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Cartridge Assembly & Wiring

Cartridge Assembly & Wiring

Head shell mounted cartridges cannot be used by themselves. They need to be mounted in combination with a base called a "head shell". In this article, we are going to show you how to wire the head shell and how to mount the cartridge onto the head shell.

STEP1 What you need for the assembly & wiring

Head shell
Cartridge
Flathead screwdriver
Lead wires
Mounting screws and nuts
Ruler or overhang gauge

STEP2 Attach the head shell and cartridge with lead wires

Attach the lead wires to the head shell. Some products may be sold with the lead wires already attached.
Connect the lead wires so that the colors of the terminals on the back of the cartridge and the lead wires on the head shell match.
Once the connection is done, align the head shell and cartridge without excessive force on the lead wire terminals.

※There is no specific order of connection.
※When attaching the lead wires, hold the middle part of the terminal and wire gently with tweezers to prevent deformation of the terminals and disconnection.

STEP3 Fix the cartridge with the mounting screws.

Tighten the screws temporarily to fix the cartridge with the mounting screws and nuts.
Next, adjust the overhang. Use a ruler or the overhang gauge that comes with the turntable to make sure the needle tip is in the proper position.
Fully tighten the screws with a flathead screwdriver to fix the cartridge.

※The overhang differs depending on the turntable. For the Technics SL1200 series, the distance from the base of the tonearm attachment part on the back of the head shell to the tip of the needle is 52mm, and the Pioneer DJ PLX series is about 54mm. Please check the spec sheet and the manual of your turntable.

STEP4 Attach to the turntable

Insert the back of the head shell into the tonearm.
Turn the screw at the end of the tonearm (head connector) to fix the head shell.
Adjust the needle pressure.
The needle pressure adjustment is explained on another page. Also, watch this video on how to set up the turntable!
▶Cartridge needle pressure adjustment / arm adjustment
How to "Set up tunrtable