Eminent Technology ET-2 Tonearm Owners

Welcome to the thread Banquo... touchee!

Firstly - I am not certain of the answer myself (well it would be a guess) based on pictures themselves, especially when just one ET2 is shown.
Frogman is able to tell the difference from pictures. I think he is using the armtube as a reference ?

But the picture I posted shows only two manifolds and spindles only - no armtube.

Pictures are an illusion (sort of like this hobby?) of camera angles and scale.

imo - this is very similar to fishing, in that if a fisherman wants their fish to look bigger in the picture - they hold it out "in front" instead of to the side of them to show proper scale.

Of the two shots that are in that pic of my last post.

Here is a hint.

One of them is smaller in scale ?
Yet the spindle still appears to be the same size as the other one ?
For non-ET2 owners following the thread the answer should be clearer ?

Another hint (when no arm wand is visible):

Look at the width of the portion of the manifold housing (where the lettering is printed) that extends beyond either side of the length-wise "edge" of the spindle tube. Or, look at the same "edges" in relation to the lettering on the manifold housing. Either way, which tube's diameter is wider will be obvious.

Okay, guys, how 'bout some MC cartridge recommendations for mating with my ET Two. I'm currently using my tried-and- true van den Hul MC Two HOMC (2.25mV output with vdH 1 stylus). I really like the sound of this cartridge with the ET Two (transparent, fast, dynamic, and ballsy) and the vdH 1 stylus is the quietest in the groove of any stylus I own and is claimed to last for 3000+ hours. Just testing the waters to see what is out there that would be better.

My requirements are:

1. must be an excellent match for the ET Two with the base aluminum armwand
2. 0.5mV or greater output (.65mV or higher would be preferable)
3. cartridge weight <10g (the lighter the better)
4. selling price <$2k
5. <250 hours if used or freshly retipped/refurbished
6. must sound significantly better than my vdH MC Two (this cartridge is tragically under-publicized and under-rated IMO)

I listen mainly to acoustic jazz, blues, rock, and a little classical. You can see associated equipment in my "System" link.

I have been eyeing a Colibri XCP HO for sale here on Agon right now:

https://app.audiogon.com/listings/cartridges-van-den-hul-colibri-high-output-as-new-excellent-condition-2013-11-17-analog-Netherlands

This one meets all of the above criteria, but I am a little spooked of the Colibri due to some horror stories I have heard about its fragility and quality problems with recent vdH retips/rebuilds, plus I can find nothing on the web about it's compatibility with the ET Two or similar air bearing arm.

If I can't find something that meets all of my criteria, I will just stay with the MC Two, which is probably what I should do anyway ;^).

PS: I also have a nice stable of MMs: Empire 4000D/III, Signet TK-7LCa, Sonus Gold Blue, Micro Acoustics 530mp and 2002e, Astatic MF200, ADC XLM II Improved, and Shure V15 Type III MR. I read that some of you have liked the Empire with the ET Two. Is that still your opinion? What about the others?

Dave

Keep in mind that all the cartridges you own are fairly high compliance; including the VDH which is high compliance by MC standards. The "base aluminum arm wand" is well suited to higher compliance cartridges. Most MC's are lower compliance which means they will send more energy into the arm wand; a higher mass wand such as the magnesium wand would be a better match for most MC's.

Having said that, I have gotten excellent results with my ET2 (magnesium wand) and a Shelter 901. The Shelter's stated .5 mv output plays considerably louder than my VDH's stated .65 mv. It is dynamic, robust and full sounding with a richer and more romantic tonal quality than the VDH's which leans toward a whitish/gray tonal quality (in my set-up, of course). Definitely worth trying.

Thanks as always, Frogman. I found a decent deal on a new Shelter 901 Mk II. Several reviews and owner posts say that the Mk II has similar tonality but incrementally better overall sound quality and a slightly higher output (.55mV) compared to the original. I am surprised that Shelter uses a .3 X .7 elliptical stylus on the 901. Care to speculate on the compatibility (sound quality/tracking performance) of a Shelter 901 Mk II with the aluminum armwand?

Dave