Elac EMM-130

One long evening I took a look at all the available cartridge systems, a Mikis Theodorakis record and a Braun PS500. Test candidates were a Shure M75, a Shure M95, an Ortofon M20, Ortofon M10, Grado Blau, Denon DL103 (MC), and an ELAC EMM130 (from a junk record player). I installed the cartridges in headshells that had an SME connector and fit on the PS500 - without paying super close attention to the alignment. I only had to quickly adjust the weight of the cartridge. Further in the test chain were a self-built tube phono pre-amp with D3a, E88C, EC806S and then a power amp with PC86 as driver and the end tube RE134 (directly heated triode). Since I have known the amp for a relatively long time and according to other listeners it plays very balanced and lively, reproduces all details and does not hide anything, I could fully concentrate on the piece of music during the listening test of the systems. So once again beforehand: it was an over-achiever test without any claim to exact balancing of the systems and it revealed the following, quite simple phenomenon - Shure M75 and 95 sounded nice and tidy. The Ortofon systems (this sort, which resembles the Concorde, i.e. pointed) brought the piece nicely dull and boring on stage. Grado blue wasn't wrong either, but not really exciting either, after that I didn't really feel like it anymore, let the DL103 through a Sanyo DC55Plus to the power amp and heard nice punchy dynamics, but also transistor induced compression. I didn't feel like using the EMM130 anymore, but please - since it came from an old Technincs turner rescued from the junk heap, it should at least have been there.... Built in, hung up.... Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait a minute, there's someone blowing their nose in the background shot??? Not true, right? no, that can't be! All systems back in and just waiting for this one effect.... Nothing! Only the nondescript EMM130 (luckily with the original needle) was able to resolve this and other fine details as well.... I won't give it away again and tested it against an Audiotechnica today.... also lost ;-) Have fun with the EMM130 and possibly the big0 brother, the EMM170, which I just bought. I am curious .... many greetings from www.audioamp.de