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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 ?
ct0517
ct0517's avatar
ct0517 OP
2,041 posts
 
Bdp24 - too d*mn big

there are no such words in the Audiophile world. Too big is also a relative thing. You want big ....come see my Jean Nantais Lenco. You will have a Come to Jesus moment. For some its been their only religious moment.

Picture this..ah actually no, see pic 8 Goldilocks and the Three Turntables. So it has by design to deal with those nasty idler resonances, hollowed out cavities under the motor, and both armboards; and it still weighs 100 lbs.

Bdp24 - the expensive VPI’s use the same cr*ppy Hurst motor as the cheapest!

If an Audiophile does not like their outboard motor, or their controller, it’s a very easy thing to swap out, or bypass it (in the case of the HW19). Changing out the bearing structure DNA is however another matter. You know, in real estate they like to say Location, Location, Location. Well with turntables and tonearms, it’s the Bearing, Bearing, Bearing....
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Regarding your Aries TT Eric. As a drummer IMO you owe it to yourself, to go to Fabricland, pick up some Silk thread and hear what thread driven drum shots sound like, compared to the rubber belt.

slaw's avatar
slaw
23,644 posts
 
ct0517,

Have you ever tried different motors on the VPI TTs you’ve owned?

bdp24's avatar
bdp24
10,277 posts
 

slaw, when you ask "Is the Hurst motor a springboard for (their) motor controllers?", are you speaking of Phoenix Engineering and their motor controllers, or VPI and theirs? It seems logical to assume that VPI controllers were developed specifically for the Hurst’s they install in all their tables, so I’m guessing you meant Phoenix Engineering. Design engineer and company owner Bill Carlin developed his motor products for use with any and all AC synchronous motors, including VPI’s of course. Bill knows a LOT about motors, and his postings on the VPI Forum site contain deep design details, a source of great information about turntables and their motors. The PE products are not only quite a bit more sophisticated and advanced than VPI’s, but also cheaper. Too bad they are no longer available! New, anyway.

As I do with just about everything I buy used, I completely disassembled the VPI HW-19 I recently acquired. Once in pieces, I discovered that the little rubber grommets that are part of the motor stand-offs that separate the upper and lower motor mounts had broke apart, a common problem with the HW-19, I learned. I replaced them in the manner I mentioned above---with E-A-R Isoloss Sandwich Mounts, a direct, easy-to-install swap. I also discovered that the table does NOT have the Hurst motor it left the factory fitted with, but rather a Bergerlahr, a German company. Their motors are well regarded, and considered to be of higher quality than those of Hurst. I reckon either the original wore out and was replaced with the Bergerlahr, or it was installed by a former owner as an upgrade.

ct0517, I have been reading on the VPI Forum about using thread in place of the stock rubber belts on their tables, and will eventually get around to trying that.

flemke
596 posts
 
Love to see videos or pic of the ET 2. This is mine. I changed out the cartridge to a ZYX Omega Ultimate. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wh91bEcwkvo
ct0517's avatar
ct0517 OP
2,041 posts
 
Slaw -
ct0517,

Have you ever tried different motors on the VPI TTs you’ve owned?


Slaw
Regarding motors. I did research on a number of motors, and this included the possibility of using the SP10mkII as a motor/controller, placed beside the TNT; also considered an SL1200 I owned that I used to lend out to people over the years. I came to a dilemma with the TNT. The string/thread drive experiments were a revelation; I was a convert to it, and to improve on the setup I had, required a pulley and platter/bearing system more designed for thread. Ideally the pulley groove needs to be very small due to the diameter of the thread to work best. You can get thread drive to work with a Belt pulley well, as we have discussed here, but the TNT pulley was designed for a rubber belt.
See these pictures. The belt pulley is on the left. The thread pulley on the right

https://photos.app.goo.gl/8RtPVapcxiB1xHrL7

https://photos.app.goo.gl/fQtGRhfGVUz71Kjx8

Due to the lack of candidates, instead of further modding the TNT , I chose to pursue a TT that was designed specifically for thread drive. I did own the TNT for a period after acquiring La Platine and did try the Verdier motor with it and vice versa in failed experiments. This was interesting and I can provide more detail if anyone likes.
The Original Platine Granito (like mine) was designed for Thread Drive only. I assume to drum up more sales in later years, Mr. Verdier added the Belt pulley option to appease those folks that wanted it. :^(

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flemke - thanks for posting your video. You have an ET 2.0 with the HPM. I like the way you set up your wiring around the plinth area. Very little effect on the bearing. Some go wrong (imo) and try to imitate the Kuzma design with the wires up and over from the cart. This setup I have found effects the spindle/bearing with pushes and pulls. This is ok on the Kuzma design as it needs the wires and air tube for damping. The ET2 however is a different design and does not rely on damping from wires and tubing. It’s an ideal candidate for a wireless bluetooth cartridge/preamp if it ever gets invented. Recommend you get Bruce’ long I Beam. The weight requirement on your own modded I Beam would be cut in half.

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@bdp24

I have to tell you that you are a type of Audio enigma to me. You see, from your posts on this forum, you appear to be a big fan of Bruce’;, yet as a vinyl guy you do not own the product he makes that IMO is above all others in design and operation. Did our antics on this thread intimidate you in any way ? 8^0

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