Stylus skipping across lead-in grooves

U-Turn Orbit Plus (newer gimbal tomearm) with Audio Technica VM540ML. I've aligned the cartridge to Baerwald geometry (vinyl engine protector - scaled correctly), set VTF with calibrated digital scale to 2g (recommended), leveled table with a bubble level, yet this still happens unless the needle happens to land right in a groove. I've tried lowering the VTF to 1.8g and raising it to 2.2g. I've adjusted the VTA by using mats of different thicknesses. Nothing works. Any ideas? Could the cartridge / tonearm match just not be ideal? The cartridge is fairly new - under 100 hours on it. Once the record is playing everything is fine - no skips, almost no inner groove distortion - sounds wonderful. I don't even know what to try next.

 

Anti-Skating adjustments on this turntable?

Sounds like the anti-skate is off.

 

Yea, that's the trouble with built-in anti-skate, how do you know it's working right? If you have a blank record, set the tonearm down on the outside and see how quickly the arm moves towards the center. It should move slowly inwards, slower than if it was in the leadout groove at the end of the record. You can also look while the record is playing, does the stylus look centered in the groove without any cantilever deflection? Try it in a few places.

Also, maybe the cueing mechanism is letting the arm down too slowly, does it happen when you cue it with the finger lift?

 

It skips when cueing by hand as well..

Regarding cantilever deflection - if anything, the cartridge is closer to to the outer edge of the record than the cantilever, but it's very subtle. Wouldn't that sugggest too much antiskate if anything? It seems logical that too little antiskate would be what leads to skipping across lead-in grooves. Is that right?

I don't have a blank record, but would a blank CD work?

Could this be anything other than an antiskate issue?

 

Antiskate is preset on this turntable..

 

Not very well, CD is polycarbonate, so different plastic, and different coefficient of friction from vinyl. Plus that method seems a bit dangerous if you have a very expensive stylus. I always tell people to get the great EP from last year by Melanie De Biasio, The Blackened Cities. Great band, great vocalist, great music, plus also a blank side you can use for testing your anti-skate settings, and you're out less than $15, win-win.

I don't know, just have to look what happens at the time it skips, is it bouncing, being pushed forward, what causes it to happen? Are you setting down on the lip, does it happen when you cue in the middle of the record? Does it happen if you cue slowly?

 

Unless the platter itself is way out of level...I don't think so.

You have the Geometry set properly. VTF isn't affecting it, according to your initial post.

Gotta be the anti-skate setting as I understand it.

I battled this for a while on my Clearaudio Concept.

 

Never has it skipped when cueing in the middle of a record. Lowering by hand or slowly lowering via the cue lever doesn't seem to help. I did just lower the stylus onto the lead-out area of "Beatles For Sale" which is pretty wide, and (good thing I had my finger on the cue-lever) the stylus went shooting across the grooves toward the label!

 

I checked the platter with a bubble level, and it's near perfect. Watching it spin I can't detect any wobble either. What was the outcome/solution with your Concept?

 

Anti-Skate adjustments until I got it tracking on all but the most stubborn of lead ins.

If there's any edge warp, though it still happens. I have to be careful not to just drop the needle and walk away on a record i don't know well.

 

Make sure there's not a tight wod on the stylus. Sounds crazy but trust me.

 

Something I haven't yet seen mentioned: sometimes, it is unavoidable because of the way the record was cut and pressed. The lip of the edge is thick, and the lead-in groove is too far out from the edge. I see this more with thinner records.

 

I use an Onzow Zerodust frequently and occasionally the brush that came with the cartridge. I'll try to get a closer look with the magnifying glass tomorrow.

 

I've read that in other places. This seems to happen on the majority of my records. Most are new - Beatles mono, Neil Young Archives releases. I'll see tomorrow evening if I can find any patterns among the records I have.

What do you think about the stylus being set down in the lead-out groove area and shooting over all the lead-out grooves toward the label?

If I drop the stylus anywhere that actually contains music I have no issues.

 

I ac

i actually had to take the stylus off my cartridge (Ortifon Red at the time) to see it, was not visible from above. Worth a look.

 

How did you get the the wod off your stylus?

 

I sprayed a little record cleaning fluid on my stylus brush and it came off. Prior to that "dry" brushing would not do it.
Long story but at the time I was using a cleaner without vacuuming and it caused my needle to gunk. Man it drove me nuts until I found it was the problem.

 

Either anti-skate issues or the cart/headshell.tonearm is not set at the proper angle

 

wod is not a word

 

Word up

 

Guess I should have said "wad". I'm from the south

 

yes, "wad," which is pronounced [wod]

 

If there is a tonearm lifter check that. Sometimes it doesn't lower all the way and could be tilted towards the tonearm rest. They are easy to adjust...usually just a set screw. That would be what I would look at!

 

This is not uncommon.
It plays perfectly when its finished skipping?
Release the cuing down lever if possible so that it's all the way down. And there will be a clearance between
Arm and cue lever.
Place the arm/stylus into the lead in groove,
Perfect?
I am certain it will be,
The problem is the cueing is TOO SLOW! it may need a drop of lube
Or a clean