Eminent technology et2 on Linn Lp12

The reason I am considering the ET-2 is #1. It is available for a fair price. 2# My initial research led me to beleive that is is a wonderful arm and comparable to the best. #3. I  like the fact that it is inusual.

My tech and I will be mounting it.  I am confident he is very capable of doing the job correctly. Do I absoulutely have to have this arm? No. Set up correctly I am hoping this will be a reference table combo that I can hang out with for a long time. 

Thanks to all of you for your wealth of knowledge. It will definite help when the installation process begins. I will be forwarding the info on to my tech. 

@bdp24 ,

I lived with the Et 2.5 om my VPI HW-19 MkIV highly modded for years and found the highly resonant base to be a mountain too high to climb.

pkvintage, the ET2 is a fabulous arm.  I have owned it for well over twenty years and have done a great deal of tweaking and experimenting with it.  I cannot stress enough what an invaluable resource Chris (ct0517) and his thread are for setup/maintenance  info both inside and outside the box.  I strongly encourage you to take any of his suggestions very seriously.  The logic in his approach to this arm is matched only by his ability to choose his battles and to stay cool under fire 😊.  Good luck.

Yeah @slaw, the HW-19's subchassis really needs to be removed from the surrounding base. I'm getting some Townshend Seismic Pods to put under the subchassis of my Mk.3 (with Aries 1/TNT-4 platter and bearing), the stock spring suspension removed. The base and its attached dust cover will then merely surround the subchassis, the Pods theoretically completely isolating the two from each other.

pkvintage

FYI - Comments received back from Bruce Thigpen - summarized below.  

testpilot - I believe your question is answered as well in regards to the Oracle versus Linn setups.  

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Bruce Thigpen

Linn LP12 setup with ET2

"designed for a lighter load centered on the back side of the
turntable where a conventional tonearm mounts."

"Its been done a few times".

"it's not ideal".

I interpret this as a few have tried, done  it. They need to be very, very good in setup. The "not ideal" comment brings the obvious question of .....how really stable is it?   For myself, a turntable setup that loses its settings, is of little value to me personally. I don't have patience for downtime with my music as its a form of fix for me.  

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I then asked Bruce if it is not best to mount the ET2 in the back corner 1pm position where the pivot arm is mounted by design.  

His response

   

This is probably the best strategy, the Linn, which is an
excellent turntable, is designed similar to the original AR turntables 3 point spring suspension with a low natural frequency. The drawback is that the re positioning of 20 grams or so as a straight line arm traverses the record may deflect the suspension, I have not measured a Linn to know if this is the case.

    On a three point suspension like the Oracle, the ratio of masses
was such that this was not a problem

      - brucet

pkvintage - as Bruce did not do the level measurements that I mentioned in my previous post, I am still interested in them.    

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What ET version do you have ? 

We don't know which version of ET you have 2.0  or 2.5 and what options you are using?  As you know it comes with different armtubes which are different weights (mass), materials, based on the cartridge you are using - MM or MC. I would definitely ensure you are using Bruce' newer longer I beam which reduces the counter weights requirements by half.  Advanced setups of the ET tonearm, Set up the tonearm first without its  wiring - nice and level. The wiring is added after in a single shot to the preamp/phono. The design permits this. This setup takes sonics to another level.

The setup advantage this has - is that it allows one to see how much pull/push the wiring is having. For the Linn LP12, this last step is very important due to the sensitive suspension. The ET2 has the slickest, slippery, smooth air bearing (you can witness this by just holding the manifold housing in your hand (not mounted), insert the air bearing spindle - turn on the air. What you will experience is nothing short of audio magic.  

Now join a sensitive air bearing to a sensitive suspension ......what is the result ?    I do recall reading on multiple occasions of how owners LP12 suspensions went "out" and or needed a Linn TT expert to fix their suspension.

The Audiophile Hobby (AH) begat ............Audiophile Nervosa (AN)...........AN when dealing with sensitive products which require careful setup can begat ............Audiophile Anxiety (AA).

My two 24 years old bring me enough anxiety.   8^0

Daveyf - Cats are attracted to air lines - can produce leaky hoses. We added an F3 Savannah cat, and although I love her and her antics I do fear for my gear.  

It is obvious to me now that Linn LP12 owners - Linnies as has been referenced here - are a very passionate bunch.

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sorry for the long post. 

Frogman - your comments are appreciated.