Anti skate. I think something's wrong


I have an Acoustic Signiture TT with a Graham 2.2 tonearm and Ortofon Cadenza Bronze cartridge. My anti skate is set close to tracking weight and it would always dig to in inside when I would start a record. I read this is wrong so I got my Cardas test record out and placed it in smooth section and it imediately gravitated to inside. I adjusted anti skate to where cartridge slighty pulls to inside . Here is the problem. To get this I'm having to adjust anti skate to the max. I rechecked TT and it is right on level wise. I have less sibilence now and swear the two channels are more even. The right channel has always been just slightly lower than left in volume. The only qualm I have is the max antiskate I have to use. Is bearing bad? I have the blue fluid. Or I shouldn't worry and enjoy the music. Mike
128x128blueranger
Dear lewm: Agree, AZ per se ( normal conditions. ) can't change the SPL on one channel, perhaps on " extreme conditions of a very bad AZ set up. Same with AS.
Now, what I was thinking is that in a wrong set up exist an accumulation of " errors " on diferent parameters that even if the SPL is not impaired we can perceive the sound as unbalanced one.

I think that  blueranger can take the " short/path/road " to fix the problem:

- listen in the same analog rig a diferent cartridge looking if exist the same unbalanced quality sound.
Here he can discern if the problem is in the Ortofon Cadenza Bronze or not

- Listen to his CD player looking for that channels unbalanced sound. If persist then is not a cartridge problem or phono stage problem but: line stage/amplifiers or speakers or even some kind of problem in the tonearm.

From here, he has to follow tests on each of those single system chain links.

Now, we can follow give any kind of advise to blueranger but it's not easy for any one of us to say with precission where is the real trouble.


Regards and enjoy the music,
R.


Dear friends: On the whole AS subject I think that no one of use has the " bible " about.

By the physics laws AS always exist in a pivoted tonearm, so we can dissapears it only because we can't detect its " microscopic " influence in what we are listening. Like is the case of SG and some of us. Example, I change to often of cartridges and is a " pain in the ass " the AS set up that is related with all the oother cartridge set up parameters. So I decided for some time forget about but I know is not " right ".

Problem with the AS subject is that we don't know yet ( at least me. ) a precise methodology to set up the " Right " AS because several obstacles: is changing all over the LP surface ( iws not static but dynamic. ), we don't know on each LP recording its diferent recorded velocities over the LP surface and the difference in cartridge stylus shape has influence too on the amount of AS ( in this regard I remember at least one of my tonearms AT where its AS mechanism noted diferent AS position for: sherical, ellipthical and line contact stylus shapes. ).

So, AS set ub is a night mare for say the least.

Today and only for a " mind in calm " I use AS at minimum posible. How knew it's at minimum? I did not.

Cero or at " minimum " is wrong but everythink we make about is wrong. Maybe the real subject could be which kind of AS set up makes the less " damages ".

Regards and enjoy the music,
R.
Someone else mentioned the room. I had a channel imbalance after tweaking everything over and over I still had it.  Last but not least I moved a bookcase a couple inches and that was the ticket. 
Thanks for all your answers in this subject. I will have to get a slim bubble level to check tonearm. I checked platter with round bubble level and it was leveled right. I thinks that might be problem. 

Years ago ('80s) part of my job was checking for stylus wear.  Ever see a tip well worn only on one side?   Think skating might have something to do with that?

The purpose of anti skating is to keep the cart moving assembly centered in the groove, putting relatively even pressure on each groove wall and consequently having appropriate deflections from said groove walls.

If your image is consistently off to one side or the other, perhaps it reflects uneven cantilever/tip centering as a result of incorrect AS applied to a pivoting arm. This is a type of distortion.  The information on the record is not being reproduced with correct amplitude, channel to channel.  Some information will tend to get buried in the mix, and other info. might be more prominent than intended.

Why are heavy trackers more immune to the affects of skating?  The down force (VTF) is great enough to overcome most of the skating force
mis-centering.

If your goal is to reduce torsional forces on the cantilever, then look to arms with no offset.

fleib