Anyone ever used an ET-2 tonearm?

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nathanm

Anyone ever used an ET-2 tonearm?
« on: 28 Apr 2003, 05:58 pm »
The conceptual allure of tangential tracking arms and the claim of reduced  tracking distortion continues to eat at the corners of my mind.  I wondered if anyone has had experience with the ET-2 arm by Eminent Technology or similar parallel arms?  I'm wondering if they are a headache to adjust and if they need constant tweaking or not.  Do the benefits outweigh the tweaky factor?  I must admit the air pump will probably be a source of annoyance, but damn they just seem so freaking cool.

michael w

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Anyone ever used an ET-2 tonearm?
« Reply #1 on: 24 May 2003, 11:54 am »
hi nathanm;

I used a SOTA/ET2 combo briefly back in the late 80s.

In hindsight the SOTA table was not really the best platform as the ET's high moving mass was enough to unsettle the SOTA's suspension during play and induce speed instabilities. But at the time there were no alternatives.

So avoid floppy spring suspensions.
It really needs a totally stable platform like a VPI HW-19.

It was nicely made and as long as it was installed properly, very easy to setup.
The large VTA guage made that adjustment a doodle.
Azimuth was trickier as there was almost no movement available.

Maintenance was minimal ...just keep the bearing tube clean,avoid any kinks in the airline etc.
I didn't have the setup long enough for any major problems to develop.

The real headaches come with the servo controlled arms like the Goldmund T3/T5s, full of wanky electronics just waiting to breakdown and drive their poor owner crazy.

Peformance of the ET at the time was nothing short of amazing.
Nice  frequency extension at both ends, a huge soundstage and imaging that was very good but lacking the exceptional clarity and sharpness of a really good pivoted arm the old Alphason HR-100 or Syrinx PU-3.

Today given the choice of a tangential tracker or pivoted arm, I would probably take the simpler option and go for a pivoted arm on a non-suspended table. The best pivoted arms are more than the equal of any tangential arm.


cheerio

Tonto Yoder

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Anyone ever used an ET-2 tonearm?
« Reply #2 on: 24 May 2003, 12:31 pm »
nathan,
Stereophile reviewed the ET arms but they don't seem to reprint those articles on the website. Don't know if it'd be worthwhile ordering a back issue (or maybe buying someone's stash of old mags from eBay).

Hey michael,
welcome to audiocircle.
Tonto

michael w

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Anyone ever used an ET-2 tonearm?
« Reply #3 on: 24 May 2003, 12:46 pm »
Thanks TY,

I stumbled into this site through a link on AA.

 :D

nathanm

Anyone ever used an ET-2 tonearm?
« Reply #4 on: 24 May 2003, 10:03 pm »
Thanks for the input Michael!  I would probably need to get a whole different turntable if I wanted to go the tangential route, and the setup I have now has already cost me so much.  (Michell Gyro SE w\RB600 and Benz ACE cart) I really wanna wave the flag for vinyl, but the bare fact is that it's loaded with far more distortion than CDs, especially in the treble and louder parts.  I dunno, maybe I just have bad luck with used albums.  I also might be exaggerating the problems too.  For the most part it does sound great.

michael w

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Anyone ever used an ET-2 tonearm?
« Reply #5 on: 25 May 2003, 01:58 am »
Hi nathanm,

A friend has a similar setup to yours; Gyrodec/RB300/Benz Glider and it sounds pretty good.

Forget using anything like an ET on it though.

Treble and distortion during the loud bits could be a number of things from poor records, improper cartridge alignment and maintenance to poor phono stage matching.

I recently had some bad HF from my Well Tempered/Sumiko BPS.
Turned out the cartridge was in need of a good fluxbusting.

To close here's another tangential tracker to dream about    :wink:

http://www.dnaudio.com/Tan.htm


cheerio

nathanm

Anyone ever used an ET-2 tonearm?
« Reply #6 on: 25 May 2003, 05:23 am »
Makes me wonder why don't they just make it easier on everyone and make cutting lathes with pivoted armatures?  Sheesh!

Tonto Yoder

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Anyone ever used an ET-2 tonearm?
« Reply #7 on: 25 May 2003, 06:29 am »
Did you see this completed auction on eBay??  Interesting not only for the final price but the item description.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3024693008&category=3283