Antiskating .... The last analog secret

Dear Thomasheisig: There is no doubt that the AS subject is another factor on the cartridge set-up, if we can hear changes on it is another matter and dependent on other factors.

My experiences about tell me that if ( IF ) the TT set up, tonearm set up, overhang, VTA/SRA, VTF ( near the up-limit ) and Azymuth are " right on target " for " that " cartridge/analog rig ( does nt matters if it is high or low compliance ) changes on AS could not make almost no improve on the quality performance, at least I can't heard it. If the AS changes are big ( say from none to even the VTF ) of course that you can hear it but with no improvement and more like an un-even on the performance.

In the other hand when some of those set up " factors " are out of target small AS changes can heard it and with an improve.

Today I'm running my cartridges with out AS.

Sometimes when something is " rare " ( on some cartridge ) and I put AS on it this ( by what I already experienced ) fact tell me that one/some of those " factors " are out of target, till today every time that happen I reexamine all the set-up till I find where is/are an error then I fix it take out the AS and things improve in a " natural " way.

Of course that like always is system/ears dependent but these are my experiences about.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Raul,

Now you make me paranoid because I believe that my set-up is pretty tight but I hear a very noticeable difference with changes in AS with my rig.

Here's a method for setting antiskate (AS) that's more effective than visual methods for lower compliance carts (and works for any cartridge, subject to the disclaimer at bottom).

1. Play 2-3 sides to warm everything up.

2. Reduce AS to zero.

3. Choose an LP or two containing your most difficult to track passages. Mono is theoretically better than stereo, as Nsgarch mentioned, but it's not essential. It is esential that the trial passages be amongst the toughest-to-track in your vinyl collection.

4. Play these passages and nudge VTF downward until you JUST BARELY hear the cartridge beginning to mistrack (slight fuzziness in the HF's and/or actual bursts of static-like noise, both coinciding with dynamic peaks in the music).

5. If mistracking is:

A) more audible in the R channel, gently increase AS until it's about equal in both channels (or goes away). You won't get it perfectly equal, especially with a stereo LP, but close counts for AS. There's no such thing as "perfect".

B) about equal in both channels, AS is set about right.

C) more audible in the L channel, something other than AS needs adjustment (assuming your AS is truly at "zero").

6. Bump VTF back up slightly until mistracking noises stop, HF's are clear and bass/dynamics sound full again. You're done.

You will be at a much lower AS setting than what is usually considered "normal". This method applies enough AS for clean tracking of your most difficult passages, which is all you need. There's no clear benefit in going higher and there can be a serious detriment (as Thomasheisig's photo demonstrates).

IMPORTANT - DON'T GO NUTS
Relax. Close counts. There is no such thing as "perfect" in antiskating. On real world records the skating force we're trying to counteract is always changing, so no amount of measuring, Wally-Skating, oscilloscoping or any other form of OCD-driven fetishness will provide anything more useful than your ears. Don't waste your time unless you enjoy doing those things for their own sake more than listening to music.

DISCLAIMER - Listeners who do not place low level detail retrieval and reproduction of harmonics near the top of their list of sonic priorities sometimes prefer more AS than this method provides. Increasing AS applies more lateral pressure on the cantilever/suspension interface (again, see Thomasheisig's photo for proof). This dampens cantilever freedom, slows response and muffles HF's and very low level signals. The effects of more AS are VERY similar to what my ears regard as excessive VTF. If your ears don't prioritize low level detail and harmonics, or if your sytem masks them, higher AS levels will produce a purer but less complex sound that you may prefer.

I do not employ anti-skating on any of my tonearms.

YMMV

I haven't used Antiskating on any of the tonearms that I've used for the past 20 years. These include Triplanar VII, Moerch DP-6, VPI JMW-10, AQ PT-6 and Sumiko FT-4. I tried each of these arms with all levels of antiskating and preferred the sound with no antiskating. (VPI didn't have A/S so technically I didn't try it with A/S). In all cases, the A/S adds an annoying brightness and is just not as coherent and musical as the arm sounds without the A/S.

I don't know whether the lack of A/S may have affected my cartridges' tracking ability on loud passages. Perhaps it did, I don't know. But IF it did, that is a fair price to pay for the better sound quality during the 99.9% of the record playing time where tracking ability was not critical.

Dave