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Initial Setup (continued)

Assembling the Turntable Platter and Slip Mat

1.

Carefully place the turntable platter on the center spindle, 
making certain the platter is fully seated on the spindle. 
[See Figure 6.]

2.

Place the soft black slip mat on top of the platter.

Figure 6 Platter and Slip Mat

Assembling the Dust Cover

1.

Insert the T-shaped ends of the dust cover hinges into the 
two hinge receptacles located at the back of the turntable 
housing. When properly installed, the flat part of the cover 
hinges should be facing away from the turntable housing 
at about a 45° angle.

2.

Holding the dust cover over the turntable, carefully guide 
the cover hinges into the two slots molded into the rear of 
the dust cover. The springs in the hinges allow the cover 
to be held open at about a 45° angle if desired. (Note: 
There is only one “open” position; the hinges do NOT 
permit the cover to stand “straight up.”)

3.

To remove the dust cover from the turntable, gently 
disengage the hinges from the slots in the cover. This is 
usually easier when the cover is in the “closed” position. 
Slowly and carefully lift straight up until the cover is clear 
of the unit. The hinges may then be removed from the 
turntable base, if desired.

Setting Tone Arm Balance and Tracking Force

To allow the cartridge to properly track in a record, the tone
arm balance and tracking force must be carefully set to the 
cartridge manufacturer’s specifications. Failure to properly set
up the tone arm assembly can cause damage to the cartridge
stylus and/or records. 

(Note: Once the stylus protective cover has been removed and
the tone arm locking clamp has been released, 

take extreme

care not to damage the stylus

. Do not allow it to drag or

scrape across the slip mat.)

Tone Arm Setup:
1.

Set the anti-skate adjustment to “0”. 
[Figure 2, page 4, #27.]

2.

Remove the clear protective stylus cover, carefully sliding 
it 

straight forward

, off the front of the cartridge.

3.

While gently holding the headshell to stabilize the tone 
arm, release the tone arm locking clamp. At this point, the 
tone arm is unbalanced and free to swing.

4.

While gently holding the headshell, carefully rotate the 
counterweight until the tone arm is horizontally balanced 
and hovers freely just above the platter without touching 
the platter surface.

5.

Lock the tone arm back into the tone arm rest.

6.

While holding the counterweight steady, and without any 
rotation, carefully rotate only the black stylus force gauge 
ring (which turns independently of the counterweight) until 
the “0” on the gauge ring lines up with the centerline 
marked along the top of the rear arm.

7.

Refer to the cartridge manufacturer’s specifications for 
recommended tracking force. Rotate the entire counter-
weight counterclockwise without touching the black gauge 
ring, moving the counterweight forward, until the desired 
value on gauge ring lines up with the centerline marked on 
the rear arm. Refer to the specifications section for 
tracking force value for the cartridge that shipped with the 
turntable.

Setting Anti-skate

A small inward “anti-skating” force can be applied to the tone
arm to compensate for outward forces resulting from cartridge/
tone arm interaction with the record. For best performance 
during normal turntable use, set the anti-skate control knob
[Figure 2, page 4, #27] to the same setting as the tracking force
dial. Refer to the specifications section for tracking force value
of the cartridge that shipped with the turntable.

In case of substantial use of back-cueing, scratching or reverse-
direction operation, you may prefer to use less, or no, anti-skate
compensation.

Setting Tone Arm Assembly Height

The tone arm assembly height adjustment allows for the tone
arm to be positioned parallel to the record surface, when using
extra-tall cartridge bodies, thick slip mats or thick records (i.e.
old 78’s).  To raise or lower the tone arm assembly: First,
loosen the height lock [Figure 2, page 4, #29]; then rotate the
height adjust dial [Figure 2, page 4, #22] located at the base of
the tone arm assembly. The scale is calibrated in millimeters
(mm). When finished, tighten the height lock to secure the
adjustment.

Connections

Audio
Connect the audio output cable to the appropriate input jacks
on your mixer, amplifier, soundcard or other device based on
the setting of the pre-amp selector switch. Firmly connect the
Red RCA-type plug to the right channel input and the White
RCA-type plug to the left channel input. (Note: Adapter plugs
might be required to connect the turntable to computer sound
cards and other devices.)

Remote Start/Stop
If desired, connect an appropriate cable (

1

/

4

” 2- conductor T/S

phone plug) between the remote start/stop output [Figure 3,
page 4, #31] and mixing/control equipment that supports the
remote start/stop function. (Note: This connection is a dry-
contact closure and could be wired to an external normally open
switch if desired for DJ or broadcast applications.) Closing the
contact closure starts the platter rotating; opening the closure
stops it. The start/stop button will override the contact 
closure.

Pitch Output
If desired, connect an appropriate cable (RCA-type plug)
between the pitch output [Figure 3, page 4, #30] and other
equipment that supports the pitch data function. This signal can
be used to synchronize the turntable pitch with certain 
mixers, CD players and other external devices.

Finally, after all other connections are made, attach the included
AC power cord to the turntable; note that the small connector
only goes in one way. Then connect the power cord’s plug to a
convenient AC outlet. 

6

Summary of Contents for AT-PL120

Page 1: ...Direct Drive Professional Stereo Turntable AT PL120 Installation and Operation ...

Page 2: ...Adjustable counterweight Anti skate adjustment Tone arm height adjustment and lock Tone arm lift with hydraulic action and lift lever Tone arm rest with locking mechanism Selectable high accuracy quartz controlled pitch lock Selectable 10 or 20 pitch adjustment ranges Stroboscopic platter speed indicator Forward and reverse play Cast aluminum record platter with slip mat Start stop button with rem...

Page 3: ... DIRECTION BUTTON Controls platter s rotational direction F Forward clockwise R Reverse counter clockwise 12 PITCH ADJUST SLIDE CONTROL Use in conjunction with pitch button 15 to vary the platter s rotational speed In the center detent position quartz lock is active 13 PITCH SELECTION INDICATOR Shows Green for standard or locked RPM setting or Red for a pitch adjusted setting 14 QUARTZ SPEED LOCK ...

Page 4: ...CONTROL LEVER Cueing Lever Controls action of tone arm lift Note Lift mechanism is hydraulically damped to slow tone arm descent 27 ANTI SKATE CONTROL Applies a small inward force to the tone arm counteracting the tendency of the tone arm to move outward due to forces created by the stylus in the record groove 28 COUNTERWEIGHT Balances the tone arm and provides adjustment for proper downward track...

Page 5: ...s output cables to the PHONO inputs on your system observing Red for Right channel and White for Left channel If your system does not have a PHONO magnetic phono input set the pre amp selector switch to LINE OUT and connect the turntable s output cables to the Auxiliary AUX or other high level inputs on your system observing Red for Right channel and White for Left channel When using the turntable...

Page 6: ... force Rotate the entire counter weight counterclockwise without touching the black gauge ring moving the counterweight forward until the desired value on gauge ring lines up with the centerline marked on the rear arm Refer to the specifications section for tracking force value for the cartridge that shipped with the turntable Setting Anti skate A small inward anti skating force can be applied to ...

Page 7: ...ocation on the record Carefully lower the tone arm to the record surface Checking and Adjusting Pitch 1 If desired select a 10 or 20 pitch adjustment range by pressing the pitch button Then move the pitch adjust slide control up or down to make pitch adjustments Note The pitch adjust slide control has center detent position for 0 pitch variation 2 As illuminated by the red light coming from beneat...

Page 8: ... cartridge and carefully remove its stylus assembly Place the stylus assembly out of harm s way Mount the new cartridge to the headshell assembly Use the mounting hardware supplied with the new cartridge or the existing hardware removed at step 2 Tighten the mounting screws until just snug Replace the stylus assembly briefly to check for mechanical interference with the mounting hardware The stylu...

Page 9: ... record type being played with platter speed buttons 2 Variable pitch is engaged Depress quartz button or return pitch adjust slider to center detent position to engage quartz lock Moving pitch adjust slider produces no effect If the LED next to the pitch adjust slider center detent position remains green when the slider is moved quartz lock is engaged Depress the quartz button to disengage the qu...

Page 10: ... Hz 810 Hz when 20 pitch is selected Varies from 607 Hz 742 Hz when 10 pitch is selected 1170 1 Hz for 78 RPM Remote Start Stop 2 conductor 1 4 connector T S Normally open contact closure Power Supply Requirements 115 230V AC 50 60 Hz Power Consumption 13W Dimensions 17 3 4 450 mm W x 13 7 8 352 mm D x 6 157 mm H Weight 23 4 lb 10 6 kg Accessories Included Headshell cartridge ATP 2 AC line cord 45...

Page 11: ...11 ...

Page 12: ...purchase date Prior approval from A T U S is required for return This warranty excludes defects due to normal wear abuse shipping damage or failure to use product in accordance with instructions This warranty is void in the event of unauthorized repair or modification or removal or defacing of the product labeling For return approval and shipping information contact the Service Dept Audio Technica...

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