Turntables, Arms & Cartridges

Elektromesstechnik was started by Wilhelm Franz in Berlin in 1940, initially producing measuring equipment for the broadcast sector. He began selling pick-ups ten years later, culminating in the first EMT-badged model in 1959 – the O-Series was an Ortofon, built under licence. EMT's first stereo cartridge came a year later, often paired with EMT turntables such as the 927 and 930 which became ubiquitous in broadcast studios around the world. 1965 saw the launch of the TSD 15 (Tondose Stereo Diamant, '15 microns') cartridge.

In 1971 Franz passed away, with his wife taking the helm. Throughout the 1970s, various new stylus profiles arrived, then in 1989 EMT was sold to the Belgian Barco group. Continual refinement brought about the Jubilee Series JSD 5 and JSD 6 MCs in 2006. Two years later EMT International GmbH was founded in Switzerland, taking over EMT trademarks and managing sales and production in Germany. In 2014 cartridge making was moved to Micha Huber's company HiFiction AG in Winterthur, which now handles all development, production and servicing for the EMT cartridge brand.