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I've written about this particular machine in the past and thought I might share my opinion on the Eumig S-701 Super 8 projector.
First of all this is a Super 8 only machine meaning it will have a two pin pulldown claw as standard. The dual gauge version of this machine will have only a single pin claw (Eumig S-709).
The screw type focusing is a dream come true and why it was changed to that sloppy focusing system used in the 800 series is a mystery only Eumig could answer. The Euprovar lenses are nice and heavy and mostly made of metal and feel very high quality and when focused they stay that way throughout the film...no riding the focus knob with this system.
The amplifier is a vacuum tube amp that delivers 6 watts of power. The amp can drive a 4-8 ohm external speaker. Interesting is the design of the speaker jack, which is like the 800 series but with a simple twist. If the speaker plug is inserted one way it kills the projector's internal one. If the speaker plug is pulled and rotated 180° and reinserted into the jack you can use both the internal and external speakers at the same time. This clever design is achieved by adding a third female connector to the socket, thereby allowing the standard speaker plug to still be compatible with any other machine. By looking at the sound heads it will be quickly observed there is no hum-bucking coil to be found. The reason is simple...tube amps don't need it because there is no hum to speak of that needs eliminated in the first place.
The projector's threading is only semi-automatic in operation. The film loads automatically only onto the upper sprocket and through the bottom of the film gate. The loop at the bottom must be made manually according to an indicating arrow and placed into the slot and back sprocket. Although this semi-automatic is not highly convenient, it means that the film can be easily removed from the projector at any time during projection. This also means you have full access to the sound head that makes cleaning it a dream. Another clever little feature that Eumig added to this design is that when the sound amplifier is turned on the pressure pad moves into position for sound films and will then clamp the film when switched into the lamp on position. Eumig achieved this by mechanically linking the on/off volume control to the pressure pad. When the sound amplifier is turned off the pressure pad is locked out of the way for silent film and never makes contact during projection. And also because you need to manually make your bottom loop before it goes into the sound head you can add an extra frame or two to completely eliminate any film chatter in the sound! That trick is not possible on the 800 series.
This model also uses the very econimical 12v 100w FCR lamps too. The lamp holder is adjustable via two small levers at the bottom. One lever moves the lamp forward or backwards, while the other moves it either right or left. Any slight manufacturing difference of the filament placement inside the bulb can be overcome with these levers for edge to edge brightness.
On the S-701 the rear gate is permanently screwed into place while the front gate alone slides out for cleaning. But why is the back gate not removable, you may ask? Simple, because with this design there is no risk of breaking off the pins on the claw when removing the gate and forgetting to set the inching knob at the dot. Since the rear gate always stays in position there was no need to put a dot indicator, which this model does not have or need.
The two 12v threading lamps are a nice touch too and come on as soon as the machine's projection lamp is turned off.
With all that being said, is it a perfect machine? Of course not because you still have the typical Eumig drive disc problems to always deal with and the weight of the machine is much heavier than the later 800 series. But it does come very close to an ideal design in my opinion.
First of all this is a Super 8 only machine meaning it will have a two pin pulldown claw as standard. The dual gauge version of this machine will have only a single pin claw (Eumig S-709).
The screw type focusing is a dream come true and why it was changed to that sloppy focusing system used in the 800 series is a mystery only Eumig could answer. The Euprovar lenses are nice and heavy and mostly made of metal and feel very high quality and when focused they stay that way throughout the film...no riding the focus knob with this system.
The amplifier is a vacuum tube amp that delivers 6 watts of power. The amp can drive a 4-8 ohm external speaker. Interesting is the design of the speaker jack, which is like the 800 series but with a simple twist. If the speaker plug is inserted one way it kills the projector's internal one. If the speaker plug is pulled and rotated 180° and reinserted into the jack you can use both the internal and external speakers at the same time. This clever design is achieved by adding a third female connector to the socket, thereby allowing the standard speaker plug to still be compatible with any other machine. By looking at the sound heads it will be quickly observed there is no hum-bucking coil to be found. The reason is simple...tube amps don't need it because there is no hum to speak of that needs eliminated in the first place.
The projector's threading is only semi-automatic in operation. The film loads automatically only onto the upper sprocket and through the bottom of the film gate. The loop at the bottom must be made manually according to an indicating arrow and placed into the slot and back sprocket. Although this semi-automatic is not highly convenient, it means that the film can be easily removed from the projector at any time during projection. This also means you have full access to the sound head that makes cleaning it a dream. Another clever little feature that Eumig added to this design is that when the sound amplifier is turned on the pressure pad moves into position for sound films and will then clamp the film when switched into the lamp on position. Eumig achieved this by mechanically linking the on/off volume control to the pressure pad. When the sound amplifier is turned off the pressure pad is locked out of the way for silent film and never makes contact during projection. And also because you need to manually make your bottom loop before it goes into the sound head you can add an extra frame or two to completely eliminate any film chatter in the sound! That trick is not possible on the 800 series.
This model also uses the very econimical 12v 100w FCR lamps too. The lamp holder is adjustable via two small levers at the bottom. One lever moves the lamp forward or backwards, while the other moves it either right or left. Any slight manufacturing difference of the filament placement inside the bulb can be overcome with these levers for edge to edge brightness.
On the S-701 the rear gate is permanently screwed into place while the front gate alone slides out for cleaning. But why is the back gate not removable, you may ask? Simple, because with this design there is no risk of breaking off the pins on the claw when removing the gate and forgetting to set the inching knob at the dot. Since the rear gate always stays in position there was no need to put a dot indicator, which this model does not have or need.
The two 12v threading lamps are a nice touch too and come on as soon as the machine's projection lamp is turned off.
With all that being said, is it a perfect machine? Of course not because you still have the typical Eumig drive disc problems to always deal with and the weight of the machine is much heavier than the later 800 series. But it does come very close to an ideal design in my opinion.
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