Eminent Technology ET-2 Tonearm Owners

So now I have a dilemma.  Frogman sending the extra arm board and Bruce sending the longer grub spikes.  Ahhh, so many choices, so little time.

John, you are so right.  Over the last month + I have done about four ot five tweaks to my analog front end.  All directly or indirectly the result of suggestions or ideas expressed on this thread.  Each such tweak resulted in a marked, repeatable improvement in my listening experience.  And, the level of technical expertise possessed by the people here is amazing.  

It is very rewarding. I only wish I had more to offer.  Hopefully just reporting my results can be of assistance to others.

But lastly, John you must develop greater sensitivity for the elderly when you speak of how old your "antique" equipment is.  :)

Cheers,
Harry (Grandpa)

I guess I'm not sensitive about those terms, but I did get a bit hurt when someone, a young know-it-all, referred to me as "old school."
Experience helps. I've stepped in most of the potholes already. Some people have a long way to go to catch up with me. 

Well said John.   In an effort to contribute I want to give a shout out to the Medo AC0105 air pump.  It is rated at 7.11 PSI so it's only suited for those of us who have not upgraded to the high pressure manifold.  It is also rated for a 60 min duty cycle.  That aside, I have been using this pump for about three months and twice I have forgotten to turn it off when I went go bed.  It just keeps pumping along and my gauge says I'm getting about 8 PSI.   It is not quiet enough to be close by the listening position and does run hot.  However, in my experience, it is quieter than the famous Wisa.

I solved both issues by building a sound box with a plate fan in one end and vent in the other.  The box is built from mdf and lined with carpet padding both acquired from the audiophile dept. at Home Depot.  The plate fan is very quiet and purchased from Amazon.

I have about $125.00 in the whole project including the pump and a new PVC surge tank.

Anyone wanting more details, let me know.  

Regarding arm boards and optimal materials, it's very interesting to watch the diverse experience in idler drive plinths. A mixture of natural and slightly lively wood layers, combined with *some* more deadened materials, like *a bit* of MDF and maybe one layer of stone seems to yield very good results. Pure MDF not, neither Corian, synthetic stones, marble or metal is desirable. I think a considerable part of this experience should be considered when thinking about armboards. Solid wood and *maybe* a bit of acryl or alu smewhere should work well too.
Personally I'd seek other materials than overdamped polymers like Sorbothane - it's sounds like s*** as a platter mat, and it's audible wherever one uses it. Even natural rubber feet on speakers (or under analogue decks) sound IME sluggish. It's easy to overdamp surfaces and overtighten connections (not only because of eg. making cracks in the ET structure :-). Both result in kind of a deadened, "negative feedback" kind of unnatural sound.
Solid maple? A friend uses solid oak to very good effect for the adanalog arm.
For ET arms maybe solid sBruce is the optimal wood...?
An eminent discovery.

Pegasus
Regarding arm boards and optimal materials, it’s very interesting to watch the diverse experience in idler drive plinths. A mixture of natural and slightly lively wood layers, combined with *some* more deadened materials, like *a bit* of MDF and maybe one layer of stone seems to yield very good results

.
Pegasus Re: idler drives
When I was curious and going through a turntable phase, any thoughts of building a plinth for a stock L75 Lenco as a project were squashed after acquiring a Jean Nantais Lenco, and having a look under the cover.

JN Lenco

From my experiences, the idler design deals with the highest noise factor. I think the Lenco Swiss motor is art, but the wheel interface with the platter is not. Some go to extremes to contain resonances/vibrations. Looking at the pic in that link - JN found that huge voids are necessary under the armboards and motor areas; wide open to the bottom to help with containing/absorbing the resonances/vibrations. I/3 ? of the plinth is empty (air) - but it still weighs 100 lbs.