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 ?
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Cheers Nikola

Your willingness to lend me your ET2 is moving but you ruined my argument 'against' Frogman. The reight response should be : nobody has the right to DEMAND anything without ,uh, some legal fundation.

I realize that as you are a lawyer, you develop a script of dialogue (like a play), and if things go according to plan you run through the script as expected with a good result. But I have a confession to make. I am pretty good at ruining arguments as I have spent 25 years doing project management. I am a PmP. That’s not short for PIMP. I wish it was. That way I could make everyone happy. PM’ing does not follow logic all the time because the clients are not always logical, like the justice system. Now the business I am in also concentrates on preparing clients for a worst case scenario. So over the years these processes have become ingrained in me. My views definitely represent extreme ones as far as been careful and preplanning for sure. My family have made me aware of this a few times.

No you don’t need to be a mechanical engineer with the ET2. This is really no different than bringing in any new appliance into the house "that actually works". All the instructions are the same for all of them. After you unpack, the manuals always start with similar language.

"Read the installation and operating instructions first."

Lets be honest here - how many actually do that ?

Therein lies the problem.

Offer stands open just for you – I will let Frogman and yourself get back to the lawyer stuff now.
Dear Chris, My argument which you quoted was meant for Frogman not you. I wanted to avoid any payment to him based on his copyright, alias the intellectual property on his writings. I used his comment about the 420 in this thread to get a good price for my 420 listing. We both made jokes about this so the real question is who was more funny.
To be witty is more difficult than to adjust whatever tonearm. There is no garantee for succes in advance so the only thing one can do is try. But I can see your point regarding your own profession. If one start with the 'worst case scenario' any other outcome will be regarded as success. In this 'scenario' I don't see any difference between your and my profession.

Kind regards,
DGarretson/Frogman: Do either of you see any harm in using carbon fiber rigid plate to fashion a spacer in which to mount the Acutex 420 to an ET carbon fiber armwand? McMaster Carr has some 1/8" x 12" fof around $11.00?
I agree with Dg. I would only add that I would use the shim only if absolutely necessary. With my 420 on the magnesium arm wand and with Cardas cart clips on the VDH wire, I can just about fit the clips in a way that does not stress the wires/clips; although it's just on the cusp of making me feel uneasy about it.