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

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.

Alex. They bought the EMT 950 because it ran backwards. It is still a crappy TT for audiophile use. I think you meant tastes. It is not a matter of taste. A good turntable should do nothing but spin records. No rumble, no wow or flutter and no sound of its own. Every time I hear about a turntable sounding like this or that my eyes cross. A turntable should sound like nothing. The only thing you should be listening to is the cartridge. 
There is a reason that the best turntables made use belt drive. It is the straightest path to the right result. It allows you to isolate the bearing as a separate entity and design it for the lowest rumble. As soon as you put a motor around it things get much more complicated. Having a bunch of electromagnetic stuff going on under your cartridge is never a good idea.
The Japanese are artists at making a simple proposal as complicated as possible. How many buttons on that remote do you actually use? They are wonderful at making small intricate things like cameras but when it comes to mundane tasks like spinning a record simplest is usually best.
To those guys who like old turntables like TD 124s or the Garrards, anything with an idler wheel, you need to improve the bass response of your systems. I am all for nostalgia but those turntables rumble like express trains. They are the reason belt drive came into being. They had no way of changing speed without a stepped pulley. Now we can do it electronically so there is absolutely no reason to add another bearing and a rubber wheel that will never stay round. They are Tim Burton's idea of what a turntable should be. They are museum pieces. 
Alex, just because you like Qued ESL57s I'll have to admit you have good taste in speakers.

Hi @mijostyn ,

You never have listened EMT950 or EMT948 in you live.
How can you judge it?
I know that most of EMT collectors who have in their collection EMT927 (the best idler drive turntable ever built) prefer sound of EMT950. Because 950 is more accurate.

ALL vinyl record lacquers disc (from 70x up today) are cut by DD turntable machines. Older lacquer where cut by worm-gear turntable machines. So, in any case you listen hated by you DD when you listen you records :-)

I know there are a very few EMT turntable in North America. As result, US and Canadian audiophile don’t have any idea about these turntables sound. All their experience base on guesses and fairy tails.
But, on other hand, EMT turntable are very popular in Europe, Japan and Russia. And they are very appreciated in these countries.

Regards,
Alex.