Antiskating .... The last analog secret



excellent condition
hardly used


no, I didn't do that :)

I think, there is a difference between Antiskating and the right Antiskating.
Calibration with a blank surface is not always the 100% solution.
What do you think?
thomasheisig

Showing 3 responses by kirkus

I would like to add that the existance of skating forces, and their ill effects, are absolutely NOT in question! They are simple and Newtonian, and can be calculated and compensated for with reasonable accuracy . . . but getting it right in the real world is not a simple matter.

From the years I spent setting up a handful of high-end turntables every month, with myriad cartridges, tonearms, etc. I can attest to the accuracy and repeatability of using test records, and equalizing the trackability between both channels . . . but for good results, a consensus of SEVERAL different test records is necessary, as is a good 'feel' for any measurement equipment used. This is complicated by the fact that many cartridges simply don't track well, or may have tracking problems on one channel, independent of correct anti-skating adjustment, and a good many tonearms don't have consistent, repeatable anti-skating compensation mechanisms -- so experience is necessary to know when to stop measuring, and leave well enough alone . . . or to replace the defective part - usually, the cartridge.

I agree very much with Raul and Nsgarch in that the sensitivity of various cartridge/tonearm combinations to anti-skating is huge, and that it affects many other factors other than the groove/stylus relative pressure. Doug's setup methodology is pretty close . . . but anti-skating adjustment CANNOT be properly made at anything other than the final tracking force, as they interact quite a bit.

I also find some correlation between those who prefer no anti-skating, and those tonearms that have really silly, poorly-engineered anti-skating mechanisms. In my experience, virtually anything that uses fishing-line is highly inconsistent . . . and it's really a shame that many otherwise fine tonearms (SME, etc.) use this arrangement. And the whole "twist the tonearm leads" thing . . . seems obvious why the proponents of this method don't "believe" in anti-skating.

But with a good magnetic or temperature-compensated spring arrangement on a low-friction gimballed tonearm, it's been my experience that the measured/test record results have usually been pretty close to the manufacturer's scale indication. So my recommendation for the novice is this:

1. Get all of the geometry absolutely as spot-on as you can, set the VTF on the high side of the cartridge manufacturer's recommendations.
2. Set the anti-skating in accordance to the tonearm manufacturer's instructions. If you find their anti-skating methodology too vague and hokey for your taste, then get another tonearm . . . as you will probably always find the whole tonearm too tweaky and fussy. If tweaky/fussy is your thing, then enjoy.
3. If you find that you consistently hear more mistracking on the left channel, slightly reduce your anti-skating. The opposite applies for the right-channel. If you don't hear any mistracking problems, then don't worry about it. Listen to music.
4. If the tracking performance is always poor, or a well-engineered anti-skating system can't correct a channel-tracking bias . . . and you're sure about #1 above . . . then there's probably something wrong with the cartridge.

As for Thomasheisig's picture - I simply don't believe that this was caused by incorrect antiskating adjustment . . . the tonearm would simply fly across the record WAY before this would happen to the cartridge. If this occured over time, then maybe the tonearm had a problem with its lateral bearing, but that's still unlikely. Probably somebody bashed it. Duh.
This whole "we don't listen to test records, so they don't matter" concept makes no sense to me. The reason I use test records is because when I listen to music, I DON'T want to think about turntable setup!! I want to know it's right, and enjoy the music . . . without mistracking.

Anti-skating adjustment is one thing that affects tracking ability, and tracking ability is the one parameter that anti-skating adjustment affects the most. Period. And if you want to know the tracking ability of your turntable setup, a test record is the fastest and most accurate way to ascertain it. Simply put, it's the correct tool for the job.

But if you're unfamiliar with how to get good results with these tools, or your tools aren't in good condition . . . then yes, a test record can be misleading. Just like if you don't know how to use a multimeter (or you have an inaccurate one), then testing 9V batteries with it may be problematic . . . but this doesn't mean that using your tongue is better!

A good multimeter is the proper instrument for testing 9V batteries, and the human tongue is the proper instrument for tasting food and drink. So for those that feel test records are useless . . . how do you think we should align tape decks? Or FM tuners? Or amplifier idle current?

I have a photo of a General Electric 2-way radio service facility from the late 1960s . . . a big sign is posted above the test benches that reads "TWIDDLERS WASTE TIME . . . AND MONEY!! FOLLOW PROPER SERVICE PROCEDURES!!" I couldn't agree more.
I have never analyzed this with free body diagrams or whatever, but I'm pretty sure that the more accurately the cartridge is aligned the less those skating force magnitudes get.
There's simply no way this is the case - the change in the skating force vectors is miniscule with changes in things like overhang, azimuth, and VTA. Now VTF, of course. But I absolutely agree with you in the sense that the more precisely the cartridge is aligned . . . the better the system performance, in virtually every aspect.

I have NEVER experienced a changed in the perceived dynamics when adjusting a well-designed (repeatable) anti-skating compensation mechanism, on a well-matched arm/cartridge combination. With some of the fishing-line things, I've experienced all manner of weird side-effects.

I HAVE experienced what you describe as "crushing the dynamics", but I associate this specifically with a arm/cartridge combinations with very low resonant frequencies, i.e. 6-8 Hz. I will admit that I have never really tried to tweek such a combination to sonic perfection, and I can conceive of how anti-skating adjustment could interact differently in these situations than in my experience. But I've always found that I prefer the performance of arm/cartrige combinations that resonate at somewhat higher frequencies, and tonearms with very accurate, repeatable VTF and anti-skating adjustments. And with these, my measured data the my listening experiences have a good correlation.