Why will no other turntable beat the EMT 927?

Dear Kmccarty,
that sounds pretty reasonable. Are you happy with the sound or do you think there could be some improvement? Which table and arm are you using?

Dear Tuchan,

All I remember from my high school German is the survival vocabulary, somehow you never forget it.

I found what I liked a few years back and haven't found anything better and no its not Meitner. I'm not sure what you mean about boosting the dcs equipment to optimum. The recorded CD is all it can be, up sampling, adding dither, reclocking is just adding artifacts you can't improve or change that CD. Your DAC is what it is, the chip, the algorithm and the output stage isn't going to change. Master clock in a playback system such as this is pointless and a marketing gimmick. You're only adding salt & pepper. The purpose of master clock is synching multiple digital sources to multiple output channels. Here you have a single source, your transport going into the DAC, reclocking is only a game, what I'm surprised is that you find two clocks better than one, so you're reclocking the reclocked signal that doesn't need to sync with anything and liking it; that should already tell you that something is way off somewhere else.

I use the FR66s primarily with heavy Ikeda cartridges like the 9 supremo & muss. My main problem with this arm is its silver wiring, I might get it rewired one of these days and see if I like it any better. I'm spoilt by the SME-3012, love how it sounds and the ease of setup is better than any other arm that I ever tried. I can align and set up any cartridge within 10 minutes on the SME and fine tune it with music in less than half hour. The FR is a lot more time consuming for me to get it right and even then I find the 3012 sonically superior with most of the cartridges that I use.

SX-8000, how do you tune it. I understand the difference you get going from thread/inertia drive to motor drive, did you do anything else to yours?

I see that you have a Neumann cartridge, you lucked out they sound incredible, now you need to find their tonearm.

Dear Dkarmeli,

in the beginning of my digital adventure I was very sceptical about all the gimmicks you are describing: upsampling, wordclocking etc. As the dCS stuff is a real versatile system I still doubt that all users do know about the different possibilities these units offer. i don't like to know how many are using 50 Ohm bnc cables, maybe in different lengths (!) or do not use the right connectors (yes there is an impact on reflection). digital cables are a complete different issue, there are basic technical parameters to be followed but it's also more than 1/0, you may know this.

to keep it short, yes upsampling, using the right filters for the matching music makes a huge difference on sound. If you know how to handle you will be surprised about the terrific sound it can result in.

not using a master clock is giving away a good portion of the good sound.
you really need to test it. proper clocking is one of the most important issues in digital reproduction. Reaching more accuracy by a rubidium clock - in combination with the stability the master clock is providing - is worth a try. Of course you need locking the additional clock in the system properly, also using the correct menue options of your master clock.

If you wouldn't be so far away I could demonstrate all the different effects. On the other hand you may be right when asking why is it so complex finding a satisfying way for reproducing digital sources like CD and SACD. In our beloved analog field it is maybe the same. Yes, you could end up with a 1000 dollar unit, coming with tonearm, cart, phono pre and everything you need to get sound from the grooves. Would you happily settle on this? I believe No!

As you are working on your FR (cabelling - I did lots of recabellings, some I kept, so on the SME 3012 Ia or on the Ortofons) this shows the favour for improvement and testing. I don't have the vacuum lips you got on your blue micro, I had them on the SX II. I tested different turntable plates and finally settled with an Audio Technica AT6278. Also discovered when fixing the additional platter very hard to the Micro platter it improves the sound. Using the original RY-5500 motor I built in a very good new 240 V power supply to reach more precision and stability. Despite the results were very promising in the end I went for the VPI steering system providing me with even more possibilities.

When configurating the three units (motor, table, fly-wheel) I also realized it is the best to isolate all units on separate artifical coral platforms thus avoiding vibration interactions. The vacuum pump got a separate damping box (btw nice and clever design :-) and is completely separated from the rack - this is the worst vibration source.

Yes, the Neumann DST-62 is a very special cart. I am not sure if a Neumann arm (one has to find such a rare thing!) may carry all the positive characteristics of the cart. The EMT 997 and the SME 3012 Ia will do. I use the SME on my EMT...

What about your system besides the blue micro and the 927? Among your many tonearm/cart/phono configurations which one is your absolute favourite?

Some mentions here on the Bavarian voice even if off the 927 topic! they do call for some clarification. Thuchans speakers use the same design as vitavox folded bass horn just like Kevin Scott's, then Iwata horn, directional horn, etc....the resemblance ends there! I have had the fortune to hear both on various but long listening sessions. Different animals! Kevin has tuned his xover to his musical tastes and the smooth flow that Kondo amplifiers and electronics has on offer. Kevin's room is not tuned even if the walls of records and carpets do a stunning job. Thuchan's bavarian voice is tuned to render a more exact description of what is going on upstream...but no worries given the top notch sources, preamps and amps that grace thuchans room that is built to purpose. I would say that Kevin's are designed for the audiophile not seeking perfection but a particular sound that graces the ears and senses. Thuchan's are built with the help of audio minded individuals close to monitoring, and the tone and colours stem from the upstream equipment. What is amazing with thuchans is it works with all sources from vinatge to hyper high end modern....this is the thuchan I like!

Just see the question now...

I admit I do not know the response. Perhaps some economic's considerations, perhaps "modern" subjective tests are not the same (than elders), perhaps the technical approach of nowadays tends to lower the subjective quality, or a mix of all that.
But, it is possible that a Bourdereau/Belin (the "big" one) sounds as good an EMT 927.In fact, it is built in the same manner.

Not easy to compare such things.