test lp for anti-skate

[Jim Pittsburgh]

anyone have a test record that includes anti-skate? what to loan it? rent it out? sell it? or can you recommend one that I should buy?

[Sir Thrift-a-Lot]

Anything with a blank side.

[Shayne]

You may have found a solution by now but the new Donald Fagen record Sunken Condos has a totally blank side 4. It's on clear wax too, pretty cool.

[MacGeek]

How is the music?  I didn't know Fagen had released a new album.

[schwarcw]

I have used this one:

http://www.analogueproductions.com/index.cfm?do=detail&Title_ID=35532

It does have an anti-skate test based on audible distortion observed when the anti-skate force is changed.  The test record is about $50. 

I suggest saving your money setting the anti-skate force to about 3/4 of the cartridge tracking force.  This should be sufficient.

[Shayne]

Umm, it's pretty good. It's definitely steely dan/Fagen stuff. Some of the songs and a little cheesy. It's recorded well but has a bit of digital sheen. The vinyl is pressed well and is dead silent. I'd suggest previewing it online before purchase.

[Jim Pittsburgh]

yea good at saving money lol    however, the Clearaudio Performance SE table that I have, has the Satisfy magnetic arm.... and there are no preset markings etc...etc....  love it, but not having some way to measure it as being correct, bugs the hell out of me! lol   I'm sure that noone else here ever has had that experience lol

[Jim Pittsburgh]

Santa brought the  HiFi News analogue test LP!  I must have been a good boy this year!  worked wonders! A great tool, especially when combined with my old Shure Audio Obstacle course era III...  Have the table singing better than ever, and the second Thorens in the garage at least at an acceptable level now! I think my wife is glad it's not a process that has to be repeated very often lol

[schwarcw]

Glad to hear that Sanat was good to you!  That test LP is a handy tool!

[papabearjew]

Bear in mind that the blank area on a test record is only a rough estimate but is certainly useful to confirm that the anti skating is working. In the real world the dynamic forces on actual grooves are different than on a blank record. Ultimately you should use the manufacturer's recommendations as a guide and fine tune by ear. Pay special attention to inner groove distortion. The dynamic forces of skating change the entire length of the record. It's always a compromise though some anti skating systems are better than others for the length of the record. I've always found Thorens' to work quite well. Of course this doesn't apply to linear trackers

[Jim Pittsburgh]

papabear, right on all accounts. The ClearAudio Performance with Satisfy arm, actually changes the anti-skate and the VTF across the face of the album for that reason ...   and a side note, because it is magneticly controlled, the VTF changes with record height/ thickness also. which is a very significant source of consternation in getting it set.... had to come up with a nifty clamp and height matching mechanism to get the digital scale(s) to the proper height(s). Could not use the old Shure scale due to its measurment height. The Satisy arm is a PITA to set up, but well worth the trouble once set ... and if you just listen and not think about it too much lol

Utilized the bias adjustment bands to get the anti-skate just right... while playing with the tracking test bands on the other side to get that right... all while flipping back to the "bell test and simbalance test" on the old Shure album....  adjusting the VTF for one threw off the others .. back and forth, back and forth....  I'm 95% there, will fine tune it further next week...It's just me lol