There are several reasons why your turntable or record player might sound bad, weird or distorted. We will look at each reason below and provide advice on how to fix the issue so you can get back to listening to your vinyl records with the best sound possible.
Record players or turntables sound bad, weird or distorted due to these five issues:
- The needle (aka stylus) is dirty, worn or broken and needs to be replaced.
- The record player is not sitting on a level surface and causing inner groove distortion.
- The belt on your turntable is loose, not operating at the proper speed and needs to be replaced.
- Your turntable is not properly grounded and causing humming or buzzing noises.
- Your turntable’s built in preamp is on the wrong setting.
Read below for instructions on how to solve each issue listed above.
(If your turntable or record player is playing or sounds slow, please read this article on how to repair speed issues.)
The needle (aka stylus) is dirty, worn or broken and needs to be replaced.
Most audio issues on turntables or record players are a result of an old or broken stylus (aka, the needle).
Look straight forward at the needle on the cartridge and if it is bent to the left and right, it is broken and should be replaced. Trust me, you will not be able to realign it with your finger, the stylus is too fragile. It will most likely simply break off.
I’ve had people lose audio in one complete channel while listening to records and when you look at the needle, it’s bent so far one way that it’s only producing sound in that one corresponding speaker.
Also, look at the end of the stylus and make sure there isn’t a huge dust ball sitting there. If there is, the sound will be fuzzy and distorted as the dust is blocking the audio signal from reaching the speakers.
If the stylus is dusty, do not remove with your finger or you will risk breaking the stylus off or bending it as I mentioned above. Sometimes you can blow on the dust and it will remove but you will most likely want to purchase a stylus cleaner if you plan on using the turntable often.
I suggest stylus cleaners along with other important information about record player needles in this article, Everything You Need To Know About the Stylus on Your Turntable.
The record player is not sitting on a level surface and causing inner groove distortion.
I recently had a friend buy a turntable from me. He got it home and hooked it up but kept complaining to me that it just didn’t sound right.
I stopped by his house to help him out and noticed that his turntable wasn’t sitting on a level surface. We moved the turntable to a level surface and the noise went a way.
What happened? When the turntable was tilted forward, the needle was dragging on the inner walls of the grooves and causing a distorted sound to be produced.
A leveled turntable will ensure that just the tip of the stylus is contacting the vinyl’s groove and producing the best possible sound.
For more information on how to properly set up your turntable’s stylus, please refer to the bottom of my article, Everything To Know About the Stylus on Your Turntable.
The belt on your turntable is loose, not operating at the proper speed and needs to be replaced.
If your turntable uses a belt, check and make sure it has not loosened over time.
Turntable belts can expand over time and therefore it will not turn the platter at the appropriate speed. This will cause the sound to be wobbly or slow.
If you are not sure if you have a turntable with a belt, refer to the manual online to determine whether or not a belt is used.
If a belt is used it will be located underneath the platter on the turntable. Simply pull the platter up to remove the old belt and replace it with a new one.
You can often find a belt replacement by searching the turntable name and model number followed by “belt” on Google.
Below is a great tutorial on how to replace a belt on a turntable:
Your turntable is not properly grounded and causing humming or buzzing noises.
Buzzing or humming noises are common with vintage turntables and can be easily fixed by attaching a ground wire correctly from the turntable to the receiver.
Please read my article, How To Remove Humming Or Buzzing Sound From Your Turntable for more detailed information.
Your turntable’s built in preamp is on the wrong setting.
My friends who are new to setting up a turntable with their stereo system have called me asking why their turntable is making a distorted noise when playing.
Often, they have bought a modern turntable with a built in preamp and have the setting switch on the wrong option. Usually they have the built in preamp set to “Line” with the RCA cables plugged into “Phono” on their receiver. This setting will cause distorted sound during playback.
Built in preamps on turntables should be set to “Phono” with the RCA cables plugged into the “Phono” input on your receiver.
If you have the RCA cables plugged into the Aux input, you would select the built in preamp to be on the “Line” setting.
For more information on how to properly use a turntable with a built in preamp, please read my article on How To Connect Your Turntable To The Aux Input On Your Receiver. This article includes photos which will make it easier to explain how to make sure the settings are correct for you.
Following the above suggestions will help resolve performance issues with your turntable or record player and get your vinyl records playing back with the best sound possible!
Frequently asked questions:
How Do I Know If My Stylus Is Worn?
The easiest way to know if your stylus is worn is to simply listen as all of your records will sound muffled and distorted or only playing music out of one speaker.
A quick way to test is to play multiple records on your turntable and if they all sound bad, you know it’s most likely a problem with your stylus.
Again, make sure there isn’t a huge dust ball on the tip of the stylus that can be removed before buying a new one!
How Do You Tell If My Needle Is Damaged?
Look at your needle and make sure it isn’t bent too far to one side. If it is, it’s time to replace it. You can also tell it’s damaged if every record you play sounds muffled, distorted or just generally bad.
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