I’m going to tell you my favorite discovery during the 2023 Florida Audio Show, the single new product that excites me the most. It’s the EMT 928 II turntable, brought to the United States by EMT and MoFi Distribution.
Words and Photos by Marc Phillips
That’s right, EMT is now distributed in the US by MoFi. That’s wonderful because I love EMT but their cartridges and arms and other products seem to have an availability that can be best described as sporadic. I’m convinced EMT and MoFi, working together as partners, can fix this. I’ve had a crush on the EMT JSD Lime ever since I heard it in David Cope’s Old Forge Audio room a few years ago.
But hold the presses. Something big just happened, and I witnessed it myself in the EMT and MoFi room at FLAX. EMT is making turntables again. And they are battery-powered.
If you know me, you’ll know that my dream turntable is a meticulously restored EMT 927 or 930 transcription turntable from the ’50s to the ’70s. I even know a guy, the illustrious Hans van Vliet, who rebuilds these precision machines in The Netherlands. While you may be able to get a lesser EMT for around 10,000 euros, the perfectly restored 930s are pushing 30,000 euros, and a sparkly new 927 will cost you around 60K. I can’t swing that, but maybe I can swing the new EMT 928 II thanks to EMT and MoFi.
This new EMT, however, has a relatively reasonable price–$10,000 USD for the ‘table, $15,000 with EMT arm, and starting at $18K for the whole set-up including a choice of EMT cartridges. There’s also a matching phono stage, which I’m sure is essential. But this EMT and MoFi room, with Piega speakers and BAT amplification and Hifi Rose digital, made me so happy that I just couldn’t think about anything else for the next few hours. I kept pulling out my phone and looking pictures and reflecting on that big, precise and utterly informative sound. It’s a professional sound. It’s EMT.
MoFi really impressed the heck out of me at FLAX 2023, to the point where I need to add two things to my fictional vision board–the Falcon Acoustics LS3/5a Gold Badge monitors and the EMT 928 II turntable. Thanks, EMT and MoFi, for making at least one of my wacky audio dreams come true.
If you would like to hear even more coverage from FLAX 2023, check out our recap report and highlights from our audiophile-oriented show The Occasional Podcast. You can stream the episode direct from the embed below, or from your favorite podcast platform including iTunes, Android, Google, Deezer, Spotify, iHeartRadio and more.
This table is haunting me and I haven’t even heard it yet. Aesthetically, it hits all the right buttons for me. I think I’m going to fly to AXPONA just to hear it. Beautiful.
piega 811’s? and all you can talk about is the turntable?
Yes. Because that’s what interested me. I have four other writers who may chime in about the Piegas.