Anti-skating- test records vs. ears

I agree with Al, (as usual). I have set-up hundreds and
hundreds and hundreds of turntables and I have almost always
found a setting of 60% of the VTF to be right on.

If you are tracking at 1.8 grams, I would set my anti
skating right around 1.

No anti-skate is even better

I've set the anti skate at about 1.25. Listening to Way Out West- zero complaints! Thanks folks-

I have a similar set-up as Stan (Stringreen) -- a VPI Classic 3 tone arm. My cartridge is a Lyra Kleos, which is a .5 mV MC cartridge.

I surmise that Stan is drinking the VPI Kool-Aid, which is no AS is best. IME, I can't really hear the difference of using AS. But having said that, replacing/exchanging cartridges is expensive. It has been my experience that a pinch of AS seems to promote even stylus wear .... I think.

So, I use a single donut placed about half-way down the weight bearing arm of my VPI AS gizmo. Is that optimal?? Haven't a clue. But stylus wear so far is even ... I think???

Bruce and Stan, in the other thread I linked to in my post above, Dover and John Gordon, who are both highly knowledgeable about such matters, indicated that in at least some of the VPI designs some amount of anti-skating force is being applied even when none is intentionally set.

Also, when I previously stated that:

In my experience, which is limited to moving magnet (and moving iron) cartridges such as Grace F9-E variants, that kind of setting [A-S = VTF] will invariably result in severe deflection of the cantilever to the left (toward the center of the record), as viewed from the front of the cartridge while the stylus is in the groove of a rotating record. Which is completely ridiculous IMO.

... I'll add that in my experience (as described), setting A-S = 0 results in similarly ridiculous deflection to the right.

Stan, I would therefore not extrapolate any universally applicable conclusions from your own VPI-related experience. Not to mention that any such extrapolation would be in conflict with knowledgeable and plausible arguments presented by Mr. Gordon and others in the other thread, as well as Mofi's exceptionally extensive experience with a multitude of tables and arms.

Regards,
-- Al