Anti-skating weight for turntable tonearm
As the record rotates, its momentum with the stylus tip on the record grooves will pull the phono cartridge towards the spindle. The anti-skating mechanism within the tonearm is designed to counter this externally generated force. The proper application of anti-skating is designed to:
- Allow the stylus tip to correctly trace record grooves for optimal sound quality without a right or left channel bias.
- Minimize wear in the inner walls of the track.
How to Adjust Anti-Skating Force
Anti-skating should be adjusted only after cartridge alignment and tracking force have been set. During phono cartridge alignment, the anti-skating force should be set to zero.
1) Set the anti-skating on the first notch.
2) Select a stereo LP record of choice, preferably one that you are very familiar with. Place this on the platter and switch the turntable to play.
3) Listen to the LP. When the anti-skating is too low,
the left channel will dominate in terms of volume and
detail.
4) Increase the anti-skating to the next notch.
Listen again. Repeat step. You will reach a point where
the right and and left channel will sound equally
expressive, open and dynamic. You will know that you
have reached the correct anti-skating force only
when you have exceeded it. This will be manifested
sonically by a sudden deterioration in sound quality.
Then you adjust anti-skating to the previous notch.