Cambridge Audio Alva TT v2 Tips & Tricks

If you are reading this, you are likely either the lucky new owner of a Cambridge Audio TT V2, or perhaps you are considering purchasing one and are wondering how the setup will go. For those of you who are new owners, congratulations!

Setting up your Cambridge Audio Alva TT V2 turntable can be fun and go smoothly if you are prepared for everything you will need in advance. We hope this guide enables you to spin some vinyl and enjoy music faster than you expected.

Prepare Where Your Turntable Will Be Positioned

Choosing the ideal location for your Alva TT V2 is the first step toward a successful setup. Get your turntable off to a good start by putting it on a solid, level surface. If you have large speakers it's a good idea to keep your new turntable away from them to avoid acoustic feedback. Acoustic feedback is a howling sound you will only need to hear once to know you have done something wrong!  

You will want to set your turntable up so that it is pretty close to your amplifier or phono preamp. It is important to remember that the cables coming out of your turntable are carrying a very low-level signal and are short on purpose for this reason. You do not want to have an AC power cord running parallel to them.

Unbox Your Turntable

When it's time to unbox your turntable we suggest doing so either on the floor or on a table near where its final position will be. Lay everything out so it's easy to get to and be sure to save all the packing, which will come in handy if you move. 

Now you can go ahead and put your turntable in the spot you picked out for it.

Make the Audio Connections

We feel it is best to connect everything before you get to the final assembly. It's easier to reach all sides of the turntable when it is not fully assembled and everything should still be protected at this point.  

Your Alva turntable comes with a pair of audio cables and a separate ground wire. If you are going to use the built-in phono preamp in your Alva TT V2, you will not need the ground wire. Connect the cable with a red ring to the red connector and the one with the black ring to the white connector. These cables will connect to an AUX-type input on your integrated amp or receiver. Do not connect them to the one labeled phono and be sure the little switch next to the phono connections is set to LINE. 

If you are going to use a separate phono preamp or the one built into your unit, connect the ground wire to the back of the turntable. In this case, the other end of the RCA cables will go into your phono preamp.

Make the Power Connections

Find the power adapter that matches the outlets in your country, snap it into the plug end, and connect the other end of this cable to the power connection on the back of your Alva TT V2. Make sure this power cable does not run parallel to the audio cables coming out of your turntable. 

Start Assembly

Carefully center the platter on the bearing and lower it down. The platter weighs 5 pounds so be careful.

Balance the Arm and Set Anti-Skate

Make sure the tonearm is still locked down then twist the counterweight onto the back of the tonearm, being sure that the section with the lines on it is pointing towards the front of the turntable. Position it about halfway in.

Install the headshell onto the end of the tonearm and tighten the bayonet connection until it is snug. Then remove the stylus guard by carefully pulling it straight down. Hang on to the guard so you can put it back on when you clean your turntable.

Make sure the anti-skate is set to zero.  

Now we are going to balance the tonearm. Unlock the arm and move the rear counterweight forwards or backward until the tonearm achieves zero gravity and is just floating. Then, while holding the back part of the counterweight with one hand, rotate the part with the lines on it until a larger white line is pointing straight up. Now turn the whole counterweight counterclockwise while counting through 4 larger white lines, which will put you at 2 grams of tracking force. Each larger line represents .5 grams.

Lock the tonearm down and turn the anti-skate dial to be at 2.0.

Bluetooth

Like all Bluetooth devices with no display to show what they are connecting to you will need to shut down any other Bluetooth devices nearby. This way the Alva TT V2 doesn’t grab those instead of the Bluetooth headphones or receiver you are trying to connect to. If your device has an app that lets you see the devices, that will be very helpful, but not all do. Make sure the turntable is powered on, move the Bluetooth slider to the on position, and press the pairing button until the light starts flashing. Now it should connect to your device, although if you are using an app, you may have to choose it.

Enjoy Some Music

Put on your favorite album and press the correct speed button. Make sure the cueing arm is in the up position, move the tonearm over the beginning of your record, lower the cue and enjoy the music!

Care and Maintenance

To protect your turntable, install the dust cover. It simply drops into the two rear slots. We feel you get a very minor improvement in performance if you remove the dust cover when you are playing records.

Your turntable also comes with a nice stylus cleaning brush. We suggest you use the brush after.

We hope this quick setup guide explains everything you need to know to enjoy your vinyl with the Cambridge Audio TT V2. If you have any questions, you can chat with an expert at AudioAdvice.com, call us, or visit one of our world-class showrooms.

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