Eminent Technology ET-2 Tonearm Owners

Well, thanks Frogman and Pegasus (I think).  Pegasus, while I think I understand your basic proposition, you are way beyond my level of electrical knowledge.  In any event, my VDH Black Beauty is not the low output model.  I don't remember precisely but it is either .5 or .6.  I have not tried the VDH yet on the Garrard/Ortofon.  But I suspect I would not have the hum because, as you observed, the Ortofon is far more shielded as is the Ortofon cable I'm using.  If I understand your explanation, assuming no adverse effect on sq, the Huffman cables may go a long way to solving my problem as they are triple shielded yet very low impedance.

Frogman, no change in hum with motor on or off, plugged in or not plugged in.  And, no, I can't hear the hum with music playing, nor can I hear it more than a foot or so from the speakers at reasonable volume levels without music playing.  It doesn't intrude on the music.  What can I say, I'm an audiophile, I'm OC.  Out, out damn hum!

Chris, I plugged in some longer ICs that I can move around.  Moving them around makes a substantial difference but I can't listen standing on one leg with one cable around my left ear and the other between my toes.  Somehow Keith Jarrett is just not the same. 😜

Thanks to all.  I'll report back if I find the magic bullet.

@vpi: Basically the hum level is strongly related to the efficiency of the magnetic circuit and specially the coil wire diameter.
Increasing the number of turns (because of an air coil or more windings for a higher output) basically means thinner wire.
Thinner wire helps to increase the signal, but even more increases coil resistance (ca. = impedance at audio frequencies). This leads to higher hum susceptibility with unshielded wiring.
Air bearing arms need at least 15cm of unshielded wires for the wiring loom. This increases the minimal level of hum.
With luck and good systematic grounding of arm and any conducting surfaces around the arm / platter / plinth / motor, and shielding the signal cables, grounding them independently at a single point at the preamp/step up input should eliminate any problematic level of hum.
My experience with the ET2 is that it’s unproblematic with low impedance MCs, even with unscreened cables, which I prefer.
In my actual situation with a London cartridge the source impedance of the coils forces me to implement screening – which is what I am working on this weekend...;-)

@pegasus Thank you for the translation.  What I find rather strange is that moving my loom around produces no change in the hum while moving the interconnects around has a significant effect on the volume of the hum.  Only explanation I can think of is the source of EMI is the preamp and the IC is closer than the loom.  Good luck with your London.
Cheers,
Harry

vpi
I plugged in some longer ICs that I can move around. Moving them around makes a substantial difference but I can't listen standing on one leg with one cable around my left ear and the other between my toes.

8^0

As mentioned on this thread some time ago - these moves ^^^^ are known in the audiophile world, as "James Bond Maneuvers".

Picture him in movies, trying to allude deadly laser beams as he tries to get to the precious in the vault, and out again.  
  
Buzzing, humming, represents the cancer in our hobby - imo.

The lengths we go to, to eliminate these extraneous noises not on our source material, knows no bounds. May we all be grounded well and free of interference....

Thanks for proving my theory correct Harry. 

@ct0517  my pleasure, Chris😇