Eminent Technology ET-2 Tonearm Owners

Addendum: The VTA adjustment mechanism of my ET2 introduces slight (but IMO much too much) lateral imbalances when changing VTA. I assume Ct0517 will tell me that my VTA mechanism has a problem - but it was never overtightened or any thing like that, it has equal spacing around and moderate to low "clamp".
- so, after changing VTA I would *always* adjust lateral balance... :-(
- I use very small vertical cardboard wedges between arm housing and plinth to *slightly* couple the bearing to the plinth. One "outside", one on the counterweight end, underneath the damping trough. This improves stability and focus and is audible (and reversible).

- BTW I measured/listened to the energy put into the arm, arm base and plinth while playing an LP, by using a structural feedback microphone. I heard a wide-band replica of the LP signals across the whole arm structure into and including the plinth. With no audible HF roll-off "after" the bearing, it just went lower in level across the plinth, a bit absorbed probably by inertia. So much for "air bearings are inherently less stiff than radial arm bearings".
- And I heard bearing noise... like white noise, created by air turbulence of the exiting air. This has tobe put in the backside of our heads when increasing pressure on the bearing, although it's relatively constant.

09-02-15: Shfinne
The way I level is by using test record with blank track.

I can't see how to setup correctly with out one.

Hi Styrk

So you are using one of these products ?
Test Record

I note that one of the reviewers said his test record had an offset center hole. On a test record....:^(
Just saying.
Using a test record implies that you are setting up with the Et2 wiring as part of the arm and connected as you need to listen to test tones.
If you are happy with the results that's great, enjoy the music. But if you have more Rope for the Hangman in this crazy Audio Hobby of ours, I feel you can do much better with the ET2. If you really want to hear what this out of the box unique tonearm can do; you need to IMO use an out of the box method of setup and leveling.
I have said this before. I am suggesting you set the ET2 up and level without the wiring. Pull the wiring from the tonearm initially and add it later. The ET2 provides for this capability unlike any other tonearm I am aware of,

Here is the problem and/or limitation from my experiences.
The ET2 wiring loom can also be called the ET2's Achilles heel. Many have pulled out their hair trying to set it up with the wiring as part of the initial setup. This is after all the way it is done in the manual. here's the problem. The wiring affects the tonearm far more than any other tonearm I have owned. A bad wire arrangement can ruin an otherwise very good mechanical set up due to the push/ pull on the sensitive friction-less air bearing. The wiring will cause you to throw out your leveling. To prove this, set up your wiring after like I suggest, and see what happens.

Schubert used a word earlier that I really like .......Fiddle.

Fiddle is what I used to do in the early days trying to the get the wiring right, especially with different tables; some with flat plinths, others with a platter and armboard that were joined by a plinth but not on the same plane.

We can call this PITA wiring on the ET2 bad design ? but is it ? You see the the design also provides for having the ability to to reach very high musical sonics due to the ease, in adding in, a modded wire arrangement.... after you have set up your arm without the wiring. Yes without the wiring.

I realize most probably set up the ET2 with the wiring already part of the arm. Still if a newer owner is setting up the ET 2 & 2.5 with the wiring attached to it, you could end up Fiddling - alot. You could pull out a lot of hair and succumb to the rumors that this is hardest arm to setup. Assuming a clean functioning ET2, this is THE reason IMO for those that fail to set one up satisfactorily. Their Wiring Arrangement. I am willing to put money on this one.

This method of adding in the wire after allows you to make a wire arrangement that is best for your specific table and the least intrusive on the overall setup. Also FWIW and IMO .. the wiring set up discussed in the manual is just average at best, and was designed to work with VPI , SOTA, other tables in order to sell more tables. If Bruce is partnered with Harry at VPI as he was (the original TNT was designed for the ET2 ) then you want a standard basic wire setup. This was a very average set up at best. C'mon ..wire going down through the plinth to a junction box ?

So give it a try. What's to lose ?
Remove the wiring, and set up your ET2 as best as possible naked - sans wiring. Once complete with the mechanical setup and leveling add in the wiring.

A small last but important point if you attempt this...
For now you will be adding the wiring outside the armtube, and make sure you make no further adjustments to the vertical leveling screws.
Only make adjustments to the wiring arrangement itself. Once you have made the best wiring arrangement after the armtube, you can tuck the lead part of the wires into the armtube if aesthetics are that important to you.
You can also braid the wire along the armtube but keep single strands once it leaves the armtube. Braiding helps with interference (noise and hum), but it also causes binding of the tonearm wire. (this is dependent on the type of wire as well). This in fact is how my VPI JMW used to apply antiskate - with the braided wire going from the armtube to the junction box. The affect - push back - very evident with each twist. Then VPI went further and added another layer with a separate antiskate system altogether in addition to the wire.

One becomes experienced enough with the wire arrangement through personal practice. This can't be learned on the internet.
Happy Leveling

Analogluvr
I believe we may be almost neighbours! I tried to email you but it bounced back.

Hi Analogluvr

I'm about an hour north of the GTA; but in summer about 3 hours north. You can reach me at bcpguy(at)bell(dot)net.

Summer activities are coming to a close. Cooler nights and sun coming down much earlier. Its crazy when fall starts the way I just slip into this madness of a hobby without even seeming to miss a beat. For those keeping score the modded Music Reference RM9 amp is still powering the main speakers. No rush to insert the monster Krell to compare. Just enjoying the music when I have been home - like now :^)

Mister Frogman

I always enjoy reading your personal accounts as a musician; especially those words that talk to the interfacing that is needed to make musicians gel together.

Cheers

Hi Pegasus

Pegasus
I use twisted thin Audio Consulting silver wires outside of the arm, fixed via two or three small double sided foam ahesive pads. The wires go in a light curve, with a vertical radius, L/R some cms separated, to 7cm behind the arm tube, in the middle of the travel path.

I assume Ct0517 will tell me that my VTA mechanism has a problem - but it was never overtightened or any thing like that, it has equal spacing around and moderate to low "clamp".

Per my comments to Styrk - Are you setting up the wiring after you have done the initial setup and level of the actual tonearm ? If not your wiring may be affecting the leveling as the air bearing spindle is so sensitive. There would therefore be an effect, even if a small one, on the VTA block alignment if you level with the wiring.

VTA issues - Some of us notice this, other don't and it is based IMO on the stylus and how much detail it churns up. If the cartridge is musical but not overly detailed, one may never need to touch the VTA and not notice anything. Other than that, without seeing it, it is hard to discuss. I would however also inspect the base and 3 leveling screws to ensure there is no movement whatsoever. Maybe things got moved and something came loose with the main bolt. (especially into wood) This last comment is really for other newer ET2 owners. It's obvious to me from your posts your attention to detail is excellent. . Also never seen a 1210 with a wood base. Last option I can think of being a factory defect

Pegasus
Ie. with moderate to low compliance cartridges the counterweight decoupling introduces a new (sonic) compromise instead of solving a problem. But to really hear the advantage of a rigid counterweight, one has to do a bit more fiddling with the ET2 counterweight fixing than just using BluTak to bypass the spring (which I usually did).
For high compliance - I assume - it's ingenious.

This makes sense as the ET2 was introduced when high compliance MM were in their heyday. For moderate to low compliance think of a Double and Triple leaf spring. This was discussed earlier in the thread. Have Bruce send you five loose leaf springs and two I beams. This will allow you to make up one Double and one Triple I Beam. They cost only a few dollars. I use a double leaf spring mainly. I consider using different leaf springs part of an advanced ET2 setup and will let you tune your setup better. NO Professional Reviewers ever got this far with setup. Well I should not say this right ? OK - Point me to a review if it happened and I will acknowledge it.

Pegasus - I would be interested in knowing where you position the lead weights and how many on the I Beam. This would tell me more about your audio preferences than any other aspect of the ET2.

Pegasus
BTW I use a pressurized air bottle (rental system in Switzerland) as air supply at the moment.

????

8^0

Hi Chris (?) the compressed air bottle is a 200 atmospheres 60 liter steel tank. It provides "air DC" (to my arm & head) :-)

Wires: the Audio Consulting wires are twisted single strand 0.15mm silver wires with thin isolation. I dress them carefully (two L/R separated looms in a circle of almost 245 degree with ca. > 15cm diameter) going up from the arm in 90 degree to ca. 4cm above & behind the arm, slowly turning > 200 degree and back to vertically down. I measured the forces applied by the elasticity and weight of a single winding, it's around 0.05 gm. This is audible - if one does not correct for it. But I tune the downforce by ear anyway. The forces are low, and less in the horizontal plane. The end effect is what the arm does: It still skates off very slowly outside the middle 5cm to the inner and outer grooves.
The wiring works actually very well (far better than the original wiring), and I prefer to keep the wires twisted for hum compensation. Some time I used 0.07mm single strand copper wires, the applied slightly less force but sounded IMO worse.

Did you really check for absolute levelness after changing the VTA position, finding *no* change in side balance?
The imprecision is shurely on a very low absolute level, but not low enough in my case. I found out the hard way, by ear that there was a problem.