EMT turntables as good as other great vintage TT?

Hello Broederen,

The BBC EMT's used moving magnet carts, not the EMT MC carts. Our deck is entirely original, and I intend to keep it that way. As EMT did not make MM carts, we are using a moving iron cartridge from Soundsmith, which we represent. The amplification is of course the original EMT 950 amplification. OMA (Oswaldsmill Audio) also makes idler and direct drive turntables using slate as a plinth material, and a full line of tube electronics, from phonostage to power amplifiers. I'm sure you will find our website easily with any search. At the Dumbo space which I'm hoping to open in April (we already have our Soho Showroom open) all four of our horn systems will be available for audition as well.

Regarding other posters asking about plinths, as for the EMT 948, although OMA has made many slate plinths for nearly every idler and professional level direct drive turntable, about the only brand we refuse to make a plinth for is the EMT. None of the EMT decks was designed for use in a high mass plinth, and the EMT 950, for example, has an extreme low mass platter, even though the overall deck weighs several hundred pounds. The idea of trying to redesign or improve on the performance of an EMT is ludicrous. You either like the sound or you don't, but you are not going to make it better with a plinth from the usual suspects.

Jonathan
Oswaldsmill Audio

I've got an EMT 948 that I originally played "naked" / without a plinth and it sounded great. I later built a plywood, in this case premium oak plywood, plinth- 23W x 22D x 7.5H which the 948 drops into. There is a rim around the perimeter of the 948 with a small tubular rubber gasket which is in about 1/2 inch from the outside edge. The unit was designed to be placed into the dedicated metal stand for studio use. So- a drop-in perimeter mount, at least for the 948, is the way EMT designed the table to be operated. My 948 sounded noticeably better in the plinth. BTW- I'm replacing my plinthed 948 w/ Reed 2A tonearm with a new direct drive table whose price is SUBSTANTIALLY more than the EMT. The new table will be here in a couple of months and the EMT will be up for sale. If anyone has an interest in the 948 let me know.

Jweiss: I totally disagree. Fbhifi is correct. The EMT 948 is designed to drop in and hang. A purpose built plinth allows the turntable to work more the way it was designed.

Whoever has an EMT I suggest you should try the new Tondosen from EMT-Studiotechnik GmbH. What a difference to the old carts. Go for a TSD 15 lzi or for an Anniversary TSD 15. It is worth a try and I promise you will not believe any people anymore stating always that EMT carts are not Top Notch.

The 950 was fitted as general rule with MC boards.

MC boards were the standard (EMT did not produce any MM cartridges)

Clients that used MM boards used various MM cartridge makes (various solutions to adapt load to specifics)

The 950's that host MM boards are of a lesser value than those with the MC ones. Often studios sold their 950s without the MC board replacing it with MM one, keeping the MC ones...

For the "reference" points:

The equalizer amplifier consists of 3 circuit boards:

Amplifier supply board 7 950 037
Equalizer amplifier 7 950 038 / 088
Line amplifier 7 950 039

The version of the equalizer amplifier (038 or 088) depends on the pick up to be used:

MC: 7 950 038 version is equipped with two input transformers (haufe) to be used with MC pick ups (EMT T-series).

MM: 7 950 088 This version has no transformers, input impedance 47 kOhms. It is to be used with MM pick ups.

As we all know the boards are interchangable without need of any adjustment short of VTA/VTF...as the MM carts may not have the same height/weight as the T range (all same height and weight).

All fun!