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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 ?
128x128ct0517
apbiii
39 posts
 
Its a fairly long description in the manual but basically involves putting the second arm / cartridge on top of the first while playing a track and "listening" to it to hear resonances in the first arm.

It also includes a discussion of how materials change their physical properties at resonance and become much less rigid or stiff.
dover
2,243 posts
 
Apbiii - Martin Colloms did some testing of energy transmission in the ET2 years ago. He measured the resonances in the arm tube and then in the arm after the air bearing. The conclusions were that the unwanted energy transmitted went straight through the air bearing and out the other end relatively unimpeded.
This is the old chestnut - do you kill unwanted energy by overdampening, or by having a drain path to ground ( the plinth ).
The main issue with overdampening is that soft materials eg rubber, will store energy and then release it "out of time" with the music, thus smearing the sound.
People will have their own preferences, do you want to hear everything, quick, coherent, lively if a little coloured, or do you like a nice smooth inoffensive sound if lacking a little speed, detail and coherence.
ketchup
698 posts
 
Dover,

Just to clarify-

The conclusions were that the unwanted energy transmitted went straight through the air bearing and out the other end relatively unimpeded.

Do you mean that the energy went from the spindle, through the air gap, into the manifold, and into the plinth?
dover
2,243 posts
 
From the arm tube to the plinth and the energy resonances measured were very close, ie transmission rate was very high.
apbiii
39 posts
 
An interesting set of articles on the ET2 with a little discussion of resonance in tone arms.

http://www.stereophile.com/content/eminent-technology-two-tonearm
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