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Remove your bias for better sound

I have a VPI Superscout rim drive and Classic platter, with VPI 10.5 arm and a Benz LPS cartridge. I had been using the anti-skate gizmo for some time, with only a minimal amount of exertion on the arm. I removed the gizmo, remounted the counterweight, just to try listen without the anti-skate. Much to my pleasure, the sound is much better with increased dynamic contrasts, cleaner mids, and more ease with the highs. I don't find that tracking is any less than with the gizmo installed. I recommend that all should try it. With the device still on the arm, but disconnected, there is only a very small increase in sound...remove the whole thing.
128x128stringreen
pryso
1,905 posts
 
Stringreen, after removing the anti-skate device did you then use Harry's recommended "twist" to the connection wire or plug that in straight from the arm? (for non-VPI owners, this is their recommended method for all the counter force they believe is necessary)
dover
2,177 posts
 
Doug/Al - I 100% agree with Doug's comment that too much antiskate is applied in most instances. The proof is that very few cartridges have straight cantilevers after a short while. The most common mistake I've seen is people using antiskate to adjust channel imbalances in the system. The other major factor is armboards that are not level. How many people 0 balance their arm and make sure there is no drift in or out before they start. This is a simple check to ensure there is no inward or outward pressure on the cartridge from the horizontal bearings in the arm being out of level because the armboard is not level. When I recently installed a new arm I had to shim the armboard by a only few micron to ensure the arm had zero drift and the resultant decrease in antiskate required was significant - 0.5gm.
stringreen's avatar
stringreen OP
6,368 posts
 
Almarg.....What I hear is a "freedom", and suspect that the constant force of the anti-bias is damping the stylus. With or without the anti-skate connected or disconnected I don't see any deflection of the stylus....it always sits between the space allotted to it. ...and no twist to the wire, which I believe the force will diminish with time. Harry uses no a/s and no twist as well.
dougdeacon
3,338 posts
 
What I hear is a "freedom", and suspect that the constant force of the anti-bias is damping the stylus.
Bingo. A concise distillation of the long-winded explanations I've been posting for years, including my first post above.
suteetat
435 posts
 
I agreed with VPI arm that no anti skating is by far the best option. However, for example my Reed 3Q arm, it does sound best with anti skating. With Air Tight PC-1 supreme, quite a lot of anti skating, with Lyra Atlas, a bit less but both sounded better than with no anti skating.
I don't think you can generalize this to every tonearm/cartridge combination.
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