cartridge for Eminent Technology ET2 tonearm?

I have used an ET2/high pressure manifold/Wisa pump for years, mounted on a VPI HW19 Mk4. Cartridges that I have used with it have been: Grado 8 series, Grado TLZ, VDH MC10, VDH MC1, Shure Vmr, AT OC9, AT 170???, Carnegie 1, Decca London (!!), Koetsu Black, and Monster AG1000 and Monster AG2000.

The best performance was with the Monster cartridges, the 2000 in particular. The combination of ET2/Monster was a very popular one, at one time; and recommended by many dealers. One of the key issues seems to be the ET2's preference for a low compliance cartridge, as recommended by Thigpen himself. The Grados and others (except the Decca) all worked and sounded fine as well, with the expected sonic differences; but as far as trackability, they all worked acceptably. Keep in mind that I have the table on a wall mounted shelf , and the Grados are known to do the "Grado dance" in that arm when the table is susceptible to floor vibrations/footsteps etc.

Given that the ZYX cartridges are made by the same maker of the old Monsters, you might want to look at that line of cartridges. I am currently in need of a replacement cartridge for my aging Monster, and would be interested in what you come up with. Please keep us posted.

Good luck.

Hi Alan

I have hesitated to add a follow-up to my earlier comments, as you have already ordered your cartridge, and I am sure you will be pleased with your choice. The Denon is a great choice for your arm.

My comment, and perhaps Sean or others can chime in on this, concerns the issue of output voltage of the cartridge and how THAT affects the overall sonics. In your case, I am sure you will have more than sufficient gain, since you are using the Cotter transformer. However, something you might want to consider is what I have experienced IN MY SYSTEM. I have generally preferred using a higher output cartridge when my phono stage was of the lower gain type, as opposed to using a step-up device. I have used Electrocompaniet, Counterpoint, and Koetsu step-up devices in the past. My experience has been that using something like a Grado or higher-output MC gave ME a more natural sound as opposed to adding the extra electronics and cabling of the step-up to the signal of an ostensibly better quality low-output MC. The same way that, even with my high gain preamp (Melos), in some ways, sometimes the best sound is achieved by using the lower gain setting with a higher gain cartridge. The music is less electronic sounding even if I give up a little bit in detail retrieval. This has nothing to do with arm/cartridge compatibility. Of course, as with most things, this is all relative. In your system the results may be different, and at some point the advantages of a really great (and expensive) cartridge (assuming it is compatible with your arm) will supersede the "losses" of using more preamp (or step-up) gain. Might be worth experimenting with a higher gain cartridge as well as with as your Denon at some point.

Just food for thought, and good luck and enjoy your ET-2/Denon. Great arm. Make sure that the bearing tube is ABSOLUTELY clean, and if you are feeling ambitious, clean the capillaries in the housing. I found that the sound was deteriorating over time, and I traced it (with Thigpen's help) to clogged capillaries. A bit of a pain, but worth the effort.

Good luck and keep us posted.