Bauer T430 vs Eumig S926GL or Eumig SonoMatic 844

[Stuart Budd]

Never wanted to get into sound. My intent was to digitize my families 8mm 50footers. An interest was sparked and now I'm thinking sound.
Optical sound is not on the table, the main reason being ignorance to it. However what is on the table is accessing the magnetic strips on 8mm. Ideally 8mm Regular and Super. I assume the main track to be opposite the perf. The balance perf side. I assume my 710 D reads the main track on both Regular and Super but not the balance track. I assume both tracks hold one channel audio. That is, the main track cannot support Stereo. Stereo is main and balance I assume.
The 824 from Eumig would be the ideal from what I gather as it supports Regular and Super with track selection 1, 2 and 1+2.
I've read the 900 series being better than the 800 in output. Build quality not so much. Then there's the Bauer T430/T450. Not sure but is this made by Eumig? Or is Bauer it's own label.
I realise the 824 is really the unit I'm looking for. The other two just lacking Regular support. Any thoughts on these models. The Eumig 822 is available, but lacks balance track support!
What do you think, advice and corrections welcome.

[Paul Adsett]

Hi Stuart, I cannot recommend the Eumig 926GL, it is an otherwise fine stereo sound projector totally marred by its infamous single sprocket coaxial reel design. The Eumig 824 Sonomatic is a superb machine built to the rugged and reliable iconic 800 series design. It is a dual guage sound projector, but has no stereo capability. I have no experience with Bauers, but in general they seem to be very highly regarded.

[Stuart Budd]

Hello Paul. Thanks for the insights on the Eumigs. The red boxes the Eumigs came in remind me of Dixons (UK Retailer) for some reason. They had a power to request changes to products the oem adhered to but may not have been to keen on, imho . That's the 80's for you, plastic .

[Paul Browning]

Not much experience with the eumig range, but i recently acquired a very nice bauer t610, which is a very quiet machine indeed, mainly down to the use of a plastic box cam for the transport mechanism, very good sound and lens very good too. Not my normal choice but had it to find out really what all the fuss was about with this model, i'm an elmo man at heart, but these have a good reputation for not scratching film, although the gate is a awkward at times to get out and replace, 800 ft capacity and plenty of recording features to keep most happy for some time.

[Brian Fretwell]

Also the balance stripe head on the Mk S 926GL has a reputation of wearing out quickly. I know the one on mine has.

[Maurice Leakey]

Stuart

Do you want stereo or just the chance of playing tracks 1 and 2 separately, and 1 & 2 together. If so, the Eumig 824 will play both standard 8 and Super 8. But, not in stereo.

The Bauer T430 and the Eumig S926GL are only Super 8, although they will play stereo. I have these two but don't recommend either.

I also have the Eumig 824 which I wholeheartedly recommend.

If you want full stereo I recommend the Bauer T510 (which I also have). But it's only Super 8.


Eumig 824 Sonomatic – Spare Part Finder – Van Eck Video Services (van-eck.net)
Bauer T510 – Spare Part Finder – Van Eck Video Services (van-eck.net)

[Stuart Budd]

Yes the Bauer T610 resembles the control layout of the Eumig but with more conventional reel layout. I do like the physical form factor with the sliders. Infact I like the interaction of these analogue projectors over digital and virtual pc mixers with digital video. Something gets lost sitting infront of a monitor. Like interacting with a 33 1/3 record and a turntable. An event.
I ended up opting for the Bauer T430.
I had a good look on ebay and tried the UK web for sellers in general. Having bought all my projectors off ebay with varying success, this one comes form a business with very good reviews.
The Mark S 710D I recently purchased and quicky took apart gave me some insight in what to look for. I love "Mint" in the title only to view all the missing parts that fall off if not careful.
Really looking forward to my "new to me" T430.
Thanks for sharing your views and guidance Paul A and Paul B

[Stuart Budd]

Hello Maurice, looks like I'll still be looking out for an Eumig 824. That'll be my grail projector.

I was writing the post above and missed your input.

What is it about the T430 you don't like or os it just, better out there?

[Edit] Sorry Brian missed your post too. Lucky I went T430 over the 926.

[Dominique De Bast]

The Bauer T430 and the Eumig S926GL are only Super 8, although they will play stereo. I have these two but don't recommend either.

As Stuart, I'm curious to know why you wouldn't recommend those two projectors

[Maurice Leakey]

1) The Eumig has those awful concentric spools. Even auto load spools quite often don't pickup and the projector has to be stopped and it is a fiddle to lace onto the spool by hand. A poor design.

2) The Bauer, actually an Italian Silma, looks cute but does not work as expected.

I have many other projectors which are so much better than the two above. Both were bought because of their looks, but they were not good buys.


P.S. The Eumig 824 is absolutely fabulous. However, it is important when buying one to ensure that the various parts for gauge changing are all there.

[Paul Adsett]

As Maurice says, the Eumig 824 is a fabulous machine. It is the flagship projector of the 800 series, incorporating all the bells and whistles that could be packed into this little beauty. Above all it has that totally solid design and robust construction that was the hallmark of the 700 and 800 series.
The 900 series had better illumination and superb sound, with the 938 and 940 having stereo capability, but the construction was a lot more plastic with several overstressed plastic parts causing problems. I have always thought that there could have been a stereo 800 series projector with 150w lighting and 800ft reels - now that would have been some machine!

[John Armer]

I cannot recommend the Eumig 926GL, it is an otherwise fine stereo sound projector totally marred by its infamous single sprocket coaxial reel design.

Thinking about this, the 926 would be a very good projector to use with a long play unit. You would get the benefits of Eumig amplification and performance and a more conventional film path. (Although isn't the lamp only 100W on the 926?)

[Paul Adsett]

Hi John, yes the 926 has the EFP 100W bulb and the 938/840 has the EFR 150w bulb. I do not think the 926 would work with a long play unit as it has no top sprocket. There is no way the claw could handle larger than a 600ft supply spool. I would even say that the 926 cannot handle anything above a 400ft reel because the last 200ft of a 600ft reel usually starts chattering and gets progressively unsteady as the last 100ft or so is pulled off the reel. Just an awful design concept by Eumig.

[Maurice Leakey]

....Just an awful design concept by Eumig.......

It's a great pity that Eumig produced the S926 GL model as they did.

With the strange spool arrangement, and its claw pulling film off the feed spool, I consider it was a design that never could have been accepted by any serious user.

If there had been a top sprocket, and two separate spool arms, it could have been a winner, particularly with it's colouring as apposed to all black.


Eumig S926 GL – Spare Part Finder – Van Eck Video Services (van-eck.net)

[Lee Mannering]

My 926GL Stereo machine is still going and a easy one to convert to a 2 blade shutter for extra light output. The sound heads were of good quality and I've recorded and played back hundreds of films on the old girl over 40+ years. The only downside is when using 600ft very full reels as it will probably judder a bit at the very end of the reel. Been a good machine now retired out of love/memories.

If you wanted a good work horse super 8 only machine go for the 820 Sonomatic which has some improvements over the earlier 800 models.
If you need Standard 8 and S8 the 822 or 824 are both good.

Good luck with the search Stuart