Anti-Skate Weight …. Better sound without it?

E, no bearing is friction free, even brand new ones. My point is that his bearing has inherent friction having nothing to do with wear or dust or whatever. That inherent built in friction plus any added friction due to use or dirt adds to the AS force.

And I won’t rehash the fact I think your obsession with dust covers is over the top. But harmless I guess. I suspect your listening area may be more dusty than most, being so close to a large window in a room that appears to get a lot of human traffic. I cover the platters of my TTs that are not in use, and that’s all. I would never cover anything while playing a record. But each of my two systems has an entire space to itself, one with no windows.

Lewm,

I think we conversed on this subject in an earlier discussion.  Many years ago in conversation with an engineer from Thorens, I learned from him that that company discourages the use of the dust cover during playing of records.  Noted.  I never did anyway, but my customer learned to stop doing so and that solved a problem for him.  In my opinion our dust covers should be used for storage, removed or at least left open for play.  I do not think this is a great big deal, however, and if someone wants to play their records with the cover down, far be it from me to criticize. 

Thank you @elliottbnewcombjr for the very detailed write-up and shopping list.

I recently pulled my turntable (Thorens TD-320 MkI) from storage where it sat the last 30 years. Vinyl is no longer my primary source, but I enjoy playing the few hundred LPs I still own and my turntable might as well be set up correctly.

Bill, for me, when I did experiment with vs without a dust cover, on some TT that I no longer own and the name of which I can no longer remember, there were very obvious sonic negatives associated with use of the dust cover.  Plus, using the cover is an added bit of fuss for what is already a fussy process (playing a record).  Anyway, since that long ago experiment, I have been a no dust cover guy. I do now recognize that there may be ways to use a cover that do not cause resonance or reverberation to color the sound.  Mijostyn used to discuss this. To each his own, as you say.

Bill

Sorry, my stubbornness is not meant in the way you are taking it. I have no delusions, I have great respect for you, lewm, and many others here, I make a fair amount of errors as you know ... but

I strongly encourage others to take control, not be controlled, or 'out of control', be able to do this for themselves, it's neither expensive or hard once you decide to try. 

Fact: Level; Overhang; 2 Null Points; VTA; Azimuth; Tracking Force; Anti-Skate: that's it, the seemingly scary list is not that long!

I came up with a short list of tools, methods, and easily heard L/C/R imaging content anyone can acquire. Tools, Measurements, Ears.

Fact: Inward Skate is real, directly related to tracking force, and AS, the last thing, must happen somehow. Pure Physics

OP's Tonearm incorporates control of and instructions for AS, but only for the cartridge they supply. OP changed his cartridge. The manual does not help.

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0710/4649/6578/files/mmf-9.3finalmanual.pdf?v=1677776693

Fact: Evidence reveals MOST are not getting it right! I've read it, and personally repeatedly confirmed it with VAS, highly regarded re-tippers. That is terrible, we have to admit, the industry has not developed consistently accurate methods.

Fact: Thus OEM Dials and Scales are proven to be NOT accurate; alternate tools and methods are readily available and inexpensive.

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IF, after all else is 'right', very little AS is needed, or even none, that means that AS is already occurring from bearing friction, wire 'pushback', a combo of forces like lewm describes, and you are saying is very often the case.

 the blank side LP method will show only a speck or nothing is needed, AND, use your ears: when listening to the 3 guitarists, very slight adjustments will alter the L/C/R imaging, no drums, horns, voices, no golden ears required, just 3 guitars

especially in the case of light tracking, in this case OP has chosen the lightest of the range given for his wonderful AT160ML cartridge of 1.0g, and as lewm pointed out, we don't know how much AS his dangling weight was giving.

The manual is specifically written for a Goldring Eroica LX which they tell you to use 1.75g tracking force (between numbers 17 and 18), and set the AS weight line in notch #2 (presumably notch 2 is -1.75g AS?). They do not tell you what the other notches represent. (SME tells you each notch is 0.25g I think I remember).

The blank side LP method and experimentation with various notches can get you close, and final refinement by ear

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OP can ASSUME everything else is ok, I would rather he KNOW it.