Glossary · Turntables
Headshell
The mount at the tonearm’s end holding the cartridge.
The headshell is where the cartridge bolts on, at the business end of the arm. Detachable headshells make cartridge swaps and alignment easy and let you tune effective mass with weight. Fixed headshells are lighter and more rigid but less convenient.
Terms on the same stage
Tracking Force (VTF)
The downward weight the stylus presses into the groove, in grams.
Anti-Skate
Force that counters the tonearm’s inward pull toward the spindle.
VTA
Vertical tracking angle — the tonearm’s height at the pivot.
Azimuth
The vertical, side-to-side alignment of the stylus in the groove.
Overhang
How far the stylus sits past the spindle when swung over.
Null Point
The two radii where a pivoted arm has zero tracking error.
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