Uni-Protractor Set tonearm alignment

@John,

Yes, Harry says in the manual that with every tonearm he's heard, it sounded better without anti-skate and heavier VTF.

The twisting of the cable is a bit "hit and miss". I tried it with a test record and whichever way I twisted it, it increased distortion on the same channel (left). With my oscilloscope and headphones, I confirmed it was the best without any twist in the arm cable. Without a twist, the arm and cartridge (Grado Statement1) tracked perfectly.

Grado recommended 1.7g vtf with the Statement1. I went with 1.8g but in the end, to my ears, 1.9g sounded the best so that is where it is now. Also some damping fluid for the pivot.

Thanks for you response.

Dear Jazzgene,
regarding Antiskating I had the VPI Memorial 12" tonearm and it's a pretty clever construction compensating by the wire. Harry is fully correct, Antiskating is mostly overrated. This has led to extensive usage by tonearm users damaging the carts over years. I am very careful with used carts cause many show signs of desorientation.

best & fun only - Thuchan

Jazzgene,
You said

...Harry says in the manual that with every tonearm he's heard, it sounded better without anti-skate and heavier VTF.

Perhaps so, but there can be issues with this method depending on the cartridge.

The bottom line is that there is a force which tries to rotate the arm inwards and it is a consequence of pivoted arms. It's not my opinion - it's the way it is. The issue is what to do with the fact of it. That then becomes a matter of choice and preference for the designer and the user.

Dear John,

You said "this force (antiskate) has to increase as the arm approaches the center." How about from the outermost of the lp toward the center? How should the antiskate work for a pivot designed tonearm ?

Apologies to the original poster Downunder, but I think this is the best kept secret in analogue.

Regards,

Dear Jazzgene, dear Thuchan, dear Mesael, please allow me to briefly bring some "certainty" into this "vague" topic "anti-skating".
Gene and Thuchan - your observations regarding the VPI and SAEC tonearms are correct and backed by physic.
A brief summary of skating - it's whereabouts and effects in analog audio.
The notorious "skating force" is a result of the friction in the inner groove wall in conjunction - and this is the very important point now ! - with the offset angle of the pivot tonearm, the stylus' contact area's shape and the VTF.
It is an un-linear force by nature ( in a given set-up with a given cartridge and a singular given pivot tonearm ), as it is in conjunction with the position on the tangential error curve, the distance (= radius of groove wall) towards the inner label and the VTF.
The higher the VTF - the lower the skating force.
The longer the effective length of a given pivot tonearm - resulting in smaller offset angle - the lower the skating force.
The is no skating force in a tangential tonearm at all.
The friction on the inner groove wall is the result of the breakdown torque in a tonearm with an offset angle - a tangential tonearm (at least so far ..) has no offset angle.
If you encounter skating force in a tangential tonearm, then there is a serious misalignment of the tonearm and/or your turntable isn't leveled ( or there is a stream of air aiming at your tonearm .... ).
The breakdown torque in a pivot tonearm is an inevitable force. It can be addressed, but this is rarely done.
To compensate skating force in groove tracking - unlinear by nature - with a linear compensation is futile from the start. Futile in the sense that you fight one evil with another. In most 9" tonearms working with high compliance/low VTF cartridges you will need anti-skating, as this dreadful effect-force is very high here.
A tonearm with 12" (= small offset angle = lower breakdown torque) and with a low compliance cartridge with VTF of 2.5 gr and higher will most likely make anti-skating obsolete. In any case the resulting force is much smaller than with a 9" tonearm and a MM working with 0.8 to 1.5 gr VTF.
Then there are a few tonearm designs whose designers addressed the breakdown torque where it occurred and created tonearms with very low skating force applied to the stylus.
Cheers,
D.