Anti skate. I think something's wrong


I have an Acoustic Signiture TT with a Graham 2.2 tonearm and Ortofon Cadenza Bronze cartridge. My anti skate is set close to tracking weight and it would always dig to in inside when I would start a record. I read this is wrong so I got my Cardas test record out and placed it in smooth section and it imediately gravitated to inside. I adjusted anti skate to where cartridge slighty pulls to inside . Here is the problem. To get this I'm having to adjust anti skate to the max. I rechecked TT and it is right on level wise. I have less sibilence now and swear the two channels are more even. The right channel has always been just slightly lower than left in volume. The only qualm I have is the max antiskate I have to use. Is bearing bad? I have the blue fluid. Or I shouldn't worry and enjoy the music. Mike
128x128blueranger

Showing 5 responses by stringreen

There is no way to measure/adjust anti-skate properly...it is a constantly changing force, and is so small that it is unnecessary. It only distorts the tracking of the arm...provides unnecessary damping .....not for me.
Inna....if you can't hear that no a/s is better, then your hearing is impaired,  your system is not good enough or set up carefully enough.  Harry of VPI doesn't use a/s either.   I have had cartridges for years with no ill effects of not using a/s. These pages exist for those who seek points of view that may require a more open mind with removal from the rear end.
now, now boys......what I say is that a/s can never be adjusted properly,.. and does harm to the end result than to use it. It produces a force which prevents the stylus from being free to respond to the undulations of the record, and thus closes in the sound. The absence of a/s opens the sound and I certainly can hear it on my system. I wrote what I did to encourage people to listen with and without to determine what’s best for you. Soundsmith proposes using it because he fixes cartridges and it seems right for him. Harry builds turntables and doesn’t use a/s on his tables, but includes the mechanism because of market wishes. I don’t use Harry’s twist method which is another means of using anti-skate. I don’t care if anyone uses it or not...only recommend listening and deciding for yourself. That’s what these pages are for. I can tell you that with my system if I use my Ortofon, Benz, or Dyna cartridges, they all sound better with no a/s....and not only is the sound better, but I never have tracking issues with any of the cartridges...no sibilant S's, no unexpected fuzzy sound in the louder sections... nothing.
I think all this discussion of anti-skate is interesting.   My object for deciding to us a/s or not is that when listening to a record, there is an ease in the sound that changes to something else when I apply a/s.  The object of all of this is to get sound that is closest to a live performance (I know that I can get it close but somehow..) Anyway...s/f is applied to counteract the inward moving force of the arm.  What we forget is that the arm is succumbing to that force by moving in that direction anyway.  I am a musician, not a physicist, but the thing simply sounds better on MY system with any cartridge I have installed with no a/s.  If that damages my stylus so be it....I don't have a balloon raise my car off the ground to safeguard my tires...just the cost of doing business.