Why will no other turntable beat the EMT 927?

Dear Thuchan, I have never seen an EMT 927 in the flesh or even up for sale anywhere in the USA. So, it is unlikely I will ever get the opportunity to hear one, let alone buy one.  And then if you buy one, you need to know the right sorcerers (probably in Germany) to bring it back to life, such as you have done.  But it does seem that you have here voted for the EMT 927 over the Caliburn, in the context of your latest post. 

Dear Lewm,
There are some 927 in the US. Recently I just got information from a friend who aquired one from a studio in Illinois. Of course you need a good restoring shop - but there should be some too. So there is hope 😉.
You're right on the sorcerers in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands.
The R80 and the Continuum are two different animals. I enjoy the Criterion very much. Nevertheless - and here you are right again - the EMT is my favourite.

This thread has caused me to read all I can find about these EMT turntables, specifically the 927 and 930. Like Lewm, I doubt that I will ever have the opportunity to actually hear one, but they do have an extensive following around the world, so maybe I will have the good fortune to hear one someday somewhere. I am somewhat skeptical about any turntable declared the best that is also unobtainable, since its greatness can't be widely verified.

Over the years, I have collected nice representatives of the various design approaches to turntables. For direct drive, my prize is the Krebs-modified Technics SP 10 MK 3 resting in the Porter panzerholz plinth; for idler drive, a nicely restored and heavily modified Thorens TD 124; and for belt drive, the Basis Debut Signature Vacuum. All of these produce great sound. The Technics is peerless in speed stability (borne out by the Sutherland Timeline moving less than an inch on a wall 24 feet away over the course of one side of a record) and casting a huge soundstage, although not as huge as the Basis. For sheer beauty of sound, I turn to the Basis. There is something magical about the Basis' ability to reproduce a concert hall in my listening room, but with a vague uneasiness about speed stability in general and more so in heavily modulated grooves, also borne out by the Timeline. The Thorens is idler driven as are the EMT tables, and the Thorens occasionally impresses me with pace and attack but little else. Although I listen mostly to classical, the Thorens has a very persuasive way with jazz. But I do love them all and play them all often; maybe the Technics a little more often than the others.

Please understand that I know the Thorens is a complete lightweight compared to the EMT tables, but I don't like the noise and vibration produced by the Thorens' drivetrain, which I believe seriously impairs the sound compared to the utterly silent drivetrains of my Technics and Basis.

I once heard the big Rockport table at the home of a well-known record producer at Sony / CBS. I will never forget that. Speed stability in the extreme and dynamics the likes of which I've never heard before nor since from a turntable. (Could the EMT do this, I wonder? Based on what I read, it could. Maybe.)

Funny story about my only encounter with an EMT. When I was a teen and audiophile, a friend who was an announcer at the local classical radio station, would let me into the control room. They used an EMT 950 (if memory serves correctly) that gave the radio station endless troubles with reliability.

I'm providing this background only to set the stage for my questions and not to provoke any debate about my own findings.

Thuchan, could you comment on the EMT's performance in the areas of noise and vibration from the drivetrain? About speed stability as measured with the Timeline? Do you think the excellence of the EMT is due in part to its wholistic design; that is table, arm, cartridge and phono preamp? I am very impressed with the "overkill" platter size and bearing size of the 927 and the huge motor which should laugh at stylus drag.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts on these questions.

Nice Post kmccarty.
I also remember my listening experiences with the Rockport Sirius III which stunned me.
Although there were problems in the lower registers (which may have been caused elsewhere in the system)....I too have never since heard the same explosive dynamics nor detail intensity from a turntable.

Dear kmccarty,

You are coming quite a good way being familiar with the idler technology as well. Having tested many DDs like Nakamichi, Sony, Micro Seiki etc. I ended up with a Denon 100 and Victor 101. For me all different drive technologies bear advantages and some downsides too.

Yes, the EMT 927/ R-80 can. It is not only a well built massive machine but also absolutely stable in speed. My R-80 does not have a felt brake which was introduced to level down the slightly overdriven speed (a planned design feature). This means you will not hear that kind of brake noise. Nevertheless the big and robust synchronous star-shaped motor makes a little noise which you don’t hear anymore when going one meter away. Additionally I am using the Dusch Multiconverter DU 937. It provides the R-80 with a variable frequency, thus controlling & adjusting the revolutions by electronic measurement. Using the Timline the stable light shows me I am keeping exately the right speed. In this way I cannot use the R-80’s inbuilt stroboscope. The DU 937 is also a high grade fine net-filter against frequency and voltage variations.

I am carefully speeding at below +3 % in the variable modus (+/- 10%) thus avoiding any vibrations by the motor. This is important, otherwise the internal phase spacer of the motor will change his working points and allow vibrations.
My EMT has not an inbuilt phono stage allowing me to use the EMT JPA 66 pre/phono pre.

Yes, the excellence derives from the wholistic design and the precise building. It is a lot of fun operating the big switches, starting the platter from the first moment while the massive table rests on the heavy and cleverly constructed suspension frame