Eminent Technology ET-2 Tonearm Owners

Okay, guys, how 'bout some MC cartridge recommendations for mating with my ET Two. I'm currently using my tried-and- true van den Hul MC Two HOMC (2.25mV output with vdH 1 stylus). I really like the sound of this cartridge with the ET Two (transparent, fast, dynamic, and ballsy) and the vdH 1 stylus is the quietest in the groove of any stylus I own and is claimed to last for 3000+ hours. Just testing the waters to see what is out there that would be better.

My requirements are:

1. must be an excellent match for the ET Two with the base aluminum armwand
2. 0.5mV or greater output (.65mV or higher would be preferable)
3. cartridge weight <10g (the lighter the better)
4. selling price <$2k
5. <250 hours if used or freshly retipped/refurbished
6. must sound significantly better than my vdH MC Two (this cartridge is tragically under-publicized and under-rated IMO)

I listen mainly to acoustic jazz, blues, rock, and a little classical. You can see associated equipment in my "System" link.

I have been eyeing a Colibri XCP HO for sale here on Agon right now:

https://app.audiogon.com/listings/cartridges-van-den-hul-colibri-high-output-as-new-excellent-condition-2013-11-17-analog-Netherlands

This one meets all of the above criteria, but I am a little spooked of the Colibri due to some horror stories I have heard about its fragility and quality problems with recent vdH retips/rebuilds, plus I can find nothing on the web about it's compatibility with the ET Two or similar air bearing arm.

If I can't find something that meets all of my criteria, I will just stay with the MC Two, which is probably what I should do anyway ;^).

PS: I also have a nice stable of MMs: Empire 4000D/III, Signet TK-7LCa, Sonus Gold Blue, Micro Acoustics 530mp and 2002e, Astatic MF200, ADC XLM II Improved, and Shure V15 Type III MR. I read that some of you have liked the Empire with the ET Two. Is that still your opinion? What about the others?

Dave

Keep in mind that all the cartridges you own are fairly high compliance; including the VDH which is high compliance by MC standards. The "base aluminum arm wand" is well suited to higher compliance cartridges. Most MC's are lower compliance which means they will send more energy into the arm wand; a higher mass wand such as the magnesium wand would be a better match for most MC's.

Having said that, I have gotten excellent results with my ET2 (magnesium wand) and a Shelter 901. The Shelter's stated .5 mv output plays considerably louder than my VDH's stated .65 mv. It is dynamic, robust and full sounding with a richer and more romantic tonal quality than the VDH's which leans toward a whitish/gray tonal quality (in my set-up, of course). Definitely worth trying.

Thanks as always, Frogman. I found a decent deal on a new Shelter 901 Mk II. Several reviews and owner posts say that the Mk II has similar tonality but incrementally better overall sound quality and a slightly higher output (.55mV) compared to the original. I am surprised that Shelter uses a .3 X .7 elliptical stylus on the 901. Care to speculate on the compatibility (sound quality/tracking performance) of a Shelter 901 Mk II with the aluminum armwand?

Dave

Hi guys, a classic Air Tangent on AudiogoN: http://app.audiogon.com/listings/tonearms-nos-air-tangent-tonearm-linear-air-bearing-tonearm-2013-11-12-analog-29732

Is there anyone who has experienced an AT ? Frankly, I was searching for it and a Forsell 5 years ago (I didn´t know ET-2´s excistence at the time) but I suddenly found the Trans-Fi arm and bought that immediately... and saved a fortune ;). It has proved to be the very best audio bargain in my history. The ET-2 is another very interesting tone arm though.

Dave G, have you got an ET-2 already ?

Dave,

Prior to my buying the magnesium arm wand I used the regular aluminum wand with various MC cartridges including some that were much more "aggressive" than the Shelter including the Spectral, VDH Grasshopper and others, with no issues that I could definitely attribute to the aluminum wand. I think you would be fine with the aluminum; you can always easily add additional mass and/or damping to the wand. I will say, however, that on Dover's recommendation I went back to the aluminum wand when I started using MM's again with beneficial results. You can extrapolate from that experience. In general, the Shelter behaves very well in the ET2 with well controlled highs. The issue of output is curious. The Shelter plays almost as loud into my EAR phoo stage as a Benz Ruby H which has an output spec of .8mV @ 3.54 cm/sec; go figure.