EMT 927/R 80 # 34 from 1953

one of the first EMT 927 turntables ever manufactured by EMT 

The oldest EMT turntable in my personal collection is an EMT 927/R 80 with serial no. 34 and manufactured in 1953. In November 2021 I had the lucky opportunity to buy this rare and legendary turntable, one of the first EMT 927 turntables ever manufactured by EMT. As seen in one of the pictures the EMT type/serial tag mounted at the under frame indicates EMT 927 Nr. 34, on top it is engraved R 80 in accordance with the German IRT (Institut für Rundfunktechnik) Braunbuch which means this turntable was ordered by - and manufactured for the German Broadcasting. Initial this EMT 927 was bought by the German Broadcaster Hessischer Rundfunk (Hessian Broadcasting) in Frankfurt and in service till the end of the seventies after which it retired in a private collection. After manufacturing in 1953 this EMT 927 was a mono turntable with an Ortofon RF-297 mono tonearm, somewhere in the seventies it was upgraded to a stereo turntable with an EMT 997 stereo (banana) tonearm. 

Background and history of The EMT 927

The 16 inch turntable was a requirement for the broadcasting stations of the 1930s through to the 1950s for playing 16 inch transcription discs, mainly of "soap operas" that were the mainstay of the world-leading American and Australian commercial services. American transcription music companies also made 16 inch discs available both in lateral and vertical formats. American stations used Gates, Grey, Presto, Rek-o-Kut and RCA 16 inch turntables and a number of models were also developed and manufactured by Australian companies. 16 inch turntables were never developed for domestic use and aside from meeting technical playback characteristics suitable for broadcast quality transmissions, the other of their main features was ruggedness, strong enough to meet day-to-day heavy handling of those radio staff using them.

EMT saw gaps in the European broadcasting markets to develop a range of turntables that were sold mostly in Europe and a very small amount overseas. The EMT R 35, EMT R 80 S and EMT 927 were developed to meet the requirements of broadcasting services needing to play 16 inch records and at the same time, a high standard was specified in their construction.

Introduced in 1952, the EMT 927 was the first professional studio turntable manufactured by EMT in large numbers after the EMT R 35 and EMT R 80 S. The EMT 927 is a massive turntable with an aluminium chassis, measuring 67,5 x 52 x 21,5 cm with a weight of more then 40 kilograms. The platter, which itself is extremely heavy,  has a diameter of 44 cm and turns in an amazing precision ball bearing, the bearing shaft is 16,6 cm long and has a diameter of 2 cm. The three fase motor is also very massive, it looks like an industrial motor, 13,5 cm in diameter and 20 cm long. A precision manufactured three step pulley (78, 45 & 331/3 rpm) is mounted on the motor axis and a precision idler transfers the power from the motor to the inside rim of the platter.The EMT 927 in all its versions is one of the most sought-after turntables in the world, it’s often called the “Rolls Royce” of all turntables.

EMT 927/R 80 # 34

After some humble cleaning, inspection and investigation I discovered that the top-plate from the EMT 927/R 80 # 34 was spot repaired/repainted in the past with silver color paint which was unacceptable for me so I decided to go for a complete restoration to bring the EMT 927/R 80 # 34 from 1953 back to factory new condition and after months of meticulous restoration the EMT 927/R 80 # 34 from 1953 is in factory new condition again and final result is a 70 year old turntable in mint - and perfect working condition ready to play records 24/7/365 for another 7 decades.

Note: items in the Hall of Fame are from my private collection, used as reference for my contemporary activities and not for sale.