Using EMT cartridges in non-EMT arms

[Alex_UK]

Very interesting article, well written and illustrated as usual - thanks Barry. Doubt I will ever need the knowledge for practical purposes but good to know!

[Marco]

Excellent stuff, Barry! Surely an article to be included in the EMT section in The Library? :)

I've not had a chance to listen to the EMT yet, but will do soon :cool:

Marco.

[hifi_dave]

EMT cartridges are very good indeed - big, beefy, solid and dynamic.

Many, many years ago when the EMT cartridges cost £60 from F.W.O.Bauch in Borehamwood, I used to buy them, remove from their headshells and wire them onto Nagaoka shells. Of course I added some profit on top of the £60 and they sold very well against the high end cartridges of the day, which were much more expensive. I still have one somewhere in my box of golden oldies.

Now, of course, they are extremely expensive and used by the likes of Brinkmann, selling for thousands of Pounds.

[DSJR]

Do they cost more to make in material and labour terms, or is it yet another case of profit coming first?

[Barry]

Do they cost more to make in material and labour terms, or is it yet another case of profit coming first?

I wouldn't have thought the EMT designs are any more diffficult to make than any other MC design. I believe the Brinkman versions (headshell-less nude generators) have been 'fettled' and fitted with miniature tantalum capacitors; presumable to tame the 'untidy' top end of the EMTs. The Brinkmann arm is based on the Breuer and Breuer himself intended his arm to be used with his own, modified and nude, EMT cartridge.

The construction of all MCs seem to be labour intensive - but I'm not sure if the £60 in the '80s translates to the thousands charged today. Just look at how much Koetsu want for their Red Signature!

Regards

[hifi_dave]

When I used to buy them in for £60, they weren't trendy at all, just intended for 'professional' install. I used to mount them on a Nagaoka shell and solder them in with some fine Audionote wires. I believe we used to sell them for £150 or £200 when the Koetsu Red was £600-700 IIRC.

[Barry]

When I used to buy them in for £60, they weren't trendy at all, just intended for 'professional' install. I used to mount them on a Nagaoka shell and solder them in with some fine Audionote wires. I believe we used to sell them for £150 or £200 when the Koetsu Red was £600-700 IIRC.

How come you were able to buy them for £60? I first became aware of the EMT XSD15 through a comparative MC cartridge review in 'Practical Hi-Fi & Audio' in November 1976, where the EMT was used as a reference. At that time the XSD15 cost £176 inc. VAT.

Regards

[hifi_dave]

Trade price.

After all these years I can't remember exactly but it was approx £60.

[DSJR]

Looking at what I was earning in the mid 80's, I'd be living like a king if that was inflation-translated to today.

For example, in 1986 the Denon DL110 was £60, the Dynavector 10X4 was around £75. Today, with the £ re-devalued, the 110 is £130 or so (amazing how a 33% increase a couple of years ago actually means double once transferred to the punter) and the 10XV is £300 or so... An Ortofon OM20 stylus has tripled in price in this time as well and this means the Dual 505 cheapo special would be £300 if sold today - crazy!

[The Grand Wazoo]

Looking at what I was earning in the mid 80's, I'd be living like a king if that was inflation-translated to today.

For example, in 1986 the Denon DL110 was £60, the Dynavector 10X4 was around £75. Today, with the £ re-devalued, the 110 is £130 or so (amazing how a 33% increase a couple of years ago actually means double once transferred to the punter) and the 10XV is £300 or so... An Ortofon OM20 stylus has tripled in price in this time as well and this means the Dual 505 cheapo special would be £300 if sold today - crazy!

Well, try converting the value of your 1986 £60. This is what you get by several different methods:

Using the retail price index: £131.00

Using the GDP deflator: £130.00

Using the average earnings: £179.00

Using the per capita GDP: £197.00

Using the share of GDP: £215.00

[DSJR]

Looking at earnings, Gawd, I was doing well back then...