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Warning: Linn tonearm anti-skate not accurate

Hi,

After repeatedly having problem, including ruining a perfectly aged Koetsu Urushi, I found with the aid of HFNRR that the Linn Ekos antiskating is not accurate.

With 3 different cartridges tracking between 1.7 - 2.0g, the optimal anti-skatings were found to be between setting the tonearm anti-skating dial to "2.4-2.6 g". I checked with the anti-skating setting tracks on HFNRR test record (most MC can cover the first 2 tracks, but Shure V15 can go through 3 tracks).

After using my cartridge on the Ekos for about one year, playing about 100 hours, at 1.9g VTF, anti-skating dialed to '1.9g', my cantilever was slanted about 5 degree to the left (view towards the rear of tonearm), indicating undercompensation.

Another fellow Linn users told me he found same thing with Akito tonearm and also had a slanted cantilever.

So please check your setting before ruining another cartridge.

www.extremephono.com
extremephono
extremephono OP
123 posts
 
Jayboard, your post referred to RB250. I think I can explain the counterintuitive observation was caused by RB250 having too much positive anti-skating (outward), even when set to nothing on the dial, it exhibits outward push.

Therefore, settings are likely opposite because you were probably trying to 'reduce' rather than 'increase' the anti-skating force to balance the grooveless track.
bkearns
10 posts
 
Extremephono,

You should read the thread "Anti-skating question" again, because you seem to have missed the point.

The point was (and is) that setting antiskating using blank bands often leads to too much compensation.

The fact that Rega arms overcompensate, while true, is not related.
jayboard
301 posts
 
...what Bkearns said. Extreme, your surprise and frustration that anti-skating dial numbers are not accurate is getting in the way of your reading of the "anti-skating question" thread, which has nothing to do with that specific problem. Just thought you might find it interesting, but no big deal.
ducakrugs
1 posts
 
i agree with a comment above the linn mk 1 akito seems to be a bit heavy on the tracking and my arm moves outward when set to zero.....the denon dl-110 cart seems to track anything i put on even with the tracking off and set to zero...i put it to 1 just in case ...but the deck seems to sound much better with very little on it tracking wise....
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,846 posts
 
I think you will find that while many arms are marked with antiskate 'settings' that there really isn't an established standard. IOW the antiskate forces at 1 gram on one arm will be different from that of another arm. As a result the best method seems to be by gosh and by golly as shown with this thread.
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