Hello UDOG. As you may have guessed by now, there is some controversy about anti-skate force! I did not read all the responses, but they quickly deteriorated into petty squabbling and personal put downs. I am sorry for that nonsense. The term "anti-skate" gives you a clue. The arm is being pushed toward the center of the record by the spiral nature of the groove. Let's pretend the record is smooth as ice; if we push a skater, he/she continues to move even after we stop pushing. The skater coasts forward with only the friction of the skate upon the ice to slow that motion. The spiral groove pushes the mass of the arm and cartridge constantly and the arm "coasts" as well. So there is a force pushing against the inner wall of the groove - the "skating" force. The pitch of the groove varies, sad fact, so adjusting instant by instant to balance the skating force with the force of the outer groove wall against the stylus is not possible, but we can shoot for an average. Record playing is an expensive process and we want to minimize the wear and tear on the record groove and the stylus. Here's how to make the adjustment. (The blank groove record is a great idea!) Put the arm over the record about halfway across, the cueing arm holding it just above the record's surface. Notice the position of the cantilever with relation to the front of the cartridge. It should look centered. Now lower the stylus into the groove. The arm was not moving and the groove will accelerate it toward the spindle. Notice the cantilever's movement and recovery. Count to five, giving time for the acceleration to occur, and note the position of the cantilever. Is it still centered? So you can see this process in action, put the "anti-skate" setting at either extreme and watch what happens. You want to set the 'anti-skate' control so that the cantilever stays centered while the record plays. A set of close-up reading glasses from the drug store may help. Get the cheap ones with the wire frames. Keep Smiling!
Is my anti-skating too strong.
I’m trying to adjust the alignment of the Ortofon Black Quintet cartridge on my Music Hall mmf 9.3 turntable. When I put the stylus down on the alignment protractor, the tone arm pulls to the outer edge of the turntable. Should I disable anti skating when doing alignment or is it set too strong? Obviously haven’t done this too often.
Also, when listening to the anti skating track on The Ultimate Analogue Test LP, there is noticeable distortion at the end of the track which indicates too much or too little anti skating. Any guidance here?
Also, when listening to the anti skating track on The Ultimate Analogue Test LP, there is noticeable distortion at the end of the track which indicates too much or too little anti skating. Any guidance here?
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- 112 posts total
- 112 posts total