Eminent Technology ET-2 Tonearm Owners

Slaw, while I agree overall with your comments re type of suspension in the VPI line, I would qualify them with these observations IN MY SYSTEM:

The "overly warm" description is definitely system dependent. What might be overly warm in your system might be perfect in another. This also highlights semantics issues. I experimented with all types of suspensions in my sequence of VPI's (HW19mk2, 3 &4, TNT with spring and currently rubber ball suspension. I found spring suspensions (particularly with the HW19 series) to produce a more diffuse sound, not necessarily warmer. In fact, I found the sound to be less even linearly, with some highlighting of the lower highs, producing overall a sense of a brighter, not warmer, sound. This also gave the sound a livelier character; although I believe that was the result of the tonal highlighting, and less so a result of any issue of dynamics. Upturned metal cones (least compliant) in the HW19 produced a very tight, brighter and detailed sound, but too lean in my system. Sorbothane pucks with upturned short tiptoes was best. With my TNT, which began as a TNT6 plinth with original spring corner towers, the sound was again livelier but edgier and diffuse/bloated compared to the current rubber suspension.

Frogman I do remember having an issue with air loss from the manifold due to a cap screw leaking. I don't remember which one it was, I resolved it by using Teflon plumbers tape on the cap screw.

Conversations with Bruce T implied that some have had problems with stripping the threads in the manifold where the adjustment block attaches.

I also think that if these screws are too loose it allows the arm to flex quite a bit which would seem to be very counterproductive.

Frogman: You're right, I should say "In my system".

Dover,

When you mentioned removing the heat shrink from the arm tube, which arm tube were you talking about? My aluminum tube does not have any on it, but I also have what I think is the heavy magnesium tube (it's definitely not the aluminum or carbon fiber tube, and I'm not sure if they ever made a lightweight magnesium tube). When I got it, it had heat shrink on it, but I did not know if it was factory installed or not. It was a little damaged, so I took it completely off.

What benefit did you see by removing the heat shrink? What did the metal beneath the heat shrink look like? Mine is a dull, gray color with a pretty rough surface finish, close to what 100 or 80 grit sandpaper would give.

Here's a photo and a diagram of the magnesium arm wand.

http://www.eminent-tech.com/25%20magnesium%20arm%20wand.html

http://www.eminent-tech.com/magarmtube.html

Also, how did you remove the teflon "filler" in the headshell? I assume your talking about the white material inside the arm tube where it's squished together where the cartridge mounts. What did you do, buy a sheet of carbon fiber and cut and file it until it fit in the slot? What benefit did you see from doing this?

Thanks a lot.

Ketchup, I used the ET2 before the magnesium arm wand came out. The arm was smooth and gumetal grey under the shrinkwrap. !st I removed the heatshrink, more agile sound, then I removed the foam inside the arm tube - lighter sound but much more transparent.
For the cartridge mount I carefully prised open the end of the arm, enough to get long nosed pliers onto the soft insert and pulled it out. Then I got a thin piece of carbin fibre, cut to size, then inserted it into arm with araldite and clamped the headshell until dry.
I never compared this to the magnesium arm.
Cheers