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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 ?
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Showing 14 responses by gyneguy225

gyneguy225
93 posts
 
Hey Chris,
I've always balanced my arm that way. Doesn't everyone? I don't use the damping trough, however. I'm also only using 7.5 psi on the arm, as that's the best two wisa pumps in parallel can do. Am I missing something here?
-John
gyneguy225
93 posts
 
I use two wisa pumps working out of phase with each other in parallel, two large surge tanks in series with a small surge tank made from a plastic radio control gas tank, sitting a few feet from the ET-2. When I did the above test, it was complete silence with and without the pumps on. -Guess my pumps are different?
-John
gyneguy225
93 posts
 
I get about 7.5 psi out of that setup which is what Bruce told me to expect. The noise isn't a problem as the pumps are in the next room in a closet. If I deadhead the pumps' output, I get around 12 psi. -And my manifold is the high pressure version. It's a lot of hot air in my opinion.
-John 
gyneguy225
93 posts
 
PV=nRT  as I remember.
gyneguy225
93 posts
 
-Just a remnant of my undergrad and HS years. -Not much else is left in this old cerebrum.
gyneguy225
93 posts
 
Hey Harry,
I'm glad you appreciate the tweak, and glad I could contribute something to this thread.
John
gyneguy225
93 posts
 
It's funny how that little styrene I-beam I bought at the hobby shop 10 years ago works pretty well. I tried using less weight on the I-beam further out, but when I moved the arm in or out, the I-beam waved back and forth like a dog wagging its tail! I can't place the weight out the same length as the arm wand for sure.
Am I missing something?
-John
gyneguy225
93 posts
 
I'm glad that I'm happy enough with my ET2.0. It only took me 20 years to get it setup right. I'm not about to start all over again!
-John
gyneguy225
93 posts
 
That ET2.5 on Ebay looks like an ET2.0 to me. Just look at the owner's manual. Current bid is $600.
Buyer beware.
-John
gyneguy225
93 posts
 
Thanks for the clarification. I was wrong.
John
gyneguy225
93 posts
 
The photo on Bruce's website shows the ET-2 mounted on a SOTA table with sprung suspension. Over the years, I've heard that this can be a nightmare to keep in balance, but I have had no problem with it, and Bruce said I was just fine with the SOTA.
For some reason, I trust his advice....
-John
gyneguy225
93 posts
 
Does anyone else use a wall mounted (to the studs of a weight bearing wall) shelf to mount their table? My homebrew turntable shelf consists of heavy duty L brackets from Home Depot and a 1 1/2 inch thick birch plywood shelf. You could stand on my shelf, and no feedback from the floor or woofers. I have a dedicated room and no wife acceptance to worry about. 
-John
gyneguy225
93 posts
 

I've been away for a while as I was lured  by the lazy ease of streaming digital.But now I'm trying to get back. I recently bought a used Sota Cosmos (arrives today) with all of the most recent updates. My plan is to try my ET2 on the Cosmos, as I already own a Cosmos armboard for the ET-2. I've owned an ET2 on a Sota Nova for at least 30 years. So you could say I am experienced, and actually came up with the idea for the long ibeam with minimal weight way out there. My problem is the airpump for the ET2. Right now I run two Wisa pumps running out of phase, with a large surge tank, and the highest pressure I can generate is about 7-8 psi.. I'd like to do better. I've skimmed the last 3-4 years of posts and could find nothing about pumps. Has anything new and better been discovered in the last 5 years other than the shop and dental pumps?

Thanks for any help,

John

gyneguy225
93 posts
 

I'll answer my own question. I googled air pumps and found a "Silentaire Super Silent 20" pump on Amazon. It's expensive at $600 but very quiet at 30db. I tried a shop pump from Granger a while ago. The higher pressure (20psi) produced a very black background but the noisey pump  was too much. So, I returned it. Anyway, opinions about this pump would be appreciated.

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