On the turntable itself, there are two variables that need to be adjusted to get you started: the counterweight, adjustable at the base of the turntable arm, and the anti-skate dial. This part is a little complicated, but if you’ve ever had your needle slide across a record, fine-tuning these settings will fix it.

The counterweight controls how much downward or “tracking” pressure is exerted on the needle. With too little pressure, your records are likely to skip, and with too much, you could potentially damage your records or the needle. The key for getting the correct tracking force is to first “zero” the weight by putting just enough force on the arm to make the cartridge suspended in air, between the up and down positions. After setting the weight to zero, adjust it to the correct tracking force by turning the weight to a number based on your cartridge. Tracking force is measured in grams. The tracking force will generally be between one and two grams for audiophile cartridges, and three and five grams for DJ cartridges, but a cartridge’s documentation should say the specific recommendations. The anti-skate dial counteracts a horizontal force that takes place during playback, and is another setting that keeps your records from skipping. It’s usually set to the same number as the tracking force.

For powered speakers and lower-cost stereo configurations, plugging in speakers can be pretty simple. But for older equipment and higher-end speakers that draw power from the amp, it can involve cutting speaker cable, stripping the wire casing to expose about a 3/4" strip of copper wire, and connecting the cable to the terminals on the rear of the speakers.

Speaker cables have two strands, and speaker connections have two connections, labeled red (positive) and black (negative). When attaching speaker wire, it’s important that the polarity of the connections should line up properly. Correct polarity ensures that the two speakers are working together. If the left speaker is red-to-red while the right is red-to-black, then one speaker will be sucking in air while the other is pushing it out, muddying the sound.

When setting up speakers in a room, there are a few simple things to keep in mind. The further the speakers are from reflecting surfaces like floors and walls, the more airy and spacious and “accurate” they will sound. In general, you’ll get clearer sound when you keep the speakers out of the corners and move them out a bit from the wall. Conversely, the closer your speakers are to reflecting surfaces, the more bass you will get. So if you have small speakers that seem light on bass, putting them in the corners will give them some additional low end. The ideal listening position for stereo sound is usually considered to be something like an equilateral triangle, with the listener sitting in one corner and the two speakers in the others.

Once you’re done, congratulations: You won’t have to mess with any of this again for some time—unless you want to. And when you do, you’ll be coming at the situation with some experience.

Happy spinning!