Eminent Technology ET-2 Tonearm Owners

Frogman, good to know you consider rhythm the fundamental as I came to the that conclusion myself when I started to listen seriously to jazz.
Why then do so many prominent jazz artists ,vocal and instrumental, seem unable or unwilling to keep time ?

Schubert, there is a saying among jazz musicians that "you can't play outside (the harmony) until you know how to play inside". It is usually said in reference to some (not all) of the so-called "avante garde" players who squeal and squawk and have no grasp of the fundamentals (there's that word again) of melody and harmony, and who bullshit their way through an improvisation. Well, the same idea applies to rhythm. A great jazz player can manipulate rhythm and deviate from metronomic rhythmic precision as a way to create tension and release and expressiveness in a solo or delivery of a melody; it can give the delivery a certain swagger and relaxed quality. Then, there are some who simply have imprecise rhythm. It should be pointed out that in jazz there is much more latitude for manipulation of rhythm considered to be acceptable than in classical music. As jazz became more and more adventurous harmonically over recent decades, so did rhythmic concepts become more individualistic. For a great example of this listen to the great Dexter Gordon. Early to mid career recordings demonstrate great rhythmic precision. Later recordings demonstrate playing which was more and more "relaxed" and behind the beat to the point that it is almost painful to listen to him playing (especially ballads) because this approach created so much tension. He was a true artist however and this approach rang true and was a valid style choice. In the case of lesser players or singers this can sound forced and just plain wrong.

Dover, I agree. Rhythm is something that is often overlooked or given short shrift in discussions about audio in general. Another favorite saying among musicians is "no one gets fired for having a bad tone". Somewhat of an exaggeration to be sure, but the message is simply that as far as the music (as opposed to ear candy) goes the most important fundamental is rhythm. There are some musicians who possess exquisite tone, but their sense of rhythm is rough and/or musically inflexible. Most musicians would much rather play with someone who has a great sense of rhythm and phrasing even if the tone is less than ideal. Because the ET2 is a mechanical device, subject to the effects of mechanical resonances and is not a human being, this concept only applies to a degree. However, for me, one of the reasons that the ET2 is so rhythmically correct is the fact that it is also so tonally correct. In audio, tonal distortions can have a very significant effect on our perception of rhythm.

Frogman, as what you said is basically what I thought I agree with you 110%-LOL.
All jokes aside, it is amazing what you can learn through
osmosis .

Can you or anyone name another tonearm that can do ,at least to some degree, what the ET-2 does ? At my age the
fiddle factor for the ET-2 is beyond me .

Specifically, I would appreciate comments on Origin Live Silver arm .