I’ve just placed the gut on the middle grove and pulled the weight back to 18Nm, playing Fleetwood Mac live (the white album with the black and white photo) and it sounds lush detailed and even. I guess I’ll use that as a starting point. Man who needs friend advice when it comes to the lp12 Aro combo. I must go to bed, here in Kiwi land 12am. Hope I can sleep.
Thanks but I really would like to keep my system all naim lp12. Is the anti-skating/bias known for its inconsistency with my setup?
No, it’s not at all inconsistent. The Skale for Aro helps set azimuth correctly as per Mark’s set up guide. I may have it somewhere, if I can find it I’ll post, but don’t wait up!
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If you have it perfectly balanced for best performance, it will slide away on a blank side. So this makes setting it up not to move, a waste of time
The D side is blank. Is it Robert Plant??
Here is the link to the thread. Have fun!
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It will never be precise, simply because each record is different. If groove spacing / how fast it moves inwards is different, that would require different anti skating as the goal is to have equal pressure. I.e. neither too much force on the outer groove wall because it’s pushing it in, nor on the inner because of too little anti-skate. If setting it so it’s still on a blank record, you’ll have the former.
As you’re not likely to be setting it for each record, you just need a good approximation that will work. The small amount of error there inevitably will be (other than perhaps with the record you set it with) will not be audible.
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Just checked my ARO which I “believe” to be set up ok.
If I put the stylus down onto a moving side of blank vinyl the arm moves gently as you suggested to the inside.
If I dial out all downforce so that the arm floats, it moves gently to the right due to the bias weight acting on it.
If I then take off the bias weight, then it floats in a stationary and neutral position as logic, I think, would suggest.
This is what I observe, someone will probably tell me it’s not set up correctly.
Hope this helps. C.
Mine is on the third groove from the main tone arm base. That is the 2.0 setting of antiskate for the Aro. That is where mine sounds best. Remember that the hangar needs to be at the same height as the antiskate groove hangar pillar. It helps keep the filament level, and the force constant without changing any other settings or variations. I have a Kandid set at 1.74g tracking weight on my lp12
Scott
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I don’t have an LP12 so can’t use the included stylus balance to set my Aro as there’s no mat to remove. I did use it as a starting point knowing it will be reading higher than the actual tracking force and then adjusting by ear, a pencil mark on the counterweight helps keep track as you turn it, as long as you’re not using a sKale.
With a limited number of notches to set the bias a preference can soon be found for that.
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Manchester Orchestra
“ Black mile to the surface“
Fantastic production, epic album in my opinion.
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Thank you very much for the reply’s, its all new to me as I’ve been on digital for a long long time. Have some friends who do a lot of vinyl and have a been trying to show me the light. Now I’ve send the light its created a monster. 
One thing I have noticed with my Aro, across several cartridges and many years, is that it always tends to prefer a slightly heavier setting than the cartridge manufacturers recommends. I mentioned this to my dealer and he said he’d experienced the same thing. I think I also read somewhere that this was a quirk of uni-pivot arms.
My current cartridge (Krystal) is set to a speck under 2g with bias on the second slot (1.5g). I think Linn’s recommendation is between 1.7g and 1.9g, with 1.75g being the theoretical optimum?
When it sound right, it sounds right. I’ve never been terribly obsessed with measuring the tracking weight it’s been more about playing with the sound/weight until it snaps into focus and then checking what the weight is, more for reference.
Just my personal experience.
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…second grove on the bias setting maybe 1.75g not 1.5g. I think the last time I read the instructions was in 1992?
IIRC Malcom Steward found the same thing with his Troika when he got the ARO.
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If you were to balance an Aro with a cartridge fitted, the centre of gravity would be below the pivot. Move the counterweight towards the cup to apply a little tracking force and the centre of gravity moves towards the cartridge but stays below the level of the pivot. Now raise the cartridge end of the arm and the centre of gravity swings forwards increasing the weight felt at the cartridge so if you measure above record height you get a reading higher than the actual VTF.
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Yes that’s something that is a known feature of the Aro
I used to measure the tracking weigh with the arm off the platter …with the tracking weigh guage platform exactly level with where the surface of the album would be
If I rechecked with the guage on the record (so the needle was higher than its normal running position) it was always different
Thanks Mat, very simulating.
Hi Richard, do you know the original angle of the bias hanger? My one is completely vertical and the weight is hanging about 3 mm away from the hanger length, which I somehow think is not how it was designed. The eye of the hanger is almost smack on level with counter weight arm though.
I don’t I’m afraid, and looking at the general assembly drawings hasn’t helped either. It likely is quite close to the bar as when the arm is at the fullest pivot at the end of a side you don’t want the weight catching on the hanger loop.
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