Using Test LP - curious observations

I was surprised at how much my previous phono section added to the buzzing heard in bands 7-9.

Nanbil, that makes perfect sense and is consistent with the observations made by Atmasphere and myself on this thread . The noise source being discussed there was record surface noise (clicks and pops) but the mechanism applies equally to the high velocity/high amplitude transients on some test records (including, most definitely, tracks 6-9 on side 1 of the HFN&RR record). Read Atmasphere's last post for a technical explanation.

As your new phono stage reduced the distortion of buzzing from this stupid test record, I'd wager that it also reduced the distortion of record surface noises... right?

I don't know what VPI does that makes anti skate sound worse with it than without it, but I find it is essential. I'm sure most feel the same way. I don't need a test record to dial it in either.

I don't have a test record but I can see how torture tracks could be mis leading. I tried setting up my Yatra to an album that was cut very hot. That album sounded great but the regular albums sounded heavy and dull. Maybe some carts can track everything and sound great under any circumstances. I dont have one of those.

If it's such an objectively verifiable problem, why do some (and that's Harry Weisfeld included) don't hear any improvement with anti-skate applied?

It's not that we don't hear any improvement. I do. It's just that we hear many more detriments that swamp the improvement.

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The problem, as I've posted several times over the years, is that real-world A/S mechanisms apply lateral bias to the TONEARM, yet the skating force they're trying to counteract is generated at the STYLUS.

Imagine, if you like, grabbing the STYLUS with your left hand and pulling it inward (skating) whilst at the same time grabbing the TONEARM with your right hand and pulling it outward (anti-skating). This is what's actually happening with skating forces vs. anti-skating mechanisms.

It's easy to visualize that these unequally applied biases necessarily pressure the cantilever against the suspension. This pre-dampens its freedom to make excursions based on groove modulations. Result: softened micro-dynamics, slowed transients, dampening of the finest, lowest-level sounds in the groove. Sound familiar?

This is why excessive (any) A/S sounds almost exactly like excessive VTF. Both pre-dampen the cantilever against the elastic suspension, reducing its freedom.

The ideal A/S mechanism would operate like this: your left hand pulling the STYLUS inward (skating) whilst your right hand pulls the STYLUS outward with exactly the same (ever-changing) force, with zero lag time of course (anti-skating). This would avoid pre-dampening the cantilever and, if perfectly implemented, would carry no sonic penalty.

Of course no one has or ever will build an A/S mechanism based on a perfectly reactive string tied to the stylus and pulling outward. ;-) The mechanisms it's actually possible to build are necessarily imperfect, as described above, and will always carry the associated sonic penalties as well as benefits.

SirAnthony,

It isn't VPI tonearms in particular. I hear what Harry Weisfeld hears on my TriPlanar and on a Durand Talea. Audiofeil hears similar things on five of his six tonearms.

It's partly cartridge-dependent and partly a matter of how well a cartridge/tonearm combo tracks difficult passages. The new Yatra I had on my TriPlanar for a day or two also needed a scosh of A/S. OTOH, the Airy 2, Airy 3, Atmos, multiple UNIverses, a Lyra Olympos, two Benz's and two MMs all needed no A/S after 2-300 hours of break-in. It's possible the Yatra might have reached that point too (on my tonearm) but I didn't have it around long enough to be sure.

What tonearm are you using? If it's toward the lower mass end and/or if your Yatra lacks the SB weight, that would create a borderline combo for trackability that might necessitate A/S.

Dougdeacon, yes you are correct, the kW phono stage is quieter by a large margin (not even comparable) over my previous phono stage.