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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Dear Ct 0157 (Feel like I'm in Star Wars here...)
& Dear Harold...

Thanks a mill for all the feedback, I'm digesting it all as I'm setting up the TT & ET, had some help getting started from an ET owner as some parts were missing or imperfect, a huge help thanks Gerald!

Have to do a few more mods to the Studio platform, possibly a hole for the air hose to allow free movement for the arm without causing bending stress etc.

I've had some Cardas interconnects made up, will probably hardwire the V D Hul cable from the ET to avoid contacts, with sufficient play, using an old MM magnet just to get started, so many things to learn here!

I can see where your critical comment re Studio springs come from, but surely they are intended to decouple the arm from vibrations? What would you use instead please, I'm definitely interested as I can see how much they move with the arm sliding...

Many Thanks, hope to get music out of there soon which is ultimately the objective!

Best LK
Dear Leon & Chris, I´m a man of peace & tranquility, that´s why I prefer solid TTs ;-)
To be honest (and to my own embarrassment), I wasted nearly half my life on suspended decks. Well tuned suspension works on all environments but it is always a compromise on sound nevertheless, unfortunately.
I would suggest large spiked brass columns attached under the upper plinth and you will have dead suspension.
Ugh, I have spoken.
**** If I may start bidding at 100 Canadian loonies....(without pictures). I blame this ridiculous starting bid on the relentless pounding my ears have been taking from the crazy bird - the Loon, croaking of bullfrogs, wolves howling, hooting of owls, and the splash of jumping sm bass .. on the end of my line. must be delirious. ****

Sounds like great music to me! I'd like to increase the bidding to 150 Brooklyn squirrels.....wait!....am I mistaken? Is it Down Under where Dover resides; or is it the Deep South, where squirrels are a delicacy? :-)

+1 on removing springs; certainly trying it. Never owned the Goldmund, but have done so with three VPI's with great results.

I'd like to increase the bidding to 150 Brooklyn squirrels.....

Frogman - I'm confused by your bid.

I offered - 100 Canadian Loonies.

real money

You offered 150 Brooklyn squirrels ? Now I have to confess growing up as a kid I was influenced by the American tv show Rocky and Bullwinkle. "Rocky" being a flying squirrel. So I would have issue with this squirrel delicacy you speak of.... even though I do seem to get a real kick out of of Duck Dynasty.
Hi LK

Regarding the air hose.
I had Bruce set the air hose nozzle pointing up on my 2.5. So no hole needed to be drilled. If the nozzle is pointing down it can also be turned up and re epoxied but you need to be careful with this depending on its condition. Its an alternative.

regarding the wiring. this was one of the revelations for me as far as owning this tonearm.
If I may use the analogy of walking a dog.
For me achieving a good setup with my ET tonearm is like training a dog and the wire loom is the leash.
A well trained dog never tugs on the leash and the leash always remains limp to the handler.
The ET2 doesn't need the wiring and/or air tube as some other air bearing linear trackers do in their design for damping - its a free spirit and just wants to ride the grooves that are not crazy eccentric. Anyone that has moved the spindle in and out of the manifold with just 3 psi, knows what we are talking about - think - Slippery.

So a recommendation for later on.

Pull the wiring from the armtube/spindle areas. Set the ET2 up and balance it without the wires.
Then add the wires. You will see first hand how much the wires affect its movement. Without doing this you just don't know how much effect the wires have.

effect vs affect above - I can never remember ? so I used both - 50/50.

As far as setting up the wires on the ET2 once balanced without them; simply add/run the wires along the armtube (are you and "in'ee or and out'ee") direct to your phono stage with a happy face loop in between to remind you of the great setup job you did. :^)
thats it.

I am still searching for a wireless solution btw.

HNTB and Frogman - regarding suspensions.
My opinion is there are suspensions and then there are suspensions.
Think firm Pneumatic suspension.

Frogman
+1 on removing springs; certainly trying it. Never owned the Goldmund, but have done so with three VPI's with great results.

I also removed the springs from a HW19MKIV and TNT. Went pucks with the HW19 and Pneumatic with the TNT. a pic of the TNT is in my system page. I believe you are also running a pneumatic type suspension now on your TNT Frogman ?