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
What I heard the first time that I put that little Cracker Jack Box cartridge on my ET was something that specs (as valuable as they are) seldom explain. The music MOVED! Sounds simplistic, but it's something that is hard to describe and very obvious when it happens. Music (when performed well) should have a very strong forward impetus that tells the listener it's going somewhere and is more than a series of temporal events; THAT is the main thing that good analog still has over good digital. I have not tried the 420 in a different arm (the Forsell still awaits), but I think there is an especially good synergy happening between it and the ET that I doubt specs can explain. The "groovy" quality of the bass is especially good; and as Chris reminds us "It's all about that bass". Perhaps it's the romantic in me, but I actually like the fact that in our hobby there always seems to be more going on on a technical level than we will ever fully understand or are able to explain; I think it makes us better listeners.

Happy New Year!
Back in the 70's I worked for a big dealer who had every known MM cart known to man in stock.Thousands of them.
The only thing that could beat an Acutex was probably the best MM cart ever made ,the Empire EDR-9 .
A 420 cost him about 40 bucks as I recall. But he bought hundreds at a time.
Welcome to the thread Schubert.

Back in the 70's I worked for a big dealer who had every known MM cart known to man in stock.Thousands of them. The only thing that could beat an Acutex was probably the best MM cart ever made ,the Empire EDR-9 .

Sounds like a real cool job to have. In the mid 70's I was in the middle of puberty working as a busboy scraping for money. If I worked for your audio dealer guy I may have been tempted to stuff some cartridges down my pants pockets (making sure stylus guard was on of course). I'm sure some on the MM thread would challenge your Acutex claim; especially Raul once he returns from his "sabbatical". Don't expect a challenge from him here however. From personal emails he never figured out the ET2.

A 420 cost him about 40 bucks as I recall. But he bought hundreds at a time.

Was he Italian by chance ? Lets assume "hundreds" is 300.

$40 x 300 = $12,000

$520 x 300 = $156,000

I paid $70 Cdn. for mine back in 2012 incl. shipping. I remember it vividly because it was advertised as a Puntina. Very close to Putana that I am familiar with so it made me laugh. There is that brothel theme again. The first time I heard the 420 I also laughed, then some singing and dancing. Maybe some of that later today also. Happy and safe New Year to everyone and its already Jan 1 in NZ as I post this and just after midnight as I hit submit here, Downunder. Cool
I meant he ordered about 500 Acutex at a time , all models.
With about 3-4 million dollars worth of stock in warehouse at any given time 12K was chicken feed. Last year I worked for him did about 35 million in audio, Big Jap companies were giving him 20% off their best-best- price with 6 months to pay.
Well, based on Schubert's latest "updated" information I feel a need to update part of the wording in my last post.

Previous wording

"If I worked for your audio dealer guy I may have been tempted to stuff some cartridges down my pants pockets."

Revised wording

"If I worked for your audio dealer guy I would be walking in with deep pocket pants, and a knapsack, which going in, carries my lunch** "

** Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.