Is tonearm bias a compromise, maybe a myth?


I recently decided to check my tonearm/cartridge setup: alignment protractor, tracking force gauge, checked VTA, bias weight, etc. as over my many years with turntables and tonearms I have been surprised to discover that "shift happens". I have a very low mass arm with a very high compliance MM tracking at 1.25 gms. There was just a minor shift this time in tracking force. But afterwards I was really surprised at how much more depth there was to the soundstage and greater subtle details. I was then gobsmacked by the discovery that I had forgotten to re-attach the bias weight thread! Applying Lateral Bias seems to compromise performance elsewhere, true?
elunkenheimer
I use no anti skate with my zyx Universe. Info from posters here on Audiogon had much influance on trying none. I have tried it with the Triplanar with slight differences but nothing that I could say that I could dial in. With the Raven 10.5 I got bigger differences but again nothing I could dial in. No anti skate works best with the Universe on two arms. Just one guys experience.

TD
the anti skate required is a function of the tone arm and cartridge combination. It cannot be correctly set by matching the tracking weight. A test record with oscilloscope is the best method to set tracking pressure and antiskate. the sine wave will show deformity until both are correctly adjusted. If you do not have an oscilloscope, listening to the test tones for uneven distortion can approximate the correct antiskating.

Incorrectly set antiskating will cause 1 side of the stylus to wear out sooner than necessarry.
Wow, setting anti-skate by scope? I'm sure it produces great results but did manufactorers really expect customers to calibrate at this level?
Amount of AS is necessarily a compromise, but with a pivot type arm there's going to be skating. Amount of skating depends on more than just VTF. It increases with stylus velocity and steeper offset angle. It is caused by offset angle - the plane of the cantilever is extended off to the side, rather than aimed at the pivot as in a linear type arm.
So set your AS for "normal" loudness of most of your listening fare, not highest velocity on a test record. Offset increases as the stylus nears the center of record. Too little AS could add to inner groove distortion. Amount of AS is a compromise, but not a myth. Channel imbalance is readily seen on a scope or with newer software available. Carts with long cantilevers - skating can be observed visually if viewed from directly in front of cart while playing. Either the cantilever is almost centered relative to the body, or it's off to one side or the other.