****I recently purchased a double leaf spring I-beam, re-read the manual and my (2) counterweights are now at the end of the I-beam. To my surprise, performing the cart in the groove test now results in NO rumble. Hallelulia! **** -Slaw
Hah!
Hah!
Eminent Technology ET-2 Tonearm Owners
Where are you? What mods have you done ?
I have been using these ET2's for over 9 years now.
I am still figuring them out and learning from them. They can be modified in so many ways. Bruce Thigpen laid down the GENIUS behind this tonearm over 20 years ago. Some of you have owned them for over 20 years !
Tell us your secrets.
New owners – what questions do you have ?
We may even be able to coax Bruce to post here. :^)
There are so many modifications that can be done.
Dressing of the wire with this arm is critical to get optimum sonics along with proper counterweight setup.
Let me start it off.
Please tell us what you have found to be the best wire for the ET-2 tonearm ? One that is pliable/doesn’t crink or curl. Whats the best way of dressing it so it doesn’t impact the arm. Through the spindle - Over the manifold - Below manifold ? What have you come up with ?
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Slaw, sorry I wasn't clear. My Hah! is definitely a good thing! It was an exclamation intended to be an acknowledgment of and agreement with your findings. It was also a bit of a pat on the back (my own back, and hopefully not too arrogant on my part) since I pointed out the benefits of the double-leaf spring and of moving the weight as far out on the I-beam as possible a while back. I am very glad that you were able to solve the rumble problem. Like you I have my table on a non-load-bearing wall shelf. I used to have it on a rack and had terrible issues because of springy floor. While the move to the wall shelf solved some problems it created others. I constructed a multiple-layer constrained-layer platform that the table sits on on the shelf and it works very well. Overall, it is a better solution than on the rack. BTW, I love your idea of using a common or agreeable LP as a reference to discuss our findings with out ET2/cartridge set-ups. Regards. |
Chris, my Acutex 420 STR has continued to improve and after a couple of months of exclusive use it seems to be settling at a point where the only harshness heard is harshness that occurs naturally in music. I think this has got to be one of the greatest bargains in my experience. I am not prepared to say that it bests my Empire 4000DiiiGold in every respect, but while the Empire (in my set-up) tends to gloss over some of music's natural aggressiveness and nasties, the Acutex doesn't err nearly as much in the direction of being overly aggressive up top. It is also more natural in the dynamics dept. It is sounding very very good on the ET. |
Frogman: As you can see, I still haven't read through all of the postings since I left a while back. However, It's a very positive thing for me to put myself 'out-there' in this way and have someone with your experience with these issues comfirm my own findings. And as you all are aware... I kind of wear my heart on my sleeve, so this was a nice confirmation of my findings that are usually, well, almost always found in a setting of me and my system, no other influences. Thanks! |
Slaw's idea of using an agreed upon recording as a reference for discussion is a great one. As such, I would like to get the ball rolling. While I am not very familiar with the musical tastes of the contributors to this thread, a popular and commonly mentioned recording on this forum is Donald Fagen's "The Nightfly". While not necessarily my favorite genre (post '50's jazz and any classical are) it is a great example of the kind of the urban-hip sound/witty lyrics sensibility that made Steely Dan so popular. It is a recording that some days (depending on my frame of mind) I think is fantastic, and other days I can't stand to listen to it because of it's slickness. The playing is unquestionably great on all counts. It is also notable (IMO) for being fantastically well recorded and produced, and great sounding for a purely digital (Horrors!) recording. I have the original Warner Brothers pressing as well as the later Mobile Fidelity version and prefer the original, with the MF having a strangely dynamically polite quality.The track "Maxine" is a favorite and there are two musical moments on it that I often use to test how well I have fine-tuned my arm/cartridge set-up. The track features the incomparable and sorely-missed Michael Brecker on tenor saxophone, and both of these musical moments involve his brilliant (as usual) solo. I will mention each of these moments in reverse order, as the second one is more obvious and less subtle. The tenor saxophone solo begins at 2:29, and ends at 3:02; or so we think. It culminates with two ascending runs followed by one final short statement at 3:02. At 3:03, however, the overdubbed vocal chorus comes back in singing "move up to Manhattan". At that precise moment one's attention is drawn to the vocals following the saxophone solo, and it is easy to not notice that at the very moment that "move..." is sung, the tenor saxophone plays what is in fact the true end of the solo. He plays a one note final commentary, that is a kind of musical exclamation point. When the VTA and azimuth are not adjusted properly on my ET2 it is easy to not notice that final note; it disappears into the fabric of the vocal chorus. When things are adjusted correctly, that final note is heard clearly and distinctly from the vocals; it gives that solo even more meaning. The second example occurs at 2:51, also in Brecker's solo. One of the things that made Brecker's sound so distinct was the post-Coltrane technique of "splitting" a note. What is meant by that is that the player is able to play a note and make other notes sound at the same time; gives the sound of that note a very dramatic quality. The way it is accomplished is by (in this case) playing the high G on the tenor by fingering the G an octave below and sounding the harmonic one octave above. In the process, if the player has enough control over the instrument, a third note "E" can be heard; he is in effect playing a chord on a melody instrument. When tonearm/cartridge settings are not correct, what should be heard as three distinct notes becomes simply distortion in the sound of the note. The closer I get to correct VTA and azimuth, the more distinct the three notes become. I have always felt that one of the beauties of this arm is the ability to adjust so many parameters easily and repeatably. It can truly get the best out of most cartridges. |
Hi Frogman – I just compared the 420str against the 15 IPS tape for the first time. The 420str so far for an MM comes closest to the tape in my room. Both LP and tape are started together. The input source is then switched between the two. The 420 str is more open at both ends, less compressed sounding then the Empire in my room. Now I haven’t compared my SS retipped Virtuoso to tape, but from a stock cartridge point of view, the 420str so far for me is very good. Its been on there for a while so I am going a bit by memory, but have no desire yet to put on the Empire 4000 DIII gold to compare to be sure. Definitely for me, without question, nothing else comes close for the $$, or Euros in this case. But breakin time is required. I don't keep track of the hours. |
Dgarretson glad your enjoying it. The only adjustment I had to make in my system after listening to the tape was to lighten up on the VTA a bit as there was a touch too much bass in my room. Mine has quite a few hours on it. I can tell you it just keeps smoothing out the more hours I put on it. I am a little nervous about putting my MC on to compare for fear this piece of plastic that looks like it came out of a cracker jack box might kick its ass. |
Listening to the M420 last night put a smile on my face while reading Mike Fremer's comparison of the $9K H&S Ice Blue to Ortofon A90 and Lyra Atlas. I felt no more than a slight tingle of penis envy for these MCs. It's interesting how much smaller Acutex's tri-pole induced magnet assembly is in the 420 series as compared to the prior 320 series. The 320 marketing literature talks about the advantage of oversized magnets. Accordingly the 320 has a much larger and heavier 6.2gm 320 body. The cantilever armature of the 320 is also more complicated, with tabs that project radially to the induction poles inside the cartridge body. In contrast the 420 is a svelte 4gm. The 420 looks cheaply build in comparison to the 320. But maybe looks are deceiving. Unfortunately one of the armature tabs on my 320 is bent and in need of repair, so a comparison will have to wait. |
The second example occurs at 2:51, also in Brecker's solo. One of the things that made Brecker's sound so distinct was the post-Coltrane technique of "splitting" a note. What is meant by that is that the player is able to play a note and make other notes sound at the same time; gives the sound of that note a very dramatic quality. The way it is accomplished is by (in this case) playing the high G on the tenor by fingering the G an octave below and sounding the harmonic one octave above. In the process, if the player has enough control over the instrument, a third note "E" can be heard; he is in effect playing a chord on a melody instrument. Frogman – your being a musician is obvious and gives you such an advantage when listening to LP’s. What a great post. Your turntable system is an extension of your instruments ? Look forward to more recommendations from others. I’d like to recommend Miles Davis KOB a very popular LP that many have and is great sounding. I am not ready to post any remarks on it yet... Anyone else ? |
Frogman: A LP we could all agree on introduces a variety of unforseen issues. I understand that some of you are trained musicians with differing perspectives than some of us. Your mention of "Nightfly" is interesting. Yes, I believe it was one of the first digital recordings, still it envokes something, maybe, unexplained within us to envolve ourselves in this music. The musicians of this group and the music lovers may be able to come to an agreement of an appropriate reference lp. I was reminded recently by a friend that Paul Simon's "There Goes Rhyming Simon" is an excellent recording to understand and descern the complexities of a recording. While it is a kind of (best of), it is an analog recording of excellent quality. What do you all think? Having said this, I realized lately that the one thing I neglect to account for in my listening sessions is the tone, etc... of each instrument. While I do notice it, this is an interesting and involving make-up of the recording that is often lost. |
I am somewhat concerned that just two of the many posters are interested in a (reference) lp in which to judge. On-line judging isn't optimal, neither is, up to date reporting of similar components in differing systems on the same tonearm...? What is the use of all of our spending, listening, comparing and of systems we will never hear or experience together, unless we have a (descent analog) reference in which we can agree on? And even then, It's very Xo%!ing lacking of any validity! |
Myself - I was hoping to get a list of lps from this to compare our thoughts and have fun listening to music. I think each of us have 1) a number of lps we really like listening to just for music – and then 2) the go to lps we use to check if all is ok in our own setups according to our preferences ? If those same LP’s fall under 1 and 2 - for me that is ideal. I am 50 so I grew up with a certain type of music but I like to listen to all music. There is no boundary. Over the years I have really enjoyed all of them lps referred to me directly or through a forum like this. BTW - You will not see a nice review from me as Frogman just did with the Donald Fagen lp. For one I am just not good with words smithing describing music for some reason. But I can tell you why I think the ET2 tonearm is genius in a thousand words if you want. So if someone wants to describe KOB – please do ! I can also listen for specific things if pointed out to me by someone (like Frogman did), that would allow me to know if I had things set up and dialed in properly. This is valuable to me. I have a Donald Fagen “Nightfly” in the mail. One Paul Simon “There goes Rhyming Simon” coming up. |
I'm happy to go along with what others have. I also have an original WB Donald Fagan & a Japanees copy also. Of course I have an original "There Goes Rymin' Simon". I'm sure I could help with a larger list guys. Actually, HP put "Negotions and Love Songs" on the TAS list years ago. "Bookends" is probably my favorite lp of all time. We can sure go in another direction. I have a KOB but not sure of it's quality. |
I too am happy to go along with recordings that other have. KBO is a no-brainer, the Simon is also good. No reason not to use more than one recording; including the Fagen. Re the Fagen, and some general comments applicable to all (IMO): While it may seem anathema to use a digital recording (LP) for an experiment such as this, there is no reason not too when we consider that what we are looking at is the ability of the arm/cart setup to retrieve the info in the grooves for us to compare. Obviously, the digital recording should be an exceptional one; and wether we like to admit or not, there are some. I like the idea of analyzing and comparing tonal qualities, but for that to be meaningful we have to be very specific and use either personal experiences of live music attendance, and/or comparisons to other LP's; in order to establish a meaningful benchmark. I don't think that comments about "the voice sounds a little bright in the upper range" will suffice. Brightness to one listener is clarity to another; unless we can also say "on this other LP XYZ, I heard a similar effect (at a specific point on the rec)". Then, we can establish some sort of pattern that will be meaningful. This could be a very rewarding experiment. |
http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?eanlg&1200430667&openflup&7787&4#7787 Guys - I have tried to locate 420str's for our comparative listening. I feel if we are using the same cartridge this will be more valuable. This 420str cartridge is a great candidate for this as it is affordable and great sounding -when setup properly. I have had a couple of responses already. It is my intent to just be a go between (seller and yourself) to make this happen if u are if interested. I will insist on paypal as well. This way there will be no double paypal and shipping charges. If you are interested in a 420 str. Please let me know. bcpguy(@)bell(.)net remove parentheses when replying DG thanks for reminding me they were about 80 euros including shipping. |
Although I'm no longer using the ET2 at the moment, one record I found that is readily attainable is Joe Jackson's Jumping Jive. On the track titled "Five guys named Moe" there is a part where Moe is repeated 5 times. With the ET2 you can clearly hear each utterance and the position, starts front slightly right of centre and each "moe" is behind and to the left of each preceding one. The ET2 is the only arm I have found that captures this positioning in space so clearly. |
Dgarretson: The "Rymin' Simom" has several tracks with a siblnce issue, IE... "Something So Wrong", (must be all of those S's.) Any way for siblince, this lp should meet your criteria except for a female lead. It has several tracks that can show well in good set-up with depth, soundtage, ambient info, several great African American singers and their placement along the stage. I'm thinking about aquiring an Acutex. If so, I might have to use a lead weight/shim in order to have room to fit my cartridge leads in. Would this affect this carts abilities significantly/at all????? |
Hi Acman3 (Danny) I don't know what direction you are wanting to go.I myself will go any direction (no biases here) as long as it provides the chills and goosebumps when listening. This hobby for me is a means to end and is much safer than - car racing ? - and the reason I’m sure my wife puts up with me. Welcome to the thread – thx for the lp recommendation. Hi Dover On the track titled "Five guys named Moe" there is a part where Moe is repeated 5 times. With the ET2 you can clearly hear each utterance and the position, starts front slightly right of centre and each "moe" is behind and to the left of each preceding one.Nice test – those 5 Moe’s go by really fast. I am going to try this one with my pivot arms. Slaw - the top two leads on my setup are crammed pretty tight on the ET2 with the 420 right now. DG – I think you could sell your shims as fast as you can make them here. |
Regards, Gentlemen: Ct0517 (Chris) referenced me to this thread, I've read it with interest. Not having an air-bearing tonearm, I feel somewhat like an interloper, but as I'm familiar with the Acutex carts, and although the 420STR is no longer available from this vendor: http://www.ebay.com/sch/ebusinesspoint/m.html?_uhb=1&hash=item3a770b6404&item=251105338372&pt=Piatti_e_Lettori_CD&rt=nc&_trksid=p4340.l2562 The 412s response is similar to the 420 but with more apparency in the mids. The 312 is less aggressive in the hfs, either offers the distortion-free character of the 420. The 310 (bonded elliptical) is not in any way remarkable, it's my impression of the 415 that some may find it overly analytical. No association with the above vendor, he (?) has been reliable in the several transactions with me. Peace, |
Timeltel In a moment of weakness last night I decided to buy another crack jack box and see if a prize existed inside. I picked up a 412. I am curious how it will react with my other ET2 being set up to feed WPK Quad 57’s. One midrange apparent cartridge feeding very midrange apparent speakers ? Is it too much of a good thing ? I could not resist giving it a try for $49 euros. Timeltel – I always enjoy and value your posts on the MM thread. Thx for contributing here. |
I look forward to your impressions of the 412, Chris. Actually, I have been seriously considering buying a 415 on the assumption (perhaps mistaken) that the body/motor of the 415 is the same as for the 420. I would like to experiment with fashioning a different (wood or...), non-plastic mount/ shell for the 420, and don't want to risk damaging mine. If anyone has definitive (or simply educated) information about the motors of the the various Acutex(i) please chime in. |
Guys, I was under the impression that the MM cognoscenti had rapidly moved past the Acutex 420, following its appearance and then disappearance in the market place. I know that Raul was not enchanted by it and seemed to far prefer his "blunt nose" 3XX series Acutex, which he likes even better than the late pointy 3XX series. Do these posts represent a renaissance of the STR420? I caved in and bought one too, from Italy. It still rests in its original box, because of the underwhelming remarks made on the MM thread. Was going to sell it, once I can overcome my inertia. Has any Acutex-ian tried the Saturn V headshell? It may not fit the 4XX series; it was made for the late 3XX series. |
Lew, mine too sat in the box for months because of some (not all) underwhelming remarks. My experience so far proves, once again, that even the cognoscenti are mistaken at times; especially when they are not patient enough to allow for proper break-in. As has been pointed out, however, there appears to be a special synergy between this cart and linear tracking arms. I encourage you to try it, and please report back with your findings. |
Hi all, I'm a big fan pof the ET2 modded even though I dont run it, went to unipivot primarily to get rid of pumps etc. You have to read the thread in WBF, I simply cannot believe the sheer ignorance of many of the contributors, the worst being Astor and Lavigne. Not much hope for credible audio reviews from these folk. These guys are idiots and I doubt much of their gear is set up correctly from their lack of understanding of basic physics. http://www.whatsbestforum.com/showthread.php?5653-Linear-tracking-Turntables! PS If you have low tolerance levels dont bother reading it. Make sure you have your sense of humour on board. |
Hi Lew – I didnt expect to see u here based on your aversion to tonearms with pumps, tubing , etc… Welcome to the thread. As an aficionado of Direct Drive turntables that you are, I present this ET2 setup just for you. BTW-This setup looks familiar to me :^) ? I agree with Frogman and say go ahead and put the the Acutex 420 on your….. DV505. But be patient, do setup one day, take a rest on 2nd day, on the third day find maybe something nice. It was a difficult cartridge to set up on a pivot arm for me. It required a lot of patience. Now I realize for some with 50+ MM cartridges “patience” represents an eternity. Some of you I have learned very recently go through multiple headshell / cartridge changes - per LP side ! BTW - I have tried the 420 in a JMW 12, DV505 and FR64s. To me the 420 being a very "undamped" cartridge is a good test of wires, grounding, as well as energy transfer. I said on the MM thread to also put it on a tall aluminium pole in your backyard. You may be able to pickup some Balkan radio with it ? Dover – do you know who the Kharma fellow is ? – would love for him to join here. I share his thoughts on antiskate, but definitely not his experience level - just on Post #101. Kharma on WBF re: Dover's previous link. "Please note that I have not mentioned skating forces. But, I should because skating force summarizes the problems with a pivoted design. I have owned and operated professional audio repair shops for 13 years. During this time I examined thousands of styli under a purpose designed stylus microscope. I examined every stylus that came into my shop. Without exception I could identify if the stylus was used on a pivoted arm or on a linear arm. The stylus wear on those used on pivoted arms was always non-symmetrical due to poorly compensated skating force. And skating force is ALWAYS poorly compensated because there is no single value that works due to the fact that skating force is constantly changing because of friction due to groove modulation. OTH, the wear on styli that have spent their lives on linear arms, even cheap ones, is always symmetrical. This is obvious under the microscope. My customers were always amazed when I showed them these results.” This is fascinating info. An eye opener. What knowledge this fellow must have. If he sees this please share your knowledge here. The other fellow seemed to be apparently be trying to run high pressure on an original regular manifold ET2 - from just the info available on the thread anyway. A big no no… |
Frogman, I become very greedy and bought 4 of those 420 carts but was devasteted by Raul's comment. To get rid of them I used your (first positive) comment in my listing... I forget the first rule for any component whatever: listen first for yourself. I am happy to mention that I still own the last one. But to avoid any injustice to Raul I need also to mention that all (other) carts he recommended and I bought are exactly as he described them. So my quess is that his 420 specimen was defective. BTW I sold the one with 'your recommendation' for $200 to Vic from Transfi Audio , the producer of Transfi rim drive TT and 'Terminator' linear tonearm. He was so impressed that he also bought one more from but this one for 200 Euro. So, in some sense, I made a huge profit thanks to Raul. Regards, |
Ct, Long ago I decided to take the ascetic route as regards a few basic principles in my audio system: (1) No air bearing SL tonearms, because of the fuss involved and the ugly accessories needed. (2) No bi- or tri-amplification and therefore no multi-speaker ensemble. (See above for why.) (3) No subwoofer. (See also above.) (4) No 2-box CD system, one single box CDP only. Of course, observing these mandates led to a gigantic pair of ESLs, huge monoblock tube amplifiers that require two AC cords, each, and a preamp requiring a large extra chassis for its power supply. Not to mention those turntables that I forgot to make a rule about. And a car battery to run my CDP. I gotta admit, the Terminator (but not the ET2) has me sorely tempted to break rule #1. |
Ct0517, What interested me, or should I say piqued me, was the comments on lack of bass with ET2. I have run and listened to extensively the ET2 on the following TT's - Sota/Sota Star/Roksan/Townsend/Goldmund Studio/Technics SP10mk3/Final Audio. I was clearly getting more bass extension with some decks than others with the same cartridge/system, which tells me that the ET2 was not the limiting factor in bass extension. With some of the TT's the bass notes would "flat spot", in other words organ and double bass notes rather than go down further down the scale, the lowest notes would play incorrectly. |
Dear Nandric, I am still waiting for my commission for the use of that endorsement :-) ****I forget the first rule for any component whatever: listen first for yourself**** Aha! How true; nothing like listening for ourselves. I find most descriptions of equipment somewhat lacking. A comment that cartridge X is "better" than cartridge Z is not very helpful unless the listeners' tastes are identical and they have very similar systems. I have tremendous respect for Raul's ears and for his contributions. I don't think it would be doing any "injustice" to mention that I have disagreed with a couple of his assessments (at least in part). The Andante and the ATML170 are two that come to mind, and highlight how important personal sonic priorities are. Realistic (to me) dynamics is probably what I am most sensitive to. The Andante is very good in the dynamics department but I find it lacking in midrange timbre faithfulness. The AT does almost everything extremely well, but I find it to be dynamically polite. The Acutex has the "alive" quality of the Andante (and more), and the superior timbre, staging, and bass reach of the AT, while possessing a very direct quality instead of the AT's "always pretty" quality. Yet, Raul wasn't impressed. Perhaps you are correct that his sample was defective. Raul, if you are listening please chime in. Likewise, since you still own one sample please give us your impressions; but do give the cartridge some time to settle. You are fond of colloquialisms and sayings. And since "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery", I will end with: Regards and enjoy the M(M)usic. :-) |
Dover – I just now realized I may have put you in an awkward position asking for impressions on a general forum. My impatience in the interest of your findings. From your posts, you are in a rare position in this hobby with your product experience level . I have included my email in a recent post if you would like to share info that way or here for the others. Now without having heard any of those TT’s in your list I can say, based on my own experiences. This has been said already here but is worth repeating. The ET2 needs to be level with the platter and remain so. The air delivery and spindle must also be isolated from air turbulence, moisture and structure feedback. Introducing “any” TT that increases the risk of movement, vibrations, turbulence, structure feedback is asking for trouble and will be easily heard sonically in the ET2 as a problem. Whether as distortion, sibilance, or lack of HF LF extension, or if really bad not able to track. Any problem where the groove is not tracked properly. Hence sprung turntables or TT’s with add on’s (pumps that need babysitting) - increase risk of movement with an ET2. Likewise any rigid table (being more prone to structure feedback on its own) introduces the possibility of structure feedback. Pump design (air turbulence). My first ET2 was on a sprung VPI HW19 IV and it was a PITA until the suspension was defeated. My SP10 set up is very easily affected by structure feedback. With that my Verdier has a pneumatic suspension but it is stiff enough that the arm is not affected. The turntable has stayed level since I have owned it. I’ve seen some very heavy arms mounted on this table so the ET2 is a piece of cake. As a point of interest to ET2 owners I have emailed with JC Verdier a number of times. As a Frenchman he could not recognize the ET2.5 in the pictures I sent him, but was impressed with what he saw of its construction. Therefore looking at your list based on what I have said – I could probably study how the TT’s are made and come up with my own preferred top 6 list if I was shopping for a TT for my ET2 tonearm. You have however not given any details on the pump setup or whether it was a regular or HP ET2 model. Cheers |
I thought this would be of interest regarding power hits and LP playing. We have been enduring the hottest summer I can remember. There have been a few power hits due to demand and storms. We had a power hit on a beautiful but very hot day this past Saturday. I happened to be playing LP's. I always knew I had some time with the air bearing tonearm due to the pump design but never tested or actually experienced it going out before. The Timeter pump lets out PSI gradually. Like a balloon letting its air out slowly. I have about 12 seconds to lift the arm before it reaches a low enough PSI to actually start skipping (just under 2-3 psi). The Verdier will continue to spin for about 25 seconds when the motor is shut off. The JN Lenco spins for just under 20 seconds. The SP10 MKII is dead on power out :^( Cheers |
Dear Frogman, Your 'complaint' remind me of this story. A satisfied client to his lawyer:'dear sir I have no idea how to thank you.' The lawyer: 'dear sir since humans invented money this no problem at all.' Not sure why but all my acquaintaces enjoy in partucular to tell ME such lawyer tales. Well I expressed my indebtedness to you already but I had no idea that you are also a lawyer. As such you should know that an demand or claim needs at least some legal foundation. Otherwise I would be able to demand from Chris to lend me his beloved ET2 for a month or two. Regards, |
Otherwise I would be able to demand from Chris to lend me his beloved ET2 for a month or two. Nikola – Be careful what you wish for. You are a very witty and brilliant minded person. I get that just from reading your posts here and emails. I am no match for you. Now if you read my OP you will see that I am on my 10th year now with this tonearm and I am “still figuring it out”. So what makes you think you can figure it all out in 2 months ? That’s pretty bold I must say. Now understand “figuring it out” to me means making it as best as possible. Oh sure just setting it up and getting it working is no problem and even on a boring old aquarium pump. I even have one that you can barely hear that can even stay in the same room next to it with a filter for moisture. But there is so much that can be done here to optimize sonics and customize it. Imagine being able to change your wiring out in 10 minutes for copper, silver, whatever, tuning the arm for different cartridge compliances. magnetic damping, etc…. I take the important clues from our friend Geoch, that when buying an audio product look for those that give you access to the critical areas that can be improved. Those are the genius designs. BTW Geoch put out a couple of really good posts recently here (I thought) on how to optimize a pivot arm and very few on the thread seemed to show any interest :^( yet…. http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?eanlg&1309722499&&&/Graham-Phantom-II-12-quot;-dimensions-an Here’s my deal for you only as I recognize these arms were not common there. JC Verdier as I said had no clue what tonearm I was using on his table. I will send you my second ET2 tonearm – the 2.0 HP Version to use for a couple of months. If you commit to two things. 1) Read the manual. If you can get through the manual you will know you are a candidate for this tonearm. 2) Commit to getting a proper air supply system that will give her the air quality she needs to run a good race. The Olympics are on TV. I run everyday so the running events I am more interested in. BTW tell me this is not cool. Just for today however, Google's Aug 7th homepage. http://www.google.com The ET2 tonearm is like a long distance runner. The tonearm itself is the body and lungs. The Pump is the heart with the tubing being the veins. Success and optimization with this tonearm for me has been 40 % proper setup and 60 % air delivery system. Improve the condition of the heart (pump) and just like the runner the ET2 improves. BTW - There are some out there that have custom 50 PSI ET2 models. The problem as I see it is that Bruce is a really low profile guy. He is the type of guy that never felt the need to put words like “Supreme” on his tonearms. In fact unless you measure the spindle or are familiar with the tonearm to notice the larger spindle, you will not know which model you have. Those with 50 PSI models if they sold them, the new owners probably don’t know what they have. Have you seen his subwoofer Nikola. Did you realize that Bruce made the first true subwoofer. http://www.rotarywoofer.com/ Ok so the offer is out with everyone here as a witness. The manual can be found here Nikola in two parts. Again be careful what you wish for. http://www.eminent-tech.com/main.html Ready, set , go … Just a fan, and this tonearm is just a tool in an overall system. |
Dear Chris, Your willingness to lend me your ET2 is moving but you ruined my argument 'against' Frogman. The reight response should be : nobody has the right to DEMAND anything without ,uh, some legal fundation. We are talking about lawyers not about tonearms. However your kindness is also suspect with all those warnings regarding the pressuposed knowledge and experience . I feel as if I need to get a degree in mechanical engineering first before I can handle the complexity and the sensitivity of the ET2. But, you know, I was familiar with the linear tonearms befor you was probable born. In the 70is I got my first Rabco. But, as is usually the case, after some time we want 'better than the best' so after about 3 years I got the Goldmund. For this one I wish you were there with your warning: 'Be careful what you wish for!'. Your 'brilliant' co-member got the inferiority complex from this monster. The first time in my HIFI life that an component made me cry and certainly not from joy. Then I promissed to my self never ever to mess with linear arms. As a kind of 'sweet revenge' I now own 7 pivoted tonearms. Regards, |
Cheers Nikola Your willingness to lend me your ET2 is moving but you ruined my argument 'against' Frogman. The reight response should be : nobody has the right to DEMAND anything without ,uh, some legal fundation. I realize that as you are a lawyer, you develop a script of dialogue (like a play), and if things go according to plan you run through the script as expected with a good result. But I have a confession to make. I am pretty good at ruining arguments as I have spent 25 years doing project management. I am a PmP. That’s not short for PIMP. I wish it was. That way I could make everyone happy. PM’ing does not follow logic all the time because the clients are not always logical, like the justice system. Now the business I am in also concentrates on preparing clients for a worst case scenario. So over the years these processes have become ingrained in me. My views definitely represent extreme ones as far as been careful and preplanning for sure. My family have made me aware of this a few times. No you don’t need to be a mechanical engineer with the ET2. This is really no different than bringing in any new appliance into the house "that actually works". All the instructions are the same for all of them. After you unpack, the manuals always start with similar language. "Read the installation and operating instructions first." Lets be honest here - how many actually do that ? Therein lies the problem. Offer stands open just for you – I will let Frogman and yourself get back to the lawyer stuff now. |
Dear Chris, My argument which you quoted was meant for Frogman not you. I wanted to avoid any payment to him based on his copyright, alias the intellectual property on his writings. I used his comment about the 420 in this thread to get a good price for my 420 listing. We both made jokes about this so the real question is who was more funny. To be witty is more difficult than to adjust whatever tonearm. There is no garantee for succes in advance so the only thing one can do is try. But I can see your point regarding your own profession. If one start with the 'worst case scenario' any other outcome will be regarded as success. In this 'scenario' I don't see any difference between your and my profession. Kind regards, |