Rack level sufficient

Probably a completely stupid question, but that’s what a forum thrives on😜.
In the next few days I’ll be getting a Rega Naia, which doesn’t have to be leveled, the rack has to be level.
So that’s enough here, if I try to get the level with my hand, it’s in the paper thickness range and I doubt that I’ll be able to do that with the rack.
Thanks

Those spirit pucks are useless for levelling. The surface they are on is rarely flat enough so they only tell you that a tiny area is level. You need a proper long spirit level.

As long as the TT itself is level!

Get a cheapo lazer/led level from Amazon. The sort that goes on a tripod. Excellant for checking a rack or TT support is level. Mine was £17 a few back.

Yes i leveld it with a long one, i hate it.
The fine tuning, i will do, when the Naia has arrived, i am glad, it has only 3 feet.

I have a fairly decent 20cm spirit level and that works fine. If you get a cheapy one, the best way to check it is accurate is to rotate the level 180 degrees and if it measures the same then you know it is accurate. When levelling a rack it is worth checking the level in 3 or 4 directions. Left-right and back to front and the diagonals.

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I have the same Level. It’s fine. It’s not like we’re building an office building.

No, it’s not it’s more important than that.

Any turntable needs to be as near level as possible, and all spinning platters need to be level to minimise any fluctuations in speed. Any TT platter being spun uphill and downhill because it is on a slope will cause speed issues.

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…sorry, I totally disagree. The TT needs to be absolutely as level as you can get it. Otherwise, you will have reduced sound quality and uneven wear on the bearing. That’s before you get to the effects on the arm!

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  • The little round pucks are not accurate because they cover such a small diameter. Surfaces are rarely as uniform as they appear and as a result those pucks give you an indication just that something is level-ish. I have an Audiotechnica one… I use it to get things like the fridge and washing machine level…ish.
  • With a turntable it is very important to use a level on the platter, not the plinth and to make sure that the level is long enough to cover the full diameter of the platter. There are those that advocate slightly shorter ones measuring from the outer edge to the spindle, but this can give very misleading readings. Not all mats or platters are even and often the weight of the level itself can skew the reading significantly towards the outer edge of the platter. A level that runs the full platter diameter is the only way to get a good reading regardless of what deck or mat you use.

I use this for my turntable :

IMG_3322

Very good points. Any level shorter than the full diameter would be useless for tables with concave platters, like my dps, and those with recessed label areas.

I had always believed that getting the platter absolutely level was the thing, as centrifugal force will exaggerate any errors, but many years ago I was persuaded by people with more expertise than me that, while plinth and platter should be exactly level*, the plinth was the more important.

That question aside, when it comes to levelling the platter, I’ve always placed the level close to the spindle and centred on the platter. I rotate the platter and take multiple readings, flipping the level each time to accommodate minor inaccuracies in the level itself. The weight of the level is not a significant factor: if it causes platter to dip slightly, the position of the bubble remains unchanged because the level sits at right angles to the slope.

* in 35+ years of ownership, I have never had my LP12 come back from a service with plinth and platter in the exact same plane.

I would get the rack as level as you can.
Then once you get the turntable, level it to the platter to make sure this is 100% level

Well if it’s a DJ turntable or any Technics, you’d level the rack and the turntable seperately using it’s adjustable feet.

When I had an LP12, this was always a problem…over time the foot of the trampolin nearest the arm pillar increasingly sagged.

When I had my LP12, never had an issue getting it level, whether it was on a SimRack rack, Quadraspire Q4 Evo rack or the Tiger Paw wall shelf.

A little bit of effort to get the rack or wall shelf level, then a small adjustment to get the LP12 level, job done. Once set it never went out of true.

DG…

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