Eminent Technology ET-2 Tonearm Owners

If you want to get at beyond - lets say for example 7/10 with the performance of your ET2, you need to understand how the I Beam tuning can work for you...

fwiw - looking back now when this thread started, I can say I was at 6.5 - 7 with my ET2, ET 2.5 setup. This is a personal subjective number. I feel now I am around 7.5. thanks to everyone on this thread. Much to learn.

As we all know there are two parts to optimization of the ET 2.0, 2.5.

1) Arm setup
2) Air delivery

When the thread started I ranked the importance of the two as far as sonic upgrades went
1) 40%, 2) 60% based on my private experience.

With the help of this thread I can say the percentages for me are now 1) 45%, 2) 55%.

The gap is closing. As I learn more I hope to make them equal.

Cheers

****As we all know there are two parts to optimization of the ET 2.0, 2.5.

1) Arm setup
2) Air delivery

When the thread started I ranked the importance of the two as far as sonic upgrades went
1) 40%, 2) 60% based on my private experience.****

Completely agree. In fact, I am convinced, given the dramatic effects of varying pressure, surge tanks, cleanliness of the bearing, etc., that the Holy Grail is a gas-powered compressor with large storage tank, so that the pulses of the pump's action can be eliminated completely; akin to battery-run power supplies in electronics. Alas, I have to draw the line somewhere.

Frogman.
"gas powered compressor with large storage tank"
This is kinda what I'm using now. It is a small shop air compressor. oil less type. It pumps the tank up to 120psi and switches off. Switching on again at 80 psi. The output is fed thru two regulators in series, bringing the pressure down to 18 psi for the arm.

Doing the Chris T stylus on a stationary record test, results in zero noise change out of the speakers at full volume.

The compressor turns on too frequently at present, about every 7 mins, so I will be adding an auxiliary tank to increase the time span but this is not a priority since... I hear a slight, I think, maybe, possibly, increase in noise while the compressor is running but if it is there at all, it is minute.

Richardkrebs

11-05-13: Richardkrebs
Frogman.
"gas powered compressor with large storage tank"
This is kinda what I'm using now. It is a small shop air compressor. oil less type.

What type of compressor are you using ?

HF Dover.
Compressor is a piston type, which one would think would produce a pulsating air flow. Certainly the piston type loaner they gave me failed the Chris T noise test. The difference this time around is as follows. I'm using two regulators in series. I have a small restrictor between them, ( a trick we sometimes use for low pressure pilot hydraulics). The tank is a little larger. Its set/ reset pressures are much higher 120/80 psi v/s 60/40 psi.
I said earlier that it turned back on too frequently at around every 7 mins. When it does turn on, it only runs for approx 10 seconds. Obviously a larger tank will not only increase the rest time but also increase this on time. I could lower the reset pressure, giving a longer rest time, but there would be a corresponding increase in run time so don't plan to do this since the compressor is acoustically noisy. This can't be heard in the listening room but can in other parts of the house. Also I suspect that the regulators are more stable with a high delta P, contributing to the smooth air flow. This is certainly the case with hydraulic regulators.