The comparison
Reverbophone vs EMT 140
Different instruments: the EMT 140 processes an electrical send through its plate. The Reverbophone records the room reacting to your performance with two microphones mounted on its own plate. Here is the honest comparison - and the Reverbophone is the one you can buy new, today, with a warranty.
Updated July 2026
How does the Reverbophone compare to an EMT 140?
Different instruments, first: the EMT 140 is driven, an electrical send excites its plate directly. The Reverbophone is a microphone, it is in the room while you play, and two mics mounted on its plate capture the room reacting to the performance. Both are genuine plate-based reverbs, but they capture sound in fundamentally different ways, as the table below sets out.
| Criteria | Reverbophone | EMT 140 |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | New, hand-built to order, shipping now. | Vintage only. No EMT 140 has been manufactured for decades; every unit on the market is a private resale. |
| Condition and parts | Every part is new: fresh steel plate, transducers, and cabinet. | 50 to 70 year old parts. Foam, transducers and electronics are whatever the decades left behind. |
| How it captures sound | Acoustic. The room's own sound excites the plate; two microphones mounted on the plate capture its vibration. | Driven. An electrical send excites the plate directly, the way most plate reverbs work. |
| Format | A furniture-sized steel-plate cabinet on wheels, 1710 × 936 × 440 mm, 62 kg. | The same furniture-sized steel-plate format the category is built on. |
| Price in Australia | $8,995 inc. GST, landed and supported by AKA Acoustics. Local delivery from $250 (metro) quoted exactly with your order. | US$2,200 to US$8,500 before freight, insurance and restoration, plus the risk of importing a 50 to 70 year old instrument yourself. |
| Warranty and support | AKA Acoustics, Sydney: the named local warranty holder. | None. The manufacturer stopped producing and supporting the EMT 140 decades ago. |
| Lead time | Hand-built in batches in Bollnäs, Sweden. Honest timing confirmed at enquiry. | Whenever a private seller happens to list one. |
AfterSound’s founders built their own EMT 140 before they built the Reverbophone. It is not a shortcut around the plate reverb reference, it is two carpenters’ answer to it, made of oak and steel, hand-built in Bollnäs, Sweden.
Landed and insured. AKA Acoustics is the importer of record, so the roughly 80 kg crate, the custom pallet, and the freight risk are handled before the instrument reaches your studio.
…a true game changer… a studio standard like the U47 mic in a few years!
FAQ
Common questions
Is a vintage EMT 140 cheaper than a Reverbophone?
Sometimes, on the sticker price. A private EMT 140 sale runs roughly US$2,200 to US$8,500 before freight, insurance and any restoration, against $8,995 inc. GST landed and supported for the Reverbophone. Once freight, insurance and 50 to 70 year old parts are accounted for, a landed and restored EMT 140 is rarely the cheaper instrument, and it still carries no warranty.
Can I still buy a new EMT 140?
No. EMT stopped manufacturing the 140 decades ago. Every unit on the market today is a private resale of a 50 to 70 year old instrument, in whatever condition the decades left its foam, transducers and electronics.
Does the Reverbophone sound identical to an EMT 140?
No, and it should not. The EMT 140 is driven: an electrical send excites the plate directly. The Reverbophone is a microphone: the room's own sound excites the plate, and two microphones capture that vibration. Both are genuine plate-based reverbs, but they capture sound differently, as the comparison table above sets out and the wet-only recordings on the Listen page make audible.
Which suits an Australian studio?
For a studio that wants a plate reverb new, with a local warranty holder and an honest, confirmed lead time, the Reverbophone. For a studio chasing the specific vintage unit itself, an EMT 140 means importing a 50 to 70 year old instrument privately, at your own risk, with no manufacturer support and no fixed timeline.
Order enquiry
Decide with your own ears
No comparison replaces hearing it in your own room. Enquire to order, or ask about an audition.