Since there is no standard for the run-out grooves on vinyl, each individual lp is different. The majority of lps have a less aggressive approach, (this is when one should never see any arm "kick back" at the end of a record). Some have a more aggressive approach and this is when no matter how level/true your arm is set up, you will get backward/inward movement, but it should be gradual if things are set up right.
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 ?
2,371 responses Add your response
by the way, in my decades of owning my ET, I never acquired the set-up jig. A big waste of money. Bigalt: Did you just say.. adjust the two leveling screws while the arm/cartridge was spinning on a record? You are "dead to me"!!!! There are so many things wrong with this method that I'll defer to the other Sharks. I'm sorry, but I have more, way more feelings for my records than to even comprehend this action. You're "dead to me"... as Kevin from Shark Tank would say! Of coarse, I'm having a little fun with you but please find another way! Thank you! |
Sorry, I had to jump in.. "leveling the arm" If you have Everything else level, all that is required is to have the arm over a record or over the platter and again (assuming everything else is level/accurate), just move the arm cueing lever up & down, being careful not to touch the platter. You will see if it moves in one direction or the other. Simple. |
Bigalt - While your freezer is plugged into a separate outlet, since it's also in the basement along with your pump it's probably on the same circuit ( both units controlled by the same circuit breaker ). This is very true for a typical builders home. We moved to our current place in '94. The basement outlets were on 2 circuits. With separate circuits for Furnace/Air Con, water heater, sump pump (living in low area near water). I inherited an unfinished basement with open ceilings. This allowed me to easily run lines as I fed this audio disease. Room A has dedicated 20a, 20a , 15a circuits. Room B adjacent to it has a dedicated 20a. Now the key part for the Timeter air pump. It shares space in the area at the back of the basement with the exercise gear. My treadmill required its own 20a circuit so it got it. The pump shares this curcuit with the treadmill. One or the other is in use. Never together though. The freezer is on one of the two original shared circuits the house was wired with from the builder. I am firm believer in the Room/Power being the biggest rocks in this hobby. No matter what gear/setups people end up with. The end result will allows be bottle necked by your Room and Power. This makes them the big rocks. Keep your gear - improve your room and power and you will continue to get improvement. Observation I have lived on this newer power grid/infrastructure, under developed area now since '94. I rate the power 8/10. I grew up in the city (Toronto) and moved to suburbia for a time. My city rating 4-6, and suburbia due to a newer infrastructure, single home but the same nuclear based power grid 5-6. Power conditioners were needed in the city. Another perspective. I had a work friend coworker who also liked audio that moved back to Hong Kong. He told me that the power demands/delivery there made Toronto seem really good. It is no surprise to me that those audiophiles in densely populated areas; on old antiquated power grids/infrastructure; that experience frequent power hits and weather related power issues, are the ones going gaga over power conditioners/grounding devices. |
Bigalt - In your methodology for levelling the arm the stylus has friction or resistance imparted even by the smooth record. A better way to check the level of the bearing tube (and the efficacy of the lead out wires ) is to add enough mass or move the counterweight to zero the tracking force. That way you can check that the arm is not running away in one direction, and if you tap gently you can double check the resulting movement is equal in both directions. Or buy an accurate digital level, you don't need an audiophile one ( usually overpriced ) buy an engineers digital level from an engineering supplier. |
When setting up my ET2 I found that leveling the arm wasn't easy even using the set up jig. I tried to come up with an easier solution that could be used to make sure the arm was level at any time and would make adjustment and readjustment a snap. This is my solution. Obtain a One Sided Record ( a record recorded on one side only with the other side blank- you have to make sure the other side is completely smooth as I have found some have large grooves on the blank side ). Then lower the arm onto the spinning record. Adjust the two leveling screws on the mounting post until the arm stays in the same place without sliding back or forth. Lock down the two locking screws and that's it. To check if the leveling needs readjustment just play the blank sided record and see if the arm still stays in the same place or starts to slide in one direction or the other. |
Ct0517 While your freezer is plugged into a separate outlet, since it's also in the basement along with your pump it's probably on the same circuit ( both units controlled by the same circuit breaker ). If they're on the same circuit, the refrigerator compressor motor could very easily cause interference with the pump. The remotes ( you can find them on EBay ) are pretty cheap for a one outlet model ) so it wouldn't cost a lot to try one. There is also the X-10 type controllers and appliance modules that send the control signals over the house wiring. They may work as well . |
Bigalt -The solution is one of the wireless ( rf not infrared ) remote switched outlets that you can buy online. Press a button on the remote and on goes your compressor. Another press and it's off..... Bigalt- thanks for the recommendation on the remote. A friend also pm'ed me about this remote upon reading my encounter with the troll. :^) he sent me this link I am very sensitive about what I plug into the wall. It all goes back to the main panel. My gut feel is I may be substituting a Troll** for a Gremlin, if I added that device between the pump and the outlet. True Story When finishing the 2nd adjacent music room there was this hum (aka Gremlin). I thought it was an amp issue. But when the amp was off it was still there. Go figure... I traced it to the door bell transformer mounted and plugged in along side the ceiling joists. I pulled the wires. Noise went away. Silence between songs. ** I later discovered the identity of the Troll. Our 20 year old son raiding our basement freezer early in the morning on his weekly food rampage. Freezer is plugged into a different outlet separate outlet :^) |
Bigalt - The way the ET-2 is normally wired has always been an issue for me when deciding how best to mount it on my TT. Because the tonearm wires are soldered directly to the RCA jacks in the RCA box or mounting plate and the wire is supposed to be fed through a hole in the armboard to create a loop, installing or removing the spindle or manifold requires desoldering the wires and pulling them out of the hole. This is a major PITA and doesn't make installation an easy process. The first post on this thread asked about wiring recommendations. Everyone here that has upgraded their wiring arrangement agrees the standard wiring setup is compromised. But lets also understand that everything is the way it is for a reason and to understand why this was done "wiring arrangement", one only need look at the objectives of the particular item in question. So lets take a couple of steps back for a minute. For the ET2. At the front of the manual. PAGE 3 "It is a uniquely conceived tonearm, designed to be installed on turntables with universal mounts. It can be adapted to both solid mount (direct drive) turntables and spring suspended mount turntables. Its flexibility in many cases allows it to be mounted on many turntables without the need for special hardware. " The above tells me that this Audio product is not something being made in limited quantities for a select market like many other Audio products. The purpose/objective here is to get it to the most people possible to enjoy it. Numbers sourced from Bruce and documented on this thread, show thousands made. When you distribute a product like this the wiring arrangement needs to satisfy many applications. That means some standard setup, compromises and all, need to be arrived at that satisfies most conditions. The standard wiring setup compromises the ET2 arm in two very different ways. 1) the number of solder connections 2) the wiring arrangement physically affecting the operation (movement) of the arm. Not even Bruce himself uses the standard wiring arrangement as was clear in his 420 str cartridge review here. He goes straight into the preamp from the cartridge leads. My understanding is all professional reviewers listened to this arm with the standard wiring arrangement. Even in the standard compromised wiring arrangement the arm was very well reviewed. Bigalt - In the end the important thing.... is that it is very good that you found a solution that works for you.....for now. :^) For me from personal experience a happy face loop coming off the armtube works best. The full flat plinth presents more challenges to achieve this as you need to elevate the wiring to start; to allow for a happy face loop. The ET2 wiring is a natural for turntable setups that use armboards/pods that are elevated with the platter to allow for a natural happy face loop. |
Bigalt, I run the wire straight out of the arm tube, looped under the bearing spindle/armlift rod to a teflon block on the the side of the TT (this is mounted behind the lift spindle and halfway along to minimise wire tension when playing. The wire does not enter the bearing spindle at all. I also use a silk insulated copper litz which is much less springy than the plastic/teflon insulated tonearm wires like Cardas etc. There are no connectors at all between cartridge pins and RCA/phono connectors. If you back the preamp up to the side of the TT you can get the total loom down to around 16". For maintenance all I have to do is unplug the phono and undo 1 screw holding the teflon block and the whole arm tube comes off complete with wiring loom and cartridge. |
The way the ET-2 is normally wired has always been an issue for me when deciding how best to mount it on my TT. Because the tonearm wires are soldered directly to the RCA jacks in the RCA box or mounting plate and the wire is supposed to be fed through a hole in the armboard to create a loop, installing or removing the spindle or manifold requires desoldering the wires and pulling them out of the hole. This is a major PITA and doesn't make installation an easy process. While I realize that adding additional connections to the audio chain may have negative consequences, this may be balanced against making installation, removal and adjustment an easier process. My solution was instead of soldering the tonearm wires to the RCA jacks, I instead soldered them to a 4 pin Lemo plug ( the same one used by VPI on their Memorial Tonearms ). I obtained a VPI Tonearm junction box which I mounted to the top of the plinth with Velcro tape. It was then easy to mount and align the mounting post to my armboard without worrying about the manifold-spindle assembly. I then mounted the manifold assembly to the mounting post & aligned it. I plugged the Lemo connector into the junction box & it works fine. I can unplug the Lemo connector & remove the whole manifold assembly in a minute. While there are the additional connections created by using the Lemo connectors, the convenience in mounting & adjusting far outweigh any sonic degradation for me. YMMV. |
Banquo363 - Understood, but bringing it inside would serve as my wife's daily reminder that I'm not 'normal'; we don't want that. This is a niche hobby and NORMAL, imo is very subjective and relative to the situation. For example in this comparison .... What shall we consider more normal here ? 1) The Air pump placed strategically in the master bedroom "double closet" right next to the wife's sexy red shoes. A clear transparent tube line following the phone line along the wall hidden from view. Entering the music room as one aquarium tube. OR 2) THIS All together now ...Holy Moly ! Photo courtesy of Leo Yeh - Munich Show 2015 The 2000 has 3 taps, so might as well use them. Reserve the third line and save it for yourself ....for when the music takes your breath away..... |
Ct0517 Thanks for your response. I have my Silentaire compressor in another room and also wanted a turnkey operation so I could turn it on & off from my listening room. The solution is one of the wireless ( rf not infrared ) remote switched outlets that you can buy online. Press a button on the remote and on goes your compressor. Another press and it's off. If you have an in line pressure gauge near your et-2 you can tell when the compressor is on and off. Just make sure that your compressor is within the specified operating range of the remote. |
I should note that if anyone living in So. California is interested in acquiring a Timeter aridyne, the guy I bought mine from had 3 more for sale. I have no idea regarding their condition, but unless the motor is toast, everything else is more or less replaceable. You can pm me for his number or go to craigslist to see his ad (he's in orange county). Its been said here before that keeping the pump in the garage is not good thing due to the big differences in humidity with the house inside. You are challenging its active drying system so would be interested to hear how it holds up. Let us know if you see any drops of moisture in the in-room bowl/regulator. (Ct0517) Understood, but bringing it inside would serve as my wife's daily reminder that I'm not 'normal'; we don't want that. Per the owner's manual, I have an additional water trap a meter below my arm. So far no water has made it to the trap--fingers crossed. Yes, the 2000 is feeding the arm and my pneumatic platform. The latter is too good to leave out of the party. So far I've used only one tap (with a splitter) to feed both. No problems that I can detect. But one of these days I'll run separate lines for each and see whether that's better. The 2000 has 3 taps, so might as well use them. The problem is that doing so will require running another 40 ft of tubing through my kitchen. That's not normal--see above. |
Bigalt - congrats on getting your ET2 up and running and welcome to the thread. That Silent Aire is an interesting pump design. Thanks for sharing. Here are a couple of videos for readers on the pump that I came across. As you say it is not continuous operation. Please let us know how it holds up. It is indeed very quiet. Silentaire 1 Silentaire 2 All those I know that have strived to refine their ET 2.0 and 2.5 setups beyond basic, setup per the ET2 manual; have discovered that improved air delivery is fully 1/2 if not more of the journey. in discussions with Bruce he indicated to me that the ET arm actually needs only 50% of the air volume to work and the rest gets bled through the manifold per design. Some audiophiles have inserted shims in the manifold edges - and this has been discussed here. As long as we realize that this changes Bruce' design and the pump's requirements. Also when I had my ET 2.5 made by Bruce years ago I told him I can go as high as 50 psi. He told me do not go beyond 19 psi. He made it clear it was the threshold for the design. So 19 PSI it was set up for. I find it amusing that there are audiophiles (some professionals/reviewers) on other forums that have gone on record to say they used compressors set at 30-40-50 psi with their past ET2 setups; and some not even with the HP manifold. Just the standard manifold. Hmmm..... ****************************************************** Banquo - Re; Timeter2000 - This pump of yours is like the mother of all pumps. Designed for the most important role .... keeping human patients comfortable and alive. So you are running your ET2 and your air suspension platform with it concurrently ? Banquo363 - I had been using its little portable brother, the Timeter pcs 414, to good effect. IMO the Timeter 3500 is the little brother to your pump. Your PCS 414 was more like a new toddler sibling compared to it. I have tried unsuccessfully to get a 3500 as a back up to my 3000. The shipping was always too much; and now having to deal with the dollar too. Its been said here before that keeping the pump in the garage is not good thing due to the big differences in humidity with the house inside. You are challenging its active drying system so would be interested to hear how it holds up. Let us know if you see any drops of moisture in the in-room bowl/regulator. My pump setup is almost turnkey. To make it truly turnkey I thought of maybe putting some cookies on top near the power switch to help train/entice the dog to flip the switch. But my dog would probably eat all cookies at once. So I continue to make the trip to the back bowels of the basement where the pump is housed and flick the switch that gives life to the ET 2.5. What got me thinking of using the dog; once after a long winter listening session I thought I saw a troll down there when I went to turn it off. I don't like trolls. All this Pump talk. I can hear non-ET2 readers now.... "You guys are nuts, All these pumps and tubes". Well I can say for me personally that my digital system fronted by the ARC DAC 8 is very, very good. Very listenable I enjoy digital, and have all digital listening sessions. Especially with music I have only in digital. But my main vinyl rig with modded 2.5 is a large delta over my digital. Once on vinyl I usually end up just turning the DAC and player off as they are plugged into the same outlet so it disengages them. IMO Digital is fine and can sound wonderful. As long as it is your only source and you keep well setup vinyl out of the picture, or you could run into problems - if you are the "nervous audiophile" type. Good vinyl needs good gear and good setup. Such is the grip of this audio disease on me. A good thing in that this Hobby part is safer than racing and it does not void my wife's life insurance on me. She is also able to keep tabs on me. As long as she hears music and feels vibrations coming from the room... I guess she thinks all is ok. When this stops she will know all is not well. |
I finally got my ET-2 installed on my VPI HW-19 MK IV ( that has the Super Platter installed ) . Due to the Super Platter being 1/2" thicker than the MK IV platter ( which requires a 1" thick armboard ) I had to have a custom armboard made that was 1-1/2" thick. Because the Super Platter is also 1/2" larger in diameter than the MK IV Platter I also had to have the top 1" of the armboard 3/8" narrower than the lower 1/2" piece so the platter would clear the side of the armboard. Works perfectly. I tried my Medo AC110 pump with my HP manifold but as another member stated it will only supply 8-1/2 psi. Since other members have stated that higher pressures than the 7+ Bruce recommends work better I began my quest for a higher pressure source that had relatively low noise ( I had my AC110 in a sound proofed box with a cooling fan in another room and I could still faintly hear it ). After a lot of searching I found the Silentaire Super Silent 20-A compressor. It's very quiet ( 30 db ). In fact, it's so quiet that the cooling fan I'm using ( the compressor is only rated for 50% operation ) is far louder than the compressor itself. I have the compressor in an adjoining room and there is absolutely no noise audible. With the fan the compressor only gets warm at 15psi and will supply up to 50 psi though running it at higher pressures will cause it to cycle more frequently with an increase in heat. The compressor is quiet enough to be placed in the same room as your equipment depending on what pressure you're going to run it at and whether you want to use a cooling fan. |
Richardkrebs, Ct0517 was interested in the same thing, so I measured the sound level. It sits in my garage and there's about 50ft of tubing running to the arm. 1. in the same room, from 6ft away: 64dB 2. from the other side of the wall, with door closed: 52dB. 3. from my seat ~40ft away, I can't hear it at all. This is after installing after market 'mufflers' and performing the various maintenance items. When I first brought it home, it was LOUD. |
I'm sure that everyone who posts here regularly already knows this, but it is something I just recently found out: that high pressure manifolds should be matched with its accompanying spindle. Unfamiliar with that tidbit, I spent two days trying and failing to balance my new HP manifold with my old spindle. During those two days, I lost half my hair and the remaining half turned gray. They reminded me of my opening days with the et2. But it was worse, because after a year with this arm (I own 2 of them), I believed I had the hang of it. The thought that I was back at square one truly disturbed me. Luckily, Bruce is always quick to answer questions. The bad news is that he is uncertain whether he has any spindles to match with my manifold. :( This is rather unfortunate (if it stands) because I recently acquired this 160lb bad boy precisely to run the HP manifold. I had been using its little portable brother, the Timeter pcs 414, to good effect. But Ct0517 has argued the merits of 'better' drier air, so when the larger model with internal drying system showed up practically next door to me, I pounced on it. These things require maintenance and it took nearly month to acquire parts and days to deal with a nearly inaccessible leaky valve. But in the end, using it to run the regular pressure ET 2.5, it was worth it. Strongly recommended. |
- Successful Frogman? > Timeter Aridyne - Spring pump maintenance gone bad. Every spring and fall the exhaust nozzle on my pump where moisture gets dumped out, gets soaked in CLR to clear out any mineral debris. here is a pic of the exhaust tube showing spring loaded nozzle at bottom. exhaust nozzle From within the pump cabinet a little lift is needed to pull out the nozzle. This time I felt something give at the other end when I did this. The O-ring that holds the nylon tube tight to the nut gave a little and started leaking air. This exhaust tube has a spring loaded valve on the end (part below the chrome part) and its spring tension is based on the the PSI setting that is used. This spring tension is how you get the pumps Air Performance to be normal, dry, very dry air .... As discussed here before - The ET tonearm likes Arizona like air . The O ring was now leaking (air & moisture), and it was throwing off the spring loaded valve at the other end. to add to the complications - the brass elbow male threads, that hold the nut that secures the exhaust tube are between 3/8 and 1/4 inch and no longer made. The O ring itself (same material as tube) is a one time use thing like a car's oil drain plug crushable washer. It gets crushed and molds on the tube to fit tight. This 10 cent part O ring was keeping me from playing my records. So I attempted to undo the male elbow assembly prior to the exhaust tube, with the thought to replace it with a new elbow with threads on the one side that would work with current compression nuts. After much work and some very weird noises :^( when prying it off, I was also to remove it. old and new elbows. I inserted the new fresh brass elbow, and was feeling really good about myself about now, then I discovered; I now had an air leak at the other end where the brass elbow enters the bowl. I must have cracked the bottom bowl opening hence the earlier noises. This bowl holds any condensed drips of water where through the PSI are pushed down and out the exhaust tube. This pump system has no bowls that need to be emptied. I tried to tighten the connection using teflon tape and gel based thread locker. No luck. Had I done myself in? My backup pump is either a compressor, or a Medo good for about 8 psi at the arm; but the ET 2.5 in my main room will not run below 19 PSI. In fact it starts to skip around 17 or so psi ? I resorted to my secret weapon, leak savior. JB Marine Cold Weld I Iined some around the base where the vertical brass fitting goes up and into the bowl and let it cure. I realized I was closing this connection for good. And the bowl itself where the crack is; would need to be removed and replaced anyway, if this die not work. Waited 24 hours. It seems to have worked.....fingers crossed. Cost of the repair. My anxiety once I learned what I had done. $$$ My frustration in trying to fix the leak $$$ JB Weld Marine Weld - FREE - I had some from a boat repair, New Brass fitting with compression nut - $4.99 Canadian dollars. Listening to music on my ET 2.5 / Timeter Pump - 19 PSI - Priceless Being in the business of contingency planning, I have been looking for a second Timeter pump for years; found many where I would have been the only starting low bid. But the shipment costs were always too high to justify. Now I have to add the dollar difference on top of that. (sorry for any grammar/spelling errors in the above) |
The famous Italian Puntina is back. Not to be confused with Puttana. Although this cartridge, if set up properly, may make you forget, temporarily, the later? nah... And this time coming to us from......drum roll please......... Oh Canada. We stand on guard for thee.... But ! ...just as our Canadian dollar is doing its best impression of acting like a hockey puck, that has just been tossed into the water. This Canadian seller...... has smartly priced out the Puntina in American dollars. Oh...when will that US dollar ever fall ? Do you guys remember when I posted about the high price of gas here? It was in the same post that I made reference to how Bruce has held his prices on ET 2 parts. Well two weeks later do you remember what happened to the price of gas .... coincidence ? Could this post trigger something again...... hah hah For ET 2.0 and 2.5 owners. this cartridge allows you to use One FAT and One THIN lead weight at the very end of the I Beam. My current cartridge is an MC, a little heavier and requires two Fatties on the I Beam yes the 420str really is that light- hence its nickname Cracker Jack Box Cartridge. Set up this way, it allows the ET tonearm to achieve its greatest vertical inertia. For me, this produces the best tuneful bass; When used in a room that is easily pressurized without stressing the amp/s. btw - did u know that authentic Canadian made hockey pucks make great audio component stand legs/isolators ? First bid in... anyone here ? |
The last acutex 420 str I saw fetched an astonishing price . Any bets on how much this one will go for? At any rate, a good opportunity for those who have been searching for one. |
"analog of a dog" Good grief. Just read the 2nd line of my previous post. This is what happens when u prepare a post in email; it passes spell grammar checks; u r full off a large coffee and nature calls so you cut and paste and go about your day. :^( It's actually kind of growing on me this morning. Analog of the Dog. A good name for a new album from a 70's rock group maybe ? Banquo363 Banquo - At least you looked under the cover to find out. Some buy these arms already mounted on a table - 20 + years old sometimes. They never take the tonearm off to check it out. Who knows what lies beneath. A new ET 2.5 from Bruce is $4500 American dollars and it does not come with a pump. A Used base ET 2.0 comes on sale every few months on ebay. I know because my Ebay alert is still there. Mentioned in the previous post a base used ET2 sells for about $700 - 800, so it can be an alluring option if someone is looking to try one especially compared to buying new. However it can be a bit of a crap shoot as you Banquo show us. Every long term ET2 owner has learned with their ET2, ET 2.5. It is not plug and play. No one can come on here and say they knew how to set it up and use it from the get go. The ET2 manual although very long and thick; is actually written at the 5,000 foot level IMO. To get to the heart of a refined setup as we have discussed here would add XX pages more to it. Anyone disagree ? To use an "ANALOGY" again (amazing what one letter does) Consider this. Well I did this morning anyway. Buying a used ET2 can be like buying a used Manual Transmission car off someone that learned how to drive stick on it. A new clutch, (think ET2 VTA worm gear block and mounting plate to start) may be required due to the abuse some give to the horizontal and vertical bolts in learning 1) how to set it up 2) then to make music with it, and 3) refine the setup of this instrument. Hopefully if they get to level 3 they have gone easy on the bolts - firm not rigid. Think musical instrument. It is good practice to get a car checked out before you buy it. No different here and even more so and not just from the headaches and frustration it can save you. You see although an expensive car clutch can be replaced on its own; Bruce does not sell the VTA blocks and mounting plates separately. Something to think about. Maybe makes the NOS ET2 that just sold more appealing; if u were in the market for one? Cheers |
I'm guilty on both counts, Ct0517. I used to rest my turntable/arm atop a pneumatic isolation platform. Sounded great...until it didn't. The platform would lose air, the et2 would register it and then spit out inferior sound. I put up with this for months (trying out various fixes), but I finally had to concede defeat and removed the platform. One of those 'fixes' was to constantly mess with the vertical leveling screws. For months I did exactly what you say not to do: I just turned the screws tighter and tighter. I should have known better since the first et2 I bought had indentations so deep into the mounting base that I had to sand the thing down in order to mount the pillar correctly. So, send my dog to school and me to the dog house. |
BAD ET2 Behavior If I may be permitted to use the analog of a dog. Bad dog ....bad, bad dog ! So what do you do when your dog is bad ? You send them to dog school of course ! But we all know that dog schools are really for Dog Owners :^) so....... EXAMPLES OF BAD ET2 (Owner) Behavior The ET2 was designed as a unique universal tonearm able to be mounted on a number of different table designs. Some were good even great combos; but in the name of business and sales some combos were not so great and this leads to the first Example of BAD ET2 (Owner) Behavior. This involved my old VPI HW19MKIV Spring, Sprung turntable. If nothing else this thread has driven home the message of staying level. The ET2 needs a flat surface and it does not even need to be level since it has its own leveling spikes. But once set - the level of the surface can not change. This VPI table never stayed level - whether due to environmental season changes affecting the self/suspension, and or an ET2 owners careless bump after two glasses of New Zealand white wine. The above would result in the owner performed maintenance involving turning one of the two Vertical Post bolts to right (re-balance) the situation. The problem builds up over time as one or the other bolt are turned down further, resulting in immense pressure down on the plate, and upwards as well into the Pillar post and the adjoining VTA Block/manifold possibly throwing it out too. If you want to see the abuse your ET2 has had in the past; undo both vertical pillar bolts and see if there is an indentation from both bolts in the base mounting plate. Now - how to avoid this problem, and make sure it never happens again ? 1) Choose a turntable that is able to stay level. (in the case of the VPI HW19MK IV - rubber pucks can replace the springs ensuring it stays level. 2) If a turn of one of the vertical bolts is needed for maintenance, FIRST ...undo both bolts so that the pillar post is floating on its horizontal bolt mount. Then re-balance the air bearing spindle by gently turning down both vertical bolt screws as required. Ensuring firm but not rigid contact. other ET2 Bad Owner examples ... ; ; ; |
hmm.... 34 watchers on the ebay ad now..wow this thread ...about to hit 800,000 views - wow - who would have thought ? When and will any of the 34 watchers commit ? Kind of like watching the Daytona 500 yesterday ? the race was a bit of a let down for me. I would like to personally thank the seller and watchers for providing some temporary cabin fever relief, as we head into the home stretch. Lets consider something. I have a Canadian friend who would like to partake in this unique ET2 world and is considering this item. A used parts complete base ET 2.0, not 2.5 and non-HP, with aluminum arm tube, no pump - sells for approximately $700-800. Give or take. This NOS one with a base pump has a $900 American reserve. $900 US is now $1132 Canadian dollars. :^( Add 13% Canadian tax., shipping and customs fees. hmm... :^( If I was selling this ET2 for $900 Canadian, an American buys it for about $710 US. |
We are always hearing about New Old Stock (NOS) cartridges, tubes.... Here is something you don't see everyday NOS Base ET2 According to the seller "This item has never been out of the box." A quick look at the pics I can't seem to find the armtube. But the coffee has not kicked in yet. Probably buried under the blue foam. If anyone is interested in it, this should be verified with the seller. (not affiliated with the ad) Cheers |
Audiophile newlywed - part deux. Honey, HOLD HERE please (so I can xxxxxx this) Replace xxxxxx's with words below. (occasional hints provided in brackets) straighten (cantilever) push flatten (record) wriggle (cartridge lead) strip attach roll ( 8^0 ) inject (tonearm damping fluid - what were u thinking ? ) bolt paste highlight check rinse (record) tie (string drive) blot dry (record) twist mend wipe knot (string drive) . . . . lick- (day glo label for ET2 Allen key) Important before attaching - Affix to short end of key) your choice of colors The above is meant to help out audiophiles, newly married. @John47 If I ever manage people on a paying project again I will send u a job offer for the QA role ? :^) I am still till today kicking myself for not including your moniker in the brothel post story. |
Frogman u give new meaning to "Woody" I beam... Just to add as well for audiophile newlyweds; attaining the 3 year mark is easier if you combine nice words with HOLD HERE. Words like honey and please. For example... Honey, HOLD HERE please (so I can xxxxxx this) Replace xxxxx's with, rotate insert level balance remove tighten loosen shimmy eyeball pinch solder |
12-26-14: John47 Hi John I believe the words HOLD HERE have very significant meaning to a married audiophile. My personal experience has been that these two words are effective for the first three years of marriage if you're good. After that you are on your own. That is if your marriage is still intact. If not these two words could be one more reason to why there is so much stuff for sale on this site. |
Well, based on Schubert's latest "updated" information I feel a need to update part of the wording in my last post. Previous wording "If I worked for your audio dealer guy I may have been tempted to stuff some cartridges down my pants pockets." Revised wording "If I worked for your audio dealer guy I would be walking in with deep pocket pants, and a knapsack, which going in, carries my lunch** " ** Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. |
I meant he ordered about 500 Acutex at a time , all models. With about 3-4 million dollars worth of stock in warehouse at any given time 12K was chicken feed. Last year I worked for him did about 35 million in audio, Big Jap companies were giving him 20% off their best-best- price with 6 months to pay. |
Welcome to the thread Schubert. Back in the 70's I worked for a big dealer who had every known MM cart known to man in stock.Thousands of them. The only thing that could beat an Acutex was probably the best MM cart ever made ,the Empire EDR-9 . Sounds like a real cool job to have. In the mid 70's I was in the middle of puberty working as a busboy scraping for money. If I worked for your audio dealer guy I may have been tempted to stuff some cartridges down my pants pockets (making sure stylus guard was on of course). I'm sure some on the MM thread would challenge your Acutex claim; especially Raul once he returns from his "sabbatical". Don't expect a challenge from him here however. From personal emails he never figured out the ET2. A 420 cost him about 40 bucks as I recall. But he bought hundreds at a time. Was he Italian by chance ? Lets assume "hundreds" is 300. $40 x 300 = $12,000 $520 x 300 = $156,000 I paid $70 Cdn. for mine back in 2012 incl. shipping. I remember it vividly because it was advertised as a Puntina. Very close to Putana that I am familiar with so it made me laugh. There is that brothel theme again. The first time I heard the 420 I also laughed, then some singing and dancing. Maybe some of that later today also. Happy and safe New Year to everyone and its already Jan 1 in NZ as I post this and just after midnight as I hit submit here, Downunder. Cool |
What I heard the first time that I put that little Cracker Jack Box cartridge on my ET was something that specs (as valuable as they are) seldom explain. The music MOVED! Sounds simplistic, but it's something that is hard to describe and very obvious when it happens. Music (when performed well) should have a very strong forward impetus that tells the listener it's going somewhere and is more than a series of temporal events; THAT is the main thing that good analog still has over good digital. I have not tried the 420 in a different arm (the Forsell still awaits), but I think there is an especially good synergy happening between it and the ET that I doubt specs can explain. The "groovy" quality of the bass is especially good; and as Chris reminds us "It's all about that bass". Perhaps it's the romantic in me, but I actually like the fact that in our hobby there always seems to be more going on on a technical level than we will ever fully understand or are able to explain; I think it makes us better listeners. Happy New Year! |
Bravo to the Acutex 420str. The little cartridge that could. Our Cracker Jack Box prize cartridge made famous right here thanks to Frogman, Bruce Thigpen, Slaw and others... 42 x 10 (-6) cm/dyne 1.0 - 2.0 tracking 47 kohms Perfect STR You know...this is how analog legends start...... Three cheers... Hoorah...... HOORAH ......HOORAH ! The $520 US ebay selling price, these days is more than $600 Canadian plus shipping... :^( This hobby (especially analog) continues to defy all odds. Banquo363 - Me, I just wish I had bought more of these toy like carts at pre-bubble prices. Frogman - the 420STR remains one of my favorites and I too wish I had bought a couple of extras. I believe AudiogoN'r NANDRIC bought seven of them. |
****I had only a half hour, but here's the quick impression: harmonically richer and warmer; loss of resolution and less articulate bass. I'm unsure about the extent of the latter two since I didn't have time to dial in vta.**** Banquo363, thanks for the pic of your chopstick/ET2. Your description of increased harmonic richness mirrors what I experienced with my wood (balsa) I-beam. That was the main attraction for me when using the mc's that I used at the time; they tended to be leaner and not as harmonically rich as what I hear in live music. The apparent reduced resolution is, for me, a deceptive thing because I think sometimes leanness is perceived as increased detail. I also experienced fuller bass which I believe was the result of having the counterweights further back and not because of the wood. While I could improve the articulation of the bass by adjusting VTA, it was easy to have bass which was overblown; obviously not a good thing and I ultimately preferred the stock I-beam (double spring) with the MM's that I have been using over the last few years. Speaking MM's, the 420STR remains one of my favorites and I too wish I had bought a couple of extras. Happy New Year to all! |
Is there an acutex 420str bubble I don't know about? Economists will be dumbfounded by this phenomena, but those of us who have listened to it on an ET-2 can perhaps understand. Me, I just wish I had bought more of these toy like carts at pre-bubble prices. Who knows, maybe the Italian has a warehouse full of them in anticipation of just this moment in history. |
dare taken Mod a product of insomnia and inspired by Frogman's post about using wood and getting the counterweight further out. The one in the pic is 5" out. Can't recall the cart I mounted, but the distance allowed the use of only the main cointerweight. used 2 leaf springs. As I possess zero mechanical skills, the desire to try out wood required that I locate a more or less ready made item, hence the 'sushi-grade' wood, i.e., wood from the chopsticks they give at sushi restos. Didn't quite fit properly, so needed to do some whittling, and when that went too far, the addition of a shim. Can't recall exactly the sound, but here's what I wrote Ct0517, I had only a half hour, but here's the quick impression: harmonically richer and warmer; loss of resolution and less articulate bass. I'm unsure about the extent of the latter two since I didn't have time to dial in vta. Never confirmed those initial impressions because, as an ET 2 newbie, I didn't have everything under control (still don't). So, it seemed pointless (excepting the fun involved and battling insomnia) to be messing around with mods. Might be worth it to return to in 6 months or so when, hopefully, I have a better handle on operating this amazing arm. |
it hasn't brought up a chartreuse key with a dayglo (bright) label attached to the short end reading my secret weapon When used as the sun is just cresting the hill top, on its way down; guaranteed to attract those fish, like an audiophile at the Audio Show where they are presenting the latest and greatest power cord. :^) |
