Tone arm set-up for dummies: Anti-skate revisited

Hi Andy:

IIRC, the RB300 uses a magnetic anti-skate set up which is quite reliable. Your use of the HFN record is, in my experience the best way to go. As long as the T/T is level and nothing's broken, I'd trust my ears and the test record.

Don't be too concerned about non-perfect tracking of the 3rd anti-skate test band, even my XV-1 has a tiny buzz there.

I'm not sure what the best tracking force for the 17D2 is on an RB300 but on my ARO it was just a smidge under 2g, according to my Shure gauge.

Hope this helps.

Best Regards,
Mark Dunn

PS. You might want to look at:

http://WWW.simplyblack.net/english/Wally/wally_%20setup.htm

The Wally Tractor has many fans in the ranks of RB300 owners..

Andy,

This sounds like normal behaviour ie if you set anti-skate to full, the cartridge will fly away from the record. What you need to do is reduce the antiskate to zero, then very gradually increase from approx 1g until the sound is equally dynamic (ie same musical characteristic) from both speakers. Should be around 1.5-1.7g with 2g tracking force.

Jeremy

Thanks for the replies.

I've just been reading on Audio Asylum that the Shure balance is not particularly accurate at higher forces (eg 2g) and that the simple Ortofon balance can be better. So, I've tried this and things are slightly better but I am still concerned.

I always thought that when playing a record, the stylus should be dead centre in line with the cartridge. Mine is being bent away from the spindle (i.e. to the right when looking face on).
Are you telling me that this is normal?
Couldn't I end up with permanent damage to my cantilever?

Thanks again for any help,
Andy.

JeremyB:

I think you got the wrong end of the cantilever, as it were. Andy said that the stylus, not the arm is deflected to the outside of the record, which would infer too little anti-skate. I had to read it twice too.

Andy:

I calibrated my Shure gauge against an $800 electronic balance made by 'Winds' and it was heavy by only 0.02g at 2.0g. Your sample may vary. I also have the Ortofon item that came with the ARO but find it rather 'agricultural'. The thing to remember is that in the ARO manual Naim specifically point out that you have to mentally adjust the Ortofon reading (by approx' 0.2g IIRC) to ascertain the true downforce. This is because the stylus is above the surface of the record when using the Ortofon (or Shure for that matter) and trigonometry dictates a different reading at this point.

What I do now is simply put a riser (small block of wood) on my LP12's plinth and place the Shure gauge on top of it so that the Shure's pivot point is level with the purface of a record. I then get a true reading.

Best Regards,
Mark Dunn

Mark,

Thanks for taking the trouble to point out my error. Egg is suitably deposited on face!

So then what I was afraid to say that is that to get around Andy's problem, I have in the past found it necessary to resort to making final tracking angle adjustments by leaving the cart bolts just loose enough to rotate the cartridge while using the HFN test tracks (to get the same buzzing or no buzzing in both speakers), at the same time adjusting the anti-skate and this may be what Andy needs to do.
Andy, you have my sympathy if the cantilever is bent. I still think your ears and the test tracks should be the final judge rather than how the cartridge "appears". Having said that the reason I bought a DV is that it's construction gave me complete confidence that stylus, canilever and cartridge were all in perfect alignment.