Eminent Technology ET-2 Tonearm Owners

Hi Chris! I accidentally grew up with a Lenco B55 (practically same technology as L70/75/78) and a Thorens TD 124. These were the first victims of my brothers and my audiophile interests - we dismounted and reassembled them. I was more impressed by the ingenuity and elegance of the Lenco - *and* I still remember the sound as very upbeat and vivid, memories reaching almost 55 years back! Much more so than my slightly lukewarm memories the TD124, I'm sorry to say...
The Lencos plinths empty rooms are not for controlling resonances - they are for ventilation, as the motor, a shaded pole motor, has very low efficiency and consumes *35W*...! I rather think that in the end this is more of a weak point than the idler wheel. My impression is that the vertical low mass idler wheel is (within the context of idler wheels) a very good idea. The weak point there is a) the steering of the wheel with kind of a rod with limited stiffness and b) the exact positioning relative to the conical axe of the motor. But...
Rehearing the L75 in a friend's (superb) system with modded Avantgarde Trio etc. etc., after years of listening to a Well Tempered Signature, then a Funk tt with Funk arm was a revelation - already with a simple plinth. Of all "real existing" turntable platforms it is in musical, timbral, dynamical and coherence terms almost in another league - and it is a "stone age" concept. It really was a jaw-dropping experience. ca. 1980 I *never* considered re-using a Lenco or a SL1210). I was a *real* audiophile, who had to use a belt-drive... I bought a Thorens TD 126 - one boring lifeless turnatble. Then came the Rega 2, then a Walker CJ55. Both really much better in musical & colour-terms, then the WTT Signature in my system too.
Funny how  I moved from "scientific" musical medicine back to "evidence based" or empirical musical medicine.
Today I use a much modded SL1210, which has a slight advantage in purity / stability of upper midrange timbres.
In Europe Pet Reinders is the Lenco "guru". I can do without gurus, though he has a good solution for the basic motor / bearing platform.

The Lencos plinths empty rooms are not for controlling resonances - they are for ventilation, as the motor, a shaded pole motor, has very low efficiency and consumes *35W*...!

Pegasus, that picture I linked in the previous link is not the motor hole, it is the armboard HOLE :^)

And there are two of these massive armboard holes going through this plinth. They are separate from the large cavity below the motor assembly that you reference. These armboard holes are helping to provide tonearm isolation from those nasty motor wheel - rumblings. See pic 29 on the virtual system for the whole table pic.

those nasty motor wheel - rumblings.

I was actually amazed about how they disappeared behind the not inconsiderable LP pressing and cutting lathe rumble (the latter sometimes audible too), and behind the superb musical information & drive. I expected problems, but...

armboard holes are helping to provide tonearm isolation

I assume Jean Nantais has pretty good reasons and convictions why he does things the way he does.
But - looking at physics - how could these holes provide isolation from either acoustically transferred noise (which, if they'd change at all, would rather increase) or structure borne noise.
Besides: How does it sound?

Besides: How does it sound?

Hi Pegasus

Do you want the description compared to the other turntables ?
or
do you want to know how certain albums, songs, sound, when I am in a certain mood, with a little drink, and with the full moon in play ? :^)

But - looking at physics - how could these holes provide isolation from either acoustically transferred noise (which, if they’d change at all, would rather increase) or structure borne noise.

Let’s forget the massive cavities under the motor and armboards for a moment and concentrate on the build itself - Review the pic I posted. Look at the alternating layering. The design is meant to dampen/absorb resonances. The armboard is connected to the plinth in four spots where the bolts go in. Armboards can be any material - interchangeable- mine came as a hardwood.

Note: Some, build a plinth for an idler one time, and then modify it, or leave it alone. JN has gone through XX maybe XXX ? plinth builds to get to where he is today with his tables. Just saying. He does have passion. An owner of such a table does "not" think about changing any part of it because of the road it took. You would be messing with it. It is, the table, based on his vision.

*************************

Hi Harry - do you think you will be up and running soon ?

Chris

Hi Chris,
I've not been dead in the water.  The existing setup with mag arm was fine on non-think records.  I just didn't have any room to raise VTA any further.  While waiting for Bruce's screws and Frogman's extra armboad I tried Frogman's suggestion of placing washers between the arm board and the metal sub plinth.  In my case I used 1/4 in. tall nylon spacers.  Had to get longer screws to screw the armboad back to the sub plinth but it was an easy fix.  The 1/4 inch was just the right amount of extra height to gain back VTA range.  I've only been listening a short time but my initial impression is positive, however, I think I've lost a little transparency and focus.  Perhaps with the arm board sitting up on the spacers rather than secured tightly to the metal plinth I'm getting a little resonance in the arm board.  Or perhaps it's the nylon and I should have used steel washers as Frogman suggested.  The jury is still out. Want to do some more listening.

Im beginning to believe there is no life outside of the ET arm 🙄