Different Anitskate for Rock vs. Classical

Too much VTF & AS can lead to bent cantilevers over time or increase the frequency of the need to retip. Also, a general rule of thumb some people use is set AS to 1/3 of VTF and use that as the starting point. Just don't buy any 2nd hand cartridges from this guy.

Porziob,

Trust me it works wonderfully. Think about it as well. I am visually checking on a blank record that the arm is not moving too fast towards the center to need antiskate. How is it a hair brained scheme. Honestly, it is the simplest method. It will save so many so much grief that they will wonder why they struggled so long.

It is nothing new. Many people recommend using a blank side to check antiskate. I just am giving you recommendations to allow you to get to near perfect results very quickly.

His comments are directed to me. Here is the gentleman's email to me offering his generous advice:

****Since it`s your system, you can set the anti skating by ear if you wish. What crtg. are you using @ what ntracking force. Tracking @ too light a force can wreak havoc on the anti skating as well as the record as the stylus swings from one groove wall to the other damaging the vinyl. I`d track @ the mfg.`s MAXIMUM suggested force particularly if the LP has a wide dynamic range or loud complex music. For openers I`d set the anti skating for the max. tracking force. Then only if I heard mistracking would I readjust the anti skating. YMMV. Good luck @ any rate.***

Anybody care to comment? When I stop laughing hysterically, I might email him back. Or not.

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Porziob,
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To whom are you referring ?
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Rgds,
Larry
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To call your approach to setting anti skating a hair brained scheme is an understatement.

The only true system in listening. Any visual and/or manufacturer recommendation setting is nothing more than a rough approximation. As Dgad correctly points out, the test records are useless (for anti-skating) as every table/arm/cartridge combination is different. I think most listeners would be surprised that minimal or no anti-skating sounds better in most cases.

It may take longer to set by ear but over the long run the benefit far outweighs the time it requires.

All of course IMO.

I do set it & forget it. I use a system where as I lower the arm into the lead out grooves of the record (usually a record w. a large lead out groove) I set antiskate for the arm to slowly continue towards the center. It is very precise. Too much & the arm pulls back. Too little & it jumps grooves. My post came based on a discussion of the HFNRR test disc w. 4 antiskate points with a friend of mine. I always find that; 1st the results are not valid to music, and 2nd; that you need different settings for each of the tracks. Just having some fun.

Hey,

I am not talking about the classic great albums. I am talking about the 1 hit wonders. Usually 1st song. Anyhow, you get my point. Isn't antiskate a matter of optimizing for where you listen the most?

I find it best to set the anti-skate right at the point where Roger Daltrey screams "Yeah!!!!" at the end of "Won't Get Fooled Again" on 'Who's Next' (forgot one, Audiofeil?). With patience you can get it just right, and you can feel Roger's chest cavity shaking, but it takes so many tries that you get sick of that damn scream and put on a piano sonata.

While your point about the nature of anti-skate is valid, Dgad, such a level of concern will eventually render you unable to enjoy your music. My advice: set it and forget it.

Cheers.

Do I detect a note of sarchasm? :)

>>Since the best Rock songs are the beginning of a record<<

You mean songs like:
Stairway to Heaven
Layla
Let it Be
Desolation Row
Brothers in Arms
LA Woman
Desperado
Gold Dust Woman
All Right Now
Biko
Voodoo Chile Slight Return
Candle in the Wind
Someone Saved My Life Tonight
Epitaph
I'm Just a Singer in a Rock and Roll Band
Into the Mystic
Synchronicity II
Tumblin' Dice
Sounds of Silence
Josie
Peace Train
Reason to Believe
Year of the Cat
Wrapped Around Your Finger
See Me Feel Me
End of the Line
Wind Up
Heart of the Sunrise
Starship Trooper
Down by the River

Yeah, good idea on that anti-skate thing.