Eminent Technology ET-2 Tonearm Owners

Chris,
re: Kitty
What we do for our children!

Hello,

Been reading for about a year but this is my first post.  It is a real testament to the ET arm and Bruce that this thread has lasted over 5 years for a tonearm over 30 years old. The real purpose of my post is to thank you all for the knowledge and expertise you have shared.  While I have owned my ET II arm for nearly 30 years, I have only recently started tweaking it.  My tweaks are a direct result of the knowledge  shared by all of you. 

I have the original ET II arm with few upgrades except the trough which I abandoned years ago.  I found The silicon migrated out of the trough and created a real mess.  I was still using the original pump that came with the arm but had added a home made surge tank.

After reading posts here I bought a Wisa pump from eBay.  Got stung.  The pump was extremely noisy and had obviously been used with a salt water fish tank.  I took it apart and got it quieted down but it only lasted about two weeks and broke down.  I replaced it with a Medo pump and in the process discovered my surge tank was leaking at the connectors.  Built a new PVC surge tank with brass connectors and bought a pressure gauge which showed I was running @ 8 1/2 PSI.  The improvement in sound quality was jaw dropping.  And remember, this an original arm without the high pressure manifold.

 However, the Medo pump was a little noisy and since it is rated for only 60 minutes, it ran quite hot.  So.......I built a soundproof (well almost soundproof) box, installed a fan on one end and vent on the other to enclose the pump.  Voila, not audible from more than a few feet away and now runs just barely warm.  

Well, with this success I had to have more and read a bunch more posts here which got me intrigued with the debate over less weight further out the beam or more weight closer in.  I am using a Lyra Delos cartridge which Bruce considers light weight.  I was using 4 weights at about the 3 1/2 position on the beam.  I removed one weight which moved me out to about 4 on the beam. This lowered base response but was muddy and sacrificed high frequency response.   I considered adding weight back and moving them in, but thought, what the heck, let's take more weight off and move further out.  I am now using only two weights and they are at the end of the beam at the 6 position.  Wow!  Base got even deeper, tightened up and the resolution returned in spades.  Add me to the fewer weights, further out crowd. 

I am not sure which of the tweaks had a larger effect, the higher pressure pump or the weight redistribution. I do know they were not the psychoacoustic improvements that disappear in a day or two.  These tweaks were the equal of a major cartridge upgrade.

Thank you all for sharing your knowledge and experience.

Not real up to speed on this blog.  Can't figure out where your "runner" is to get to the manifold picture to which you refer.  

In my years with this terrific arm I never experienced any symptoms that made me feel I needed to clean the manifold.  That said, about 6 months ago while in a real obsessive/compulsive state I scrubbed it out with alcohol and a small tooth brush.  I did not detect any dirt or debris on the tooth brush and noticed no difference in performance.  I did not, however, remove the manifold for cleaning.  I just took the tube off and scrubbed the inside of the manifold with the brush and alcohol.   About every couple years I do swab the tube with alcohol and a cotton swab.  The arm has never mistracked except on the few occasions when I was stupid and forgot to turn the pump on; the tube has never dragged in the manifold and I'm not reading what I would consider excessive pressure on the gauge which would indicate a clogged manifold. The Medo pump I'm using says it is rated at 7.11 PSI and I'm reading a little over 8 PSI on the gauge.
Nice hearing from you,
Harry

I think I'll try my thumb first.  I've never tried pouring alcohol down the tube and firing up the pump for the very reasons you describe.  

BTW I live in very rural Western North Carolina.  Earlier this week I woke up to 24 deg. F and the day topped out at 75 F.

I'm running a Lyra Delos on the ET with original arm wand.  Any opinions on whether I'd hear an improvement with the magnesium or carbon fiber wand?

Hi Chris,
I finally figured out how to get  your VS page and saw the manifold.  

Hi frogman,
Thanks for the tip on house cleaning.  I am, however, a little intimidated by the process of removing the manifold.  I've read some places you can simply press the manifold out with your thumb and other places that say I might have to tap it with a mallet.  I don't really want to take a hammer to my beloved ET II!

Chris and Frogman.    Your tips are very much appreciated.  When I work up enough bravery I'll pull the manifold and scrub it clean.   I had read Chris' earlier posts on the Timeter and was quite intrigued, however, my house won't allow me to get it far enough away not to hear the noise.  

I am going to keep my eyes open for a mag or CF wand.   They are kind of expensive new.

Thanks again for your time and advice.

Chris,
Yes, I appear to have one leaf spring and examining my Beam/Spring where it connects to the spindle it does not appear that I have any damping material.  Looking at Bruce's parts diagram it seems a simple process to remove and replace the I Beam/leaf spring assembly.  Simply remove the screw from the back end of the spindle and slide out the beam/spring assembly. (no hammer required)   I am going to contact Bruce today to get the extra beams and springs.  How do the extra leaf springs attach to the I Beam?  Or do you just slide the extra springs in next to the one attached to the I Beam?

While on the subject of damping, I believe I mentioned earlier I have the damping trough attached but don't use because the silicone migrated out of the trough and made a mess.   Is there a substitute like some type of oil that would add damping but not be prone to migrate out of the trough?  
Thanks,
Harry

Just got your response and still have questions but it's very late here. I'll respond more tomorrow.  I can't resist commenting on your last paragraph, however.  My lord you are more OC than me.  I keep a sheet of green felt on top of the dust cover on my VPI HW 19 to keep the dust off the dust cover.
Cheers,
Harry

No dust cover?  How do you sleep at night?😰   Ok, a little hard to see from your pictures, but it looks like I just glue (super glue?) extra leaf springs to the front side of the I Beam (the side with the numbers).  I shot off an email to Bruce and told him you were the source of my inquiry/purchase.  I'll let you know results.  

I have corresponded with Bruce a couple times over the years and always found him most helpful.  BTW, my brother-in-law, also an audiophile, had occasion to visit Bruce at his home/factory several years ago while on a business trip to Tallahassee.  He said it was a most interesting visit.  

I envy you with your two listening rooms.  Mine is 1/2 of our living room so there are limits to what my wife can accept.  😢

FYI, my ET II is mounted on a VPI HW 19 (MK III I Think) upgraded with the original SAMA, TNT platter and bearing.  I use the Phorpenix Eagle and Roadrunner for speed control.  If you haven't come across these, I highly recommend them.  They keep speed on my rig locked in to within .002 RPM.

Hope  I'm not wearing you out.  I'm a retired 73 year old so I have lots of time on my hands.  I have an interesting historical note on my preamp.  If you are interested let me know.

Harry

The VPI with your first ET2 was the same as mine.  Not sure if mine is a III or IV, but it is piano black, suspended with the acrylic deck and arm board.  I've toyed with the idea of replacing the springs with pucks but am concerned about footfalls with no suspension.  House has wood floors.  Sounds like a very slick bearing on your current platter.

We don't get so many black flies down here in N.C. but my father's family was all from Maine and as a kid we used to go up there for visits.  I do remember the black flies.  Not nice.

My Preamp:
I lived for many years in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.  My favorite audio shop was (and still is) in Hollywood, Fla. (Hollywood Sound),  just a couple blocks from the offices and factory for Straight Wire cable.  In fact the audio shop's owner's wife was the receptionist for Straight Wire.  One day while hanging out at Hollywood Sound I spied a used CAT SL-1 for sale and started salivating.  The SL-1 is the preamp that Straight Wire used during their formative days to develop their interconnect.  It had been modified to move the phono inputs to the left side right next to the first stage tubes of the phono stage (6DJ8's), the point to point wiring had been replaced with Straight Wire and the high/Low switch had been bypassed.  There maybe other mods but those are the only ones I recognized.

To make a long story longer, I bought the SL-1 and have now owned it for close to 25 years.  I have retubed from time to time and had to have the large capacitor in the power supply replaced but that's all I've had to do to it.  I have heard a lot of preamps over the years but, with the exception of a couple of ARC's (10's and 11's)  have never.been tempted to replace it.  Alas, no remote but I'm not yet so lazy or old that I must have a remote.  

Lately, I have been reading about the ARC SP 20.  Haven't heard one yet but the reviews are over the top and it has a remote.  Unfortunately, like most of the current ARC stuff, it is very expensive.  If one comes up on the used market at something I can afford I may have to jump.  I'd like to hear it first but I am very rural and I've found that auditioning in a showroom with someone else's system really doesn't tell all you need to know. 

Good morning Chris,
Nice story about your preamp.  These are some of the adventures that make this hobby so much fun.  As you probably are aware ARC was acquired be the huge Sonus Faber conglomerate and it appears their services (and prices) are being affected accordingly.

i have communicated with Bruce and he is making up two new I Beams for me.  One with two springs and one with three.  He was a little skeptical of three springs and had concerns it "would not last."  

In in my impatience, last evening I pressed a small blob of blu tac where the beam attaches to the bearing tube.  It stiffened the spring significantly and I heard a substantial improvement. Lower, tighter bass, more defined images, darker background and far better decay.   Perhaps it was the mood and the wine but I found a big improvement.  I'll let you tonight whether it was real or imagined.
Harry

Well Chris, it was not imagined, blu tac tightened things up.  Of course it's the same wine.  Bruce says the new I Beams are on the way.  I'll leave you alone until they get here
Harry.

Hi Chris,
Bruce's I Beams arrived today!  Contrary to what I previously advised, when I removed my single, spring beam it did have some type of damping material on either side of the spring. What appear to be small rectangular pieces of plastic or rubber.
I started by attaching the new, triple spring beam.  Very nice improvement and I detected no tracking issues.  I listened for a while and then swapped for the double spring beam.  While not huge, the triple spring had audibly tighter bass.  I put the triple spring beam back on and played some very dynamic stuff which revealed no tracking issues.  Finally, I dug out my ancient Shure cartridge test record.  It has several bands to test Trackability.  Again, no tracking error detected.  Soooo, at least on my rig the triple spring works the best.

I would not have believed such seemingly small tweaks could bring such huge rewards.  I have increased air pressure moved the weights out to almost the 6 position and installed the new springs.  Each of these changes brought significant improvement.  

I can't thank you enough for all the suggestions.  You have helped me bring my system to a whole new level.

Lastly, I would be remiss if I did not comment on the overall quality of your ET forum.  I have read many audio forums over the years.  Many often degenerate into arguments over whether tubes are better than transistors, belt drive beats direct drive, or even politics.  Not so your forum, just honest observations and tips to help contributors and readers find true enjoyment from their music.
Harry
P.S. Tubes are better.😉🎶

P.P.S.  Chris,  I didn't respond to your blu tac question.  I didn't notice any deadening with blu tac on the single spring plank. Having said that, with three springs and no blu tac things tightened up further.  This setup is, however, ruthless.  If it's a bad recording it's really bad.  Bright recordings are VERY bright.  But muddy recordings are very muddy too.

Hello Chris,
Thanks again for the extra tips.  I'm going to do some more listening before I go back to the double spring plank.   I'm just starting to play with VTA after many years.  Before these latest improvements I really could hear only a subtle difference in VTA changes, if any.  I just played the Analog Productions pressing of Sonny Rollins "Way Out West".  Contrary to some other records I have played, it sounded a little thicker than I remembered it.  I dialed in some VTA (post down) and it thinned out/tightened up.  Soooo, with my improvements I can now detect the VTA adjustments.  Lyra recommends arm perfectly level to platter claiming proper VTF wil result in proper VTA.   This is a little counterintuitive since it does not take into account different record thicknesses and different cutting angles.  

If I can't tame some of the brighter records with VTA I'll try some damping.  I am, indeed, a music lover with about 1500 LPs.  Not near your collection but significant.  I have very eclectic taste including pop, country, folk, blues, but mostly jazz and almost no hard rock.  Preferred listening is jazz quartets and trios and female vocals.  I am a huge Keth Jarrett and Bill Evans fan.  Early Miles and Coultrane.  I don't do drugs so I can't follow their later stuff.

The wife has pretty much abandoned the living room to me except when we have company and at bed time when I frequently hear "Can you turn that down a little."

I'll report back after more extended listening and VTAing.
Thanks, 
Harry

Hello Chris,
My post from yesterday was mistaken. I adjusted VTA post up to get more clarity on the Way Out West album.  In the interim, I have gone back to two springs and after considerable listening I'm pretty happy with what I'm getting.  Really haven't lost detail with two springs but it is not as bright.  It is sometimes easy to mistake bright for detail.  
With three springs I found I was not relaxing, shoulders pulled up tight like listening to a bad CD.  When I went back to two springs I noticed everything (including me ) was much more relaxed.   But cymbals still shimmer.
 I'm going to keep my eyes open for a Carbon fiber or Mag arm tube but for now I'm quite pleased with what I'm hearing.
Happy Listening,
Harry

Hi Chris,
Not sure exactly the distance your are asking about.  From where the tonearm wires exit the bearing spindle to the VPI clear plexiglass phono block is probably about 6 inches.  Then I have one meter interconnect cables with RCA's going from the phono box to the CAT.

I went back to three springs, but this time with the two blu tac balls, one on each bolt holding the cartridge. (Yep, I weighed them to get them the same.)  Now I have a blue eyed cockroach sitting on my records:). (But then if I was interested in cosmetics I probably wouldn't own an ET II in the first place)   Cosmetics aside, its not exactly what I am looking for.  I am having this internal battle between detail and smoothness.  With the current arm tube I think I need two and 1/2 springs.  Problem is some records sound amazing with three springs and others are best with two springs, even when I play with VTA.  As advised, however, I can tell resolution has improved because I can now hear the VTA adjustments.

Going to do some more swapping, listening and comparing but, in the end I think I will have to spring for the Magnesium arm tube.  $575.00 just seems like a lot for an arm tube.  Then again, we're not exactly dealing with a Pioneer rack system either.
Cheers,
Harry

P.S.
I don't know if you are old enough to remember, one of my favorite comedians, Bob Newhart, but reading over our mutual posts to your forum I couldn't help but hear a non-audiophile Bob Newhart do a parody of our conversations.  This is a little far afield of your forum but I am sure the ET enthusiasts on the form will appreciate.

"Harry:   Ok, Chris, let me see if I have this straight.  I need to use double or triple springs on my plank?

Chris:  Yes, Harry, with two or three springs your plank will be stiffer for greater enjoyment of the music.

Harry:  Well, I tried the triple springs and they made my plank too stiff which is causing pain.  It is too sharp.

Chris:  Yes I was afraid of that.  You might want to consider going back to two springs which will make it a little less stiff and may relieve the pain.  Or you can try getting some sticky blue stuff called blu tac.  You make two small blue balls from the blu tac and put one on each of your bolts.  But you have to weigh your blue balls to make sure they are the same weight or your needle won't stay in the groove.  And we all know what happens when the needle won't stay in the groove.  Not good for anyone.

Harry:  Ok, Chris,  got two blue balls on my wand and three springs on my plank and it works pretty well.  Just for variety, however, I'm going to check out my plank with two springs again.  I have this blue-eyed cockroach crawling my grooves."  

Bh80201,
Thanks for chiming in. I need all the help I can get.  Nice rig by the way.

Chris,
I can do a very short run.  My TT sits immediately to the left of the CAT and one of the mods Straightwire did to the CAT was to move the phono in plugs from the back to the left side.  After reading your last I swapped out interconnect.  I'm now using a 1 ft pure silver interconnect.  So total distance from cartridge to CAT is about 2 ft.  The change is subtle, if any.  Of course I'm still going through the din plug at the goose neck and the RCA's at the phono box.  I'm a little intimidated by running hot rod from the cartridge to the CAT.  As you observed regarding your feline, that presents a lot of opportunity to snag that fragile litz.   I'm getting closer to springing for a new wand.  After reading Bruce's description of the mag and cf, it appears the compliance of my Delos is a better match for the mag.  Do you agree?

Not too concerned about wife complaints.  As long as it gets in the house unseen she will never notice.  With the exception of power amp and speakers my whole rig is in a large closet which she never enters.  She is definitely a non-audiophile.  She thinks music is for background noise.

Thanks, 
Harry

bh80231,
Sorry I got your monicker wrong in my prior respons.  Where did you get the way too cool red tips for the ET levers?  As I said to Chris, if I was into cosmetics over sound I wouldn't have an ET, but I gotta get me some of those red tips.
Harry

Chris,
Thanks for in depth info on wands.  Still mulling this issue.  It seems the cf would work with a wider range of cartridges but the mag is a closer match to my Delos.   I'm back to two springs with no damping.  In the process I also checked/reset all alignment-azimuth, overhang, leveling, vtf, etc. Last night I was getting the best sound I have heard from my rig.   

BH,
I'm on my way to the Lowe's audiophile aisle :).    While I don't have the knowledge or expertise of others on this thread, for what it's worth, I can highly recommend you try the double and triple spring planks.  They are pretty inexpensive and make a large change to the sound.  I found triple springs too strident and the double just right, but with damping the triple might work for someone else.

Bruce recommended that Alita pump to me a while back too, but I am confused by the recommendation.  The Alita A15 only puts out 1.4 psi and the ET II manual recommends a minumum of 2.5 with the low pressure manifold.  I am running a Medo in a quiet box with a fan for cooling.  The Medo is rated at 7.11 psi.  It says it only has a 60 minute duty cycle but with the plate fan on the quiet box I am listening for hours with no problems.  Lots of Medo pumps on EBay.
Cheers,
Harry

Hi Chris,
This is indeed a strange hobby.  And one never knows when the most seemingly innocuous comment by a fellow audiophile will bring a breakthrough.  Such is the case with your last description of listening preferences.  I have a fair collection of classical music.  Mostly stuff an audiophile was supposed to own. Some shaded dogs, Chesky reissue shaded dogs and other audiophile "records to die for". But never much enjoyed listening to them.

After your latest post I figured I'd throw on a shaded dog.  First one was Fiedler and Boston Pops, "Fiddle Faddle."  Not exactly classical but close enough.  It was awful.  Just ear bleeding bright.  "Oh, no, am I back to the drawing board?"  Then I thought, wait a minute this is a shaded dog,  it should not sound like this.  Let's play with VTA.  Amazing!  Lyra says start with arm parallel to record and adjust from there, but with the tapered ET arm wands parallel is difficult to eyeball.

Well, I started adjusting and voilà I had been almost 5 marks too post high on the VTA gauge.  After proper adjustment all the excessive brightness and tizzyness disappeared and everything became warmer and smoother without loss of my coveted detail. Switched over to some of the records I rely on for set up an they were much improved also.   I can't believe I was so far off on VTA.
This helps explain why I had such a hard time choosing between two and three springs.

Well excuse me while I go listen to some shaded dogs.

Thanks again,
Harry.

Hi, John,
Welcome aboard.  You are definitely at the right place.  Like you I've owned my ET II for over 25 years.  It's hard to beat.  The guys on this thread have vast experience with our arm and are quick to give great advice that really works.  No snake oil here.   I think, however, they are ready to throw me off this thread.   I can't believe that after 40 years as a wanna-be audiophile I was so stupid as to have my VTA so far off.  (See my last post.)  I'm really embarrassed 😡

Don't know if Chris will ever forgive me.
Cheers,
Harry

Thanks for the VTA tip John.  I'll have to look into Bruce's gauge.  Is this his set-up gauge or one just for VTA?   No, I don't recall having dealt with Taylor house.  Where are they?
Harry

Good morning John,
Thanks for tip on the VTA gauge.  Unfortunately, it won't fit with my dust cover.  I think I have it dialed in correctly now.

Small world.  My brother-in-law lives in Mooresville, just outside of Charlotte and if it is the same ROBERT, I have, indeed, been to his house/shop.  It is on the lake.  Nice guy and very knowledgeable.
Harry

Hi Chris,
Thanks for nor banishing me from the thread.  Perhaps it's just coincidence but my go to LP for set up has long been a Keith Jarrett on ECM.  It is an all analog fine European pressing.  Problem is it is just trio music and doesn't present the full spectrum.  In my recent saga, as soon as the needle hit the RCA LSC Shaded Dog, large orchestral it was obvious something was very wrong.  Just ear splitting strings and brass.  I just started dialing down the VTA and everything smoothed out.  In addition the low frequency foundation of the music appeared.  Once I had it "right" on this LP I did some fine tuning with the ECM disc.  My poor Delos must have been standing on its nose. 😩  I guess the silver lining is that the nose of my diamond took all the wear and the part that now hits the record is still mint.😅

Not only has the top smoothed out without the loss of any detail, it was like I had been missing the entire bottom half of the scale.  I now have that magic "bloom" so many of us chase.

Like you, I buy almost no new music.  I don't find much of it matches my taste (Diana Krall excepted).  I do buy some reissue 180 gm stuff,  but a lot of that is trash and, contrary to claims, are not done from original master tapes.  I think Chad Kasem at Analog Productions does a terrific job, albeit he is pricing himself out of my market.  Rumor has it Pure Pleasure also does nice work.  I have one on order.  I'll let you know how it sounds.

Thanks for your patience.  Lord knows without your suggestions and encouragement my poor Delos might still be standing on its nose.
Harry

Hi Chris,
I'm about to take the plunge for Bruce's mag arm but thought I'd touch base with you first.  Over the last month + I have increased air pressure, moved weights out and added springs on the beam.  After each of these upgrades I heard a significant improvement in almost all parameters.  While I realize everything is system dependent and subjective, can you share with me what I might expect to hear going from the aluminum arm to the mag arm.  By the way I now have my system up on virtual systems.
Thanks,
Harry

Good Morning Chris,
Thanks for the detailed analysis.  I like the analogy.  I grew up in New England so I get it.  I can even drive on snow!  As you have no doubt gathered, even after nearly 30 years, I am still a little intimidated by my ET.  I know it's not as fragile as it appears, however, I can't bring myself to atempt extensive mods. I once sheared off a stylus on a Lyra  Clavis.

Agreed, on not being able to share listening experiences with the friends we make here on Audiogon.   I live in very rural, Western N.C. My closest audiophile friend is my brother in law who is 4 hours away.  I miss the sharing part of the hobby.  I'd love to hear your number 1 room with those huge towers.  I'll bet you can move some air with those woofers.

 My sub is crossed over at about 45  - 50 hz, but I don't run the mains through the sub crossover.  I run them full range.  Canalis says they are only 3 db down at 39 cycles.   I keep the sub volume dialed down quite a bit.  I'm not looking for boom, boom, just a nice foundation.  The sub is a Sunfire True that has enormous power but is not quite as tight as I would prefer.   Been thinking about a Rel, but that's down the priority list.  I did have to dial down the sub after my tweaks and once I got the VTA right.

Yes, I have a very large room but listen fairly near field (12 to 15 ft.) so as to maintain domestic tranquility.  I.e.  I use half the room.

I'm probably going to spring for the mag arm.

Harry

Chris,
i just ordered the Mag arm wand.  I'll let you know how it turns out in my system.

To Chris and everyone else, quote from Bruce: "The Audiogon group has been very good to me."
Harry

John,
Saw your system.  Very nice, but be careful how you throw around the term "antiquated".   Some of us are a LOT older than your equipment.😏  The beam does not look like balsa.  What is it?
Harry

Chris,
Bruce shipped it today, I'm like a kid waiting for Christmas.
Harry

Hi John,
I had same question but was too embarrassed to ask.
Thanks,
Harry

I'm with you.  I was flattered to hear I test for best phase adjustment like you do.  Hand on sub driver while listening to bass passages.  I know that below a certain frequency (probably 60 to 75 hz) sound is almost directionless.  Well, the sound is not directionless but our ear/brain interface is unable to determine direction.  For this reason, crossed over low enough, one can place a sub just about anywhere without it calling attention to its location.  

The room/wife consideratons are, however, quite another issue.  For me to place my sub beside or behind my listening sofa would entail running cables under carpet which gets walked on (not good) or be ugly.  ("Do you really need those wires running across the room?").  

As you, no doubt saw from my system pictures, my Sunfire sub is behind my left main speaker.  It has both an active and passive radiator.  The active faces inward, across the front wall and toward the center and the passive points in the opposite direction.  When setting it up I was surprised that best response is 180 deg. out of phase.  My sub has a variable phase setting from 0 to 180.  For a while I thought 90 deg. was best but 180 is stronger.

Connections are from my power amp to the high level inputs on the sub. This for two reasons:  I have read that this setup is best for matching subs to mains, and I only have one set of outputs on my preamp.  Just for comparison, I tried a  Y connection at the  power amp inputs to the low level inputs on the sub but for some reason this resulted in a very ugly hum.  Either the pre or power amp did not like this setup.  

I am not perceiving an issue with integrating the sub with the mains, I would just like it to be a little tighter.  I think this is simply an issue with the quality of the sub itself.  I think Bob Carver uses a class D amp in his subs and while the Sunfire True Sub is no slouch it is certainly not the caliber of my Canalis Cambrias.  Speaking of which, I think you mentioned in a prior post you were not familiar with the Cambrias.  The Canalis speakers are a product of Spiral Groove.  They are designed by Joachim Gerhard who used to manufacture the German Sonics Alegra speakers.  Joachim has now joined Alan Perkins at Spiral Groove.  The Canalis speakers are virtually the same as Joachim's Sonics speakers but manufactured from bamboo plywood with tweaks to the crossovers.  You can see the whole Canalis line here: http://www.canalisloudspeakers.com/loudspeakers.php

The Sunfire was originally purchased for my home theater back when I had a Vandersteen 2W for the music system.  For some inexplicable reason I sold the Vandy woofer.  One of my larger buy/sell mistakes.  The 2W's mate very well with monitors and small towers.

Two of my obsessions in listening are imaging and detail.  I have found that monitors and narrow tower speakers do this best.  The Cambrias are basically a couple of monitors in a tall box.  The drawback is, of course, they don't move quite enough air.  Hence my use of the sub.  

All things considered, I think my best setup would be two small to medium size subs.  I've been looking at the Rel T5i an T7i. The 5's are a little short on power but given my listening habits they may be enough.  They probably would not work for your large orchestral productions, but then you always have room A for that.

Best,
Harry

Chris & Everyone,
Will respond to Chris and his subwoofer discussion later.  Right now I have a crisis.  While listening tonight I was hearing dreaded rumble in quiet passages.  Upon investigation I discovered the shaft on my stand alone motor assembly for the VPI HW-19 was so loose it was actually wobbling.  And we all know what a warbling shaft can cause - Rumble!  

My SAMA is the original in the round silver base not the later one with beveled corners.   Been searching Internet and all places that had it appear out of stock.  I don't think VPI makes this SAMA any more.  Does anyone know if the motor assembly can be removed from the base and replaced and, if so where the replacement motor can be purchased?  Any suggestions will be appreciated.
Thanks,
Harry

P.S.  Tweaking is fun.  Breakdowns are not.😰

Hello Chris,
Good audiophile day here in the Carolinas. Crisis over.  I tore down the VPI to more closely inspect the shaft and pulley on the SAMA.  My SAMA is a very early version which included a small flywheel.  It is like a very fat stainless steel washer that slides down over the pulley and rests on a flange at the bottom of the pulley, just above the motor housing. It is not attached to anything but just sits on the flange.  I noticed that the flywheel was wobbling far more than the pulley/shaft.  In discussions with a former dealer friend of mine in Florida he advised that the flywheel only came with very early versions of the SAMA and VPI had abandoned it because they found it more detrimental than helpful.

So.......I reassembled the table and tried it without the flywheel.  Voila, rumble and speaker pumping all but gone.   It's not 100% but pretty close.  I'll need a new motor someday but it is certainly not critical.  Incidentally, I had the same thought regarding a loose set screw on the pulley.  That is why I tore down the table.  Unfortunately, this version of SAMA has no pulley set screw but is evidently pressure fitted over the motor shaft.

Chapter 2:. Santa Clause arrived today with my magnesium arm wand. I installed it and redid setup.  I'm only using the one big weight in addition to the one to which the other weights attach.  Initially one weight was not enough to get proper tracking force even at the very end of the plank.  Rather than add weight I turned the weight bracket around so the weight barrack screw points out instead of in.  Unfortunately, I installed the new wand right after solving the rumble problem so I'm not sure which improvements are attributable to which tweak but, midrange seems a little warmer, bass tighter, separate instruments seem better defined and upper end smother but no less extended.  I don't have 20 foot wide pianos or drummers with a 15 foot wingspan. Finally, the soundstage seems a little deeper.

Next time wife is away for a few hours I'm going to try the near field sub placement.  More on subs later.
Cheers,
Harry

Hello all,
With further fine tuning I'm running into the same VTA issue with the new mag arm wand.  I have the original goose neck.  I can get the Delos level only using the top hole in the goose neck with the manifold at its highest and VTA almost all the way up.  This puts the scribe line on the manifold significantly above the record surface.  Works fine for normal LP's but I'm pushing the limit on a 180 gm.  Haven't tried a 200 gm yet.  Studying Bruce's manual it seems the only solution is a thicker arm board.   Maybe adding the aluminum base would work.

John, if memory serves you have a Lyra cartridge. I'm guessing it is the same geometry as my Delos.  Maybe a cartridge that is not as tall would work but that's an awfully expensive fix.
Harry.

Great responses.  Thanks to everyone.  I have the HW 19 MK IV which utilized a black acrylic arm board with the metal sub-plinth.  Plinth and arm board are the same thickness.  I also have what I think was the original TNT platter (black, lead filled with cork underside.)  The thickness of the platter relative to the height of the post is what causes the problem.

Seems like nicest fix would be the thicker arm board VPI once offered but is no longer available.  There is a place near me here in deep rural that works in acrylic that I can get to make me a new, thicker arm board.  It would raise the post relative to the platter.  Next choice is the aluminum base Bruce offers if it is thick enough.  Since my arm board is acrylic there is currently no base installed.  I'm also intrigued by Chris's idea of longer leveling spikes. 

I'm going to touch base with Bruce to see what he suggests.  Genius that he is he may have a simple fix. 

The issue is not critical.  I am near the upper limit of VTA adjustability but have a little (very little) room left.  It limits ability to experiment.
I'll report back.

Thanks again for all the helpful suggestions,
Harry

Following up.  I emailed Bruce.  He thought the longer leveling spikes were the best solution and is sending me some.  Thanks again for all your suggestions. I will report results even though all you guys have long ago blown by my lowly HW 19.🙄
Harry

P.S. Pegasus, I actually thought of your wedge solution but glue on my beloved Delos?  Horrors! 😱

John,
Didn't mean to blow off your suggestion of thicker arm board.  It is my preferred solution.  I'm going to keep my eyes open for one.  Failing that, next time I am feeling masochIstic I'll tear down the table and take my arm board to my local acrylic store to have it duplicated in thicker stock. :)
Thanks,
Harry

Chris,
Your suggestion about resetting height for thickest and thinnest records won't work for me because I already have the manifold up as high as it will go.  No room left for up adjustment of manifold height.

You are correct, Bruce is sending me longer grub screws.  But I was, indeed, referring to Bruce's aluminum protector base for wood arm boards.  It is, however, probably not thick enough to give me the height I need.  I'm not sure I know what Bruce's "new Aluminum Base" is?

Frogman,
I am also intrigued by your washers between the acrylic arm board and the the metal board beneath.  This solution would allow one to raise height without messing with the tone arm mounting setup.  Just unscrew the acrylic arm board (with tone arm attached) from the metal one beneath it, place the washers and screw them back together.  Correct?  Of course one would first want to place the guard on the cartridge and remove the wand so as not to shear off one's cantilever (been there, done that).  Would you recommend Delrin or plastic washers as opposed to metal washers?

Studying the arm tonight the thought occurred that a taller joint (gooseneck) with a couple of extra holes would address this issue. As long as the junction with the wand was firm, I don't see a downside.  Probably not cost effective for Bruce, however.

I love this hobby but am anxious to return to listening to music instead of listening to my system.  That is if any of us ever gets there.
Cheers,
Harry

Frogman,
Sent you an introductory pm.  Let me know if you get it.  Want to be sure I send to correct person.
Harry

Thanks again to everyone.  This assistance is better than having a therapist.  

Frogman, yes! absolutely, extra board will surely do the trick.  Perhaps a thin sheet of sorbothane between the two.  Assuming I can figure how to pm, I'll send you my address. Thank you, thank you!

So now I have a dilemma.  Frogman sending the extra arm board and Bruce sending the longer grub spikes.  Ahhh, so many choices, so little time.

John, you are so right.  Over the last month + I have done about four ot five tweaks to my analog front end.  All directly or indirectly the result of suggestions or ideas expressed on this thread.  Each such tweak resulted in a marked, repeatable improvement in my listening experience.  And, the level of technical expertise possessed by the people here is amazing.  

It is very rewarding. I only wish I had more to offer.  Hopefully just reporting my results can be of assistance to others.

But lastly, John you must develop greater sensitivity for the elderly when you speak of how old your "antique" equipment is.  :)

Cheers,
Harry (Grandpa)

Well said John.   In an effort to contribute I want to give a shout out to the Medo AC0105 air pump.  It is rated at 7.11 PSI so it's only suited for those of us who have not upgraded to the high pressure manifold.  It is also rated for a 60 min duty cycle.  That aside, I have been using this pump for about three months and twice I have forgotten to turn it off when I went go bed.  It just keeps pumping along and my gauge says I'm getting about 8 PSI.   It is not quiet enough to be close by the listening position and does run hot.  However, in my experience, it is quieter than the famous Wisa.

I solved both issues by building a sound box with a plate fan in one end and vent in the other.  The box is built from mdf and lined with carpet padding both acquired from the audiophile dept. at Home Depot.  The plate fan is very quiet and purchased from Amazon.

I have about $125.00 in the whole project including the pump and a new PVC surge tank.

Anyone wanting more details, let me know.  

That would be non-thick records.  You know, the ones we used to pay a few bucks for.

Hi Chris,
I've not been dead in the water.  The existing setup with mag arm was fine on non-think records.  I just didn't have any room to raise VTA any further.  While waiting for Bruce's screws and Frogman's extra armboad I tried Frogman's suggestion of placing washers between the arm board and the metal sub plinth.  In my case I used 1/4 in. tall nylon spacers.  Had to get longer screws to screw the armboad back to the sub plinth but it was an easy fix.  The 1/4 inch was just the right amount of extra height to gain back VTA range.  I've only been listening a short time but my initial impression is positive, however, I think I've lost a little transparency and focus.  Perhaps with the arm board sitting up on the spacers rather than secured tightly to the metal plinth I'm getting a little resonance in the arm board.  Or perhaps it's the nylon and I should have used steel washers as Frogman suggested.  The jury is still out. Want to do some more listening.

Im beginning to believe there is no life outside of the ET arm 🙄

Hi Frogman,
No, I wasn't yet ready to blame the raised arm board.  My dascription of positive response was probably the wrong word.  After a very brief listen it just wasn't bad.  Probably a psychoacoustic response.  You know, when you've done a tweak designed to improve your system, you believe (at least initially) that it is good.   Longer listening revealed loss of transparency and focus, shallower soundstage, sandpaper cymbals and loss of impact.  Precisely the symptoms you would expect when VTA is way off.

i started playing with VTA resulting in substantial improvement.   My problem (other than being a klutz) is the only straight lateral line on the Delos is the top where it meets the tonearm.  On top of that my gear is all in a shallow closet so I can't get my head back far enough to sight for level.  

By bed time I was pretty pleased with what I was hearing but won't render final verdict without more listening.
Thanks,
Harry

Thanks John.  No I don't have the aluminum base but I have a pretty hard acrylic armboard and the balancing pointed screws are nice and tight.  But good thought.

Chris, I was mistaken there are not two pieces to the VTA block there is a line across the top on both sides of the block that I thought was a seam. On closer inspection, those lines appear to be marks from a mold or part of the manufacturing process.  So....it is now clear from your picture and diagram that the .02 gap is between the block and the manifold housing.  I suppose if this gap were not the same on both sides of the block adjustments to VTA could be different from one side of the block to the other and this would change the leveling of the manifold housing. I'll check the gap on both sides tomorrow.
Harry

OK, I think I've got VTA set right now.  Cymbals are clean, soundstage back and I can hear the breath with vocalists and in Ben Webster's sax.  In playing with VTA, however, I seem to have run into another issue.  It appears that when I adjust VTA it throws the arm out of level.  Yes, I know the HW 19 is notorious for shifting balance but I don't think that is the problem.  I have a bubble level on the arm board and it stays level.  Just whenever I adjust VTA the arm seems to go out of level.  I've checked and tightened the two screws (pivot and lock) that hold the manifold to the post but that doesn't solve the problem and the VTA lever moves smoothly so I don't think I have chewed up the VTA block.  Any suggestions? 

Chris, I saw your picture about spacing (.02) but I am not sure which joints needs this spacing.  There are 4 screws in the VTA block (2 up and 2 below) and there appears to be two pieces of the block that fasten to the manifold housing.  I can't determine from your picture whether the .02 gap is supposed to be between the two pieces comprising the VTA block or between the VTA block and the manifold housing.  Could this spacing be the source of my issue?
Thanks,
Harry

The Magic is back!  As mentioned, after playing with VTA everything was sounding very nice last night.  This morning I followed Chris' diagram and reset the space between the VTA block and manifold housing with the .020 in. feeler gauge, reset VTA, leveling and checked tangential tracking.  As soon as the I dropped the needle back in the groove the improvement just jumped out at me.  Transparency was back in spades.  All of the subtle inner detail that makes analog so enticing had returned; like Clapton's finger plucks on "Unplugged", Carol Kidd's breath and the air across Ben Webster's sax reed.  I'm still trying to visualize how the small amount of tinkering I had done to those two top VTA block bolts could have thrown the arm so far out of whack.  But it certainly did.  Thank you, Chris.

And shame on me Frogman for suggesting that raising the armboard on the washers could possibly have contributed to my problems.  Not the case at all. This fix just gave me back VTA adjustment range with no negative side effects I can detect.

Now that I'm done with taking steps backward I can report my observations on the magnesium arm wand.  If I were to reduce my impressions to a single word it would be "control".  It is as if the arm grabs hold of the LP and says "gotcha".  Things firm up, leading edges become more defined, and the space occupied by individual instruments become more defined. This was an improvement well worth the cost.

John, 
My understanding of the bolts in the VTA block is that the top two attach the block to the manifold housing and the bottom two and only the bottom two should be used to adjust stiffness. The top two should be set to where there is a .020 in. gap between the block and the manifold housing and never touched again (see photo and diagram on Chris' virtual system page). You should not try to tweak the top two bolts as I did.  After setting the top gap to .020 in. you can play with the bottom two screws to adjust stiffness if needed.  Listen to me talking like the expert after I screwed this up on my arm and needed Chris to get me straightened out.  :)  I'm sure Chris will correct me if this explanation is not correct.

Happy listening to all,
Harry

John,
I'll probably end up getting the aluminum base sooner or later.  Right now I've been tweaking and upgrading for over two months and have it where I'm very pleased with the result.  So for a while I'm going to subscribe to "if it ain't broke don't fix it."

Chris,
Nice down here in the lower colonies too.  Gonna have to plow the garden soon.  Audio passion?  How polite......Actually, I'm just retired and OC.  The best description I can give to where the system is now is while I'm trying to listen to the system to make sure the setup is correct I find myself listening to the music instead.
May you all have spot on VTA,
Harry