Experience With Linear Tracking Turntables

You are assuming that the calibration of the AS dial is equivalent to the grams you are tracking at.  Do you really think that setting the AS dial to 2 means that 2 grams of lateral force is being applied?

I am giving the tonearm manufacturers credit for understanding a little about setting their product correctly.  Equating the numerical values of VTF and AS makes it easy for anybody to set AS.

That being said, I have no problem adjusting outside the numerical dial numbers.

The forum members here delve very deeply into things like this and may be more accurate than the manufacturer's instructions, but a rule-of-thumb is necessary which can be applied by the consumer,. whomever they be.

Bill

Oops.

Billstevenson beat me to it.

Bill

Nice to know that one can set the numerical graduations on the AS adjuster of the SL1200G series to match the numerical magnitude of VTF and achieve what Technics deems to be adequate AS. Do Technics say what that is, in terms of grams of AS force? I'd like to think that some of the better Japanese tonearms that also have AS adjusters with numbers are set up similarly, but one doesn't always know that for sure.

Dover wrote:

"the damage done to cartridges from incorrect anti skate is massive - I reckon 80% plus of cartridges on pivoted arms end up with skewed cantilevers within a year or 2."

'If you work with cartridge manufacturers and rebuilders a lot, as I have, they can see uneven wear on the stylus within a few months from new."

These are two very different statements.  I agree with the second one.  The first one, not so much.  I have to moderate what I wrote last night because it implies more than is accurate.  While it is true that I set up turntables frequently and have done so for decades, it is not correct to imply that I am seeing many at all for the first time after much use.  Most of what I see are repeats that I have set up myself, again and again.  Accordingly, the incident rate for seeing poor outcomes due to set up problems are approaching zero.  Rare issues involve things like the occasional mishap due to an over enthusiastic cleaning lady or an out of bounds grandchild do occur. Conclusions cannot be drawn from such one offs.  So it would be wrong to draw too many conclusions from my experience.  But back to your two statements above.  It should be stated that the down side to opting to use of either no or too little AS is that uneven wear of the stylus is a real possibility.  I am using 0 AS on my HW-40 with a Hyperion and monitoring it very closely.  I use a Wild-Heerbrugg M5 microscope to see very clearly how the stylus is wearing.  I also am monitoring tracking performance using the software AnalogMagik.  Between the two I should be able to pick up deterioration fairly early.

To return to the original OP's question (...ahem):

I have used the Eminent Technology air-bearing ET-2 tonearm with 4 different cartridges over the past 35 yrs. or so.  I would not recommend inferior linear-tracking turntables, but a high-end, air-bearing, linear-tracking tonearm can be quite satisfactory.  The ET-2 is a pain to set up, especially setting the tracking force.  You also have to have your turntable perfectly level for best results.  Your choice of cartridges is somewhat limited because of its high horizontal mass.  But with a compatible cartridge, it works superbly.  I don't have experience with other linear-tracking arms.  I've had no urge to change tonearms or my SOTA Star Sapphire turntable.