trusting automatic anti skate.

[freQ(*)Oddio]

I have enjoyed tweaking my cheap tired vintage tables to sound their best when compared with some nicer tables, the user adjustable anti skate plays a important part of me dialing in a clean sounding budget table. Shopping for new low price tables, i narrowed down a few new belt drives, and then see ,,,,"no user anti skate adjustment"???? huh?. i cant see any way possible , to have, a all compensating automatic anti skate tt ready to adjust itself, to any other adjustments i may make to cart alignment and tracking weight, I understand the price concern, but damm, some are real nice and came so close,. They could not trade 1 small thing for a user skate control? and make a understandable tt, how about a no cover trade for a user skate? Skate is the only thing you cant install or upgrade after. If i was hearing something off with one of these tables, and could not check and adjust the skate i would go nuts .wondering and checking, Oh well no big deal I see some nice tts with at least a string weight to manipulate so that will maybe be the only option for a 3-$400 range belt drive. Maybe in 5 years more tables will turn to auto skate. Maybe they get less complaints and returns from people messing up their user adjustable things, then blaming it on the table. This could be a happy medium for business, not for tweakers, It is all price point i need to face it, but thats a big vinyl feature. sorry just a quick rant, I am a business man also, i get it.

 

[jrtrent]

It will be interesting to see how good it turns out for business. Since Rega went to a fixed anti skate on their lower-end models, one local dealer said he's been selling more Pro-Ject 'tables in that price range--as you said, a string and weight arrangement at least gives some measure of control, but maybe Rega knows this will only be important to a small percentage of potential buyers. U-Turn has also opted for a fixed anti skate setting for their Orbit Arm 2, which is used in all of their turntables since last October. Their previous arm had no anti skate at all (though they said the damped, unipivot bearing ameliorated that somewhat), which I somehow find more appealing than a fixed force I cannot change.

 

[c_dk]

I have seen many a fixed bias turntables stylus worn improperly on one side of the diamond than the other when examined under a stylus microscope. P mounts were notorious for this. With some Duals back in the day we would fudge it by over or under setting the tracking force by the fixed scale and then reset the real tracking force by adjusting the counter weight measured with a Shure TFG-2. Of coarse we would be observing the mistracking on a oscilloscope to properly set the antiskate bias.

 

[ear4audio]

There is a customer base that can't be bothered with set-up and adjustments. They just want to play a record and sound quality probably isn't at the top of their list. However, I do think there is a difference between a basic necessity and optional bells and whistles. There should be a way to balance the arm and adjust the VTF; a way to align the cartridge; adjust the anti-skating force and have the ability to change speeds. There was a time when even entry level turntables included all the basics but now there seems to be a category below entry-level...stripped down models?

 

[Balifly]

I have enjoyed tweaking my cheap tired vintage tables to sound their best when compared with some nicer tables, the user adjustable anti skate plays a important part of me dialing in a clean sounding budget table. Shopping for new low price tables, i narrowed down a few new belt drives, and then see ,,,,"no user anti skate adjustment"???? huh?.

Which new turn table have an " automatic anti- skate " mechanism ?

 

[vwestlife]

Which new turn table have an " automatic anti- skate " mechanism ?

The OP is probably referring to the U-Turn Orbit, which has "internal anti-skate" that is pre-set at the factory:

https://uturnaudio.com/blogs/uturn/introducing-orbit-arm-2

 

[Balifly]

The OP is probably referring to the U-Turn Orbit, which has "internal anti-skate" that is pre-set at the factory:

Much thanks for the post about the new U-turn tone arm feature.

 

[Poinzy]

U-Turn Orbit...first we had the add-on cuing lever, then the blu-tack-inspired heavier counterweight, and now we have the non-adjustable anti-skate. Pretty soon, U-Turn will have a complete turntable.

 

[Pronto]

Which new turn table have an " automatic anti- skate " mechanism ?

Rega Planar 1 for example . . . or even better, just one setting . . .

 

[freQ(*)Oddio]

Which new turn table have an " automatic anti- skate " mechanism ?

hi sorry just saw this question, the u turns, entry projects, and rega , i saw a video of a rega model i was looking at showing the arm sliding to the middle with no adjustment

 

[freQ(*)Oddio]

U-Turn Orbit...first we had the add-on cuing lever, then the blu-tack-inspired heavier counterweight, and now we have the non-adjustable anti-skate. Pretty soon, U-Turn will have a complete turntable.

One choice i had that was close, but too good to be true by "killing 2 birds with one stone" was the u turn for $234 that also came with a upgraded cart from grado, i would have eventually put a grado black on any chosen table! A grado with no adjustable skate just seems like something i couldnt live with, trust me i love the u turns and what they are about, i would pay more for a upgraded u turn with that adjustment feature. I really think u-turn have the technology and are ready for a new, higher end, little more expensive platform offer with total user adjustments , along with keeping their current models.

 

[freQ(*)Oddio]

A music hall mmf 2.2 for $299 looks like the contender, with a line weight skate. I could make my own grooves for the line weight to really tweak things if the factory choices were too generic. This table also weighs a few lbs more than the "identical thought of" pro-ject table for 399. The rega planar 1 is iconic and i was just going to get it and have something really nice for once. at $475, i would go the extra,,,,,,,,,,,,,but,,magnetic ,automatic, non adjustable skate also? maybe i am used to all tables my entire life having all adjustments. So it will be the mmf 2.2. Its last years model but looks like a nice platform, The mmf tracker cart is a goldring copy that i like also, sorry not big ortofon red fan many other tables come with.

 

[c_dk]

When Technics thought they had the market cornered and pushed the P mount system all the calibration settings were supposed to be preset. They weren't. Bench testing these wonders continued to show they were improperly set up and the wear patterns on the diamonds proved it. We had a little turntable clinic just this last Tues. night and low and behold two styli came in with double the wear on one side compared to the other. Both tables had no anti skate adjustment.

 

[jrtrent]

A music hall mmf 2.2 for $299 looks like the contender, with a line weight skate. I could make my own grooves for the line weight to really tweak things if the factory choices were too generic. This table also weighs a few lbs more than the "identical thought of" pro-ject table for 399. The rega rp1 is iconic and i was just going to get it and have something really nice for once. at $475, i would go the extra,,,,,,,,,,,,,but,,magnetic ,automatic, non adjustable skate also? maybe i am used to all tables my entire life having all adjustments. So it will be the mmf 2.2. Its last years model but looks like a nice platform, The mmf tracker cart is a goldring copy that i like also, sorry not big ortofon red fan many other tables come with.

I like the MMF 2.2, also, and, like you, prefer the Goldring copy cartridge over the Ortofon 2M Red (I used the conical Goldring Elan quite happily for years); but the Rega RP1 does have adjustable anti skate, as did the P1 before it--it's only their latest iterations, the new Planar 1 and Planar 2 models, that lack that feature.