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
Thanks Ct0517 & BdP! I am wondering that the conceptually very similar London air bearing arm (based on the Cartridge Mans's Conductor arm), with similar wiring, and at least these four "naked" unscreened (or five!) wires without screen for about 15cms, is the recommended arm for the London cartridges. It want hum, I'm shure (not the cartridge :-).
I suspect it's something to do with a missing ground link from the arm to the preamp. Does the original ET2 wiring has a 5th wire? Mine certainly does, but I have a different wiring & routing to the original one.
Thanks Ct0517 & BdP! I am wondering that the conceptually very similar London air bearing arm was "built for London" cartridges... (based on the Cartridge Mans's Conductor arm) - it must have functionally similar unscreened wiring, at least these four "naked" unscreened (or five!) wires without screen for about 15cms.
Could it be that it has something to do with a missing ground link from the arm to the preamp - does the original ET2 wiring have a 5th wire? Mine certainly does, but I use a different wiring & routing to the original one.
Pegasus
I may have missed it, but have you made twisted pairs with your naked wire runs?

Cheers
One aspect of the London/Decca cartridge design that influences arm choice is the differing lateral vs. vertical compliance figures, they being 10 X 10 (-6) cm/dyne Vertical and 15 Lateral. I know the ET arm has differing moving mass figures in the two planes, but whether or not they align (or conflict) with the London compliance figures I don't know. Whatever arm is used with London's, it has to have as stiff and non-resonant an arm tube as possible, and the best bearings one can afford. That benefits all cartridges of course, but London's put a LOT of energy into the arm.

Another thing to know about the cartridge is that it likes to be loaded with unique amounts of resistance and capacitance. The Reference model is at it's best with 15k resistance and about 220 pF capacitance. I was tutored in Decca's in the 80's by Harvey Rosenberg, and he liked the Decca's of that time with a LOT of capacitance, like 0.5 mF!
Oops, one other thing: London's put out not only a lot of mechanical energy, but electrical as well---5mV! You will need a phono stage with a pretty high overload margin, and lower than average gain, about 40dB being a good figure.