There are those who feel anti-skating compensation isn't incorrect in theory, but rather that there will always be, to one degree or another, introduced compromises inherent in its mechanical implementation (whether through weights or springs) which will outweigh, in their view, any benefits it may confer. I'm not sure if HW is of this school, or if he simply rejects the theory outright. Frankly, I feel I can hear a very slight benefit to using anti-skate (primarily in the areas of solid imaging, and avioding the introduction of a minute but perceptable hollow-ish, phasey tonal quality in the mids), but mostly I'm concerned that if I don't, it could cause excessive and uneven record and stylus wear. Either way, I find VPI's default position that you should be able to fuss with the dressing of their lead-out wires to affect anti-skate control to be an unsatisfactorily imprecise and inconvenient (for the user, that is) proposition.
Harry Weisfeld Was Right All Along
I'll admit that I was skeptical when I heard Harry Weisfeld of VPI say that his JMW tonearm sounded better without any antiskating device a few years ago. All the arguments for antiskating compensation seemed plausible if not undeniable.
But today, I've seen the light. I own a Michell Orbe SE with a Wilson Benesch Act 0.5 arm and a Shelter 501 II cartridge. I dialed everything in, but still had the compunction to fiddle around with something so I removed the funky anti-skate weight from the WB. Not only does the arm behave much better (no annoying, backswing when indexing), but it actually sounds better to my ears. Smoother, more dynamic, less etched/more natural are the changes I hear. I wonder how many other arm/cartridge combinations would benefit from eschewing their anti-skate mechanisms.
While I originally thought that Harry Weisfeld was simply making excuses, in reality, he was probably just being honest. I'm sure the twisty-wire approach he now uses is a good way to implement anti-skating for those who must have it.
But today, I've seen the light. I own a Michell Orbe SE with a Wilson Benesch Act 0.5 arm and a Shelter 501 II cartridge. I dialed everything in, but still had the compunction to fiddle around with something so I removed the funky anti-skate weight from the WB. Not only does the arm behave much better (no annoying, backswing when indexing), but it actually sounds better to my ears. Smoother, more dynamic, less etched/more natural are the changes I hear. I wonder how many other arm/cartridge combinations would benefit from eschewing their anti-skate mechanisms.
While I originally thought that Harry Weisfeld was simply making excuses, in reality, he was probably just being honest. I'm sure the twisty-wire approach he now uses is a good way to implement anti-skating for those who must have it.
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- 31 posts total
- 31 posts total