Why will no other turntable beat the EMT 927?

Bear in mind that the BBC used to employ the highly regarded idler drive Gates turntable before switching to the Technics SP10. The Technics was seen as more reliable and maintenance free but I don’t recall anyone saying it sounded better than the Gates.

Yes, these new recent Technics decks improve the phenomenal specs (speed stability and rumble etc) even further into the realm of Sci-Fi but perhaps turntable design was as already good as it ever needed to be by 1970!

Perhaps someone could do an original SP10 v new SP10 to confirm this? Or perhaps there’s no need! 

Anyway let’s not forget that many of the so-called audiophile decks that followed couldn’t get anywhere near to the specs achieved by the Technics and a few others.


*Here's a link to an interesting review of an SP10 mk2 by none other than British DJ Kenny Everett from Studio Sound dated September 1977!

https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Studio-Sound.htm

(<9mb PDF Studio Sound September 1977)

Most my age have heard the SP-10...many times.  No one will ever argue that it isn’t a fine table, but it will never deliver the Pace-Pitch-Power of a 927.  Even the lesser Duals, Garrard, and Lencos with idler drive display this quality.  But when you’re talking about broadcast built tables, EMT , Gates and  Russco Studio can’t be matched.  
Honestly, everything about the table, from the actuation of the speed selectors, to the feel of the spinning platter let you know that what you are using is something very special.  It’s such and impressive machine.   Then there is the music, you never knew you vinyl could convey such emotion.  Even with modest tone arms and cartridges the results are stellar.

N.

recently i’ve acquired a Saskia model two idler. the Saskia model two has a 180 pound one piece slate plinth, a 40 pound platter, and uses a 3 phase Pabst motor designed to run large film reels for colorizing film for days on end in a commercial application.

i’ve heard a nice EMT 927....but it’s been a couple of years. without having them side by side with the same arm and cartridge it’s hard to know what exactly would happen, my sense is that the Saskia goes farther down the road with the same 927 strengths, and adds a lower noise floor, much greater detail and textures, and more expansive sound stage.

ultra tonal density, phenomenal flow, rock solid sustains and explosive dynamics are fundamental to the Saskia model two. i have a 1/2" Studer A-820 in my system which has a similar type presentation. nuff said.

it’s crazy good and i love to listen to it.

@mikelavigne, "ultra tonal density" and similar presentation to a Studer A-820?

Wow! Sounds like the Saskia 2 could be another 'forgotten' product that should be more familiar to us. 

Sometimes I wonder whether the press deliberately treats us like sheep merely leading us from fashion to fashion. I remember when I first got into audio (mid 80s) and how direct drive was totally out of fashion. Idler drive fared even worse, seemingly a totally taboo relic of the past in the eyes of the UK press.

Thankfully forums like this can rectify some of this neglect. You no longer have to spend decades finding your way around since readily available shared knowledge and experience in this hobby can take you a long way towards sonic satisfaction.

@cd318, thank you for your comments.

and i hope you noticed i specified '1/2"' A-820. i have three A-820's and the 1/2" is pretty much as good as reproduced sound can get.

FYI; the Saskia model two is not a vintage product; my particular example was brand new in 2016. the Saskia was first built in 2007-2008. the builder is Win Tinnon, who’s moniker is Mosin over many audiophile forums.

and if you are a patient sort of person and don’t mind spending a few dollars (it’s not cheap but to my mind an excellent value in performance terms) Win could build one for you.

but no doubt that the Saskia is under the radar and you would have to have been paying attention to know about it. there was never any marketing or dealers.

i did know Win, and heard the Saskia two times at audio shows. it was always in systems that did not allow it to fully strut its stuff, but still it was easy to hear it was something very special. maybe the ultimate idler ever. until i got it into my room a month ago and let it loose i did not realize what it was capable of.