Eminent Technology ET-2 Tonearm Owners

... (more food for thought).. would lead shot encapsulated in epoxy sound different from stainless steel shot encapsulated in the same epoxy in a similar project? The point being, as you eluded to, that the epoxy is keeping the encapsulated material from exuding it's natural reaction to resonances. The only possible difference would be the mass each individual component has. This goes to my point of a particular materials' resonant properties affect on overall sound. (We may be trying to say the same thing but getting to that similar point by different methods.)

I have used epoxied lead shot inside a DIY subwoofer because at that time I was convinced that lead is good for the sound and that it's just the right material, kind of soft yet hard enough to retain it's shape. Since then I have learned that lead, unfortunately, is one of the worst materials ever foisted on poor unsuspecting naive audiophiles and should be avoided even in small amounts, especially noticeable in how it destroys the bass frequencies. Note: I wound up having to take a hatchet and small sledge hammer to the DIY subwoofer just to be able to get it out of the house. Was that wrong?

Geoff
It is up to you to decide the right or wrong of it.
As I said earlier, and I was pulling my punches, lead shot has not been good in my experience.
Solid lead, properly bonded to the parent material, is a different story however.

Cheers

Pierre of Mapleshade used to employ a lot of solid lead at CES and in his recording studio. However, after buying into the whole lead thing, including solid lead he has since recanted and no longer employs lead. Even my Arcici stand that employed lead bars sounded more open and natural with the lead bars removed.

Geoffkait: Your experience and your way of dealing with the results, really gave me a "belly laugh". Thanks for that!

I don't want to in any way disregard Richardkrebs personal results. I believe it would be half-hazard and wrong to do so. I respect his thoughts and his journey. I find all of this fascinating and don't want to, in any way, discourage others from posting on their results.

My feeling regarding different materials used, is that each individual material has a resonant frequency response (in terms of audio reproduction) that is really what the end user hears. How these different materials are applied is the ultimate question.

My current motor enclosure has extensive use of lead shot in two ways. The bottom surface is encased with small gauge lead shot ( around 3/4", tapped down, and it's surrounding area is coated with a spray-on damping material, the sides of the enclosure have been drilled out at various intervals and filled with epoxy/lead shot). You'd think it would be fairly dead but that really isn't the case. It seems that the shot hasn't "dealt" with the vibrations caused by the spinning motor in this instance. It has "re-directed" them. IMO.

I recently tried three Stillpoints Minis (directly under) this enclosure and was not at all impressed. The vibration/resonance was brought back up through the enclosure. I then decided to use the brass cones that are bonded to the bottom ( the original design) for the "drain" needed to deal with the fact there is a motor spinning in this application. This was the better coarse of action.

It's all about the best way for built up energy/resonance to be drained while the materials used/their "end sound" and the application of these materials that matters, as I see it. This is what Richardkrebs is saying as are we all. We have differing ways to get to the best sound. Ultimately, It will be our own listening biases that make the decision for us. Thanks for the responses!

(As an aside, my current speakers Usher BE-718 have their internal side walls lined with lead plating. I'm happy with the sound and have not tried in any way to put my own imprint here on their sound other than speaker stands.)