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Ancient AR Turntable with NO anti skate

A friend had me over to listen to his restored late 60's Acoustic Research turntable.  While listening, I noticed that the somewhat awkward looking tonearm had no anti skate.  Looking closely at the stylus assembly, it wasn't drifting or pulling toward the center spindle.  It seemed to track clean and true through the entire LP.  The arm is the original stock AR arm and couldn't be more that 8.5" or 9" in length.  I am just curious how AR pulls that off with such a short arm?  I have seen several 12" arms (Audio Technica for example) that dispense with anti skate completely but never a smaller one.  By the way, the table sounded wonderful and the cartridge was a Denon 103R.

Thanks,

Norman

 
normansizemore
totem395
196 posts
 
If by "Ancient" you mean as late as the mid 50's most every arm had no
anti-skate, including Ortofon's and the first SME series 1 3012,
and 3009's. Although was later available as an option [series 1] 



normansizemore OP
473 posts
 
totem395,

I am really intrigued by this.  I have been looking for documentation on how they addressed the skating issue back then.  I have a SME 3009 Improved, of course with the anti skate.  I am guessing that no one was really concerned about it then? 

Wondering now how many run their turntables without anti skate dialed in?
N
rotarius
426 posts
 
Hello norman, I don't see why one would not apply the antiskate bias if this feature is available.  The skating force exists for every pivoting arm used with any stylus.  It is a vector quantity, very real, not some alternative fact.
stringreen's avatar
stringreen
5,112 posts
 
Anti skate is such a low force that it is inconsequential..most part theoretical.  Actually  no antiskate sounds better than yes a/s.
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cleeds
2,065 posts
 
stringreen
Anti skate is such a low force that it is inconsequential..most part theoretical. Actually no antiskate sounds better than yes a/s.
Certainly, many listeners prefer no antiskate, although I'm not one of them. However, to claim that antiskate force is so low as to be inconsequential is mistaken, imo. When antiskate force is considered in relation to VTF and effective tonearm mass, it is significant indeed - even if you prefer to avoid its use.
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