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Anti-Skate dial-How to set it? + a bonus question

I bought a Hitachi SP-15 TT at a tag sale which also had a decent cartridge (Signet AMS-10 a MM). It has an Anti- Skate dial numbered 0-5. I am used to the little dangling wieght in tables from this era. Does anyone know where I should set it to, assume normal conditions.
Question 2. I have no tracking force scale either. With this issue I tried a couple of positions and settled on what seems like a light force. It yields the best details and creates the best soundstage.Will I miss out on something by keeping it on the light side?
My "bonus" question is- Do any of you change the downward force for a specific album or song to improve the sonics? Even if only once in a while it seems to make a big difference.
mechans
pbnaudio's avatar
pbnaudio
1,534 posts
 
Buy one of the cheap electronic VTF scales - about $40 - well worth the expense. Most anti skate settings are in numeric order according to grams of VTF.

Good luck

Peter
stanwal's avatar
stanwal
3,147 posts
 
I would just get a Shure mechanical one; I have found the digital ones unreliable and prone to failure. Some quite good arms did not have the anti skate calibrated correctly; the Grace 707 provided twice the necessary force if I remember. I would start with the minimum and slowly increase it if you think it necessary. Most of the time I use none at all; I have never even installed the AS part of my Graham 2.2. No matter where you set it it will be wrong for most of the record anyway.
mechans OP
2,999 posts
 
So Stanwal, while it seems a precise science what is wrong listening for the sound tou like the best?/ I noticed that no one amongst the analog gurus will say they change he VTF for specific recordings. I hope more respond.
minkwelder
191 posts
 
A cartridge's ability to track correctly depends on a number of things, however the range of acceptable VTF is very small. To set the VTF at "what seems like a light force" is madness. There may be legitimate reason to change VTF to suit a particular record, but get a good scale and experiment with the VTF within the range recommended by the manufacturer. Most cartridges cannot track correctly at the low end of this range except on the very best tonearms. Set it too light and the stylus cannot maintain solid contact with the groove. The stylus can then bounce around causing groove damage. It's better to be a little too heavy than a little too light.
stanwal's avatar
stanwal
3,147 posts
 
While some on here have said that they change the TRACKING ANGLE for different records, even writing the correct angle on the jacket, I don't remember anyone changing the force. I was suggesting you set the anti skate by ear if you want to use it; too little being preferable to too much IMHO. There is little about LP playback that is agreed upon; look at Vinyl Engine for more info on arm set up and proper geometry etc.
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