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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
frogman
7,561 posts
 
Thanks, Chris.  Great suggestions.

**** Did you try the phono stage cheater plug with the ground removed ? *****

Yup, of course,

**** separate the wires the last 12-18 inches before they go into the phono. ****

Have not tried that.  Wires are a twisted pair for each channel; unshielded from cartridge pins to smiley face and beyond to just above manifold.  Then, above the manifold each twisted (braided) pair goes into its own individual length of Teflon tubing all the way to where each wire is soldered to the back of the corresponding RCA jack inside the phono stage.  From the point that each twisted pair goes into Teflon tubing, both “tubes” together go into a length of copper braid over which is black insulating sheathing.  The phono stage end of the copper braid has a copper wire “pig tail” which goes to the grounding lug on the phono stage.  From that same point where the pig tail is soldered to the copper braid, a short length of each of the two Teflon tubes exit the copper braid/sheathing and each of the four individual wires are soldered inside the phono stage.  

I have wanted to try going totally unshielded the entire length of wire(s) for quite some time which would allow me to try your suggestion of moving each individual wire around.  Great suggestion.  A couple of points:  I have no grounding issues whatsoever with any other cartridge I have except the ATML170OCC; although to a lesser degree.  All MC’s are dead silent.  Also, I experience essentially the same degree of grounding issues with the Decca in the Alphason and Grado tonearms which I used before acquiring the ET2 and the Decca.
In the meantime, I’m working on getting up the nerve to buy a Decca Reference $😱$

Regards.
ct0517's avatar
ct0517 OP
2,041 posts
 
frogman - In the meantime, I’m working on getting up the nerve to buy a Decca Reference $😱$

@frogman 
Do you think the nerve to buy that Decca Reference, is superseded only by the nerve to play it every day ?  Especially on those cold days when some Scotch, Wine, Slivovitz, ....,(fill in the blank) accompanies the music. 8^0

The official London Cartridge website

http://londondeccaaudio.com/

shows the various models, stylus in each model. (pricing is from Needle Doctor) 

Reference - Ultra low mass fine line - $5000
Jubilee - Extended Line Contact - $3000
Super Gold - Extended Line Contact - $1500
Gold - Elliptical - $1200
Maroon - Spherical - $950
Professional - Spherical -

Surely the Reference model comes with more than fancy body work and a different stylus to justify its price ? Can anyone elaborate ?

slaw's avatar
slaw
23,627 posts
 
Chris,

I’m sure there are many like you (and me) out there who find the expense of buying Decca a constant internal struggle. I hope you buy one so you can report your findings, for my benefit. How selfish is that?
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
10,274 posts
 

There is a London SuperGold fitted with the Decapod (which replaces the horrible stock mounting bracket, making the mechanical bond between pickup and arm much more secure) on ebay right now. It has just been serviced by John Wright, fitted with a new extended line contact stylus. The UK seller has it priced at just under $1100 US, plus about $20 shipping.

The Reference has a much better housing (machined from a block of aluminum) than all but the Jubilee, finally addressing the microphony inherent in the thin stamped tin housings of the cheaper models. Is it worth $3500 more than a SuperGold? The Jubilee splits the difference, but I hate it’s looks.

All the London’s are improved over the Decca’s (I’ve owned various models of both, even two different versions of the London SuperGold, one with a Van den Hul stylus, the other a elc), with tighter tolerances and attention to detail. Better tracking, less sibilance on vocals and hard piano strikes etc. Still maintaining the astonishing immediacy, in-the-room presence, thunderous bass (better have a good arm ;-), explosive dynamics, and sheer "aliveness" Deccas are renown for, making most other designs sound "polite". Not as clean, pure, and "easy on the ears" (some find them brash, in-your-face) as high-performance MC’s, though.

slaw's avatar
slaw
23,627 posts
 
Eric,

You have come out again... my friend!

Referring to a Decca must energize your senses?

Love it!
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