Clearaudio Trackability Test Record - 180g

The Clearaudio Trackability Test Record — Finding Where Your Cartridge Gives Up

A test record on 180 g vinyl, sold singly, built around one central measurement: the amplitude of a 315 Hz signal is increased steadily as the record plays, and you listen for the point at which your arm and cartridge stop following it.

That point is a real number for your particular combination, and it is not on any specification sheet. A cartridge's published tracking ability is measured in a laboratory on a laboratory arm; what yours does in your arm at your tracking force is a different question.

Accuracy, Range and Fit

The 315 Hz Sweep

315 Hz is the standard reference frequency for tracking measurement, and increasing amplitude progressively is how the limit is found. When the stylus can no longer stay in the groove, the sound breaks up audibly — you do not need instruments to hear it.

What you learn is actionable. If mistracking arrives earlier than the cartridge's rating suggests it should, the usual causes are tracking force set too light, antiskating set wrongly, or an arm and cartridge that are a poor compliance match.

What Else Is on the Disc

Clearaudio includes tests for left-right channel assignment, antiskating adjustment, azimuth adjustment, and wow and flutter, plus a concentric groove for checking eccentricity. That covers most of what can be set by ear on a turntable.

The concentric groove is the quietly useful one. A groove cut as a perfect circle should produce silence; anything you hear is the record or the spindle running off center, which is otherwise very hard to diagnose.

Who Is This Test Record Best For?

• You have just fitted a cartridge — this tells you whether the setup is actually working
• You suspect mistracking — inner-groove distortion has several causes and this narrows them
• You are setting antiskating by ear — there is a dedicated track for it rather than guesswork
• You want to check wow and flutter — a speed problem sounds like a cartridge problem until you test for it
• Your turntable has no adjustments — a test record tells you what is wrong but cannot fix it; the tools are in cartridge alignment tools

How Do You Use It?

Set tracking force and antiskating to your cartridge's specification first, then play the tracking test and note where breakup starts. Adjust one thing at a time and repeat — changing two settings between runs tells you nothing about which one mattered.

Pairs Well With

What most owners use alongside a test record.

• Stylus force gauges — the first thing to adjust when tracking is marginal
• Cartridge alignment tools — what you use to act on a test record's findings
• Replacement styli — what mistracking eventually costs
• Test records — the rest of the range

Frequently Asked Questions

How accurate is it?

It measures your actual arm and cartridge rather than estimating from a specification. The 315 Hz amplitude sweep is the standard method for tracking ability, and the breakup point is audible rather than requiring instruments.

What does it test?

Tracking ability via the 315 Hz sweep, plus left-right assignment, antiskating, azimuth, wow and flutter, and a concentric groove for eccentricity.

Do I need test equipment to use it?

Not for most of it. The tracking, antiskating and channel tests are judged by ear. Wow and flutter can be measured properly with software if you want a number.

What if my cartridge mistracks early?

Check tracking force first, then antiskating. If both are correct and it still mistracks early, the arm and cartridge may be a poor compliance match.

Is 180 g vinyl relevant to a test record?

It is about flatness and stability rather than sound. A test disc needs to sit flat and run true, since the whole point is measuring something other than the record.

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