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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
ct0517's avatar
ct0517 OP
2,041 posts
 
Hi Frogman – looking forward to hearing more about the project, and hopefully one day sending you my 412 “corpus” to do the transformation. :^)

My current 420 has pin sized blue tack dots making it a little more rigid. It helped
My next step was to crazy glue it like my Empire 4000 diii Gold.
Glad you reminded us. I will hold off.
Note: our travelling 420 has been crazy glued already by the previous owner that donated it. Not sure if he knew the role it would end up in. He is not an ET2 owner – yet. Hope he chimes in here one day anyway.
saubmgc
9 posts
 
Chris/Frogman,

Changed the c'weight to get it out to 6...although I have both I-beams, I have always used the double spring, as I felt it sounded better.

No problems with the lead wires...tucked the extra wire into the arm tube, and it fit OK...close, though. If you have long lead clips, forget it!

This cart is quiet!!! Now sounds very linear, with some added emphasis in treble, which is good, as my 300b setup tends to sound a little dark.

Listened to "Famous Blue Raincoat" yesterday, along with a 45 version of "Rumours"...the additional detail really brings a smile to my face.

Will contine to update you as the cart breaks in...

Regards, Mark
frogman
7,473 posts
 
Thanks for the update, Mark. Keep us up to date.
ct0517's avatar
ct0517 OP
2,041 posts
 
If you have long lead clips, forget it!

Now sounds very linear, with some added emphasis in treble

Exactly what I found Mark. The added emphasis with me decreased with break in. But again it was very linear meaning it was noticeable over a period of time not overnight.

A general question to all.

Can a cartridge with known emphasis in treble, if placed at an offset in the groove, cause this “emphasis in treble” to sound like harshness, sibilance, distortion ?
ct0517's avatar
ct0517 OP
2,041 posts
 
Offset – Just to be clear in my previous post when I say offset - I mean anything that is not a perfect
zenith

IMO as an end user – since vinyl records are not perfect (both in their physical attributes and the way the masters were cut) – no tonearm out there is able to come to a perfect zenith. Anyone disagree with this ?

Some however 1) allow you to come closer to Zenith in setup, and 2) keep it there during play.

In this hobby I personally want a tonearm that can do both 1 and 2.

Fwiw - I have had two 420’s on two ET2’s simultaneously. I was able to tell by listening which one IMO came closer. This forced me to fine tune one of them.
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