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 ?
128x128ct0517
Good suggestions, Harry.  I sent you the board via USPS yesterday. I also included a piece of the material that I mentioned previously. If and when you get around to trying the "double-board" I would try with and without the sheet between the boards. Resonance and its effects is a crazy thing and the two boards, as tightly together as they may be held together, will still resonate as thinner boards in, at least, parts of their total surface area; as flat as these boards may be cut, they won't make contact with each other over their entire surface area. The sheet between them may help them act "as one" and will introduce some dampening which may or may not be beneficial in the context of your system and your tastes.  At least, that is how my twisted brain considers this kind of thing.  Please report any impressions. 

Thanks again frogman,
I'll be interested to hear whether the double arm board performs better than the single with spacers.  I'm going to try it first w/o the damping.  I understand the two boards will not mate perfectly across their entire surface area but, then, there isn't any damping between the metal sub plinth and the single board either.  Then still again no one ever argued the HW-19 can't benefit from tweaking.
Harry

John,
Tried to contact Convergent Audio Technology without success.  All you get is a recorded mesage telling you their business hours.  They build great products but are very customer unfriendly.  So I'm getting brave.  Ordered some nice looking RCA plugs to build my own cartridge loading plugs.  Do you know if resistors are directional, i.e. Is there a plus end and a negative end?
Thanks,
Harry

Hi Harry (and John)

what happens when you guys run your Lyra carts on 47k load ?

Chris
Hey Harry,
I know that resistors aren't directional. I would check the type of resistors in the original CAT plugs, and buy the same quality. You probably need metal film resistors (1/2 -1 watt) 1% tolerance. Definitely 100 ohms and if you have enough plugs maybe a 500 and a 1000ohm resistor set. I usually buy 5-10 for each value, and measure each set with an ohm meter, -digital if you have one. Match up pairs with closest val;ues for each set. Buy them from Mouser electronics on line. They are very cheap, and shipping will be most of the cost. That's why you buy more than you need. If CAT uses Vishay resistors, I would buy that brand, but probably not.
By the way, can you solder, and do you have any silver solder? You can get silver solder from "Michael Percy" on line. Google him.
Hey Chris,
The Lyra cartridges sound a bit bright and lack bass at 47K. I hear a real improvement in freq response with lower values. My ARC ph-5 has values of 47K 1K, 500, 200, and 100 ohms. I use 100.
-John