Eminent Technology ET-2 Tonearm Owners

John,
Tried to contact Convergent Audio Technology without success.  All you get is a recorded mesage telling you their business hours.  They build great products but are very customer unfriendly.  So I'm getting brave.  Ordered some nice looking RCA plugs to build my own cartridge loading plugs.  Do you know if resistors are directional, i.e. Is there a plus end and a negative end?
Thanks,
Harry

Hi Harry (and John)

what happens when you guys run your Lyra carts on 47k load ?

Chris

Hey Harry,
I know that resistors aren't directional. I would check the type of resistors in the original CAT plugs, and buy the same quality. You probably need metal film resistors (1/2 -1 watt) 1% tolerance. Definitely 100 ohms and if you have enough plugs maybe a 500 and a 1000ohm resistor set. I usually buy 5-10 for each value, and measure each set with an ohm meter, -digital if you have one. Match up pairs with closest val;ues for each set. Buy them from Mouser electronics on line. They are very cheap, and shipping will be most of the cost. That's why you buy more than you need. If CAT uses Vishay resistors, I would buy that brand, but probably not.
By the way, can you solder, and do you have any silver solder? You can get silver solder from "Michael Percy" on line. Google him.
Hey Chris,
The Lyra cartridges sound a bit bright and lack bass at 47K. I hear a real improvement in freq response with lower values. My ARC ph-5 has values of 47K 1K, 500, 200, and 100 ohms. I use 100.
-John
  

Hi Chris,
I checked with Bruce about the gap between the VTA mechanism and whatever. 
He said " The gap does not need to the same between the VTA shaft bearing blocks and the manifold housing. The four screws should not be torqued down to close the gap, the average should usually be about.02 to about .06 inches. If the VTA mechanism is working correctly, the torque on those four screws should adjust the stiffness of the motion of the VTA mechanism and not tightened to the point that it stops."  
Just thought everyone ought to know his opinion.
-John

Hi John

the diagram in this link came from Bruce. the setup in that pic is mine.
   
Diagram - We have two vertical plates/walls, a roller in between and four horizontal bolts holding it together. It makes sense that all four horizontal bolts should be at the same gap for even operation. I have talked to Bruce before about the .02 to .06 range and it is a personal choice. I prefer firm .02 as I do not use the VTA a lot with my cart / preamp.
  
As we know going .06 is the gap opening extreme value - also the least firm action. So action on the lever is loosest/smooth. If the VTA is working properly and someone wants to literally VTA on the fly - as the record plays - looser is easier.

The Lyra cartridges sound a bit bright and lack bass at 47K. I hear a real improvement in freq response with lower values. My ARC ph-5 has values of 47K 1K, 500, 200, and 100 ohms. I use 100.

Those load values are true of the latest ARC Ph9 as well. 47k, 1k, 500, 200, 100.

My SP11 MKII uses values of 47k, 100, 30, 10, 3

It's been my personal experience that the phono circuit design into single load values, needs to be ultra low noise in design, to be able to use single digit values. I assume ARC chose higher values on their newer phono stages/ preamps designs due to the customer / cart requirements that exist today.
  
Regarding how your Lyra cart reacts to 47k. Maybe this is cart specific I don't know, don't own a Lyra cart.   

fwiw 

I can use 47k on MC's with no loss in frequency and if it is a brighter recording, the SP11 has adjustable Gain - I can dial it down a bit. Takes out the brightness. Get it right and I can get the band sounding like they are at the Mic. On regular records 100 loading works fine, and produces a good Studio like sound. I don't have a remote but the SP11 is parked at the side of me within reach.

Cheers Chris