Curious as to the demise and downfall of the seemingly short lived linear tracking TT. Just from a geometry point of view I would have thought a linear arm should be superior to one with a fixed pivot that sweeps through an arc. Obviously there is much more to it than that, sort of the reason for this thread. I am genuinely interested in trying one out for myself as well.
I never even knew that ET was literally just up the road from me, less than a 2 hour drive in all honesty. Interesting indeed. In fact the wealth of information I have gathered from this thread makes me glad I started it even though it did have a different slant to it upon conception. Thanks to all so far.
Eric - I don't want you or anyone else to misunderstand my US Cdn dollar comment. So let me add something.
Looking at myself, I have discovered I am the type of individual, that when a good deal appears - the cash flows - its too hard for me to resist. Good deals rarely happen so when they do - if my instinct says so - I pounce on them. Its never been about can I afford to buy item X at the current price. It's all about - if it a smokin' deal.
With the current environment - dollar exchange - there are no deals for Canadians - IMO . Remember also Dealers like to "tack" on an extra dollar exchange value, onto products as well, above their markup. It is what it is. To think my main speakers and Studer were purchased from the US when the Cdn dollar was worth more than US one. Cheers
Just want to second all that Chris has said re highest vertical inertia based on my experiences. As Chris may recall, early on in the history of his thread I mentioned that a few years previously I had constructed a long I beam fashioned from balsa wood. Due to the, not exactly state of the art, ways that I had figured out to attach the I beam to the bearing tube it was not a permanent tweak. However, the experiment showed me that there were sonic benefits in doing what he described; particularly in the bass. Frankly, at the time the notion of “highest vertical mass” was not what drove me to try it. It was simply something that seemed logical to try. One of the reasons that I love this arm is that it invites experimentation and I make most setup adjustments based on what I hear with the “theory” secondary. There is a symmetry to the visual impression that the arm demonstrates with the longer I beam that (not meaning to get too Zen about it) seemed natural. Maybe I just got lucky. I recently got two of Bruce’s new and longer I beams each of a different spring compliance.
@whart what size counterweight are you using with the Kuzma Airline currently, and where does its position lie on the rod in respect to the air bearing? Interested in your findings.
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Eric - my and other owners findings confirm this; the actual assertion comes from Mr. Physics. 8^0
The Et2 owners manual is clear that it is ideal for setup to go to the highest number on the I Beam - the end of it. ET2 owners know what this implies.
Will illustrating with an analogy help ?
$1500 us is now $2000 Cdn plus customs/duties. I don’t mean any disrespect by this, but Americans don’t seem to have an idea the plight their dollar is having on the rest of us.
@ct0517, I attributed the "The best bass comes when the tonearm is setup for the highest vertical inertia" statement to you. Does your "It's not really my assertion" statement mean that it is actually that of Bruce Thigpen in regard to his ET arm specifically (but not necessarily universally)?
Regarding the price of the London cartridges, the Super Gold Mk.7 (line contact stylus) is around US$1500, a little more with the Decapod mount. When I got a Decca the second time (in the early 90's, the first time being in '73), its' North American distribution was being handled by a Canadian company. I would say that would have been a good time for a Canadian to have bought one, but the Londons are definitely an improvement on the Deccas, well worth the difference in price between the two.
Analogluvr The ET is a phenomenal tonearm and I can’t believe it sells for as little as it does
Bruce' pricing is consistent with his other products. he has never been part of Audiophile Markup strategies you see elsewhere. Personally I don't consider $5000 US, without a pump cheap ? But, if it was being sold in Europe, I am pretty sure it would be selling with a 2 -3 times markup on top.
bdp24 Chris’ (ct0517) assertion that high vertical moment-of-inertia produces the best bass is to me, a user of London (Decca) cartridges, VERY interesting. That cartridge exhibits far lower vertical compliance than horizontal, which aligns well with a pickup arm exhibiting higher vertical m-o-i, no?
Bdp24
Hi Eric. Its not really my assertion. Its the way the arm was designed to run from its maker. My personal experience in running the vinyl rig alongside Master Tape Dubs (running 10 seconds behind) and switching between them helped confirm it for me. My Studer would out perform my vinyl when I first got it. Now the Studer is in need of hot rodding, if I was so inclined as my Vinyl Rig matches it or (better) as it can be tuned. This made me stop looking for tapes. I use the Studer now with the tapes I did buy as a reference point.
Regarding cart compliances, all ET 2.0, 2.5 I beams come with either a single, double, or (triple) leaf spring to deal with different compliance cartridges. The leaf spring by design isolates the counter weights from the air bearing spindle. High compliance - single leaf spring, and so on. Most of us use the double leaf spring on our I Beams.
If my stocks were doing better 8^((( , and our dollar exchange wasn't so bad, (everyone sells in US dollars), I would maybe have some cash to look at the decca next as a cartridge.
So forget that and I will just continue to plod through my music library.
@ct0517 - I'm interested in your comment about setting the ET for highest vertical inertia. How do you accomplish that?
The Eminent Technology tonearm comes with four counterweights and it is quite easy to remove enough weight, so that the lightest weight resides at the very end of the I Beam. Highest Vertical Inertia. In recent years due to our demand and interest, Bruce introduced an I Beam that is now in the length he originally intended it to be. Due to constraints with - Dustcovers - from tables it was partnered with, he had to go with a shorter I Beam in the original design. The longer I beam now reduces the weight requirements by half still - increasing vertical inertia even more.
The Setup Issue in learning how to use this unique design, most people, including me in the beginning, just used all four weights in setup, and let all the weight reside on I beam, wherever it ended up based on the VTF needed. This is wrong, and sometimes the weights ended up very close to the Air Bearing spindle - not ideal, and goes against the setup design.
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On the Airline from what I recall you are provided with two counterweights with the Kuzma ? Correct me if wrong. Try to do set up so that the lightest counterweight is furthest back on the rod. I don't know if two weights give enough option to run this way.
Anyone looking to setup an ET 2.0 or 2.5 should upgrade to the longer I beam. Bruce also now offers a new Solid aluminum Mounting Plate and Joint (we call it the Gooseneck). they replace the Carbon Fiber versions.
Chris’ (ct0517) assertion that high vertical moment-of-inertia produces the best bass is to me, a user of London (Decca) cartridges, VERY interesting. That cartridge exhibits far lower vertical compliance than horizontal, which aligns well with a pickup arm exhibiting higher vertical m-o-i, no?
@analogluvr, I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again---Eminent Technology’s Bruce Thigpen is as brilliant a hi-fi designer as there has ever been, including Peter Walker!
The ET is a phenomenal tonearm and I can’t believe it sells for as little as it does. It just pulls out that much more natural detail and subtle soundstage cues which tells me it’s allowing the cart to do its job. I run a portable construction compressor into a water separator into a regulator. It provides me with a half hour play time with a 2 minute run time. Arm is rock solid, never goes out of adjustment.
@ct0517 - I'm interested in your comment about setting the ET for highest vertical inertia. How do you accomplish that? I've had the Kuzma Airline for at least a dozen years and remain happy with it (the only issues have been compressor related and now that I have a relationship with the SIL folks here in Texas, I've pretty much solved that problem, though it does require more maintenance than a conventional arm). Bass? Not in your face, thwacking slam. But if it is on the record, you will hear it. There is something very 'unmechanical" sounding about these arms. I did have an ET that was given to me many years ago, but never got around to setting it up. Herb Wolfe, who only recently passed away, was supplying a lot of the pumps and hardware to the NY audio mafia back in the day. He was a very cool guy.
Rauliruegas - I am disappointed that you were not able to share technical information on how to get the best bass having owned the tonearm. I thought you learned on the ET2 thread about setup, even if you do not still own the tonearm. This is not an ET2 thread so I won't go into setup detail here.
The ET tonearm 2.0 and 2.5 versions, are standalone tonearms, designed to be mounted on many types of turntables. To say it was mounted on a Sota or other table, unfortunately does not tell anyone how you actually set up the tonearm "to perform". That's the info that is valuable. Bruce Thigpen, through his business partnerships arranged to have it mounted on a number of turntables. i.e. Sota, Oracle, VPI etc...
To answer your question I have heard the Kuzma Airline - same room with an ET2. An MC was mounted on an ET 2.0 and it was mounted on a different, what IMO was a lesser table than the Kuzma table that the Airline was mounted on ; so it was not an apples to apples comparison. Still it was enough for me to stay with the ET knowing what I knew.
Regarding Gear and classes of gear. I have no devotion persay to gear. I can also talk passionately about my room, my speakers, amp, preamp, etc... I do run my gear hard - all hobbies - I keep the good ones and that is the end of it. The Gear are not trophies. The only thing of value is the Room/Space and the music; not the digital files - easily replaced - but my record collection.
I do believe that gear does fall into classes. For example assume a person owns just a regular Cartridge W, Tonearm X, and it is on turntable Y. If the person then upgrades the turntable to Z and keeps all else the same, and the results are much better. Then it probably can be said that the tonearm in this case, out classed the previous turntable. That's my opinion.
With that each time my reference turntable was modded to the better, or bettered with another table - it took my ET 2.5 to new heights.
The best bass comes when the tonearm is set up for the highest vertical inertia.
Dear @ct0517 : I admire your " devotion " to the ET but even that each tonearm has its own trade offs as I already posted.
In those times I bougth new a SOTA TT that came with the ET mounted. As a fact I did it due to really well regarded audio magazynes reviews. No I'm not an expert on the ET but now let me to ask you:
how many times did you listen ( at a good home dedicated room full range audio sytems. ) the Rockport, Walker, Goldmund or Kuzma top TT's ? and which are the ET trade-offs?
@frogman certainly the SME V is not the best example for rigth low bass range, you can have better bass range for it but needs some tweaks.
Maybe both of you need to listen somewhere what I mean with the rigthnes on low bass range. Obviously the best way is in a live music event at near field position ( 1-3m. ) from the source.
I don't want to convice any one about and is only my opinion that even is not the main subject on this thread. So please ct05 do not make a " big deal " about.
Good question about a myth perpetuated by early “prominent” reviewers whose understanding of proper setup was limited. The ET2 gives me superior bass to any of the pivoting arms that I mentioned previously in terms of natural tonality and, most importantly, agility. Except, of course, unless one considers the overblown and exaggerated bass that the SME V produced in my system to be “better”. Now, re sounstaging? Haven’t had my coffee yet; so, later 😊
Dear @uberwaltz: The TT's you ask for have many limitations and some of them are: some models accepts only plug-in cartridges, others work with cartridges inside a limited weigth range or compliance range, cartridge alignment/tonearm is dedicated you can't change it, in some you married with the tonearm where you can't change it's " flavor " as with removable headshell normal tonearms, audiophiles do not take very seriously those units, are unexpensive and does not "impress/impact " our friends when see it, etc, etc.
In the other side, as pivoted tonearm linear tracking tonearm has its own trade-offs ( does not exist the perfection in audio. ) no matters what.
I owned the Southern, Denessen and the ET and listened the Forsell, the Kuzma and the ones coming in the Rockport/Walker and Goldmund TTs. The ones listened in other systems I have to say very good megabuck systems.
Well, certainly performs a little different than good pivot tonearm designs and the main difference is a critical one: I never heard that its wuality low bass performance been with the rigthness that only can be achieved through a pivot tonearm designs. This is a crucial negative trade-off because bass range quality level performance affects all the system frequency range. The quality level performance in any room/system depends first than all in that bass range management.
The Tales tonearm is a pivot design with almost no tracking distortions because tracks in linear way.
Btw, some one in this thread posted that the linear tracking tonearm performs with better soundstage and other audiophile sound characteristics adjectives than the pivoted ones but no one of those adjectives exist in the recording and certainly never in a live MUSIC at near field position where the recording microphones are " seated ", there are no facts.
uberwaltz Guess I am now one of the soft spoiled southerners as it is 78 degrees here in North East Florida today.
uberwaltz Your weather and your dollar exchange are just well....... not fair. My older neighbor is a snowbird. The summers must get unbearable ? The only healthy thing about the ridiculous dollar exchange; is it killed any desire to browse at stuff south of the border.
I will say, the Trans-Fi Terminator arm is VERY reliable and does not have concerns regarding the air supply. I have one and never had any issues because of the type of pump used. It does sound extraordinarily good for the money and stays the way it's setup. You sometimes have to recenter the carriage if it veers too far to one side--a 2 second adjustment.
uberwaltz I may experiment with a linear tracker at some stage but it will NOT be with pump and airline et al.
I understand. Recognize as well , that if a linear tracker person is running in audiophile mode, the pump and airline can become an audiophile journey in itself, with different pumps and tweaks. Now myself, I deal with air, water and oil pumps in my car and boat hobbies, so an air pump is second nature to me. With that, myself I have not been in audiophile mode for probably two years now. All of I have done with vinyl is clean the cart and records. But I do enjoy talking tech in this frigid weather.
I may experiment with a linear tracker at some stage but it will NOT be with pump and airline et al.
Quite a few other options from what I have learned from this thread which I am very glad I started as it has opened my eyes to a lot of ideas and information. Thank you all for that so far.
If the record already have had a life on a radial tonearm you can actually hear it.
thastum
Well, sir, you have managed in one sentence to summarize why I and many others still use linear tracking as the preferred way to play our records. Unfortunately your statement will go "over the head" of those on this thread (the Cons) who did not "walk the walk", and do the comparison in their own room if they own a resolving system.
The key words being "did not" - IMO, they have more chance in todays world of going all digital today than record playing "linear".
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I had an interesting experience some years ago. A prominent Audiogon member sent me a Cd, yes a CD remember those ? It was a recording using a specific cartridge. I then played that same music, using the same cartridge in my system with the linear tracker. The presentation was with the linear tracker very different, more realistic; it lacked the "music borders" that Frogman mentioned on this thread in describing the pivot arm. Now understand there was nothing wrong at all with the presentation of music using the pivot arm presentation. The first time I heard it... it sounded very good. And if I had not heard the linear tracker version, I would have been fine with it. But I had....
And that is the reason there is a pump and airline.
I did some surfing on the web and the tracking roller is a rubber o ring 3/8 Id 11/32 od mounted on a metal wheel saw a posted picture of it. Mine has turned to mush so with some patience and luck and great advice from audio gear heads I will fix. It thx
Right near the end of the TT era before CD's took over the Japanese made some very nice high end LT tables. I have several, a Technics SL-M3, a Yamaha PX-3 and a Pioneer PL-L1000. My favorite is the Technics SL-M3. Super specs for wow and flutter and it's really cool to watch the arm tracking in operation. It's true that the arm has to go off center a tiny amount before the drive pulls it back in line again. There is a feed motion on the arm about once per revolution so since the grooves are about 0.003 to 0.004 of an inch apart it is never more that that far from being perpendicular from the groove. I don't think anything tracks that close and since the arm pivots it never loads the cantilever. Think about that, the stylus moves 0.003 of an inch towards the center and the tone arm is driven towards the center by a like amount. These units were very expensive in the day and CDP were taking the world by storm. The three units above were the last hurrah by the Japanese before giving up on TT manufacturing. Find one of these units and have it serviced for years of trouble free operation. There is nothing inherently wrong with LT TT, they were just introduced to late in the game. Technically they are much better that a swinging tone arm that spends most of it's time way out of alignment. BillWojo
Fairly sure early on in this thread when the Rabco was discussed that Ralph or Lew mentioned the tracking wheel is fairly common item needing replacement along with belts. Might start there?
All this posting got me fiddling with my rabco st 7 with a BO 20en Mmc. Been sitting 20 years it works but arm leads the notch tried adjusting it but have noticed the tracking wheel is a soft compound looks like it’s got grease in it actually. Not sure if it’s degraded and I need to replace it or get it serviced but not sure where to turn to. Parts might not be available like to listen to my records again Any suggestions are appreciated Bob
mkiser, your note about being in awe of what LP’s are capable of, rings so true with me as well! It is almost like how can one even complain about any of it, that it works at all, and sounds so good is amazing in itself! Enjoy!
As and ET 2.0 owner for 25 years (Upgraded to 2.5 10 years ago), I have a few observations. One - it is difficult to completely dial in. That being said after using the Feickert app for azimuth and fine tuning by ear, I've not made any further adjustments to setup parameters in the last six months, other than tiny tracking weight adjustments. I'm just playing records and hearing, as best as I can tell, using a Soundsmith Zephyr MIMC through a Herron VTPH-2a phono stage, virtually all the information in the grooves. Getting the stylus to exactly match the location and angle of the cutting lathe chisel may be impossible, but unlike a pivoted tonearm, with it's guaranteed tracking error, at least you have a chance. Two - Pump problems can be solved if you can find room for a 20 gallon shop compressor. Mine is about 30 feet away in another room connected to the tonearm via 1/4" hose. I turn the compressor on until it fully charges to about 115 PSI. I then turn it off. That gives me around 2 to 2.5 hours of listening time as the tank drains, where the regulated pressure at the tonearm is 12 psi. If I'm still listening, I just turn it the compressor on again for a recharge, which takes about 4 minutes. The setup includes a moisture trap, but there has never been any moisture in the line, ever. For several years I switched to an oil based compressor, also in the other room. It was only 3 gallons and was very quiet, so I could leave it on, and it would switch on as necessary. Over time, it started leaking oil that traveled all the way to the tonearm spindle and jammed it up. I cleaned the spindle with MEK and went back to the big compressor and I've had zero problems since. Having heard digital dubs from a Caliburn TT, I do know that where my setup falls short is in conveying the forward momentum / punch that a cost no object drive system brings to the table. But that's not the tonearm's fault. Other than that, 50 years into this hobby, I'm more in awe of what LP's are capable of than ever. It's like sitting at a mixing console, where you can choose to follow any component from the kick drum to triangles to the subtlest background vocals.
Hi i have now been tunning with my VYGER: Indian signature where there is a Visio carbon linear tonearm for many years now. It runs great and with almost no problems . Aditional i also have a DaVincy : Grandesse Ref 12” radial tonearm which also is a very good tonearm. For linear tracking you need a somehow stiff cartridge <10 to manage the horisontal forces that mainly comes from excentric rekords. If you want to play loud and realistic i beleave the linear tracking has huge advantages, as the distorsion is remarkebel lower.
If the record already have had a life on a radial tonearm you can actually hear it. Maybee they will live longer if only played via a linear tonearm, if it is correct set up. So should also the needle on your cartridge. Enrico from VYGER has updates the air/vacum pump mk4, as well as the motor controller to a very very high level, so noise or heat ( watercoled) isent really a problem. However the Thales tonearms does also solve the trackingerror problem and maybee in a more easy way but i have no expirience with these yet. ( is on the wish list ) regards Thastum
Interesting comments here on LT tables. After going turntable-less for about 14 years, and had previously owned a couple of LP12’s and Well Tempered Labs(which I still highly rate), I bought a Holbo linear tracking, air-bearing turntable system last July.
This turntable for one, does not look like an oil rig that some LT units resemble, is fairly simple and straight forward design. It uses a simple low pressure pump that is for all purposes extremely quiet, so much so, it sits on the lower shelf of my equipment/TT stand. I certainly do not hear it running!
While setup of arm azimuth can be a little fiddly, it really takes no more patience than any pivoted arm. This arm, as well as the platter are supplied air from the pump, it all works really well, keep it all level, and keep the main arm air bearing shaft clean, you are good to go. I haven’t had any of the fiddliness and constant adjustment stuff talked about above, so no clue about that.
The best of all, this table just makes great music, and that with my using a very cheap, entry level MM cartridge, a Nagaoka MP110. Yes, this part will be my focus of this new year, a new cartridge upgrade. Also, Bostjan Holc of Holbo has been fantastic to work with-I have no affiliation etc. with said gentleman, but prior to US distribution here in the US, we worked together to get the table here, and he has quickly answered my concerns, setup questions etc. By the way, Holbo is now distributed by Jeff at High Water Sounds, NYC.
I am always interested to hear the varying takes on the technologies and design that goes into products, and like anything, many debates over what is best or worse, and why. Yet really, as is said, many ways to skin the cat, and in the end, what can one “hear”-or not, that which makes one technology better than the other(s). Like pivoted versus linear, they both exist for their varying reasons. The main thing is that the product is well engineered, reliable, and most of all, sounds good and does what it is supposed to do!
I love this turntable, it was a huge stretch for me to get back to vinyl after all these years, but I am glad I made that stretch! So all, enjoy your pivoted arms or your Linear trackers, they all have their merits, but most of all, enjoy the music! If you do get the chance though, give a Holbo a listen, you just might like it! Have fun all, now back to music....
As little more than a long haired child back in the day a neighbor had many Citroen, including an XM that he bought new, circa 1972? His son, my age, used to borrow it and we'd drive it for the regular boring routine that teenagers had back then --the carpets were deeply padded, it had a purple cast to the windows and of course that hydraulic suspension. (I can't remember if the headlights pivoted, i thought those got outlawed at some point in the States). It had a nice engine burble, but subdued. I'd hate to have to restore one of those today. Maybe a Pallas D Decapotable by Chapron?
Sat down to read Stereophile and one of the first articles was of a new tangential tracking pivoted arm. Made by Klaudio and coming in at either 9k or 12k it looks like a major mechanical Marvel.
Some other brands of current production tangential arms noted were; Bergmann , Clearaudio, Kuzma , Reed, Schroeder, Thales, etc. Still very much alive today.
I have owned only B+O linear trackers over the last 40 years and have been very happy with them. Very elegant looking, simple to operate, no fiddling and extraordinary sound. I started with the original 4000, I believe it was called. I modified the arm to take a conventional moving coil cartridge and was very happy until the TT finally expired.
I replaced it with a TX2 which has some issues, due to its lightness but which were resolved with proper feet and the use of sorbethane as damping on the body and even the platter. Sorbethane is much underated because it is widely misused. I use small , thickm dense sorb, glued in place and covered with layers of tape so that it acts as 'constrained damping.' This makes it far more effective than the usual sorbothane footers.
The B&O cartridges are no slouch With the TX2 I bought the second most TOL model that B&O sold and find it more than a match for my older moving coil.
Fully understand what Frogman means by "... fundamental difference in sonic presentation ... more realistic both tonally and ... in ... soundstage ... wide open ambience and stable layering of instruments ... sounded more realistic ..." Well said. IMO in short, the best linear trackers produce less artificial sounds and more music. They are not perfect yet but very close.
Very happy 20 yrs + user of a linear tracker, the great ET2, here.
First, while he has mentioned his thread, I think it should be stressed what a great resource ct0517’s thread is; not just for users of the ET2 to learn about proper setup and to get “outside the box” practical tips, but for anyone contemplating “going linear”.
By the time that I acquired my ET2 I had owned and lived with several pivoting arms including the SME V, Grado Sig, Sumiko The Arm, Premier MMT, Alphason and Syrinx PU3 (only one I still have). I have used more different cartridges than I can remember of both the MM and MC type and I consider myself fairly adept at tonearm setup, but far from a perfectionist in that respect. I still own several of those cartridges from way back and none have suffered cantilever or suspension issues due to use on the ET2.
There is no question that living with a linear tracker is more complicated than using a pivoting arm for the reasons already mentioned. However, once set up, I did not experience at all the need for constant fiddling and one of the beauties of this arm is that it makes the rare need for relevelling so easy. Which brings up what I feel is one great advantage of an arm like the ET2; I can’t speak for any other linear tracker as I have never owned any other. The ease with which the various setup parameters can be adjusted makes getting the best out of a cartridge infinitely easier in my experience. VTA on the fly is a miracle and I think many would be shocked at just how much just this one feature of the arm helps.
For me, the most important advantage of the arm is that, compared to all the pivoting arms that I have used, there is a fundamental difference in its sonic presentation that I find to be more realistic both tonally and in the way it portrays the soundstage. All those pivoting arms always left me with the impression that the shape of the soundstage and it’s boundaries were dictated by the arm and not necessarily what was recorded. None of them came close to conveying the sense of wide open ambience and stable layering of instruments that the ET2 is capable of conveying. The size of intruments and voices relative to each other always seemed distorted to one degree or another by the pivoting arms compared to the ET2 which tended to sound more realistic in that regard. I also experienced far fewer instances of having a cartridge which had a tonal flaw that I could not live with which I could not make livable by adjusting setup parameters; adjustments which were typically far more difficult or impossible with the pivoting arms.
A very condensed account of my experiences only and I have no interest in presenting them as definitive; just one more bit of support for linear trackers. Happy New Year to all.
I still use my Phase Linear 8000 table from time to time, works great (over 30 years old). After Phase Linear stopped making them, Pioneer marked the same table under their name. The dealer had it set up to A/B with a $10,000.00 setup. Did the $10,000.00 system sound better? Yes. Was it over $9000.00 better? Not to me (the Phase Linear was $750.00 at the time). It still sounds great to me. https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7842/31760371087_a1d3b7c7d8_b.jpg
Great to see and hear from another 4002 fan. Granted, they are complicated machines but once sorted they are fantastic and trouble free. Really nothing to go "wrong" except the belts.
They sound good enough that clients have hired me to find and restore one for them. Their beauty is also a tremendous "hook".... Such an elegant design....
I'll continue to bring them back to life whenever they come my way.
Back in my linear-tracking days I would have initially believed the people who said it's a problem-free solution to record playing issues. My ET-2 worked perfectly and I loved it.
Then I sold table and arm when a "good deal" presented itself in the form of a VPI TNT Mk. II and an identical ET-2, this one including a Wisa pump and Airtech surge tank. This one had no end of problems. I drove poor Bruce Thigpen crazy as we tried and failed to trouble-shoot what was wrong.
Turned out the Wisa pump was defective AND the Airtech leaked air but by the time I discovered that, I was heartily sick of the whole linear-tracking concept and never went back.
Thanks for that! I'm glad to see that someone got around to talking about the Beogram 4002.
Early in my audiophile days I owned one, coupled with a Bryston amp, Apt Holman pre-amp, and Magnepan Tympani III-A speakers. The turntable was excellent, and beautiful.
I switched to CD long ago, but still have very fond memories of that component.
Vic´s silver wire is VERY pliable but his stock has run out long time ago. Extremely difficult to locate unfortunately. Currently he uses copper litz which is a superb substitute. Some people prefer it as wiring is a matter of taste in sound quality. For me personally silver is the only to go for best SQ. Stiffer silver wires are very difficult to adjust and probably is a mission impossible to work all the way from run-ins to run-outs. As Terry the Improver said already, wire tension is the biggest challenge with linear trackers.
Terry, maybe you could send me your email thru A´gon ?
I use a HiBlo pump from Pets&Ponds. Model 60 I believe (massively overspecced because I planned to use low pressure for other uses). I use a 1 gal plastic jug filled with cotton balls, with a long piece of perforated plastic tube feeding air to the inside of the jug. Then a Fairchild precision regulator and a medical blood pressure gauge to get me down to the 10-50 mm of Hg range (sub 1 psi). I finish with a 5 gal Jerry can surge tank.
Vic's silver wire is very nice - very pliable, very euphonic. I use ETI connectors myself.
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