Analog Relax EX-500

[Johan K]

So this week the Analog Relax EX-500 MC phono cartridge showed up like a fresh spring breeze on my doorstep. After having the Phasemation PP-2000 MC cartridge here a few weeks ago, which I was very happy with, I was very excited for what this new jewel could do to my system. Both these cartridges are coming from same dealer which by the way is totally awesome, and the kindest person ever, so thank you @Hyperion for letting me try these jewels on my holy ground .

Having already three top cartridges on my Acoustic Signature Ascona Neo turntable, I am in the search of a matching cartridge to go with my Technics SL-1200G. Many cartridges has been on my SL-1200G throughout the years, and most of them have been working fine, but to find something that is matching the other three carts (which btw is the AirTight Opus-1, the Ortofon MC Diamond and the Koetsu Blue Lace), and still is sticking out in a positive way is no easy task.

The best match so far has been the 0,2mV Koetsu Vermillion, which I deeply regret I didn’t buy. However.. as the Koetsu company ceased operations in 2023 due to Mr. Fumihiko Sugano’s passing I am in bitter sweet feeling glad that I did not get another Koetsu. The Blue Lace has been the working horse in my phono setup almost from the beginning and I just love the sound and power from the Blue Stone.

Now… The Opus-1 and the MC Diamond is a perfect match to the Blue Lace, and they share the same character in many ways, but differ ofcourse when it comes to the analytical aspects. They all play the records very well but one is doing something better than the other, and so I can optimize my record collection by choosing the best arm and cartridge for a particular record.

So now putting an equally good cartridge on the SL-1200G is a matter of trial and error, testing and testing again. As I wrote in my Phasemation PP-2000 thread, the PP-2000 was really really good and had the most amazing midrange, and I liked it very much, but was there magic?

Magic - a term I guess many audiophiles is searching for. So magic for me is when tears comes in my eyes due to a certain sound quality. Magic makes my heartbeat go up, magic makes my knees go jelly due to the power inpact of the music when the sound sings for my soul and touches the core. Well kind of deep words, but when you got the right match in the system and you get a smile for no reasons, you know you’re pretty close to magic.

The Analog Relax EX-500 did all of that to me yesterday and I couldn’t stop playing vinyl. The setup was pretty straight forward and quite easy to align due to the visibility of the cantilever and stylus. The headshell / cartridge combo weight is just over 29,02 grams and to my experience just perfect to get everything balanced. Tracking force is set to 2,0 grams due to the manufacturer’s recommendation. It seems very right to me aswell, so no change there. The tonearm is 100% perpendicular to the vinyl surface, and sonically no change is necessary there aswell.

The EX-500 MC cartridge is going into the AirTight ATH-2 Reference SUT and in to the MM input on the D’Agostino Momentum phonostage with a total gain of 67dB. Load is set to 31K Ohm, as 47K was sounding just a bit too bright for my own taste. 31K just calms everything down to deliver a perfect experience. At more than 0,5mV, the EX-500 delivers a mighty powerful punch in it’s presence, with a very natural ”Relaxed” quiet background when the stylus hits the grooves but still no music.

When the music hits the sound immediately puts a spell in the room and you get struck by the sheer power, airyness, big sound stage, the fast dynamic transients and the warm relaxed sound. All at the same time, like ”this is not possible” kind of a thing! The PP-2000 was really really good but this Analog Relax EX-500 cartridge is MAGIC..!!!

In my opinion and in my system it has exactly what I am looking for. Fast, tight, powerful, big, airy, warm, punchy and goes deep like an abyss when the recordings calls for it. Plus it is a perfect match to the rest of my carts, but even so, it DO sticks out and shows it truly is a magical phono cartridge.

As for now I will continue listen to different genres, different styles of music on the SL-1200G and if everything goes well I will try the EX-500 on to the Ascona Neo turntable in the very near future. As for the sound right now I think my search might be over, as this cartridge has totally knocked me to the floor in a Mike Tyson kind of way - it’s that good.

Here is a few pictures - Enjoy !

/ Jk

 

[MortenB]

Great review and pictures of an interesting cartridge.

It seems you’re using some spacers between the cartridge and headshell. Are these ‘’just’’ for alignment to get your arm level as you mention? Or do you also use them for sonic reasons? If so, what are they? And how do you feel the improve sound?

 

[Johan K]

Great review and pictures of an interesting cartridge.

It seems you’re using some spacers between the cartridge and headshell. Are these ‘’just’’ for alignment to get your arm level as you mention? Or do you also use them for sonic reasons? If so, what are they? And how do you feel the improve sound?

Thank you Morten,

Yea I normally use some spacers on the SL-1200G for greater mobility on adjusting the tonearm. It all comes down to the design of the cartridge body, how well it fits in the headshell and such. For me they are spacers, and not for sonic improvement in their own right. However… by adding any mass on the headshell side, you need ofcourse more counterweight to balance things out and ’that’ has a sonic effect. Hope that helps.

/ Jk

 

[Ron Resnick]

Thank you for this great report, Johan! I am very excited for you that you are so happy with the new cartridge!

Can you give us any more insight into comparative sonic impressions between the Analog Relax and the Opus 1?

 

[Johan K]

Thank you for this great report, Johan! I am very excited for you that you are so happy with the new cartridge!

Can you give us any more insight into comparative sonic impressions between the Analog Relax and the Opus 1?

Thank you for your kind words, Ron!

Right now the A R sits on the SL-1200G and will remain there for a few days. Then when I swap the A R over to the Ascona Neo, I will have a more fair and easier task to compare both the Opus-1 and the MC Diamond with the Analog Relax.

One note though:
The A R sound, is very similar to my Koetsu Blue Lace, but in a much more modern style. They share the same brutal force, and the same relaxed feeling, all at the same time.. yet.. the Analog Relax sticks out in a different way with it’s lushy sweet sound.

/ Jk

 

[Perfect sense Audio]

You seem to feel the same magic that I do through these beautiful cartridges

Enjoy!

/ Marcus, www.perfect-sense.se

 

[Johan K]

You seem to feel the same magic that I do through these beautiful cartridges

Enjoy!

/ Marcus, www.perfect-sense.se

Indeed Marcus - Thank you,

This cartridge really brought some fresh air into my audioroom… Check it out !

/ Jk

 

[XV-1]

Hi Johan

How is the cartridge going on the big rig?

Sounds like you prefer it to the PP-2000. In AU, the EX-500 is around 35% more $$. Not that it really matters at this level.

cheers

 

[Johan K]

So it has been some time since I did finish the cartridge test session of the Analog Relax EX-500. However… I have not been able to report on this due to too much work lately.

Anyway,
After having the EX-500 on my SL-1200G turntable it was time to have it a go on the Ascona Neo turntable and the Kuzma 4-Point 11” tonearm. Swapping was pretty much straight forward with changing from the Jelco HS-30 headshell, to the Kuzma 11” headshell. Aligning the cartridge on the Ascona TT is a bit of a challenge due to the three tonearm set up, meaning that there is ALWAYS some obscure angle due to there is always another tonearm in the way.

After a meticulous effort setting up the cartridge (which took several hours - just so you know, it is a bit of work to say at least, and is NOT done in a jiffy) it was well aligned, right on spot and were tracking really really good.

Due to the relatively high output of 0,5mV of the EX-500, and going balanced (DIN to XLR) directly into the MC input of the D’Agostino Momentum phonostage, I had to reconfigure the gain output level to match the output level of the other two tonearm/cartridge combos of the Ascona.

The other two arms are the 1.) Acoustic Signature TA-9000 12” with the Airtight Opus-1 cartridge, and 2.) the Acoustic Signature TA-5000 9” with the Ortofon MC Diamond. The Analog Relax EX-500 was a really good match to these other two combinations. After that meticulous setup it was surprisingly similar sounding to both the Opus-1 and the MC Diamond with only small differences.

So among the three I found the Opus-1 to be the most powerful in terms of bass and foundation so to speak, and the MC Diamond to be the most analytical of the three. The EX-500 sits comfortably in the middle. Now to be very clear: the differences of the three are very small and very much depends of what album you’re playing on how you will hear the differences.

If I compare the Koetsu Blue Lace that has been sitting where the EX-500 now sits, it is much more of everything compared to the Opus-1 and the MC Diamond. The EX-500 have the same characteristics as the Blue Lace but on much minor scale and are - lets say a modern version of the Koetsu’s, just not as bass heavy, but share the same ”relaxed” midrange sound and have the most beautiful upper end, with a very clear brilliance without any form of edginess or sharpness, which is little bit less so with the Koetsu’s, that I find a bit more hold back in the absolute upper end. Now this only my own experiences and others may find it differently.

As Ron @Ron Resnick asked, how the Opus-1 and the EX-500 compares, I have to say they sound very much alike.. I found they have the same fundamental characteristics in terms of sound quality and musicality. The Opus-1 is slightly more bass rich and perhaps just a bit more analytical.. but that will be in the ear of the beholder. As the name reveals the Analog Relax EX-500 has a bit more ”relaxing”romantic vibes to the overall sound compared to the Opus-1, but again this is in the ears of the beholder. All I can say is, you can’t go wrong with either of these jewels. So goes for the Ortofon MC Diamond, which very much showed similar characteristics as the EX-500 but where the MC Diamond definitely is more analytical, more precise and less romantic than the Analog Relax. Now to be clear once again, the line is very very thin, and the differences are very small, at least in my experience and in my system. Your mileage may vary.

Conclusion:

The Analog Relax EX-500 has been a fresh wind going through my audioroom and I could easily listen to this fine piece of Japanese craftsmanship any day of the week. If I were to compare it with the Phasemation PP-2000 cartridge, that I had for a test drive prior to the EX-500, I would probably go for the Analog Relax, as it was an overall better match with my other cartridges and an overall better match with the rest of the system in whole, which I find as the most important thing of all - the gear match.

If you’re looking for a good sounding upper-mid-priced MC cartridge, the Analog Relax EX-500 is definitely something to consider as it is a very nice sounding piece of jewelry.

Thank you Marcus @Perfect sense Audio for the support.

/ Jk