TriPlanar Tips


The manual that comes with the TriPlanar Mk VII tonearm is fairly complete, but there are a few things I’ve learned only by living with the arm. Note: I do not know which if any of these would apply to previous versions of the arm. My only experience is with the Mk VII.

1. NEVER raise the cueing lever while the arm is locked in the arm rest. This pressures the damping cylinder and could cause a silicone leak. For this reason and also for safety, whenever the arm is in the arm rest the cueing lever should be DOWN. This is backwards from most arms and takes some getting used to.

2. If your Tri-Planar doesn't cue straight down there's a quick fix, which may be included on some new arms. The problem is insufficient friction between the arm tube and the hard rubber cueing support bar. Just glue a bit of thin sandpaper to the underside of the arm tube. Make it big enough and position it so it hits the cueing support bar at all points across the arm’s arc. (Note: after doing this you will need to adjust the cueing height, see Tip #3.)

3. When adjusting cueing height (instructions are in the manual) always do so with the arm in the UP position. This adjustment is VERY touchy, since the cueing support bar is so close to the pivot. Be patient and be careful of your cartridge. (Note: after doing this you may need to adjust the anti-skate initiation point, see Tip #4.)

Chris Brady of Teres told me of a way to improve cueing even more by re-shaping the cueing support. Moving the cueing support point farther from the pivot improves its mechanical advantage and makes the cueing height and speed adjustments less touchy. This mod is easier than it sounds and requires only a length of coat hanger (!), but I don’t have pix and haven’t yet done it myself.

4. Changing the cueing height affects the point where anti-skate kicks in. (Yes, it's weird.) Once cueing height is satisfactory, adjust the short pin that sticks out of the front of the cueing frame. That pin controls where the anti-skate dogleg first engages the knot on the string.

5. The Tri-Planar comes with three counterweight donuts of differing masses. Many cartridges can be balanced using either of two. The arm usually tracks best with the heaviest donut that will work, mounted closer to the pivot. Of course this also reduces effective mass, which may or may not be sonically desirable depending on the cartridge. It also leaves more room for Tip #6.

6. For fine VTF adjustments don’t futz with the counterweight, there’s an easier way. Set the counterweight for the highest VTF you think you’ll need (ie, close to the pivot). Pick up some 1/4" I.D. O-rings from Home Depot. To reduce VTF a bit just slip an O-ring or two on the end stub. Thin O-rings reduce VTF by .01-.02g, thick ones by .04-.05g. Quick, cheap, effective. (For safety, always lock the arm down while adding or removing O-rings.)

7. When adjusting VTA, always bring the pointer to the setting you want by turning it counter-clockwise at least ¼ of a turn. This brings the arm UP to the spot you've selected, which takes up the slop in the threads. You can easily feel this happening.

Hope someone finds these useful. If you know any more, please bring ‘em on!
dougdeacon
Hi Mike! Nice to hear from a fellow edgarhorn-er. ;-)

Thanks for that bit of verification. I fell back to the shrink wrap after deciding not to try to force the tiny screws, and more importantly for me, did not want to give up the finger lift.

Nice tip on the wires. It makes good sense to address the leads.
I tried braiding my leads together and got a hum. Separating them as widely as possible eliminated it.
I was wondering if that might happen with the wires twisted together. Did you braid them all together or in +/- pairs? To my mind this tweak is more for mechanical damping. Maybe just a loose twist of all four to keep them together and make a stiffer bundle to eliminate vibrations?

I do have some very small tie wraps. A few more tenths of a gram down by the headshell. ;-) Maybe the heavier XV-1s would like that.
>

Hi Doug,

There may have been a semi-loose or cold solder joint on the cartridge lead that is causing the hum. Because as I know it, most(if not all) of the tonearm wires in the arm tube are braided/twisted together internally.

What I did was "very lightly" twisting 4 leads together(4 to 5 turns) and connect to cartridge before I apply the rubber cement. No hum or crosstalk that I can detect of. One thing I always do for verification is after every cartridge alignment/setup I measure the output of the cartridge using a 1 kHz test tone(test LP) and check for channel separation.
JCarr, And I responded to your post by stating that I did not think the Triplanar headshell had any "edges" that could inhibit the choice of cartridge. I was looking for that post in order to eat crow. You were absolutely correct. I never noticed the problem until I tried to mount this Colibri. I found an aluminum piece that Herb Papier gave me for simulating the mounting hole to stylus tip distance of a phono cartridge. If I remove the pin he used to emulate a stylus tip and grind on the aluminum horizontal piece a little, it will work for what I need; it about exactly fills the inset between the edges of the headshell. I don't know why the headshell is designed as it is, but probably for strength, so the headshell cannot be bent up or down in the vertical plane.
Mike/Dan,
I thought it was odd too, since as Mike says the wires are often braided (and certainly touching) inside the arm.

I understand it's for mechanical damping, that's why I tried it. Maybe I'll try again, or in pairs as Dan suggests. We have zero problems otherwise so a bad solder joint doesn't *seem* too likely...
Dougdeacon:

So in a moment of haste, I popped off the c-ring, took off the anti skate entirely and the little "string".

You're right. Similar as the trough, but more subtle. I don't seem to miss the antiskate...I do like the added quietness. I may go back next weekend and double check...seems very easy to install the antiskate back on the arm...
Lew, from what I understand the Colibri does not use the standard 1/2" mounting holes. Is that the case? Tri mentioned to me one time that that is why setting up the Colibri on his arm was so difficult. That was several years ago- the problem may have been corrected in that time.
BTW- Tri was married this last weekend! Congrats to the new couple!

In a quote from the groom: "...I expect that things will calm down and get back to normal now" yeah right :)
Poor Tri, he is headed for a new version of "normal". Congrats to him and the Mrs, in any case.

Ralph I fervently hope you are wrong. I got obsessed with setting up my Lenco in slate, so I have not yet tried to mount the Colibri on the Triplanar using the insert that Herb gave me. Ergo, I don't yet know whether the space between the mounting holes is other than 0.5 inches. If it is, why on earth would vdH do such a thing, and how can I ever use the Colibri in this and 99% of other headshells that are set up for the standard mounting distance? I do notice that there are two pairs of mounting holes in tandem on the Colibri. I thought this was to allow maximum adjustability of pivot to stylus distance, but maybe the two pairs of holes are for alternative headshells. I will soon find out.
Lewm, we asked ourselves exactly the same question! That was 5 years ago though....

I talked to Tri today- he is still trying to get things back to 'normal' :) got a think or two coming he does
Hi all, I hope that this 'extension' of Tri's will lead to
the 'extension' of the bias-weights. Hopefuly to 3 in the near future.

Regards,
Dear Dan, My Triplanar VII came with just 1 bias weight that is to heavy for my Benz Ruby 3 so I use no antiskate
at all.
Regards,
Nandric, seems to me I got 3 weights also. Have you contacted Triplanar about this?
I think Nandric is talking about the anti-skate weight, which he calls the "bias weight". Did you other guys really get three different anti-skate weights? I sure didn't. Nandric, please correct me if I'm wrong.
Dear Lewm, Of course you are right.But I also used the expression 'anti-skate' and tought that I am the only one
'deprived' of 2 additional 'bias'- weights and emailed Tri to ask for clarification. BTW on his website one can see only one'skate-weight' and 3 counter-weights.However I got 4 contra-weights with my Triplanar so there is somem kind of 'justice' eventually.But even so I was always wondering
why just one (to heavy) anti-skate weight?
Regards,
Ah, thanks for clarifying. No, we all only have one AS weight, but a good number of us aren't using any AS either. Personally, I'm still going back and forth between no AS and a tiny bit, but not for tracking issues. Sometimes I think a tad bit of AS helps the weight of the music. YMMV and all that. :-)
Nandric,
If you go back up this thread to my post on 9-16-06, you'll find a tip regarding O-rings instead of the anti-skate (or anti-bias) weight. They provide an easy way to reduce and adjust lateral force whilst still applying more than "zero".
Nandric, I think we get a total of 4 counter-weights, as you indicate. One is the major one that goes up against the pivot. Then there are three additional supplemental counterweights of increasing thickness and weight. I guess we've got the weights straightened out, now.

Interestingly, contrary to Doug's recommendation I found that my Koetsu Urushi sounded distorted in (I think) the right channel, when I applied virtually no anti-skate (bare lever with no weight installed still would give a tiny amount of anti-skate). I had to use the regular brass anti-skate weight, albeit at a very low setting, to make the Koetsu happy. Today I mounted a Colibri on the Triplanar and forgot to re-install the anti-skate weight, yet the Colibri seems quite happy without it. So this phenomenon is cartridge dependent, which kind of surprises me. I would have thought that the skate force is independent of the cartridge type/brand/design/mechanism.
Lew,

Your experience is consistent with other posters including myself, on this thread and others. The amount of anti-skating required is indeed cartridge dependent. This is no surprise if we think about how skating force is generated.

Skating force varies with groove friction. Given two different cartridges, even if one mounted and aligned them identically (optimizing VTF for each) stylus friction in the groove would vary with stylus profiles, cartridge mass, the compliance of the suspensions and downforce.

Your Urushi is heavier than the Colibri. It has a less compliant suspension. It requires more downforce. All these differences increase groove friction. This generates more skating force, so more anti-skating is required. Your results are consistent with theory (and VdH himself recommends low levels of antiskating for his cartridges).

In all these respects your Colibri and my UNIverse are more alike than either is to an Urushi. It's no surprise that the Urushi wants more anti-skating than either of them.

Another example: Dan_Ed has told us he's on the fence regarding antiskating for his XV-1S/TriPlanar. He either wants none (for sonic clarity) or the tiny amount provided by the bare dogleg or dogleg + a few O-rings (for sonic heft).

The XV-1S is heavier than Colibri or UNIverse, like an Urushi, but its compliance is similar to VdH and ZYX. Should we be surprised that it likes more anti-skating than Colibri/UNIverse but less than Urushi? It should surprise us more if it were otherwise.
Hold the phone, Doug. In order to make the Colibri mount-able on my Triplanar, I had to use an alu insert between the cartridge and the headshell. The insert, after I machined it to a minimum mass, weighs almost 3g. Then because of the insert, I had to use extra-long screws, which probably adds yet another gram or so to the mass at the very end of the tonearm, where it maximally affects effective mass. So the gross weight of the Colibri plus insert plus screws is probably not in the "light" class. So may be more comparable to the Urushi. VTF for Urushi in my system is typically 2g, for Colibri, 1.5g. However, I do take your point that cartridge mass and VTF, among many other things, will affect skating force. After I wrote what I wrote yesterday, I came to that realization independently; my first statement was incorrect. Thank you for saying so. These are the things that I dwell upon just before sleep sets in. I am much smarter then.

But then too, last night I listened to the Colibri WITH the brass anti-skate weight installed about one-third of the distance down the lever, from the elbow. I do believe it sounds (even) better with this small (by my standards) amount of anti-skating. The jury is still out on this; I have to do more listening. It could be that the Colibri is just waking up from long storage. But tracking seemed better, etc. I will try the O-ring trick.
Dear Lewm, We have obviously some kind of anti-skate enigma.I used to adjust this 'force' with an 'blanco' LP with the advantage that I was able to see the forces involved. Then I learned that I am an imbecile and thatthe right manner was to use the 'tracking ability test' from am test-record. I.e. if you hear the 'buzz' from (mostly) the R. chanel you need to increase the weight. I got 90mu with my (then) FR-64 + Ortofon MC 30S without eny 'buzz'. I must confess that I was very proud with this result. Then I come across an worning from Van den Hul himself: don't try to get 70mu or more,you will destroy your LP. So I give up the concept 'anti-skate' as well as the attempts.
Then Doug come along with his O rings. No way one can get these rings in Holland so I emailed Doug asking for,say,10
of those rings. No answer at all .So I must give up for the second time.
Regards,
Doug,
I done it. In less than 2 mins removed the AS.As ever your your instructions were comprehensive and superb. Not sure if the improvement is mildly subtle or subtly mild, but it sure is very ,very nice. Does it really get better than this !!
In awe and with regards
Pradeep
Pradeep,
Glad you took the time to try this teeny tweak. A subtle and mild "you're welcome" back to you. :-)
Nandric, You were correct to abandon the use of a groove-less disc to set AS. I just do it by ear. It was very obvious that the Urushi was in need of AS after a short listen without it, since I knew well how the Urushi sounded with AS. Without it, there was obvious distortion in the R channel and the L side of the "soundstage" or "image" fell apart. With the Colibri, the issue is still unsettled. However, given Doug's (correct) reasoning, it would not be surprising that it also "needs" a little AS, because I have increased the effective mass and the weight of the cartridge and related parts. I am also using 1.5g VTF (the top of the vdH recommended range). I usually use 2.0g with the Urushi. My quick listen both ways suggests that the Colibri needs some AS compensation.
Dear Lewm,We are coplaining about those AS weights,it seems to me,to the wrong address: to each other.
I caused the misunderstanding by using the exression 'bias-weight'. This was caused to me 'cause I thought that this saying was a joke: 'The USA and the UK are different countrys divided by the same language'. I am an regular visitor of the English eBay.co.uk. And there overyone is refering to the 'BIAS-WEIGHT' and nobody to the 'anti-skate'. So I was once more caused,by some of our members,to
think that I was the only one with just one of those 'anti-skate' weights. So I emailed Tri with a very naive presupposition that I will get an answer. I asked about those (imaginary) 2 extra anti-skate weights. However I am
sure that he is the 'right address' for our complains.The only problem is how to 'get' to him. Well I may 'get there'
by accident so to speak. I got an email from an very kind guy, Paul,who seems to be Tri's friend .So I made my proposal to Tri via Paul. The proposal: we need at least one extra weight that is the same weight as those Doug's 5
or 6 O rings. So we will see.
Regards,
Nandric, I take it that you would LIKE to have an extra bias or anti-skate weight suitable for applying a very small amount of bias or anti-skate force. Any competent machinist could make that for you, it seems to me, using the original "normal" size brass weight as a template. I guess you want this weight because you are unable to obtain suitable O-rings to do Doug's trick. You could also buy some tiny O-rings via the internet. For another reason, I recently bought some from a company called "All O-rings". You might Google it. McMaster Carr, a hardware supplier based in the US, may also carry O-rings. They sell just about anything else under the sun.
Dear Lewm,You 'dwell (about the things)just before sleep' and are 'much smarter then'(08.17.09).
The total opposite was the case with me.I was wrestling with just one thougth and was not able to sleep at all. I am reluctant to say this but the Triplanar VII cost 5000 Euro in Europe and I thought that my 'specimen' was incomplete but also that I had some kind of 'human right' to all the 'bias-weights' that others had. One thought can
hardly qualify as 'reasoning' but probable well as 'obsession'.
I am ok now and even the O rings are on the way but I still
think that such an expensive tonarm should have more of those weights. Bisides why should I mess with 'Rings'(I hate Wagner,btw) 'on' this kind of tonearm?
Regards,
I spoke to Tri about what was the right Anti-Skate setting on the arm and his response is that there is no standard, no means of knowing what the right setting without audition, and that different cartridges seemed to have vastly different settings... He also mentioned that he himself was not a fan of lots of anti-skate and tended not to use it in his own system. But he conceded that might have a lot to do with the cartridge he is running.

Dear Nandric, As Ralph implied, anti-skate is a bugaboo of pivoted tonearms with fixed-angle head shells. This notion of using micro-amounts or none at all is Doug's idea based on his listening. Moreover, the tiny o-rings he uses really are not hard to find in the US, and I cannot imagine the same is not true in Europe, unless you guys don't have hardware stores or access to the internet. If manufacturers had to account for all the crazy things we do with or to their products, there would be no sleep for them. Perhaps it is better that we are the ones who lie awake. After all, Tri just got married, and he has better things to do at night. As I mentioned, if you insist on brass, it could easily be done by a competent machinist.
Dear Lewm/Atmasphere, I am even more puzzled with this anti-skate enigma as before.It looks as we are talking Unified Field Theory and I thought it is about friction.
I perceive some kind of attitude, by some members,to protect Tri from 'onjust arguments'. To my mind Tri is better 'served' by critical feedback from his customers.
According to Atmasphere he is aware of the problem. But the fact is:he is still producing this to heavy AS.
And then the dramatic exaggeration:'if manufactures had to account for all the crazy things we do...' + searching for
our own 'competent machinist'. My God. All I, and I assume other,want is an smaller AS.
To my mind it is CRAZY to pay 5000 Euro for an tonearm and
then search for an 'competent machinist'. I will then rather search for an other tonearm.
Regards,
Nandric, you have crossed into the realm of "what I prefer", not what is necessary to produce music. I don't know Tri and have no interest in protecting him or anyone else. I don't give a crap what tonearm you buy and you are certainly entitled to your opinions, but your agenda is beginning to show.

You keep repeating this 5000 Euro price, but the Triplanar can be purchased for less than $4K US. The last time I checked that is about 2800 euro. Who is exaggerating?

You will never get a satisfactory answer from any tonearm or cartridge manufacturer about what the proper amount of AS is for any given arm/cart/table. There are just too many variables and you have mentioned the most important one. That is how do you, or I, prefer the sound. Very subjective indeed and it is no surprise to me that few tonearm makers provide multiple AS weights. They simply allow you to chase your own tail if you prefer. Some provide no AS adjustment at all. That is not my preference but it does not make them wrong or non-responsive to their customers.
Dan_ed, My 'agenda is beginnig to show'. My God I had no idea that I have one. What can this agenda be? I am from the former East block so I am probably an KGB member. End then I mentioned the 5000 Euro price twice in what I thought to be the right context, so you are entitled to call this 'keep repeating the price' because it was more then once.Then it is very interesting for us in Europa that the Triplanar is $4K in the USA. Alas you forget to mention: 12%import duty,19% VAT,30% importer fees and 30% dealer-fees.
What I forget to mention in my former contribution was that
even Tri himself don't use the AS weight he produce.
But then I am 100% sure that my my FR-64 had two bias-weights because I was able to get this 90mu that I mentioned with the small one.So even in the 80 one could get more AS weights. As Dertornarm stated before those are
mechanical matters and mechanics don't care about our subjective preference. But according to you and some others it is nearly impossible to get AS right. But whay bother then?
Regards,
I like the arm because it works- one of the very few that does. I like Tri because he can deliver.

I don't even have the AS weight mounted on my arm. It tracks anything I can throw at it effortlessly: Black Sabbath Paranoid, Decca's Ring Cycle conducted by Solti, Verdi's Requiem (Dies Irae) on RCA's Soria series- all some of the most dynamic recordings made. Other cartridges seem to prefer using the weight from my understanding. I'm not protecting Tri, its simply that there is no good way for a manufacturer to forecast what setting will be right.

I myself would not be blowing off any high end tone arm over the perceived lack of 30 cents worth of O-rings... that is a situation that is too easily solved :)
As Dertornarm stated before those are
mechanical matters and mechanics don't care about our subjective preference. But according to you and some others it is nearly impossible to get AS right. But whay bother then?

Ah, then it is perhaps Dertonearm's agenda that you project. We get that you, he, and a few others don't like the Triplanar and prefer another arm. If I had to guess I would say it is the Phantom II, based on Dertonearm's postings. You need to understand that we really do not care what you people think and we are quite happy with the Triplanar.

Nandric, this is a thread about ways to possibly get a Triplanar working better for its owner. It is not about you getting a platform to tell us what you don't like about the Triplanar and what other arms you do like. There are plenty of other threads where that is discussed.
Dan_ed, I made the proposal for ,say,two added weights for our Triplanar(08.14.09). I then used the expression 'bias-weight' and caused some confusion,etc.
Now a proposal is not a kind of statement or sentence that
can be true or false. So the logic is not about those kind
of sentences. My proposal is not accepted for different reasons.Many prefer the O rings and those are also weights
though 'tiny' kind.
I made no single statement about,say,'the quality' of the
Triplanar but only expressed my 'wish','desire',etc for
more AS weights.
Now you constructed somehow my proposal or wish as a kind of premise and 'deduced' from there some bewildering statements:
Nandric has his own 'agenda' + the agenda 'projected from Dertonarm'.
Nandric 'don't like the Triplanar and prefer another arm'.
Nandric use (the forum) as 'a platform to tell us what (he)
don't like about the Triplanar',etc. Bravo!
BTW your guess about the Phantom is as successful as your
'logical deductions';I never owned an Phantom of eny kind
and I am also not in possesion of any FR's of Dertonarms kind.Besides I am also an 'owner of Triplanar' so it is very difficult to put me outside the quantifier 'WE'(the owners).
Regards,
Hi all,This tread is not progressing and it may be my fault.There is always this problem how detailed an contribution should be with the obvious chance of incompletness. So I mentioned that 'proposals' are not statements that can be true or false but deed not,say, elaborate on this. Well of course one can argue about the sense,the nonsense,the practability.etc. of an proposal.
In my proposal about,say, more AS weights the argument was:
there is no way one can produce one or more AS weight such that this will solve the problem. I.e. assuming some metal-kind of AS weights. Regarding the O rings,that are also
'weights' the argument is,I assume,that those are such 'tiny' weights that one can add or reduce the weight in such small increments that one have more chance to rich,say, the Nirvana.
Well I like to try both. The O rings are on the way and I also discovered one ,I hope,'competent machinist' as Lewm
recommended.I ordered 3 AS weights so I will,I hope,reach some kind of 'super symmetry'.Besides I will have my own cardinal number 4 because there will be as meny 'F things'as 'G things' in my 'set' of weights so I will be able to establish 'one to one correspondence'whenever I will.
I also owned the model VI of theTriplanar and had the same problem with the AS weight. But I thought that I can solve this problem by myself and bought the most complex 'FERM
TOOL' ,with 40 attachments. The idea was to cut progressively 'tiny' parts of the AS weight and then check the results,etc. Alas I cut also some pieceas of my left-hand finger. So I know that this Lewm is a smart gay,even long before he is going to sleep so no wonder he insist on a 'competent machinist'. I hope that I also become smarter in between.
Regards,
Dear Ralph (Atma), What cartridge are you using that requires no AS compensation? I know that Doug uses the ZYX Universe.

Nandric, I am very sorry you had to pay so much for your Triplanar. However, as you yourself noted, most of the money did not go to Tri; it went to all those middle-men you mentioned. But I would add in your defense that even $4000 is still a ton of money to most of people who are not obsessed with this bizarre hobby. What interests me is that it now seems that you have been convinced that the single AS weight that comes with the Triplanar is too heavy for quite some time. What drove you to that conclusion, and when? What cartridge are you using with it that seems to dislike AS? Or is it just that you want to try the minimal to no AS approach espoused by Doug?

I don't know whether I am smart or not, because if I did think the AS weight was impossibly heavy, I might indeed clamp it in a vise and go at it with a hacksaw. After I ruined it THEN I would probably first call Tri for a replacement and then call up a competent machinist, which I am not.
Dear Lewm,The problem is,as always I think,in the premises
or assumptions (aka'knowledege versus ignorance'). Papier
was a genius so he of course thought about his anti-skate
construction and the AS weight. Then there were different
methods to adjust the ant-skate. I already mentioned: grooveless LP; the test-records with 'tracking test',etc.
Those are in some sense 'prescribed' or 'recomended' to us.
So we used these methods assuming that they are 'right'.
But then we learn that this is not the case so we become insecure. Not a pleasant state of mind. So we want to try
something else or anything. Our forum is mainly about such
'dilemmas'.So we get different 'proposals' that I also mentioned and even tryd to 'disclose' their 'nature'.But our forum is also about,say,'passion' so some members get
angry when they hear something they don't like. This causes
then 'accusations',etc. I owned the Triplanar VI and own
the VII and am 'in'the Triplanar for more then 10 years.
But I am still 'pressuposed' by some members to 'hate' or 'dislike' the arm. You are asking why I am 'convinced'
that this (actual) AS weight is to heavy. Well Lewm this
is my assumption because I learned that others don't use this weight at all. But I also mentioned that I give up
the 'concept' anti-skate as well as attempts. Not 'exactly'
true but this is,it seems to me,a kind of evidence that I have no idea what is 'right' and what is 'wrong' with this
anti-skate enigma.But I also want to try 'anything' so I will get the O rings as well as 3 more AS weights. My,say,
'provisional' method is to use the test-record and 'rich'
50 mu (to be sure)because I learned that this is 'necessary' and then do the rest by listening to the so
called 'critical LP's' ( Rigoletto but not the 'Ring').
Regards,
Nandric, I have obviously misunderstood you. I did not wish to continue last week as I felt that my doing so would only detract further from the purpose of this thread. It is often difficult to convey ideas and meanings through written word, at least for me, and I find it even more difficult if I don't stop to consider that other English speaking people don't have the same exposure to colloquialisms as me. Some phrases and words tend to impart a bias one way or another on my thinking based on how I have learned to use English, or American if you will. ;-) Perhaps this is why I sometimes sense antagonism from posts by what I'm guessing are Europeans. I say this because I work with many English speaking Asians and have never felt this urge to say "hey, wait a minute!". In the future I will try to keep this in mind.

Back on topic. I would agree with Nandric that the TP AS weight would appear too heavy based on my experience with this arm and the XV-1s. However, the need for AS is directly related to how well one has the cartridge aligned and the stylus profile in my opinion. I say this because these seem to be the two factors that determine how much static drag there is. If this is true there is no wonder why AS could change from LP to LP, and even from inner to outer groove. I hope all of us TP owners have at least figured out that inner/outer adjustment by now. Again, it appears to be a "one size fits all" weight.

However, I have never tried to calculate what the AS curve looks like as the weight is moved out on the stub. I would expect this to be linear, while the effects of applying AS may not be due to the issues above.

As for making weights, not everything need be metal. I have even used woodworking plug cutters to make small weights out of different hard woods. (Tip: drill them before breaking out of the stock.) This method allows for many differences in mass due to wood densities between species and does provide some weights between nothing and the stock AS weight. So you do get some finer adjustment. The slight downside is that the wood can impart a hint of coloration, and I bet brass does as well. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, just to be expected. Heck, I've talked to a TP owner or two who don't like the o-rings because they feel this use dampens things to much. No wonder AS is regarded as a near "mystical" adjustment.

Good to hear we have another "smart gay" in our midst. :-) :-) Sorry, that struck me as just too funny to pass up!
Rumors that I am a "smart gay" are exaggerated.

Nandric, if you re-read what you wrote and what Dan-ed just wrote, you will see, I hope, that there is no way that Tri could accommodate, or indeed anticipate, all the neurotic needs of us audiophiles as regards the AS weight. I hope you eventually find happiness in that regard. Because of the fixed-angle headshell with respect to the pivot, there will always be at least some skating force with any cartridge. So I start with the idea that some amount of AS makes sense. That's why Herb put his AS device on the tonearm in the first place. Perhaps, to those who choose to remove it, the apparatus itself imparts some sonic signature that is more objectionable than the effect of no AS, where skating force is very low. Using the Urushi and the Colibri in my system, I prefer not to live without some AS compensaton.
Dan_ed, No harm done but I need,I think, to apology to Lewm
for the 'smart gay'. I have also seen this but to late. In any case I am to old for Freudian 'slips'. BTW I live in the Netherlands and here it is no problem at all wich kind
one is. I am originaly from the Balkans so I needed some time to 'get' the 'Dutch way' of thinking. But I have more
problems with your,say,'Europe attitude'. May I remind you that Einstein,Godel,Tarski,Carnap,e.a. come from Europe to
the USA and all of them were not 'perfect' in your language. But all of them were university teachers in your
country. So am/was I in Holland.
But this thread is about the anti-skate and I forget to mention the Sony 1500 (?) tonearm. It was in the 80 that
I have seen this arm. I was then 'in' the ADC carts,still own the 25 with 3 styli (sic!)so this arm was to heavy for
the purpose. But I still remember this remarcable anti-skate 'provision' that was variable,depending on the record
radius. Never seen such an construction since.So I assume that the most tonearms have,say, an constant 'AS force',irrespective of the record-radius. So this is an problem because this force is not equal on all of those radiuses. So I think that our search for 'near perfection'
will result in some kind of 'second best' solution. Anyhow
we are trying our best.
Regards,
Hi Lew, I run the Transfiguration Orpheus at home. Here at the shop we use the ZYX Universe and the Anti-skate weight is set at the absolute minimum.
I understand Nandric, and I am not saying it is your fault, or anyone's fault. It is the international learning curve. ;-) It is what little direct contact I have had with some Europeans that caused me to realize that certain grammatical phrases can take on a completely different tone than what one may have intended. Sometimes just by changing the order of a few words. Live and learn.
Dear Dan, This have nothing to do with anti-skate but I think that it is very important not to distinguish between
American and Europian intellectual tradition;they are the same and stem from the Greek tradition,say, Plato and
Aristoteles. I admire your brilliant logician Quine as well
as linquist Chomsky but I never think of them as Americans.
I think of them as 'part' of an great universal tradition that is called the 'search for knowledge' and in this search everyone is welcome irrespective of his country.
Regards,
Dear Nandric, There would be no problem here either if I were gay. My one-line comment was an allusion to a one-liner written by the great American humorist Mark Twain, probably 100 years ago. A newspaper had erroneously reported that Twain had died. In response, he wrote, "Rumors of my death are exaggerated." Although I am not a great American humorist, I was only trying to be funny.
Dear Lewm, Twain is as popular in Europa and I knew about
this 'Rumor-incident' but missed the connection. Anyway
the 'rumors' about the first part of my unfortunate word combination are not 'exaggerated'.BTW my favourite is his
story about the 'unbelievable learnig capacity' of his father.
But I hope you will be as Stoic regarding this information.
Your assumption about the number of counter weights is wrong. I was glad with my cardinal number 4,as many F's as
G's (aka Hume's Priciple) or as many counnter weights as AS
weights but by my recounting I discovered that I own 5 counter-weights. I overlook the small one on the back side
of the 'end' tube . Obviously meant for the very small weights increments so the owner can adjust his TF to,say,
1,998 gr. But I also thought that this 'invention' was a
kind of 'intellectual property' of somebody else;one of our
member I belive. Not without selfinterest because I am supposed to know something about the subject (I teach this subject).
So Lewm the discrepancy between those weights get biger and biger and your position (defending the actual one)
waeker and weaker. Or so I thought.
Regards,
bigger
I don't think I'm getting my meaning across, Nandric, so I'll stop with this last OT post here. ;-)I'm not talking philosophy, but perhaps tradition is a good word. I suppose I'm talking about the difference between intellectual tradition and street tradition. I used to joke "I speak southern, I jest cain't hep it." So you see that even in different parts of America expressions are different and can mean different things to the locals. I understand this is true all over the world and not just with English.

When I studied languages in college, this was pointed out by most every instructor. Although most of Latin America speaks Spanish, many of the dialects don't translate as one might expect if they translate at all. This is the point I'm trying to make about spoken languages. Usually what is taught in schools is not what is spoken on the streets. Unfortunately, you have come across a non-intellectual American. :-)