Dear @mijostyn : @larryi posted a wide and simple explanation why the AS is need it always in a pivoted tonearm design and we have to add that not only what larry posted is important but the stylus shape tip and cartridge owns tracking abilities too.
I can remmeber that Audio Technica vintage tonearms came with a weigth where we can move it for each kind of stylus shape: conical, ellipthical and LC.
The best approach for a perfect anti-skate mechanism is this one in the Sony tonearm I own but not mounted at this time:
https://www.vinylengine.com/library/sony/pua-237.shtml
Btw, listening a pivot tonearm with out AS looking for better quality level performance makes no-sense at all because almost at no single LP recoded grooves the cantilever will stays straigth. At groove modulations microscopic level the friction forces are really really high and the cartridge cantilever always is non-starigth even if trhough our eyes we looks straigth. Important issue is not how it looks at sigth but how true looks at microscopic level.
Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.
I can remmeber that Audio Technica vintage tonearms came with a weigth where we can move it for each kind of stylus shape: conical, ellipthical and LC.
The best approach for a perfect anti-skate mechanism is this one in the Sony tonearm I own but not mounted at this time:
https://www.vinylengine.com/library/sony/pua-237.shtml
Btw, listening a pivot tonearm with out AS looking for better quality level performance makes no-sense at all because almost at no single LP recoded grooves the cantilever will stays straigth. At groove modulations microscopic level the friction forces are really really high and the cartridge cantilever always is non-starigth even if trhough our eyes we looks straigth. Important issue is not how it looks at sigth but how true looks at microscopic level.
Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.