thorens or emt?

apples and oranges...you would have to decide what cartridge you want to use and what music to listen to the most first....

Dream Big & get both.
Sell the one that comes in second.

I love Paladin's answer. True to the spirit of Audiogon. My educated guess is that the Thorens Reference is more rare than any of the EMTs and would be harder to find. I imagine that buyers would line up for any of the above if priced at market.

Talk to Steve Clarke over at The Analog Department or Stefano Pasini, they may be able to give some insight.