The Wand Turntable™ 14-4 Features

• 12in, 10.3in or 9.5in

• 14” Smart Platter & Wand® tonearms.
Four layers for damping.
• Swiss made flat belt
• Acrylic surface matched
• Optional on-board
to record vinyl.
phono stage (TBA)
• Speed sensed from
• Clamp as standard
platter for stable pitch.
• German Plywood chassis
• Tensioned silicone cord
& anti-vibration shape.
suspension.
• Zentroidal suspension
• Low noise main bearing.
system, near playing arc.
• Electronic braking
• Lid as standard
• DC motor & large pulley
• 33 or 45rpm switched
• Labyrinth motor mount electronically.

• 2 Year Warranty • 11kg without arm

Your Turntable was designed and hand-made in Aotearoa / New Zealand by design build listen Ltd.
www.designbuildlisten.com P.O.Box 32, Motueka 7143, New Zealand Ph; +64-21-502037

Turntable Your turntable was hand built for you by; Date; Arm Model
Serial Number & Serial No.

Check what we have sent you;

Turntable Parts Supplied Sent Check Arm parts if supplied Sent Check
Power supply 1 Arm setup protractor 1
Power cord 1 Cartridge Screws 1 set
Platter & Clamp 1+1 Extra balance plates 1
Spirit Level 1 Hex keys 1
Belt 1 Phil of tonearm oil 1
Spare Ball 1 Anti-skate weight 1
Bearing Oil (In a larger bottle) 1 Cartridge spacer 2

You may need; Cloth (for supporting arm) / Philips screwdriver / Small screwdriver (cartridge
screws) / Tweezers or long nose pliers.
1. A Unpacking and Setting up The Wand Turntable
2.
Step 1; Open the carton and lift out the inner box
Open the inner box where indicated.
Step 2; Lift out the accessory box and lid
Step 3; Lift out the turntable
Step 4; Lift out platter box and power cord

Step 5; Pull the spindle out and add 8-12 drops to the
well and a smear of oil down the side of the shaft before
putting it back (we don’t ship it fully oiled to stop it leaking
in transit)

Step 6; Plug the wire from the power supply into the socket on the side of the turntable. (But
don’t plug into the mains power yet)

Step 7; Lower the platter gently over the spindle. Add the small black mat in the middle.
The platter should spin easily. If it doesn’t, lift off the platter / spindle and check there is a chrome ball in the
bottom of the well (a spare is also supplied). This is hard to see but a cotton bud helps by moving it around.
 B Adding the belt
Step 1; Add the belt onto the lower (small) part of the pulley.
Hint; start near the tonearm mount and move with both hands
around the platter, then slip over the pulley.

Rotate platter by hand, one full revolution.


✓
Step 2; Plug the power pack into the mains supply (120 to 240V 50/60Hz) wall socket.
(The standby power usage is <0.5W/h) A power cord for your market is supplied.

Alternately, a Wand EV Battery supply or a 24V Linear power supply may be used (with 2.1mm
centre positive plug, such as iFi Elite or S-Booster with yellow plug)

C Fitting & Balancing the Cartridge (Also video of this on our website)
Step 1; Rough Balance
• One plate is fitted to the arm as shipped. This is fine for the
majority of cartridges. Plates
• But if your cartridge is light (<7g) use the smaller weight. 2
1
(If this is too much, add the supplied weight to the headshell) 3
• If your cartridge is heavier (>11g) it is likely you will need
more plates.
• Extra plates can be ordered for really heavy cartridges (>15g)

Why The Plates? One of the key design aspects of The Wand Tonearm is
to minimize the effects of vibration by minimizing the size of the of the rear
weight. The plates are rigidly attached and also provide azimuth adjustment.

Step 2; Attaching the cartridge Where possible use the screws that come with your cartridge. But
we have also provided some M2.5 screws and nuts. (They won’t fit all cartridges)
• Hint; When attaching the cartridge, sit the heavy end of the arm on a cloth to stop it rolling around.
Long Female Nut inserts are available if you need to attach the screws from the bottom. Just ask.

WARNING; Be careful, cartridges

are easily damaged.

• Use your stylus guard.

• Screws should be done up
firmly but not over-tightened.
• We cannot be liable for
damage to the cartridge either
in installation or use.
Step 3; Attach the Leads to the cartridge

Left (Black)
Blue=Left Ground
White=Left + / Hot

Red=Right + / Hot
Green=Right Ground
Right (Red)

Cartridge Spacer / Headshell Weight Option;

You have been provided with a two small metal plate with two holes.
These may be put between the cartridge and the arm in three circumstances;
• If the cartridge is too light to balance
• If the cartridge suits a heavier arm (These add 2g or 5g) eg; Denon DL103
• If the cartridge is short or touches the carbon fibre when installed.
NOTE; Vertical Tracking Angle may need to be higher than indicated in section B4

D Fitting the Arm Wand & Checking Overhang

Step 1; Sit arm wand on spindle
Feed the arm wand down over the spindle as
shown at right (simplified drawing for clarity)

Step 2; Ensure the two clamping screws are loosened

slightly (1/4 turn anticlockwise)
IMPORTANT! Make sure the turntable plinth is level at
this point (after adding the arm wand)
 Step 3; Use the 1-2-3 instructions on the protractor; see below

Step 4; Then look down from above at the sides of the tonearm and note how they align with
the red lines above.
If they are Clockwise of the arm, turn the screw (below) Anticlockwise. Keeping the tip on the
crosshairs. (Obvious note, don’t have your naked stylus on the plastic. But works quite well
with guard on)

E Vertical Tracking Angle Refinement (Optional)

Step 1: Ensure VTA Clamp is loosened. The clamp screw for VTA is here>
But will normally be not so visible, as below (Master)

Step 2: Use the parallel lines on the protractor to give the alignment you prefer. This will
depend both how the stylus is fitted to the cantilever but ultimately relies on personal preference
from listening. The Wand Master tonearm can be adjusted in height using the dial on top of the
VTA tower. Plus models have to be lifted by hand.
 F Guiding the wires; This is important as they
can push the arm around.
Step 1: Feed the wire as shown to where the end of the
black braid stops at the hook

Step 2: Slot into upright guide Step 3: Slip the braid into the rear clip (or clamp)

G
Vertical Balance & Sideways Balance (VTF & Azimuth)
Step 1; Vertical Balance (Tracking weight, as recommended by your cartridge maker.)
Use a balance scale (15mN = 1.5g etc)……….. and rotate the rear bolt to set fine balance.
Too light; Wind bolt in
or take off a plate if the bolt is right in
(see section A1).
Lift the arm off the scale when doing this.

Correct; Back part is level

Too heavy; Wind bolt out

or put on a plate if the bolt is right out
(see section A1).
Lift the arm off the scale when doing this.

Step 2; Side Balance (Azimuth); Aim; To have the stylus standing vertical in the groove (Viewed from
the front). Visually use the protractor as shown below.
Adjust side balance by moving the rear balance plate as below (Shown as red)

We also recommend: ‘Fozgometer’ or ‘Wally Tools’

 Add antiskate force; (Approximate only, refine by ear or test record as desired. Many users favour none)
Hint; To stop the loop slipping towards the body you can slide the rubber plug along the rod.
Tracking Weight / g Position A-C (below) C
< 1.0g No Weight B
A
1.0-1.6 C
1.6-2.2g B
>2.2 g A

Plug tonearm wires into amplifier.

Red into Right, Black to Left & green wire to green earth post
(If no earth post, try attaching to amplifier chassis)
Our wiring is low capacitance so some cartridges maybe better with more.

H
3. Running The Wand Turntable
4.
Step 1; Level the turntable by adjusting the height of the
three suspension feet under the plinth. >>
Clockwise to wind them down (raising the plinth).
A small spirit level is provided.

Step 2; Place a record on the platter

Step 3; If you chose, screw the record clamp down clockwise to flatten warped records.
Note; It will depend on the record if this helps. You will get fine results without it on most
records.

Step 4; Rotate the speed selector switch clockwise; Off>33rpm>45

The light under the switch will pulse until it gets to the
required speed. For critical listening wait 20s after turning
on the motor before starting to listen.

Stopping; Rotate the switch anti-clockwise to stop. There

is a small amount of electronic braking to aid the quick
changing of records. This is most noticeable when
changing down from the higher speeds.
Lid; See below for lid placement when not in use.

Notes;

Turntable earth; There is a screw on the back

of the turntable by the serial number that can be
used for earthing the turntable if noise or static
are a problem.

Maintenance;
Turntable; The ply can be rejuvenated using a clear beeswax polish.
Once every 12 months clean the oil out of the turntable bearing with a cotton bud and replace with the
supplied oil 8-10 drops)
Arm; Re-grease the arm bearing tip with the oil supplied. (Touch a toothpick in the oil and then on the
top of the spindle as shown. Only a very small amount is needed>>)

Problem Solving;
If the cartridge is not performing well;
• Check the stylus is clean.
• Check the cartridge tracking weight.
• Check the wires are not pushing the arm sideways.

If at any stage the turntable stops and the speed switch flashes continuously, this indicates the
turntable hasn’t reached the correct speed.
Turn the switch off and try again.
Check;
• The belt is on
• The platter is in the ‘play’ position (not the ‘transit’ position)
• The ball is down the bottom of the bearing well.

Notes; This unit is comes with a two-year Warranty.

• Don’t ship the turntable with the arm on the spindle or the platter mounted on the bearing.
• Black and silver metal parts may be lightly oiled to keep them looking good. (Do in humid climates)
• We continuously improve our product, the parts shown here may be slightly different from yours.

The Wand is a work of art.

If you can afford The Wand - get it
Paul Rigby / Audiophile Man
On awarding the 14-4 10/10 www.thewandtonearm.com
© 2024 design build listen Ltd. v1