EMT

What they say ...

Dagogo  April 2009
By Jack Roberts
 

The EMT JSD 5

"... First Impressions : As for how music sounded, let me start by giving some first impressions. The thing that jumped out at me is that the EMT JSD 5 reaches out and just “man handles” music in a way that I’m not sure I had heard before. I found this sound very intoxicating. There is nothing wimpy about this cartridge.

Yet, as I listened to Eva Cassidy’s Songbird album I was amazed at the delicacies I could hear in her voice. This is especially amazing when combined with the power of the music itself. The organ on SIDE TWO had more substance and color through the EMT than I had heard on this album before.

Lasting Impressions : Nearly thirty years ago, Harry Pearson wrote in The Absolute Sound about the difference in equipment that could allow recorded music to sound like music, and the equipment that sounded musical. What I’ve learned is that most high-end equipment is neither, but most is very good at letting you hear all the different parts of the performance. You can hear the bass, the midrange, how extended the treble is, the soundstage width, depth, and, well, you get my point.

Often, these systems also make it hard to listen to less-than-perfect software. Then, there are the system we call musical or sometimes a “music lover’s” system. These systems are more forgiving of different quality and different types of music software.

Then, there are the very few systems that can occasionally produce sound in your home that sounds like music. EMT tables, arms and cartridges are often in the few systems I have heard that can occasionally sound like music and are always enjoyable to listen to.

The JSD 5 definitely falls into this category of equipment. I think part of what creates this sound is the way the JSD 5 allows the flow and movement of music to come through. It is as if the music actually builds a sense of momentum.

Another part of this sound is a lack of distortion. This lack of distortion, combined with the EMT’s flow and momentum, helps create an illusion that there is music being performed more than reproduced in your room.

While it is my opinion that the audiophile soundstage isn’t important to this illusion of music being performed instead of reproduced, scale is. Even mono recordings have scale and all musical performances have scale, whether it is large or small. The fact is that scale is one of the EMT JSD 5’s real strengths.

Let’s Listen: I’ve chosen several of my favorite songs on vinyl and I’m going to talk about them.

“Swing Low Sweet Chariot” and “Amazing Grace” from Joan Baez’s album From Every Stage are two songs I always listen to with new equipment. The EMT JSD 5 was very similar on both of these cuts, there seemed to be more people in the crowd, more nuances in Baez’s voice, the sound was incredibly immediate, and alive sounding. It did all this plus having a very coherent soundstage. The JSD 5 also had the ability to let you hear the organic layering of her voice, the music and the crowd. Add to all this is the fact that it’s a great tracker. These cuts are inner grove cuts that often give cartridges a hard time. The JSD 5 sailed through them without me even noticing it was an inner grove cut.

Conclusion

What else is there to say? Well, I should have said it earlier; this is one great cartridge for listening to classic rock.  If you’re looking for a cartridge that just reaches out and makes music come alive from those magic vinyl records, the EMT JSD 5 is a cartridge you should hear. If you can afford it, I highly suggest living with it"

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Medialux  March 2020
By Ekkehard Strauss
 

The EMT JSD 5 - Mission Impossible

Jack of all Trades

"Imagine a cartridge, which can transform some of the most demanding Rock titles to an experience close to the live adventure while sailing smoothly through the grooves with such a stunning silent ride, that you doubt an electro mechanical transformation occurs. And if that is not enough – minutes later the same cartridge can deliver an astonishing realism while playing some classical music. The EMT JSD5 is one of the very rare breeds of transducers which do not have their favorite music. If you ask me which cartridge I would pick if I could only have one – it might be a good chance the EMT would lead my list….

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The Sound

The first thing we might detect, while listening to the EMT JSD5 is a tremendous ability to render dynamic swings. This cart reminds me of a DECCA cartridge in its merciless way of kicking your butt;-))) While doing so, there is a sort of presence that makes you smile.

This thing can sound very, very big!

The bass performance is one of the best you ever will hear – it sounds a tiny bit over ripe in the 100 – 200hz region – but instead of masking the really deep base – it does the opposite. The bass gesture is astonishing – fast, full of tone and not boomy or fat – it is a spectacular experience but without that typical artificial punch we might find for example in carts like the My Sonic Lab designs. It is more a stringy bass gesture with a lot pf energy and an amazingly fast attack response.

There is nearly no colouration in the midrange spectrum – it is rendered as natural as breathing, which is one of the reasons, why you can listen for hours to your favorite music without any fatigue.

Treble and air is so well integrated – this is not a warm cart – nor is it analytical or shiny. There is exactly that amount of treble which blends seamlessly into the whole frequency spectrum of this outstanding design. There is always enough analysis while being able to let the music breathe in a holistic gestalt – amazing!

In nearly every parameter this cart is designed to be “on the edge” not a tiny bit to the left nor to the right – it sounds in its own right completely natural!

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The spatial information the EMT is able to render is as astonishing as the rest of its outstanding performance. While drawing the sound picture stringently from the mono center onward – it is able to draw a wide stage with a realistic depth in such a relaxed way, that you never start questioning the realism of the performance. While the center stage is always a tiny bit up front, which reduces the distance to the vocalist and gives you this sexy attitude – the JSD5 is always able to let you forget that you are just listening to a vinyl record – well done EMT!!!!

Conclusion

In todays high end market we witness a growing number of super carts in the €10,000 range. If you compare one of these extraordinary constructions like the Air Tight PC1 Coda or the Lyra Etna SL with the last generation of the EMT JSD series – you begin to ask yourself – is it worth it …. ??? Yes – a Lyra Etna SL is able to draw a higher amount of detail – and its ability to start and stop in an instant is maybe unmatched (even more so with the Atlas SL) – the PC1 Coda can distill more micro dynamic information from the record grooves and is an easy match for any phono stage be it a tubed design or a solid state construction – but the EMT is so well balanced, and delivers so much listening pleasure, that you never miss anything....

... And I mean ANYTHING!

A true classic – and in todays market, one of the best buys !"