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Eminent Technology ET-2 Tonearm Owners


Where are you? What mods have you done ?

I have been using these ET2's for over 9 years now.
I am still figuring them out and learning from them. They can be modified in so many ways. Bruce Thigpen laid down the GENIUS behind this tonearm over 20 years ago. Some of you have owned them for over 20 years !

Tell us your secrets.

New owners – what questions do you have ?

We may even be able to coax Bruce to post here. :^)

There are so many modifications that can be done.

Dressing of the wire with this arm is critical to get optimum sonics along with proper counterweight setup.

Let me start it off.

Please tell us what you have found to be the best wire for the ET-2 tonearm ? One that is pliable/doesn’t crink or curl. Whats the best way of dressing it so it doesn’t impact the arm. Through the spindle - Over the manifold - Below manifold ? What have you come up with ?
ct0517
ct0517's avatar
ct0517 OP
1,798 posts
 
Richard - re your last post.

.....So with reference to a rigid or sprung counterweight beam, it is probably an all or nothing event. In other words because we have the "potential" interaction of the swing frequency of the beam and the resonant frequency of the arm assembly, depending on the number of leaves and the number of lead weights used. It could be that tuning here with springs and weights (and their position) is at least partly to do with sorting this possible frequency interaction rather than just the weight or stiffness employed. Others may have already thought of this but, it is just an idea to put out there for comment.

Would not the rigid solution and the all or nothing event - be only applicable to a one cartridge guy and the specific cartridge cantilever needing to be – really stiff ?

As an end user I feel with the sprung counterweight it allows me to use all of my cartridges. Just a thought.

Also
In your custom ET2 setup – are you able to use higher compliance cartridges if you remove the lead from the spindle ? or are there other factors like a custom manifold involved ? that keep you from using higher compliance cartridges – sonic preferences aside for the moment ?
Cheers
dover
1,165 posts
 
Chris -
I assume you know the driving dogs are Kiwis ? NZSPA trained no less, here in Auckland. Not sure if they run ET's, but they demonstrate the benefits of high compliance.
At the Engineering faculty I also remember Dr Fassbender, who had a fetish for experiments with rubber bands -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0QShhpqtS8

richardkrebs
353 posts
 
Chris
I tune the arm with a set of different size weights. Don't know if manufactures of linear arms with fixed weight beams offer this, but it would make sense to do so.
Kuzma do suggest that their arm is most suitable for use with carts below a certain compliance. So they have considered this topic.

The weight I have added inside the spindle can be removed or adjusted in weight. No modification of the spindle is required.

The thought that there may be more going on with the decoupled counterweight was triggered by your post where you quoted BT where he said that the ibeam had a natural frequency of 2-5 hz.
This is close to the resonant frequency of the arm itself. This could have performance implications.
ct0517's avatar
ct0517 OP
1,798 posts
 
Thanks for the info Richard.

The thought that there may be more going on with the decoupled counterweight was triggered by your post where you quoted BT where he said that the ibeam had a natural frequency of 2-5 hz.

The figure I quoted is from the manual and I believe it is for a stock single I Beam with the weights that are supplied with the stock ET2 tonearm - not the ET 2.5 – which we agree is a different animal with different resonances.

I gotta believe that adding a leaf spring plus adding the ET 2.5 larger spindle changes things?

I would need to confirm this with Bruce.
ct0517's avatar
ct0517 OP
1,798 posts
 
Dover - if I may say - you come across as a real hard ass sometimes in your posts; but you have a very direct sense of humor. lmfao.

btw - what I just said my kids say to me alot. they unfortunately both being only 18 have not yet seen alot of my humor. I try to save it for you guys as I my wife just doesn't appreciate it either. This thread is 11 pages long now. She will never be able to trace back to what i am saying here.
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