Turntable belt/pulley help- kind of urgent


So, I got a Denon DP 300F a few weeks ago. until today I didn't have a cartridge installed, so I didn't play it. After lots of hassle, I bought and installed a Shure M97XE cartridge, aligned it, etc. Then I tried to play a record but the platter would not spin. I googled the manual, and apparently there was something wrong with the belt. So I took the belt out, rearranged it around the pulleys about a dozen different ways, and still nothing. Can someone please explain to me how to position the belt so I can get my platter working??
There's a link to the manual here: http://a248.e.akamai.net/pix.crutchfield.com/Manuals/033/033DP300F.PDF

please help! any help at all would be greatly appreciated. :) (also, I'm a noob so if I've done anything stupid but taking the belt out, etc, cut me some slack).
toxicwaterfront
Evidently you did not need to remove the belt. Did you find the ribbon tape the manual tells you to use to pull the belt over the pulley? Is the pulley (motor spindle) bent or broken? Where did you put the belt back on. In the diagram of the instruction manual the belt is attached to the underside of the platter. Are you putting the belt around the top of the platter?
Okay,I'm aware I sound like an idiot here, but I figured the belt thing out. apparently I had to leave it on the platter.

Anyway, I've come across another problem. The platter spins, I can hear the cartridge tracking the record, all cartridge wires are connected and in the correct spots, I've set the tracking force/alignment to an approximately accurate value (without the help of a gauge, which might have been the source of the problem, but I doubt it).

All cables from the turntable to the amp (which is a NAD C315BEE integrated amp) are connected.

All cables from the amp to the speakers (Wharfedale Diamond 10.1). Unless I'm missing something and the speakers have a hidden power button, everything is fine.

Except...no sound is coming out of the speakers. None at all. I can hear the tracking sound coming from the turntable itself, but nothing else.

Help?
Are the phono cables from the turntable plugged into the PHONO input on the NAD and is PHONO selected as the source on the NAD?

Also, were the cartridge wires in the headshell connected?

Ciao,
Audioquest4life
Check the mute button on your amp. Don't laugh, it's happened to me before !!!!
Your NAD C315BEE has no "Phono" input. The signal from a phono cartridge is MUCH lower than that from a CD player, tuner, etc. and another stage of amplification is required to bring the signal up to normal level. Some integrated amps already have this, and call it the "Phono" input. You need a separate phono box for moving magnet (MM) cartridge - your turntable plugs in to this, and you need an extra stereo RCA interconnect to run from the phono box's output into any unused input on your NAD. NAD makes well-reviewed phono boxes. Another that comes to mind is the Cambridge 640P. Note that a MC (moving coil) input is not necessary, as your Shure is MM.

PS - You do not sound like an idiot, we all went through this when we first started to listen to vinyl.
Phono preamp. Hopefully, somewhere hidden amongst your equipment is something called a phono preamp. (Sorry, I just couldn't help myself.). It looks like your TT may have one built in and they call it an EQ and not a phono preamp. If your TT is plugged into a phono stage on your amp, leave the EQ on the TT off. If the TT is plugged into a regular input (non-phono) on the NAD, turn the EQ on the TT on. I'm pretty sure that is the problem.
I don't see any phono input on the back of the amp. You might need a phono preamp in between the 'table and the amp, but I'm taking a stab in the dark here since I'm not familiar with your equipment.
Hello Toxicwaterfront, The NAD integrated has no phono stage so the input signal is to low. You will need to add a separate Phono stage or a preamp with a built in phono stage.

I would encourage you to get local help from a dealer or another audiophile as playing LP's requires a basic level of competence. I think anyone can learn this information but, at least for me, it is easier to learn by seeing.

Good Luck !
the Denon DP 300F has a built on phono stage.

"The DP-300F includes a built-in phono equalizer to connect the player to an integrated amp or receiver that does not have its own phono input."
Your Denon table DOES NOT need a separate phono stage. There is a small switch under the platter that needs to be turned ON when you are playing your vinyl. Pull the platter, check the switch to confirm it is in the ON position.
Best Regards!
And, there is never a stupid question. That is what these forums are all about.
Let us know if you get it working.
Thank you! especially @Blk25.
My turntable does come with a phono pre-amp, but I assumed it was just automatically on because they never mentioned it in the manual. Apparently, they called it the 'equalizer switch' instead, which I had turned off. Now that I've turned it on, sound IS coming from the speakers, just at a low volume (even with the volume on high), which I think has to do with the fact that I haven't properly placed the speakers. I'm going to delete my other thread (if I even can do that) and I'll let you guys know what happens.
"...a small switch under the platter that needs to be turned ON..."  Who invents this stuff? Why wouldn't the phono output jacks be live all the time (like they are on most every other table)? Just another mean-spirited trick being played on another unsuspecting newby. Thankfully, there are users on this forum who figure this stuff out. I would never have guessed there was a switch under the platter. 

Tonykay There really is a built in MM  phono stage that can be turned on/off. I turned it off,  because I was using my own phono stage in an old Fisher 400 receiver.   The  access is through a  hole in the aluminum alloy platter.  I suppose you can just lift off the platter as well.

Returning to the original question yes it's true about the built in phono on that table.  If you leave it on, I think the sound quality would suffer, if you then put it through another phono stage.