Anti skate. I think something's wrong

Is the left channel still stronger?

Seems like your AS calibration is weak. You shouldn't be maxed out on the dial. If it's still not centered, you should get it fixed, IMO.

Skating force varies with groove velocity and offset angle and while there might be no perfect setting, it is possible to find an appropriate setting for your situation, and fine tune by ear.

The Almarg method of obversation is appropriate IMO. Just remember AS force is applied to the arm and you generally want the cantilever to be deflected equally toward the outside or inside.  All of the settings effect all the others. Alignment, VTF, SRA/VTA, azimuth, are are all interrelated.

fleib

Stringreen,

You're rather insulting to those of us with a different point of view.  Not only that, you don't know what you're talking about.  If you can't hear channel imbalance w/o anti-skate, then you have a linear arm or a hearing problem.

Regards,

Years ago ('80s) part of my job was checking for stylus wear.  Ever see a tip well worn only on one side?   Think skating might have something to do with that?

The purpose of anti skating is to keep the cart moving assembly centered in the groove, putting relatively even pressure on each groove wall and consequently having appropriate deflections from said groove walls.

If your image is consistently off to one side or the other, perhaps it reflects uneven cantilever/tip centering as a result of incorrect AS applied to a pivoting arm. This is a type of distortion.  The information on the record is not being reproduced with correct amplitude, channel to channel.  Some information will tend to get buried in the mix, and other info. might be more prominent than intended.

Why are heavy trackers more immune to the affects of skating?  The down force (VTF) is great enough to overcome most of the skating force
mis-centering.

If your goal is to reduce torsional forces on the cantilever, then look to arms with no offset.

fleib

Lewm, Your point is moot. Obviously skating is caused by friction, but why is there skating on a pivoted arm and not on linear?

Skating is caused by both lack of tangency and offset angle, and is still present at null points due to offset.  Why does a pivoting arm with no offset (RS Labs) still have some skating?  Lack of tangency. 

Regards,

Lewm, you're welcome, and thank you for admitting, I am mooter than thou.

You're right about most linear arms lack of tangency. Often the pivot is playing catch-up, but to what degree is there alignment error and how does this compare to pivoted arms? 

Regards,

Stringreen, you make a valid point. The reason some prefer an underhung straight tracker is because of reduction of torsional forces on the cantilever. This is despite a large increase in alignment error.

A case could be made for either approach.

Regards,

To describe skating force as constantly changing and therefore any setting will be imperfect, is accurate but deceptive.  It is accurate that skating varies with groove velocity and offset angle, but deceptive to apply the word perfect to the physical playing of a phonograph record.

I don't adjust AS by seeing how the stylus behaves in a blank groove. That seems pretty stupid.  If you observe the cantilever from the front while your "typical" music is playing, and repeat this observation, you might get an idea of the error your headshell position is to the centering of the cartridge.  In a perfect world your cantilever should be centered over the groove.  Antiskate is a force applied to the arm in an attempt to do just that.

What is groove velocity?  The velocity of stylus deflections (bouncing off side walls) in-groove. Since the groove is constantly moving it's the job of the arm to be both a stable platform for the cart and a perfect follower of the groove as it moves toward the spindle. Why the uneven tip wear if such is the case?  Having a poorly centered cart is to encourage channel imbalance - uneven cantilever deflections with respect to L and R. 

If someone hasn't heard channel imbalance due to AS, then they've been using heavy trackers or lack powers of observation. This is obvious with low VTF carts where channel imbalance is more dramatic and immediate. I think you'll find, there is no completely right answer.  With lower cu carts you're choosing between physical centering and increased torsional affects on the cantilever from AS.  

fleib

Sorry, my last sentence should have read: 
 With lower cu carts you're choosing between physical centering with increased torsional affects on the cantilever,  or no increase in torsional affects with possible uneven wear.

Moonglum,

No antiskate is a viable option provided VTF is great enough to prevent mistracking. This is not always an option, especially for high cu carts and low VTF.

Look at the physics from a mechanical perspective. You're messing with the pressure on the groove walls by the cantilever/stylus.  I don't know how anyone could miss channel imbalance with a high cu cart.

Regards,