Counter weights on your turntable...another dirty little secret?

1+ @baylinor ,  The guys that set these turntables up at dealerships know less about turntable set up than most of all of you. Setting up a turntable is not rocket science, it just takes a few tools. There are YouTubes all over the place on the subject. If you can use a screw driver you can set up a cartridge. I can understand why most will not install a tonearm, that takes a drill press. But align a cartridge?

The problem with proper cartridge alignment is that it take patience and you have to be very fastidious. You have to really care about what you are doing and nobody but the owner is going to be careful enough to really get it right. The dealers only have the patience for a ballpark job at best. When is the last time a dealer asked you what alignment you would like?   

Not dirty, and certainly no secret.

@dadawada  I will have to double check the box to see what may be in there. I don't recall  extra counter weights.

Yes, learning to do the cartridge set up can be a natural next  step, but for many -myself included, who are living very  busy lives and somethings are not going to be at the  top of the to do list. This was one of them for me.

@fuzztone  so with your logic if you don't own a vineyard then  you can not enjoy a  glass of wine?

@baylinor  that is an interesting comment, but to treat your cartridge with so much variance to get it to your" sweet spot?" That can be  very subjective. You could hypothetically do that every time when you  change a genre of music.

The settings on the phono stage are a similar comparison. I would prefer not to be changing all these settings every time I spin an album. I want it to be set up correctly and then properly maintain that-which regrettably I was not doing. It is clear that I need to at the very least invest in a stylus weight.

Thanks for everyone's comments. I  hope to get it back this week and will report back.

Setting up a cartridge is not as difficult as some make out. You do need to have the proper tools but if you’re investing in a nicer turntable you should also want to learn how to set it up.

Some of what you need you can download and print out from the internet, like a cartridge alignment sheet. A good cartridge tracking weight scale is good to have for about $60.

For most cartridges it takes about 10 minutes.

What as piece of bloviated bullshit. I am blind in one eye and my sighted eye has required retina surgery inside the eyeball twice in the last seven years

I had 3 retinal surgeries plus the resultant cataract fix in 1 year in my dominant eye. BFD

I have SCA 3-3 fumble fingers and still do my own setups. BFD

As @dadawada sez it’s not rocket science or I would have to call my son in, a Dr.of Astrophysics. If you feel you need help, pay for it.

@idigmusic64 logic demands paying for a certified mechanic to air up his tires.

Any comments I’ve made only promote self sufficiency, a key part of the hifi experience for me.

The OP was about starting out ignorant (like every last one of us) and then finding help. A beautiful thing.