Phono Turntable Essentials

AUDIO-TECHNICA TURNTABLE FELT MAT

The Audio-Technica Turntable Felt Mat is designed for clear and live sound quality. Its special material, thickness and size mitigates motor, plinth and airborne vibration and resonance.

Audio-Technica Record Mat Features

• Material: Special Felt
• Thickness: 2.70 mm
• Diameter: 292 mm

Hi-Q HEADSHELL LEAD WIRES

Hi-Q Headshell Lead Wires with high conductivity copper wires and nickel plated plugs for very good transfer of microvolts from the phono cartridge.

SHURE STYLUS FORCE GAUGE SFG-2

The Shure SFG-2 stylus force gauge is an industry standard and comes complete with storage box and easy-to-understand instructions. A proper set stylus tracking force is essential to sound quality, groove tracking, music retrieval, record care and stylus longevity. The Shure stylus Force Gauge let's you set and apply the vertical tracking force of your cartridge according to its recommended specification. The tracking force is measured with the tonearm in actual playing position.

LP TUNES Z BLACK BEARING OIL

The LP Tunes Z Black Bearing Oil is the supreme oil for lubricating your turntable bearing. It is favored by meticulous owners of Linn, Thorens, Oracle, and other exquisite turntables of similar precision and quality. The oil comes in a 5 ml cylindrical LDPE bottle with dropper tip and cap for easy application. A lint free cloth is provided for cleanup. 

Buy 2 bottles, and you'll probably have a supply of bearing oil to last your turntable's lifetime.

Bearing Housing Bearing Liner
Colour Colour

1. Silver Black
2. Silver White
3. Gold White*
4. Black White (1984)
5. Black Black (1987) serial no.(Approx.) Serial number: <70,000
6. Black Black: CIRKUS kit serial number 90582.

Note: * Use this bearing housing with God Oil. Black Oil can, though very rarely, cause it to seize.
For all others, use Black Oil. 

LP TUNES SOAR HD-5 HD 5 HD5 HEADSHELL WIRES SET
-- Serious improvement with these wires

The first thing that electrically connects to the cartridge are the headshell lead wires hence their critical importance in the audio chain. The LP Tunes SOAR HD5 headshell wires are designed to do nothing else but to faithfully transfer what comes out from the cartridge without coloration, signal loss or distortion. They sound organically natural and musical.

"Holy crap, these are the real deal! I am hearing some serious improvement with these wires... bass is extended and more detailed, transients are more dynamic, imaging has popped into more vivid 3D, recordings that previously sounded smeared now have nuance and depth, etc. etc. etc.

If your tonearm has a detachable headshell, do yourself a favor and spend $25 on a set of these wires. You can thank me later..." stated a customer in one of the forums.¹

LP Tunes Soar HD5 Features
- Twisted very high purity copper Litz wires mitigate proximity and skin effects
- Highly polished gold plated phosphor bronze plugs
- 1.5 inches (~38.1 mm) length
- Artisan quality and durability
- Made in Japan

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Footnote 1: Entire thread can be found at an Audiokarma forum discussion: LP Gear's SOAR HD5 headshell wires are excellent and cheap.

SOTA STROBE DISC

The SOTA Strobe Disk allows you to accurately set your turntable speed if your turntable features fine speed control or to inform you of speed problems. This stroboscope disk can be used to test for both 33 1/3 and 45 RPM speeds at both 50 and 60 cycles AC. This four-inch diameter cardboard stroboscope disk is easy to use. Simply place it over the spindle of your turntable and turn your turntable on. The outer band is used for tuning 33 1/3 speed and the band second on the inside tunes the 45 RPM speed. You must use an AC powered light or lamp to illuminate the stroboscope.

Sota Strobe Disc Features
- Four speed support: 33 1/3, 45 RPM with 50 Hz and 60 Hz markings
- Dimensions: 4.0 inches diameter
- Main Material: Cardboard

LP GEAR SOAR HD-4 HD 4 HD4 HEADSHELL LEAD WIRES SET

The first thing that electrically connects to the cartridge are the headshell lead wires hence their critical placement in the audio chain. The LP Gear SOAR HD4 headshell lead wires are designed to do nothing else but to faithfully transfer what comes out from the cartridge without coloration, signal loss or distortion. They sound organically natural and musical.

Features
- Twisted high purity copper Litz wires mitigate proximity and skin effects
- Highly polished gold plated plugs
- Silk wrapped
- Japanese-artisan quality and durability

SPIN-CLEAN RECORD WASHER MKII STARTER KIT

Since 1975, the Spin-Clean Record Washer System has been one of the best value record washers in the world. It is an extremely cost effective alternative to all of the higher priced automatic vacuum cleaner type machines. It uses a proprietary and special washer fluid that encapsulates the dirt and keeps it suspended in the system instead of evaporating or redepositing it back on to your valuable record. Only the Spin-Clean record washing system uses this secret formula.

It does not leave any build up or film on your records. It is also one of the few systems on the market that will clean albums, 45's and 78's. With the Spin-Clean System you mix the concentrated record cleaning solution with water in the yellow reservoir base (small tank), The record stands vertically in the tray (as pictured), resting on adjustable rollers, as you rotate the record manually it passes through a set of two brushes that simultaneously deep cleans it on both sides. After you wash your records, you dry them off with a lint free cotton cloth.

Features
- New improved UV grade resin for a more rigid and fade resistant washer basin
- Re-designed rollers for a smoother and quieter ride
- New foam and brush material to improve the deep cleaning of your records
- Improved formula of the washer fluid to further enhance the cleaning process
- New graphics for the general aesthetics of the unit
- New improved drying cloths

The Spin-Clean Record Washer System Starter Kit comes with:

• Record Washer and Lid
• 4 ounce bottle of Record Cleaning Concentrate
• 1 pair of Washer Brushes MKII
• 1 pair of Washer Rollers MKII
• 2 washable Drying Cloths
• Instructions (in the lid)

Reviews
"Theres nothing set-and-forget about the Spin Clean, but its cheap and it really, really works."
- Stereophile Magazine

Stereophile's Products of 2010 ACCESSORY OF THE YEAR

"I've discovered a new system that makes it easy and affordable for anyone to have cleaner and better-sounding records. It's the Spin-Clean Record Washer System MKII."
- Goldmine Magazine

"Meet my new best friend, Spin-Clean."
- Absolute Sound

"Finally, some good dirty fun with a clean result; and a manual vinyl record cleaner that invigorates those grubby treasures."
- Witchdoctor.com

"To me, the most important part of the system is the Spin-Clean Washer fluid, which has already become my favorite solution for cleaning vinyl...The unit is bright yellow for a reason: it allows one to see the amount of crud that has been removed from the grooves, as the dirt will rest at the bottom of the Spin-Clean unit...The Spin-Clean system works exactly as advertised. There was no denying it...the Spin-Clean Record Washer system is the best $60 one can spend to care for their LPs and enrich their listening environment...an insane value. It gets my heartiest recommendation."
- Enjoy the Music.com

Top 10 Great Audiophile Gifts For 2010
- Enjoy the Music.com

The Absolute Sound 2010 Product of the Year Awards

The Absolute Sound 2011 Product of the Year Awards

LP GEAR ZERO LEVEL

The new LP Gear Zero Level is designed to accurately level a variety of electronic components and parts such as equipment racks and stands, turntables, tonearms, platters, speakers, CD and DVD players. Ensuring that these components are level is critical to obtaining correct and optimal performance.

Accuracy and versatility are built into each LP Gear Zero Level. It's tiny size (~ 11mm or 0.44 inch diameter) and extremely light weight (~ 6g) allow it to be used with weight critical and sensitive parts. The inner face of the top window -- the dome that the bubble runs around -- is molded as a single part extending to the vial's base. This feature ensures that the critical inner dome is precisely horizontal or level with its base. It's accuracy is thus astonishing. When the bubble is center within 0.5mm in any direction, the maximum error is only 0.22 degree! An angle change of 0.88 degree will move the bubble by 2mm.

The new LP Gear Zero Level--for near zero error.

AUTOMATIC ANTI-STATIC RECORD CLEANING ARM

The Automatic Anti-static Record Cleaning Arm is a simple and effective concept elegantly executed! It's easy to install and use with its sturdy metal construction. The fiber brush cleans the record as it rotates. The conductive path from the tips of the carbon fiber brush to the ground wire dissipates static charges and reduces the attraction of airborne dust during playback. The results: reduces record and stylus wear, eliminates static build up, and makes music sounds cleaner.

LP GEAR 100 VIRGIN POLYETHYLENE INNER RECORD SLEEVES FOR VINYL ALBUMS LP 12"
- Anti-static, anti-dust, gentle virgin high-density polyethylene, .002 inch thickness

The LP GEAR Z8 Virgin 12" LP Inner Record Sleeves are crafted from .05mm (.002 inch) anti-static high-density polyethylene and designed with opulence to delicately cradle and embrace your LP records so there is minimal quarter for environmental contaminants and airborne dust to be stored along with your records.

The Z8 Virgin Inner Record Sleeves are long lasting, durable, anti-static, anti-dust, anti-dirt, anti-scratch, and very gentle on your records. They are inexpensive too because we engaged the best manufacturer. Nine lavish reasons why you should choose the Z8 Virgin 12" Record Sleeves to protect your cherished records.

The Z8 Virgin Record Sleeves are quite possibly the last record sleeves your LPs will ever need. A similar product from Japan costs 9 times more!

Dimensions: 12.07 x 12.07 inches (30.65 x 30.65 cm)

Note: This item may be shipped separately from other items ordered.

LP PHONO FIRST AID KIT

The Phono First Aid Kit is absolutely essential, truly a "must have" for every turntable owner. It includes a four-piece, color-coded complete set of Japanese made and very high quality headshell lead wires, a pair of special non-magnetic cartridge mounting screws and nuts, and a stylus brush. Buy now; limited quantity available!

AUDIO-TECHNICA AT6101 HEADSHELL LEAD WIRES 4-PC SET
- Supreme Quality Cartridge to headshell PCOCC¹ lead wires

The first thing that electrically connects to the cartridge are the headshell lead wires hence their critical importance in the audio chain.

The Audio-Technica AT6101 lead wires are designed to transfer the millivolt output from the cartridge in one single crystal, without signal loss or distortion to sound as clearly and harmonically accurate as the cartridge itself.

Set of four supreme quality colored lead wires:
○ Perfect Crystal OCC quad wire
○ 0.12 mm x 22 mm core strand construction
○ 24K gold plated crimped lead tip
○ 1.4 inches (~ 35.6 mm) total length
○ Made in Japan

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¹ PCOCC: Pure Copper by Ohno Continuous Casting process (single-crystal-like high purity oxygen-free copper)

FEICKERT NEXT GENERATION UNIVERSAL PROTRACTOR ALIGNMENT TOOL

A truly outstanding design now made even better, Dr. Chris Feickert's next generation protractor system aligns your cartridge with ultimate accuracy for tonearms with an effective length from 8.6 - 17.7 inches. The calculation of parameters were carefully carried out according to Lofgren and Baerwald equations and Stevenson (for Rega alignment). This provides even further choices to reduce the distortion that can be caused by a less-than-ideal tangential position of your cartridge while tracking the grooves of your records. This is the best solution for accurately aligning your cartridge with a wider variety of tonearms. It is accurate, compact, more versatile and even easier to use.

"Enthusiasts with even moderately priced analog setups will find this protractor to be indispensableNo more guessing over crude paper or plastic overhang markers or mirrored devices; this thing works like a charm." The Absolute Sound's 9 "Must-Have" Analog Accessories by Wayne Garcia for The Absolute Sound, June/July 2007

"Okay, let's get this said early; I consider this a must-own tool for anyone who cares about proper tonearm setup and cartridge geometry. This beautifully manufactured precision device, the work of Dr. Chris Feickert, incorporates both Baerwald and Lofgren geometries, the two principle approaches to cartridge alignment one on each side. It's also a universal device, handling arms of 200 to 440mm effective length! It's easy to use and as far as I'm concerned, simply the best. It is an essential tool for your vinyl toolbox and with proper care, will last a lifetime. Highly recommended." Richard S. Foster, Hi-Fi+, Issue 48

"Feickert's kit is impressive, especially if you want something more than a cardboard or plastic template. Most impressive is the metal jig for measuring the pivot-to-spindle distances nicely made, if industrialIt looks more complicated than it is; a thorough reading of the instructions will have you setting up cartridges in minutestrust me: it will provide peace of mind for even the most truly neurotic of vinyl users." Ken Kessler, Hi-Fi News, August 2006, www.hifinews.co.uk

Resources

http://www.feickert.de/engl/protractor_handling.html

Reviews

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/vinyl/vinyl.html

RCA DISCWASHER D4 RD1007Z VINYL RECORD CARE SYSTEM

For over 50 years the Discwasher cleaning system has helped remove the dirt, dust, fingerprints, and contaminants from records to improve sound quality and playback life.

The latest redesign comes with a 1.69 fl.oz (50ml) spray pump that effectively disperses the D4+ cleaning solution on the record for better cleaning efficiency.
The system includes:

- D4+ Fluid that safely removes dust and dirt from the record
- Unique Microfiber Pad
- a handy storage pouch to keep them all together conveniently.