Tonearms without anti-skate, damage to records?

The RS-A1 and the new Nottingham tonearm on the 294 model do not have anti-skate, because the headshell (and therefore the cartridge) is not set at an angle to the arm tube. Thus skating force is not generated. I think there are other older tonearms that are so designed. Perhaps yours is one of those.

unless your arm is a tangential design, all pivoting arms generate 'skating force' regardless of the angle on the arm tube. it is the angle deviation of the stylus from perfect tangent that causes the force. that is why AS is so difficult to set and wrong for the most part, but some AS, I think, is better than none, just don't go overboard!

Bob P.

Bob P., The headshell on the RS-A1 tonearm has a unipivot bearing right at its base,in addition to the one at its main pivot point (so there are two articulations). Thus in theory the cartridge CAN always maintain tangency to the groove, and no skating force is generated. However, you are probably correct in general. (I've got to think about this a bit longer, and it does seem to me I've read in two other sources that skating force is generated by the offset headshell in 99.9% of all modern tonearms.)

>>09-28-07: Lewm
The RS-A1 and the new Nottingham tonearm on the 294 model do not have anti-skate, because the headshell (and therefore the cartridge) is not set at an angle to the arm tube. Thus skating force is not generated.<<

That is wrong.

All pivoting tonearms according to the basic laws of physics are affected by centripetal force.

Audiofeil and Bob, You are both correct, as I already conceded to Bob. BUT since the headshell of the RS-A1 could in theory remain tangent to the groove at all points on the record, the designer claims that no skating force is generated. I would agree with you if you were to respond that the arm probably does not accomplish that goal perfectly in fact, due to friction in the bearings, etc. Now, as for a headshell that is not offset, there WILL be one point on the record where skating force does approach zero, but only one point. And Audiofeil, according to the references I read, the skating force is not due to "centripetal force" per se; it is due to the force of stylus drag (Fsd)and is equal to (Fsd X sin of the angle from tangent). So, when the angle from tangent is zero, the sin of the angle equals zero, and skating force disappears. I am very sorry for placing incorrect info on this thread in my previous post.