Groove: Turntable Setup Calc

Cartridge alignment (Baerwald, Löfgren B, Stevenson), tonearm resonance, and loading — saved per turntable, every number source-cited. Pay once.

Set up your turntable the right way — cartridge alignment, tonearm resonance, and loading — with every number traced to its source. No subscription, no account, works offline.

CARTRIDGE ALIGNMENT Enter your tonearm's effective length (or pivot-to-spindle distance) and Groove gives you the exact overhang, offset angle, and null points. Choose your geometry: Baerwald (Löfgren A), Löfgren B, or Stevenson, against IEC or DIN groove radii. The math is the classic Löfgren/Baerwald two-null solution — verified against the published reference values, not guessed.

RESONANCE MATCH The single most-asked vinyl question: is my cartridge a good match for my arm? Enter the arm's effective mass and the cartridge's compliance and mass, and Groove shows the tonearm/cartridge resonance frequency — with a clear read on whether it lands in the 8–11 Hz sweet spot, below it (warp and footfall trouble), or above it (into the audible band). Cartridge spec'd at 100 Hz? One toggle converts it.

CARTRIDGE LOADING Dial in the electrical load. For moving-magnet cartridges, Groove adds your cable and phono-stage capacitance and compares it to the cartridge's target. For moving-coil, it gives the recommended load impedance.

SAVED PER TURNTABLE Keep your deck's numbers in a saved profile so you're not re-entering them every time you swap a cartridge or check resonance.

SOURCE-CITED, ALWAYS Every figure names its authority — Löfgren and Baerwald for alignment, Hi-Fi News for the resonance window, the IEC/DIN groove standards, Vinyl Engine and Korf Audio for the reference tables. A Sources screen links them all. Groove tells you where each number comes from so you can verify it yourself.

BUILT RIGHT • Works fully offline — no account, no tracking, no data collected. • Dark theme, full Dynamic Type, and VoiceOver support. • Universal — iPhone and iPad.

FREE, WITH AN OPTIONAL ONE-TIME UNLOCK Groove is free to use: Baerwald alignment (IEC and DIN), the full resonance calculator, the setup reference, and one saved turntable.

Groove Pro is a single one-time purchase — no subscription — that adds: • Löfgren B and Stevenson alignments • Cartridge loading (MM capacitance budget and MC impedance) • Unlimited saved turntables

GOOD TO KNOW Groove is a setup aid, not a substitute for your tonearm and cartridge manuals. Compliance and mass figures come from your cartridge's published specs; confirm against the manufacturer. A printable on-screen protractor is on the way in a future update — for now Groove gives you the precise numbers to set on your own protractor.