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.

Dear friends: Let me share with you some thoughts: if everything is fine without AS the first question that comes to my mind is: need I AS? and then where? when? why?.

I can tell you that I play records with high-velocity/difficult passages with out mis-tracking and if I put some AS on those tracks there is no single improvement.

In theory we need the AS at different range level over the LP and from this theoretical point of view any Test Record could help to AS set-up and of course the Nsgarch and Doug posts, but on the real " life " those questions are still " open ".

Of course that if we want to have a " cool-calm mind " about then we have to play LPs with AS. Like I already poted: in my real " world " I think I don't need it but is up to you and your system one and of course the cartridge it self and I don't try ( yet ) every single cartridge out there in my system.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Dear Thomasheisig: +++++ " What do you think? " +++++

that's what you asked on the subject. Well I already posted my experiences about along that in theory we need AS.

The AS subject is so complex that almost any " think " is valid.
There are to many parameters involve on the AS subject that makes so complicated to have the right scientific answer.

In our ( my self ) today tonearm design we are trying about and we don't have the right answer yet and maybe we can't have it.
From my point of view the AS subject is a whole/big complicated project ( a scietific one ) by itself and I'm not sure if it is worth to go seriously in deep about even that I'm a " perfectionist " on the sound reproduction targets.

I don't want to go inside of the different " roads " ( posted here ) to set-up the AS because IMHO no one is perfect and no one is even near the " target ", almost all are to " simple " for say the least.

In the AS subject we have to take in count between other parameters/things that affects it: eccentricity of the LP that it is different on each LP, deformation/waves on the LP that is/are different on each LP, the recording velocity on each track and the different " velocities " on each track!!!!!!, the differences on 33rpm, 45rpm and 78rpm that affects in different way to the AS subject, each cartridge suspension/compliance/stylus design, each tonearm whole design, VTA/SRA, VTF level, Azymuth, temperature that affects the cartridge compliance suspension, AS tonearm method, etc, etc.

Due to that complexity and over the time I go from full AS to 50%, to 30% to 20% to none.

Am I satisfied?, certainly not, so what to do?.
I make/take a " reference "/status: to set-up/mantain with almost CERO tolerance all cartridge/tonearm/TT set-up standards ( VTA/SRA/VTF (near the high limit )/overhang/etc, etc ) and try 50-30-20-none AS values trying to hear degradations or improvements on the quality performance and after many testings TODAY I choose not to worry ( in my system )
on AS or maybe 20% to stay on " mind-calm ".

Now, there are two important things on the whole AS subject: the cartridge quality control and the tonearm quality control on each cartridge/tonearm out there, IMHO the necessity of more/less AS ( other that the whole set-up ) depends on that high/low cartridge/tonearm build quality control.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.