To antiskate or not antiskate


Well that's the question,  as I'm evaluating the latest addition in my setup.

A dr feickert woodpecker with a clearaudio unify 12 inch tonearm and lyra titan cartridge. 

This is my first encounter with this kind of setup so any advice is welcome ! 

iseland

The OP should prepare for no conclusive/definitive answer as all the archived threads on AS.

The physics underlying tonearm skating forces are well established. Various tonearm designs employ different mechanical or magnetic methods to counteract these lateral forces, each with inherent advantages and limitations. Some audiophiles contend that anti-skating mechanisms introduce more problems than they solve and choose to operate without compensation. Empirical observations from cartridge retippers indicate that both insufficient and excessive anti-skate lead to asymmetric stylus and groove wear. Furthermore, skating forces are not constant—they vary with groove modulation, stylus geometry, tracking force, and record eccentricity—thus, anti-skating compensation represents an averaged corrective force intended to minimize the net lateral load over the duration of playback.  
 

 

This table with arm kind of fell into my arms by luck, my dealer 😁 is about to cut it with his distributor of feickert among other brands so this is the last piece and I could have it with warranty and all for half retail and so far I'm very satisfied. 

I am waiting for him to give me a nice deal on the clearaudio TT3 and all antiskate problems are gone 😆

"A dr feickert woodpecker with a clearaudio unify 12 inch tonearm and lyra titan cartridge."

I thought the combination was unusual, now knowing it being dealer package, it's clear.

At half retail probably sounds REALLY good.yes