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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
 
A couple more opportunities for ET2's.

One of the earliest ET2's available here.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=380777927186&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:CA:1120

How do I know this ? Well it has no label / lettering on the manifold.
At first I thought it could be a fake? But then I thought who in the world could make a copy of this tonearm.

besides - Bruce confirmed to me the first ones that went out had no lettering.... :^)

The second one.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Systemdek-IV-e-Turntable-with-Eminent-Technology-ET-2-Tonearm-and-Ortofon-HMC-30-/161159019251?ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:CA:1120

In one of the ad pics can be seen a homemade pvc surge tank.

Not affiliated with either of these ads.

Cheers
frogman
7,452 posts
 
Dover, by loosening the screw the bass range gained clarity and speed. The bass is not necessarily stronger, but instead of some bass notes sounding simply like amorphous low frequency energy there is air around the notes, much better pitch recognition, and the sense of a low frequency "floor" in the music wether there is actual bass in the music or not. Of course, this was after experimenting to find just the right amount of loosening of the screw. In my setup what worked best is to loosen it completely and then tighten it so the I beam spring sees the slightest amount of "grab". Thanks again for the suggestion.
harold-not-the-barrel
895 posts
 
Dave, What a nice surprice as I had no idea what you have been doing after your Trans-Fi wand mods. I was wondering why´s the sudden silence though. Meanwhile I have been doing my own TT project... and watching music videos on YouTube. Rare unseen videos though but a bloody waste of time.
Anyway, congrats for your fantastic vintage DD TT, it must be very special. Seems to be slightly better than your VPI.
Hmm, it may be quite boring to play only 45´s with 2 linear trackers on the modded TNT. But I´m sure you will find a solution soon.
The ET-2 and the Trans-Fi tracker on a super deck ! Finally something really interesting at A´gon, Evolution gaining speed.
We will observe your progress. Thanks in advance.
ct0517's avatar
ct0517 OP
2,041 posts
 
Hi Richard

regarding the damping trough location.
Are you still using your trough ahead of the manifold on your custom ET2 ?
My thoughts have changed on this.
The trough paddle is attached to end bearing cap on the stock ET2 and ET2.5.
The cap also holds the I Beam => which holds the ET2, 2.5 family jewels (lead weights and spring/s)
That end cap is therefore the common joiner for all of them.
We change resonances by using 1-3 springs and lead weight positioning,
My thinking is it therefore makes sense to have the trough paddle attached to the end bearing cap as designed.

your thoughts ...

others ?
richardkrebs
422 posts
 
Chris.

Hmmm. Haven't put any thought into the trough location for literally years.
I put my design trough at the wand end to reduce any shake rattle and roll of the wand itself and by extension the cartridge. Since the key to performance of the trough is to better keep the cartridge body still, it seems to be the place to position it. We have the minimum number of joints between the paddle and the cartridge, so this should be the most efficacious place, aside from putting the paddle on the headshell like Townsend did. I was just not prepared to deal with the hassle of this approach.
My arm would need a bit of engineering to position the trough at the CW end. Difficult but not impossible.
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