Why will no other turntable beat the EMT 927?

Finding neutrality is like finding the mythical Unicorn. I mean it is more an abstract concept than something real. For example, just listening to live music and moving around the room, concert hall or even outside venue the sound changes. Suppose you could get your favorite singer to stand in your listening room and belt out a tune. It isn't going to be the same thing as the record because the artist's studio sound is completely different from your room. Afterall, our hifi's are supposed to recreate the ambience of the recording. So now suppose you get to stand in the studio while your favorite singer performs. The recording engineer is in an isolated chamber hearing the performance through some studio monitors. (That's how I perceive it; but I have never been to a studio). How much comparison does the recording engineer compare the live voice to his mix down? What if they adjust timber of the singers voice a bit. So at best, neutrality is a comparison between systems or components and becomes a subjective judgment like everything else.

Unless you really want one there's no reason for you to get it, between your 927 and 8000 you're fully covered. As a dealer I have to get one. The time I spent with it at CES convinced me of its exceptional qualities but I can't draw final conclusions until I have it sitting in my room with its various platters. Their new pump system is superior to the 8000's and will have sonic benefits, how much is to be seen. My reference arm is also the 3012, I even cut my 927 to fit one.

There's nothing cheap or plastic about this table, it has a gorgeous build and IMO a very attractive design. Yes it's not the utilitarian beauty of the others but its still very attractive. My only gripe is that you're limited to two arms and only one long one. It's disappointing at this level. Will keep you posted with more when it arrives.

Unless you really want one there's no reason for you to get it, between your 927 and 8000 you're fully covered. As a dealer I have to get one. The time I spent with it at CES convinced me of its exceptional qualities but I can't draw final conclusions until I have it sitting in my room with its various platters. Their new pump system is superior to the 8000's and will have sonic benefits, how much is to be seen. My reference arm is also the 3012, I even cut my 927 to fit one.

There's nothing cheap or plastic about this table, it has a gorgeous build and IMO a very attractive design. Yes it's not the utilitarian beauty of the others but its still very attractive. My only gripe is that you're limited to two arms and only one long one. It's disappointing at this level. Will keep you posted with more when it arrives.

And they don't have manufacturing capabilities to produce something like the 927 or the 930. Manufacturing at that level is a huge undertaking and given today's costs it would be price prohibitive for a minuscule audiophile market.

We're talking about nuances and perspectives in musicality here, much easier to demonstrate than write about. In the purest sense I would say that the American Sound is the most neutral and Natural. Yes a live concert is the ultimate experience and you'd be surprised how much of that Real experience exists in good recordings and tts like the 927 will bring it to you.

Differences between these tts isn't a matter of coloration but perspective. It's the same as sitting in different locations in a concert hall or club. Your insight and emotional experience will change accordingly. We're not the same and we will relate differently to the same experience. You'll notice that regular concert goers have their favorite seats and will change them at times depending on performance or mood. Try it some time, go to a concert hall visit the same performance, start in the orchestra half way center hall and then move to a side balcony box close to the front and change again to a center balcony box in the same or other floor. You'll have a distinctly different sound and musical experience in each location. Even moving seats in the same box from front to rear changes things. Is any location more neutral or Real? They're all Real just different but you might prefer one location best and that's how I see these tables, different versions of the Real. Airforce One allows further tweaking of your favorite seat. When I lived in NY I used to go to Carnegie Hall on a regular basis, 4 to 6 times a month during the season and I had my favorite seats. My preferred seat was in the orchestra, center hall about 2/3rds from the front. The sound was almost always, sweet and full bodied, glorious like the EMT 927 if you want. My other regular seat was 1st floor balcony, 2nd box stage right and one of the two front seats. The sound was somewhat dry and detailed easy to focus and hear the individual instruments, more Micro Seikish if you want. Same Real but different perspectives. The American Sound somehow gives you both and supposedly with the Airforce you can get one or the other perspective by changing platters. I hope this will help clarify some of the confusing.
david