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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 ?
128x128ct0517
slaw's avatar
slaw
21,541 posts
 
A comparison: Put on a copy of Aja,(77') then compare it to Nightfly, 82", I think you'll get where I'm coming from.
No comparison, IMO.
slaw's avatar
slaw
21,541 posts
 
Dover: Your idea has my excitement level on a 10. Thanks, I will pursue this, separating the speaker crossover.
slaw's avatar
slaw
21,541 posts
 
Sorry for overwhelming.... I meant to share that I recently went to a evening called Music Matters with my audio buddy. I was 10' from Fremer. Our 'analog man'.

He played some hi-rez files from his Continuum table. Some Joni Mitchell, Who, Rolling Stones.

These sounded GREAT! My friend remarked to me later how the rhythmic drive, propulsion of the music was apparent. That made an impression on me. The Stones as we all know aren't known for sonics, in this case, it was the best I've ever heard. The source was a MFSL lp. The tt in the room was a SME 10. A copy of The Band was played, the sense of realism was apparent.

I, of course made a fool of myself when I remarked about his giving a copy of "Rough Mix" to Classic for their reproduction of that lp cover. maybe I'm the only one who noticed.
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ct0517 OP
2,041 posts
 
Bruce Thigpen 420 STR Impressions.

Chris,

These are my impressions.

This is an excellent cartridge. Mechanically it is a high compliance cartridge, much higher than most any modern moving coil.
There were no noise problems, the hum level was at the noise floor and it was quiet running straight in to an older SP-11. Tracking was very good to excellent. The design hints of the Goldring 900's of many years ago and the sound quality reminds me of the last Shure ultra 500, which I liked a lot. So its a bargain, to bad these are out of print.
With respect to use in the ET-2 or 2.5, the best wand to use would be the original aluminum arm wand with the thick coating or the carbon fiber wand. I actually prefer the ET-2 to the 2.5 with this cartridge.
Thanks very much for the loan Chris

-brucet

Guys ( gals? )

Through my various emails bugging him :^( for his impressions (I received them this morning). I got a real sense that Bruce appreciated the downtime to listen to vinyl. IMO, the more we can do to draw folks like Bruce Thigpen back into vinyl; I feel is a good thing for vinyl and music in general. Whether you are an ET2 owner or not on this thread, a quick email thanking him for his impressions here is a start.

Brucet (at) eminent-tech (dot) com
slaw's avatar
slaw
21,541 posts
 
Chris, Thanks for your forsight regarding sending the Acutex to Bruce for his impressions. What more can I say... here are some excellent lps to check out...

(I hope there are "gals" reading this. Give me a call....)

Calexico/Iron @ Wine "In The Reins" an excellent, dynamic lp!!!
Neko Case "Fox Confessor...." Her vocals are awesome here, soundstage is somewhat diminished but an excellent lp.
Jenny Lewis @ the Watson Twins "Rabbit Fur Coat", Great!
The National "High Violet" not superior sonically, but a damn good record!
Birdy "selftitled", a 15 year old that can make you/me cry!
I could go on...........
More to discover