spun a record, I found myself leaning forward on my listening chair, absolutely astounded at the results. More precision, more detail, greater bass articulation—I was stunned. My turntable isn’t anywhere near the loudspeakers (the principal source of floor vibration in the room). But there are many other sources of floor-borne vibrations, including the planet’s continual seismic activity and vibration from cars and trucks passing outside. The Seismic platform responds to impulses much more quickly and linearly than any conventional spiked platform, and totally eliminates such vibrations. Put simply, there’s a lot less ringing.
My house is nearly 60 years old and the floorboards are a continual source of frustration. Passing footfalls often disturb the turntable, causing records to skip and making it necessary to tiptoe past the GyroDec when records are playing. Once the Seismic platform went in, this issue was significantly reduced.
Townshend Seismic Isolation Bars float the support racks on air-damped springs
Skipping wasn’t totally eliminated, though, but Townshend Audio has a solution for that. The company brought me its Seismic Isolation Bars (£1007–£1429/pair, depending on size). They are adjustable in length to fit under almost any hi-fi rack, and each bar is furnished with a load cell at each end. Again, the load cells must be chosen to match the total weight of the components on the rack. Fitting the Seismic Isolation Bars meant pulling apart my entire system, but I was so impressed with the Seismic platform that I wasted no time in getting started.
One issue I encountered was that it is very hard to turn the height adjusters on the Seismic Isolation Bars when they are supporting a heavy load like my rack. Fortunately, there’s a simple solution. On Townshend’s recommendation, I purchased an inflating Winbag wedge, commonly used by window installers for leveling installations. This clever little bag can support up to 135kg (300lb) and is simply placed under the support bar and inflated by a hand pump. This reduces the load on the nearest load cell, enabling the height adjuster to be turned easily for leveling.
The Winbag—essential for users of Seismic Isolation Bars
In less than an hour, I had leveled both of my support tables, and the system was up and running again. After floating all of my equipment on air suspension and getting it completely level, it sounded better than ever. It’s not just turntables that benefit from being isolated from vibration. Amplifiers, CD players, streamers, and other electronic components are prone to vibration, too.
The sound was cleaner and less strident, with less harshness or what I have often called “digital hash.” The difference wasn’t trivial. I was amazed to find that the support bars were even more effective at eliminating skipping due to footfall, to the point where I can dance the fandango past the turntable while it’s playing and it remains as immovable as Stonehenge.
The final element to completely isolate my system was the addition of Townshend Seismic Podiums (£1167–£3200, depending on size) under my loudspeakers. These platforms come in various sizes to accommodate any loudspeaker, whether it’s a compact floorstander or something that would be more at home in Abbey Road Studios. These are essentially another aluminum platform with a load cell at each corner, again calibrated and chosen according to the weight of the speaker.
Harriet Townshend assured me that placing the Podiums under my speakers would make the biggest difference of all, and in terms of tonal balance, she was certainly right. The level of articulation and precision in the bass was dramatically improved, with a sense of reduced overhang and much snappier rhythm and timing. This reduced overhang also gave the impression of a slight reduction in bass power and slam, which is the only negative I can report. My ATCs typically deliver bass with an impact utterly beyond most equivalent loudspeakers, and some of that sense of unbridled power was lost. What I have discovered after prolonged listening is that all of the bass power and extension is still there, but the floorboards surrounding the speakers are no longer being driven in sympathy. This results in a leaner presentation. This isn’t a problem with well-recorded albums, but I sometimes miss the distortion caused by those driven floorboards on poorly recorded material!
However, the improvement in accuracy and articulation more than offset that loss, and I shifted the loudspeakers slightly nearer to the back wall to improve the sonic balance.
Townshend Seismic supports aren’t cheap, but they are arguably the most significant upgrade you can make to a high-performing system without spending many thousands on better components. They are a revelation—a product that opens the curtains wider than ever before on the music you love. So dramatic was the improvement that I was walking on air while the system was floating on it! Needless to say, my Seismics aren’t going back.
The author’s system—now floating on air thanks to Townshend Audio
Grounding system
Over the years, I have had excellent results from the Chord Company’s ARAY interconnect cables, and use many of them throughout my system. At the 2025 Bristol Hi-Fi Show, Chord launched an entirely new product to celebrate its 40th anniversary. The PhonoARAY turntable grounding system (£999) is designed to provide superior grounding and reduce unwanted interference. Because of their extremely low output signals, turntable systems are highly susceptible to interference, so naturally I was keen to try the PhonoARAY.
A review sample shipped as I was about to submit this feature, but I delayed submission so I could include what I believe to be an important product. When I unpacked the PhonoARAY, I was immediately surprised by it weight and solidity. It’s around the size and weight of a hand grenade—surprisingly dense, beautifully made, and presented in packaging worthy of a high-end Swiss watch. The casework is hewn from thick-walled aluminum for electrical and acoustic isolation, while all internal cavities are filled with resin to reduce microphony. In addition, the feet are decoupled to reduce vibrations.
The PhonoARAY is an unpowered device that connects between the flying ground lead from a turntable and the grounding input on your phono stage or preamplifier. Simply attach the turntable grounding wire to one end of the PhonoARAY and plug the supplied 0.5m shielded Chord cable into the chassis of the phono stage. I like that the music signal is not routed through the device.
The PhonoARAY creates a “virtual earth system” for your turntable and phono stage, and Chord claims this should ensure a cleaner and more detailed sound. Inside, there is a hand-wound, ultra-high-current series filter, while ARAY topology shields delicate signals from noise.
The PhonoARAY significantly lowers the noise floor and provides a darker background to the music. This enhances dynamics, increasing the sense of being at a live performance. I also detected a subtle change in the system tonality, with a slightly warmer and smoother quality to the music. This I found most enjoyable; there was less harshness and glare, and all of this contributed to a sense of less strain, even during replay of very complex passages.
The PhonoARAY is well worth the significant investment, provided that you are running a fairly high-end system that is already well tuned. It’s not a “cure-all,” but it did markedly enhance performance on my system.
Conclusion
One of the key benefits of vinyl is that it makes you sit down and savor the entirety of an album without skipping tracks, as one might when streaming. In this way, you become immersed in the music, rather than being distracted by your iPad or phone. In addition, vinyl is the best format for appreciating the artwork and sleeve notes of an album.
Turntables are also beautiful in a way unlike most audio components, and the listener interacts with a turntable in ways that aren’t possible with digital sources. The very best ones have the same intrinsic appeal as a fine chronograph for the sheer beauty of their engineering. A fine turntable can rival or exceed the replay quality available from any digital medium. As Jack White of the White Stripes says: “There’s no romance in singing about an iPod!”
The story of a life well lived?
A record collection often encapsulates the story of a life well lived, which is one of the reasons I love visiting people’s homes and exploring their vinyl collections. Most of us of a certain age have cried to records, danced to records, dealt with breakups by playing records, and celebrated new and old love affairs with them. They evoke memories of people we’ve known and loved in a way that streaming never can. Whether you are a seasoned enthusiast or relatively new to vinyl replay, I hope this feature has encouraged you to explore ways of getting the most from your precious records.
Welcome to a beautiful analog world
. . . Jonathan Gorse
jonathan@soundstage.com
