Eminent Technology ET-2 Tonearm Owners

Frogman -
You have alluded to an attribute of the ET2 that has not really been recognised in this thread. In my view the ET2, due to the lack of offset angle tracking error and variable side forces, has better timing than pivoted arms, particularly with cartridges with conventional cantilevers. The proviso here is that the decoupled counterweight has been tuned to ensure that resonances are not interfering with the "timing". The suggestion to remove the decoupled counterweight by richardkrebs earlier in this thread will impair timing and rhythm - I have tested this myself - it is easy to hear. Correct reproduction of fundamentals and harmonics is a prime requisite for accurate music reproduction, and that includes rhythm and timing. Of course eccentric records cause timing problems with a conventional cantilever with any arm.

Contrary to some views on this thread, the ET2 is the easiest arm in the world to set up correctly. It is one of the few arms in the world that provides for levelling in all directions. The lack of offset angle, tracking error and the elimination of anti skate adjustment ( which can never be perfect ) is a big advantage for the ET2. Just look at the number of posts and misunderstanding of anti skate. Azimuth adjustment is missing on many arms.

The ET2 manual is sufficient to correctly set up this arm. When I bought my first ET2 30 years ago - I read the manual, installed the arm, reread bits of the manual to check that I'd completed the install correctly - all completed in half a day. The various mods - rewiring, electromagnetic damping, trialling fixed vs decoupled counterweight, trialling running 0.5mm overhang ad infinitum were all completed within months of ownership. It does not take rocket science to set this arm up, simply read the manual and pay careful attention to detail. The explanations of tuning this arm and the supporting test data on Bruce's ET2 Website are one of the best in the business.

Here is a quote from Thom Mackris of Galibier Turntables -

04-03-10: Thom_mackris
For those of you who have not done so, download the two part ET-2 tonearm manual (PDF). It's in old-timey font, from the good old daze and in two parts from back when bandwidth was much more limited than it is today.

The manual is chock full of great information on tonearms in general, and of course with specific information on the ET-2.

You'll not only understand your own tonearm better, but will gain insight into the genius behind the ET-2 arm.

Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier

The most valuable discussions in this thread for me have been the discussions on air supply and seeing how others have set up their air supplies and pressures.

Frogman, good to know you consider rhythm the fundamental as I came to the that conclusion myself when I started to listen seriously to jazz.
Why then do so many prominent jazz artists ,vocal and instrumental, seem unable or unwilling to keep time ?

Schubert, there is a saying among jazz musicians that "you can't play outside (the harmony) until you know how to play inside". It is usually said in reference to some (not all) of the so-called "avante garde" players who squeal and squawk and have no grasp of the fundamentals (there's that word again) of melody and harmony, and who bullshit their way through an improvisation. Well, the same idea applies to rhythm. A great jazz player can manipulate rhythm and deviate from metronomic rhythmic precision as a way to create tension and release and expressiveness in a solo or delivery of a melody; it can give the delivery a certain swagger and relaxed quality. Then, there are some who simply have imprecise rhythm. It should be pointed out that in jazz there is much more latitude for manipulation of rhythm considered to be acceptable than in classical music. As jazz became more and more adventurous harmonically over recent decades, so did rhythmic concepts become more individualistic. For a great example of this listen to the great Dexter Gordon. Early to mid career recordings demonstrate great rhythmic precision. Later recordings demonstrate playing which was more and more "relaxed" and behind the beat to the point that it is almost painful to listen to him playing (especially ballads) because this approach created so much tension. He was a true artist however and this approach rang true and was a valid style choice. In the case of lesser players or singers this can sound forced and just plain wrong.

Dover, I agree. Rhythm is something that is often overlooked or given short shrift in discussions about audio in general. Another favorite saying among musicians is "no one gets fired for having a bad tone". Somewhat of an exaggeration to be sure, but the message is simply that as far as the music (as opposed to ear candy) goes the most important fundamental is rhythm. There are some musicians who possess exquisite tone, but their sense of rhythm is rough and/or musically inflexible. Most musicians would much rather play with someone who has a great sense of rhythm and phrasing even if the tone is less than ideal. Because the ET2 is a mechanical device, subject to the effects of mechanical resonances and is not a human being, this concept only applies to a degree. However, for me, one of the reasons that the ET2 is so rhythmically correct is the fact that it is also so tonally correct. In audio, tonal distortions can have a very significant effect on our perception of rhythm.

Frogman, as what you said is basically what I thought I agree with you 110%-LOL.
All jokes aside, it is amazing what you can learn through
osmosis .

Can you or anyone name another tonearm that can do ,at least to some degree, what the ET-2 does ? At my age the
fiddle factor for the ET-2 is beyond me .