Why According to some Turntable extremists Pitch Control and Direct Drive is Sacrilege?

Dear @alexberger : As the Sp10MK2 the EMT 950 was designed for studio/radio stations of those old times and designed to fulfill the studio/radio stations needs.

One of those needs was that the TTs been ready for a roughly/hard 7/24 kind of work with out almost no maintenance and with very fast start/stop function.

But those " machines " truly fulfill an audiophile needs ? certainly not.

All SP10MK2 owners ( including me. ) already made several changes in those TTs because were not designed thinking in home audio systems.

In the case of the 950 even its specs are not something  extraordinary but very similar to a mid or low-fi belt drive units with  speed stbility  around +,- 0.1%, w&f  0.05% and around 70db in signl to noise rtio. The Technics has better specs but specs does not says the whole " history ".
Additional to that the 959 included tonearm is a balanced design where the VTF set through a "ringing/resonant " spring tension that at studio/radio stations no one cares about because in that kind of job they were not looking for the penultimate quality listening level performance that it is what a true expert audiophile is looking for.

I owned two true audiophile tonearms balanced designs that did not comes with that normal string tension mechanism: the MS MAX 282 and the Lustre GST 801, both true audiophile items designed for the home audio system needs.

I posted before that a good audio system set up/build mainly belongs to the audiophile/owner knowledge levels and skills before money and of course that if that audiophile has the rigth knowledge levels and skills along more money then he can improve the overall home/room audio system quality performance.

I own both drive TT designs and for me rhythm is as important as for you and I can tell you that with DD or BD I achieve  a very good rhythm levels.

That characteristic does not belongs in exclusive to any TT drive system and depends on each one of us quality level set up.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.

I had Nottingham Analog Specedeck for 8 year and I have EMT 948 since 2011.The difference in sound quality is huge for EMT.

I have a friend who had: EMT 948, MicroSeiki belt drive and Technicks SP10mk2. He liked EMT and MicroSeiki, but didn’t like Technicks.

Other my friend a flute soloist sold his Sota belt drive for EMT950.

So called, home market equipment made today in garage is designed by mediocre engineers, who don’t have enough education and talent to work in Hi-Tech.
In 30x-70x the best engineers worked in audio industry, like today in Hi-Tech.
Studer, EMT, Klangfilm professional audio equipment is state of art of German engineering and better than any equipment designed and made in Japan. 


Regards,
Alex.

Dear @alexberger : I had no " true " experiences qith your Notthingham TT but I listened the EMT 939 and 950 a studio room. I can say nothing to die for, just another TT.

Btw, 948 at least in specs is even worst than the 950, at least in w&f with 0.75%

Now, as I said all depends of the room/system quality level whole set up.

In the other way your firends references are only that references of what kind of " distortions " like more.

EMT as Technics or Denon are very well regarded TTs that were designed for radio stations/broadcasting that between other things works inside limited frequency range and in those old times the radio stations whole equipment was of " bad " quality " performance against 20 years latter on.

That EMT tonearm only degrades the cartridge signal is not up to the task of the quality level a true expert audiophile is asking for and neither the TT it self.

Your flute friend could be a reference if he is a true expert audiophile that understand the room/system limitations. Additional a musician normally " suffer " of higher ears damages that the ones are not musicians. Nort only for the high SPL he was and is exposed but that frequency range of the flute instrument that sooner or latter makes a heavy ears listening degradation.

What I like or you like is our own privilege and it’s not under questioning but what we like does not means we are " rigth " because we can be wrong !


""" home market equipment made today in garage is designed by mediocre engineers, who don’t have enough education and talent to work in Hi-Tech . """

very harsh statement for say the least.

I will give you some examples that are facts that your statement is untrue:

remember Goldmund smal company? well was founded by physics students ia a " garage " and after a while they put in the market an even today statement TT item: the Goldmund Reference. Even today very hard to beat and certainly not by EMT vintage units.

Not many years ago A.payor marketed another today statement TT: the Rockport Sirius that you or me only can dream to own it. Well, was another kind of " garage " item.

Another is the today great TT designed by @jtinn : NVS by Wave Kinetics that according your explanation is a " garage " item.

By coincidence @mikelavigne owned the Rockpot unit and owns the NVS and I hope he can has the time to chime about. I can't be sure rigth now but if I remember  @mikelavigne owned the Goldmund Reference too ! ?

I’m totally sure that no one of those designers are " mediocre " engineers as you posted.


""" professional audio equipment is state of art of German engineering and better than any equipment designed and made in Japan . ""

state of the art engennering does not belongs to any country in exclusive way.

In the elctronics industry Matushita is the biggest tech group in the world and it’s a japanese enterprise where Technics belongs.

The Technics EPA 100MK2 tonearm is still today state of the art piece of enginnering with ( even today tonearm designs. ) uniques in the whole audio analog industry like the build material used: Boron, like the unique damping mechanism, like that very low bearing friction of lower than 5mg when in your beloved EMT tonearm goes to 50mg: is this one your state of the art engineering?

very harsh statements you posted with no single foundation or facts that serve as foundation of it.

I respect your opinion but totally disagree.

Btw, do you know that if I.Newton does not existed E=mc2 does not existed neither?


We live in an universal world.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.


PS.: What do you think of this japanese TT design? do you think can compete with your germany items or even better which german TT do you thik outperforms it and why?:


http://www.thevintageknob.org/micro_seiki-SZ-1.html

Oh come on raul. That is a piece of garbage:)

Hi @rauliruegas ,
Yes, I know that EMT tonearms are not a "state of art" as well their phonostages both tube and transistors.
But their TT (except models: 928 and 938) and cartridges are really very good.
EMT950 and EMT948 where on the same market at the same time with Technics SP10mk2.
Why studios and radio stations that have enough money bought EMT that where 2 times more expansive?
Similar, why studios who have enough money bought Studer tape recorders and not Tascam and Otari?
You can’t judge these turntables by datasheet measurement. These measurements can be done different. Measurements in audio is a very complicated topic.
I know many people (who had many different and expansive Hi-End turntables) use and like idler drive and DD EMT turntables.

Bottom line, we all have a different tests.

Despite I listen mostly jazz and classical music, for my test, even best belt drive TTs sound too soft and too polite. If I had extra money I would go for nice idler drive like modified Garrard 301 or EMT 930 and I would leave my EMT948 as the second TT.

Every year I go to Montreal Audio Fest. I also heard "main stream" Hi-End systems in dealer show rooms and at people home. I also had Dynaudio speakers and Plinius integrated amplifier and I haply rid of from this stuff.
I can differently say, "main stream" Hi-End like: Dynaudio, Focal, B&W, Wilson Audio, Krell, Mark Levinson, Plinius ... - is not my cup of tee.
I like good hi-sensitive speakers and I like speakers with a good tone, like: Harbeth, Spendor Clasics, Qued ESL57.

Regards,
Alex.