"The 139s are very sought after and fetch high prices, but sonically they do not compete with good modern tube designs. The EMT-133 / V-83 is the best, if the curve is modified to RIAA. A pair of mono 139As come second, then the 139st. Forget the 155s! The 153s and the Swiss Eymann are better, but still not worth the money. If you find a 927 or 930 with the tube EQ, then sell the EQ. If you find one with a 155 or 153, use the chassis to build your own phono preamp inside. I often used a simple Neumann design with modern parts and first-class Neumann MC transformers (which outperform all transformers I know of) or our own Phonogen design. With the EMT preamps, you can not even get close to how these tables perform."
Heiner Jakobi, "The EMT 927 and EMT 930 Turntables", in the now missing US magazine "Sound Practices", Volume 4, Issue 16, pages 17-22 (no date, may be in the second half of the 90s published).
Heiner Jakobi, "The EMT 927 and EMT 930 Turntables", in the now missing US magazine "Sound Practices", Volume 4, Issue 16, pages 17-22 (no date, may be in the second half of the 90s published).