How Do You Set Anti Skate

[jcmusic]

As the title says, how and what do you use to dial in your anti skate?

[Billy Shears]

Its a very good question to which in my opinion there is no difinitive answer.
I use my ears. I would recommend ignoring the scale provided on the tonearm and start with the minimum and work yourself up. If you start to get channel imbalances that is a sure sign somethings wrong. You should notice this at the very bottom and top of the scale.
Saying that I do find I tend to stick with minimum Antiskate force in the end.

[Johnny Vinyl]

My Oracle comes with 3 different weights and there are 3 notches on the small diameter pin (don't know the proper word) that protrudes behind the weight. I've set it based on Oracle's recommendations. Should I remove the anti-skate and try it without?

[jcmusic]

My Oracle comes with 3 different weights and there are 3 notches on the small diameter pin (don't know the proper word) that protrudes behind the weight. I've set it based on Oracle's recommendations. Should I remove the anti-skate and try it without?

I would recommend that you look into it for sure, my triplanar came with a weight on the anti skate bar and upon weighing it I found it was wayyyyyyyy too much weight!!! So i have taken it off and used rubber o rings as the weight, works perfectly.

[Johnny Vinyl]

I would recommend that you look into it for sure, my triplanar came with a weight on the anti skate bar and upon weighing it I found it was wayyyyyyyy too much weight!!! So i have taken it off and used rubber o rings as the weight, works perfectly.

I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try it without the anti-skate, however, I'm not picking up on any issues.

[jcmusic]

Sometimes they can be very subtle you may not hear them right off. I wasn't really hearing alot until I removed the weight, now I am hearing what I was missing.

[Albert Porter]

I follow instructions provided by SME for my V12. Once everything is perfect via instructions, I listen and adjust by ear. I think there are things going on that cannot be set exclusively by tools. I also believe there are variables in cartridges, meaning two of same brand may not sound best at same track and anti skate forces.

No one mentions torque, one of the most overlooked details in setting up a cartridge.

[mep]

Albert-Thanks to you, I own the SME 312S arm. If I follow the instructions for anti skate, it really is too strong with the recommended SME value. Mine is definitely dialed back from the SME recommendation.

[banditcat200]

I am very close to zero in my setting up antiskating in my system, something like 0.2 grams for 1.75 grams.

[jcmusic]

I am very close to zero in my setting up antiskating in my system, something like 0.2 grams for 1.75 grams.

Which arm and cartridge?

[Rust]

Harry Weisfeld doesn't like antiskating. He states that it introduces more issues than it solves, particularly with a record that the spindle hole is off center, He further stated that the amount of anti skate a record requires is not constant across the entire record, but changes as the tonearm travels inwards. I figure he probably knows more than most about such things.

That said, I tend to use less than half the tracking force of the cartridge which seems a benign compromise. Well, excepting the Well Tempered arm which is always an exercise in frustration. Just left that one at a little more than zero observable anti skate. It does many things well including frustrate me. Bill Firebaughs original design.

[jcmusic]

Harry Weisfeld doesn't like antiskating. He states that it introduces more issues than it solves, particularly with a record that the spindle hole is off center, He further stated that the amount of anti skate a record requires is not constant across the entire record, but changes as the tonearm travels inwards. I figure he probably knows more than most about such things.

That said, I tend to use less than half the tracking force of the cartridge which seems a benign compromise. Well, excepting the Well Tempered arm which is always an exercise in frustration. Just left that one at a little more than zero observable anti skate. It does many things well including frustrate me. Bill Firebaughs original design.

Agreed!!! Harry is correct about the non constant and changing anti skate across the record, that is why you set it for an average instead of a dead number. Read what
Peter Lederman has to say about anti skate, and I am sure he knows what he is talking also...

[MylesBAstor]

Agreed!!! Harry is correct about the non constant and changing anti skate across the record, that is why you set it for an average instead of a dead number. Read what
Peter Lederman has to say about anti skate, and I am sure he knows what he is talking also...

That's why I didn't reply. Anti-skating is sort of like negative feedback. Trying to correct after the fact. And a lot of Harry's thoughts come from years of consultation with Joe Grado and Mitch Cotter. (who in part designed the geometry of the arm.)

I tried using my VPI arm with and without anti-skating and it always sounded better without.

I do wonder if that would hold true for say a Graham that adjusts for antiskating differently.

[MylesBAstor]

I follow instructions provided by SME for my V12. Once everything is perfect via instructions, I listen and adjust by ear. I think there are things going on that cannot be set exclusively by tools. I also believe there are variables in cartridges, meaning two of same brand may not sound best at same track and anti skate forces.

No one mentions torque, one of the most overlooked details in setting up a cartridge.

OK so spill the beans!

[mep]

OK so spill the beans!

Yeah, spill the beans! How many inch pounds? What break-away torque wrench do you recommend for cartridges??

[MylesBAstor]

Yeah, spill the beans! How many inch pounds? What break-away torque wrench do you recommend for cartridges??

Except won't work with plastic arms.