Eminent Technology ET-2 Tonearm Owners

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.

Banquo363.

Nice "bad boy"
What is the noise level like on this?
Could you say, house it in a room adjacent to the listening space?

Many thanks

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.

Banquo363.

Brilliant.

Many thanks for the info.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.....

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.

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.

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 -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 :^)

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 .

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.

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.

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.

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.

another way is the following...

(This assumes you watch your arms movement as you lower it onto a record.)

If you have zero to little movement at the beginning of the record and when the record finishes, there is no "arm kick back", you've achieved greatness! It's not hard people.

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!

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.

Slaw
The arm was lowered onto a spinning Blank ( no grooves at all ) record and the leveling screws adjusted until there was no drift in either direction. I know this method is not appropriate for pivoted tone arms but it seemed it should be OK for air bearing tangential tonearms. If there are reasons not to use this method I'd appreciate the information.

Bigalt

Wouldnt your process potentially take the spindle out of parallel with the record surface?
This would mean that the tracking angle would change as the cartridge traverses the record.
Not a good thing.

06-04-15: Richardkrebs
Wouldnt your process potentially take the spindle out of parallel with the record surface?
This would mean that the tracking angle would change as the cartridge traverses the record.

Richardkrebs,
"tracking angle" does not apply to the ET2 as it is a tangential tracking tonearm. "Tracking angle" only applies to pivoted arms. The correct terminology if I interpret what you are trying to say is Azimuth may be out. It appears that you are suggesting Bigalts azimuth may be out, notwithstanding that if his platter is level, and he levels the arm, then assuming the wand is mounted correctly, it is not possible for the azimuth to be out, unless the stylus is not mounted in the cantilever correctly..

If the record is perfectly level then I don't see how my method would take the spindle out of level with the record surface but would make sure the spindle was level with the record. If the record is level the stylus should drift in or out out if the spindle isn't level. If the spindle is parallel with the record surface but the platter and record surface isn't level I believe that this would cause the stylus to drift in or out depending whether the spindle was higher or lower than the edge of the platter.

Dover.

For the sake of brevity I left the word "vertical" of the tracking angle. Pretty sure that this adjustment is applicable to a linear arm.
My point was...if the spindle is NOT parallel with the platter, the VTA will change as the arm moves across the record.

Bigalt.

Agree 100% a level platter and a level spindle go hand in hand. Perhaps I misinterpreted your earlier post. I took it to read that you make this adjustment from time to time. Assuming that the plinth is not in some way distorting over time, I would expect this adjustment to be a set and forget one. Thereafter any shift in level of the whole TT system, say with seasonal movement of the floor/wall, would be corrected by re-levelling the whole TT.

If the record is perfectly level then I don't see how my method would take the spindle out of level with the record surface but would make sure the spindle was level with the record. If the record is level the stylus should drift in or out out if the spindle isn't level. If the spindle is parallel with the record surface but the platter and record surface isn't level I believe that this would cause the stylus to drift in or out depending whether the spindle was higher or lower than the edge of the platter.

Bigalt,

What you want to do is put a straight edge on top of your platter, parallel with the tonearm spindle. Then, adjust the tonearm so the spindle is perfectly parallel with the straight edge. Just use your eyes. You may have to play with the lighting on the straight edge (use a flashlight at different angles) until you can see both the top of the straight edge and top of the spindle. This will get the spindle much more parallel to the platter than any other method. Most levels, digital protractors, etc. are not accurate at all. Now, do not ever touch the adjustment screws on the post. Once the spindle is parallel with the platter it will never need to be touched. Now all you do is simply level the TT until tonearm does not drift in or out.

The problem with your method is that you do not know that your platter is perfectly level to begin with. Care to share how you are determing that?

Bigalt,

Another problem with your method is that, because the post adjustment has three screws, when you are "leveling" the tonearm as you do, you are also messing with how vertical the post is. It should be perpendicular with the TT platter when viewed from the front of the TT. These parameters need to be set up and locked in. It's not something that you should ever adjust, unless you feel that they might have went out of adjustment over time.

Ketchup.

I too use your method.
If you backlight the spindle, it is possible to get a very accurate indication of when the platter and spindle are parallel. This, since you can adjust the arm such that the light evenly breaks through the gap.

Cheers.

This is how I see it... Again, assuming everything is level, I prefer to use my method as it is taking into consideration playing lps in real time.

According to the correct way, as stated here and in the manual, I've done that countless times over the years. But there are other factors, wire loom and it's effect, warped/uneven records, damping methods.... having said this, there's really no way you can get perfect level given these unforeseen factors. This is why I choose my method that takes into consideration the arms movement under dynamic (playing an lp) conditions.

Confucius say: "Become one with the arm"

Ketchup makes perfect sense. (Although with the extreme adjustability this particular arm offers, you can adjust for a faulty set-up.) It has been my contention that if one uses this arm, (in order to get the maximum pleasure), you need to have your tt setup so you can visually see how the arm moves across the lp by looking at it from the left side facing the tt. (There is a whole lot to be said for the vision God gave us). A great check is to look at how parallel the spindle is with a lp while the arm is "half way" through it's travel when looking at it from the left-side-facing standpoint. At this vantage point, it's very easy to see if the spindle is correctly parallel to the lp surface.

I don't mean this statement to reflect anything but as a point of passing on information.

There is obviously a learning factor with this arm. One of the Et's great abilities is it's flexibility/adjustability. This can be a negative or a positive. It all depends upon one's logical understanding of how anything mechanical works. The longer one lives with this arm, and the more that person realizes that this arm is really simple in it's overall design, the easier it will become to set up and use. The virgin user will see it as an obstacle to overcome, while the veteran user see's it as the extension of everything in life.

Slaw,

Maybe I'm misunderstanding you, but why not do that with no LP on the platter? This way you are lining the spindle up with a precision machined surface (the platter). Vinyl is far from precise with all the warps and what-not. The stylus does not have to be in the groove for this part of the set up.

FWIW: Here is my audio creed...

U = understanding
L = listening
L = logic
C = common sense

This has been my formula for my ongoing pursuit in all things audio.

Ketchup: You are correct. The overriding factor is that you understand my point.

My point earlier was , taking playing conditions into consideration, that involves the lp on the platter. I guess I made a mistake by not restating this point later.

Slaw is on fire ..:^)

In regards to the recent leveling discussions, please permit me to describe in parallel my out-of- the -box method at setting up my ET tonearms. This method is straight in - cartridge leads to phono. The wiring is a separate loom on its own.

Wire Loom

It can be applied and removed in 10 minutes thereby allowing experimentation with different wires.

Procedure

1) WITHOUT WIRING. Set up the arm per the manual.

2) Level using a a Blue Tack Pancake
placed on the lead weights a little heavier than your cartridge - this allows the arm to free float in space.

When leveling this way is accomplished; remove Blue tac and add your wiring.

3) Attach your wiring. again apply the Blue Tac on the lead weights. The arm "WILL" float one way - adjust the wiring positions only - do not touch the leveling screws which are already set for level of the tonearm. Adjust only the wiring itself.

Using this process ensures your VTA Block Alignment is straight and true.

If you are not able to make your ET2 free float with no movement after adding and adjusting only the wiring - the wiring arrangement is causing too much effect on the operation - PUSH or PULL of the arm. Revise your wiring arrangement.

To understand this wiring phenomena - let's take a couple of steps back, look at the ET design a little closer, and let's make a comparison.

In this picture is a ET 2.5 and the Kuzma Airline (picture lifted from stereophile)

Kuzma and ET tonearms

Note the red circles. They go around the air tube and wiring for each tonearm. The Kuzma as part of its design uses the wires and airtube for controlling the movement of the arm. On the ET tonearm neither is required for controlling movement. The air tube as we know on the ET is stationary and plugged into the stationary manifold. As far as the wiring goes with the ET ..... well this is an open book really; this is where some get into problems, and why this arm, imo, has the reputation for difficult setup. Too much freedom on what can be done. The Kuzma can only be setup as in the picture.
.
We have seen some very inventive ways of wiring here. This wiring freedom aspect is either a real good thing, or real bad thing ...all depending on ones experience level. In talking with ET2 owners, the more experience you have, the more people seem to appreciate having freedom on how to run the wires since the ET tonearm does not need the wires for damping as other linear trackers do. Wiring arrangement designs are also based on the TT/plinth style being used

IMO - every ET 2.0, 2.5 owner who wants to get ANAL about setup; needs to at least one time, remove the wiring, and set up the arm/cartridge "sans-wiring" first, then add the wiring. Only in this way will you be able to really level things without the wire influence, and witness how much effect the wiring has on your leveling attempts and actual operation of the tonearm. Until you have done this "sans wiring" setup, no matter what method you employ to level; the turns you make on the two vertical leveling screws will be affected to some degree by the push or pull action of your wiring setup.

To prove if this is true for your existing set up. In reverse, remove your wiring - do you need to make leveling adjustments to your arm ?

Cto517: I appreciate your understanding my posts. That gives me a lot of pleasure.

Regarding (ANAL), I doubt if there's anyone reading this that's more anal than I! I really take that as a complement! Whether or not it was implied or maybe just my own thoughts about it.

I hope my posts do give all a reason to laugh now and again! It' is important to keep our sense of humor!

Ct0517: Chris, you are the MAN regarding various set-ups.. but I submit, what really matters is how the arm's set-up transfers to "playing conditions". After all, as I think you will agree, this is what really matters.

A long time owner of this arm will have no problem in, ( once in a while), adjusting for differing lp surfaces. (IMO)

Frankly, I may consider adding (A) = Anal to the last portion of my "audio creed". I think that is a good thing.

Bigalt: I tried to inject humor in my recent posts. I hope you realized this, also, I hope I haven't turned you off from this important thread.

At this point,(in this thread) it may be hard for first time users to get a say?

I'm sure we all will appreciate anything you need help with.

Slaw,
I appreciate your posts ( and humor ). I'm not as anal regarding my audio system as some other members. My hearing isn't as good as it once was ( a misspent youth doing a lot of target shooting without hearing protection ) so don't have the ability to hear many of the nuances that the various tweaks and upgrades to the ET2 provide. I love the construction and mechanical operation of the arm ( and the sound it provides ) and enjoy reading about the various mods, tweaks and upgrades that members undertake even though I'm unable to appreciate them myself. My HW19 Mk IV with Super Platter, SAMA, Walker Motor Controller and ET2 ( HP manifold ) with a Sumiko Talisman Virtuoso dti cartridge is one of my favorite turntables ( I currently have 8 ).

Bigalt

My HW19 Mk IV with Super Platter, SAMA, Walker Motor Controller and ET2 ( HP manifold ) with a Sumiko Talisman Virtuoso dti cartridge is one of my favorite turntables ( I currently have 8 ).

8 turntables.. Holy Moly....

How many are setup for active duty ? :^)

We all seem to "collect" in this hobby.
Audiogon member Manitunc from this thread, has admitted to owning Five ET2's.
I admit to hobby collection problems also. Although I see my HP ET 2.0 and 2.5 as tools to complete the turntable setup. My collection problems seem to center around speakers.

An interesting ET2 came into my inbox.
A rare HP manifold version.

not affiliated with the ad.
I must say looking at all the parts shown shown in the ad, it must be intimidating to those not familiar with the arm ?
I can remember some years ago, people would list ET2 HP models on auction sites for the same price as base models, unaware of differences. hmm....

All 8 are set up and individually switchable in or out of my system. To make matters even worse I have 5 more that aren't set up ( talk about a TT junkie ). The ones set up are my VPI HW 19 MK IV with the ET2, a Merrill Heirloom TT fully upgraded by Anthony Scillia with all his mods and upgrades with a Triplanar VII U2 arm, an Amazon 2 TT with a Kuzma Stogi Ref 313VTA arm, a Townshend Rock 7 with a Helius Omega 10" arm, a Townshend Elite II TT with a Townshend Excaliber arm, a Marantz SLT U TT ( the original linear TT ), a Sony FL77 Biotracer linear TT and a Sony FL 7 linear TT. And if that's not enough, I have a PTP Audio Solid 9 TT on order which I'm going to pair with a VIV labs 7" Rigid Float Tonearm I already have.

The interesting thing about the HP manifolds is that Bruce will still supply them for the ET2 on special order for only $300. I know because I got one for each of my ET2 arms ( one with and one without the damper trough ).

hi Bigalt:

When you bought your HP manifolds, did you send in your spindles so Bruce could match them to the manifolds? Or did he just send the manifolds to you and they ended up working fine without being matched?

He just sent me the manifolds. He never asked me to send him my spindles and both manifolds work just fine without any play at all.

Hi guys
I bought a vDH colibri xgp, not the light version, and I was wondering if it was a good match with the ET 2 original arm tube? My other options are a VPI 12 or a MS 505.