VPI non-Anti Skate Q


I'm sure this Q has been discussed before, but I haven't seen an answer.


I see most brands using Anti Skate as protection from damage to both LP and stylus. VPI is the only brand I see not using it, as they have a different approach that their arms naturally provide anti-skate force.


My Q for VPI Signature 21 using Fatboy Gimbal 10-3D Tonearm: would not using anti-skating be perfectly safe for stylus and LP, same as to other brands who use anti-skate?

Thanks a lot!

mard

I have a VPI Prime Signature 21. I called VPI and talked to Matt about anti-skate. He was like "whatever you want to do." I finally set the weights to about half way and I look to see if when I lift the tonearm it moves back a little. Otherwise, I've given up. I have done various tests, like listening to see if one speaker sounds louder than the other, using a blank record to see if I can slow down the tone arm from racing toward the center (couldn't), set the weights at full and gave two twists to the wire. I just want to enjoy my music, so I've given up that struggle. I do love the turntable, though. 

@lewm 

You know, for other’s following: it’s the horizontal wheel at the top of the arm.

I am guessing, by the precise feel of the rotation and tiny sensation of clicks, that it’s a very delicate spring (the other immobile end of the spring, due to the increased tension caused by anti-clockwise coiling, pushes out to a speck or a speck more, and, at any degree of tension, maintains that outward push, and is

not effected by rotation or lift of the arm on it's bearings.

however I don’t know that, and I am definitely not taking that mechanism apart.

Anybody know what’s in there, how it works?

I'm literally shocked!   A very large amount of feedback is not related to the main subject!

@mard 

were you just being funny?

"VPI", you got several responses

"protection from damage to both LP and stylus"

Many of us answer not only the OP, but consider that others are following along, and ’in addition to anti-skate’ point out our experiences/opinions, all of which relate to damage to both LP and stylus.

I tried but don’t use the Anti-Skate mechanism on my VPI Prime X. Instead I rotated the lemo connector on the junction box. Seems to work just fine.