I know the 1b very well I have one in 1986 on a Oxford crystal I spent ages meetings around with pumps and made lots of surge tanks out of beer barrels.
Initial impressions on my new Bordeaux:
* Easy to set up even thought the cantilever is tucked under the body. Only 9 gms, so able to use a single counterweight on my Tosca tonearm.
* Very sensitive to set up...I've got it close enough and will readjust after 40 or so hours.
* Rated at .25mV output, but plays louder and quieter than my Miyabi Fuuga
* Excellent tracker
* After ~10 hours, I can say that this is an excellent cartridge and the sound would appeal to those who like high end van den Hul's but perceive a tendency to excess high frequency energy. Will update as things break in.
* Easy to set up even thought the cantilever is tucked under the body. Only 9 gms, so able to use a single counterweight on my Tosca tonearm.
* Very sensitive to set up...I've got it close enough and will readjust after 40 or so hours.
* Rated at .25mV output, but plays louder and quieter than my Miyabi Fuuga
* Excellent tracker
* After ~10 hours, I can say that this is an excellent cartridge and the sound would appeal to those who like high end van den Hul's but perceive a tendency to excess high frequency energy. Will update as things break in.
Sorry Mark, I will differ on one point here. I have heard the Bordeaux in two systems and in one system also compared it to Decca London, koetsu, SPU, and AN IO Ltd.
I like the cart, but there is no similarity in sound to the vdh Stradivarius. Both could appeal to the same people, or only one could and the other might not, but the sounds are totally different and cannot be explained with reference to one another. People who like both can own both as they are very different sounds. So the high frequency energy comment is as true for this as it is to any cartridge that is compared to the vdh like zyx, Fuuga, Benz, SPU, koetsu, airtight, Allaerts, etc
I like the cart, but there is no similarity in sound to the vdh Stradivarius. Both could appeal to the same people, or only one could and the other might not, but the sounds are totally different and cannot be explained with reference to one another. People who like both can own both as they are very different sounds. So the high frequency energy comment is as true for this as it is to any cartridge that is compared to the vdh like zyx, Fuuga, Benz, SPU, koetsu, airtight, Allaerts, etc
I got the Cobalt Blue in the system last night.
The Herb Reichart review of the Cobalt Blue is right on the money. With this cartridge you physically feel the sound in the air in the room -- you feel the sound occupying the room. You even feel the ticks and pops. So while a singer may be behind the speaker plane you don't sense any front edge to the soundfield. This is the exact opposite of "wallpaper sound." I'll say more after the cartridge breaks in.
was lucky enough to be able to join jazdoc earlier tonight for a listen to his new Etsuro Bordeaux cartridge. jazdoc had 20 or so hours on this beauty so far and is working on fine tuning the set-up. as i came in he had been doing some serious VTA adjusting in a wide range, but thought maybe he was getting close.
i am lucky to be a fairly frequent visitor over the years to his room, and it's always a treat. great sound, and always superb.....music.
---my first impression was this was quite a bit more energetic and boggied on a whole different level than his Miyabi Fuuga. denser tones. more compelling and engaging. powerful.
----with further listening that idea of the vdH sort of profound detail and texture became evident. lots of information, nothing held back. nothing rounded or smoothed. open. airy. but not even a touch of edge or roughness. natural. tonally complete.
----jazdoc was concerned that the bass was still a bit full and lacking that last degree of articulation. what he had been working on when i came in. my first impression was that it seemed right. as we listened to more familiar cuts i could hear what he was concerned about. then he paused and adjusted the VTA a few mm's. then everything became supple and more articulate. overall the top to bottom balance was much better. this was really good.
----as i left i think he was thinking he should go back the other way and split the difference on the VTA to add a bit more heft.
congrats to jazdoc for his new sweet sounding Etsuro Bordeaux.
from what i heard tonight the Bordeaux is an amazing cartridge that seems to hit high levels of detail, get that tonal weight, and really boldly boogie too. this weekend we might get together at my house and he will bring his Bordeaux mounted in his Tosca headshell and we can swap it out with my Etsuro Gold on my Tosca on the Saskia. see how these two compare.
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That's saying something as the low-compliance Fuuga has a fine tonal character.
Man I hate buying cartridges. Almost no way to demo in your system and even if you hear one in a familiar system, who knows what it sounds like in yours? Buying something sound (largely) unheard makes one susceptible to 'endowment effect' (no not that) rather, "I spent so much money, it's got to be good".
I took the plunge on a Bordeaux after multiple sessions listening to Mike's Etsuro Gold. Out of the box, it didn't sound at all what I expected: loved the low noise floor, articulation and bass energy but based on prior sessions at Mike's and prior reviews, the upper frequencies were troubling. I expected and wanted 'pretty' but the first few hours were 'rough'. With hindsight, I realize that I was mentally unprepared for the difference in presentation, especially the energy this cartridge puts into my room. As a result, I struggled to find the audio 'G spot' for set up. It took time to stop thinking and begin trusting what I was hearing. Ultimately, VTA ended up substantially lower than the Fuuga, with the tail of my Durand Tosca just below horizontal. VTF sounds best @ 1.98 gm, just below recommended 2.0 gm. I'm running my phono preamp 'wide open'. As is often the case, dialing in the last bit was frustrating but extremely rewarding.
Having put on 20+ hours since Tuesday, things really have opened up and I am confident that my analog has never sounded better. Articulation is outstanding. Never thought I could get this quantity and quality of deep bass. Great soundstage width and depth, but not over done. And finally, this morning, the sound got pretty. Ed Thigpen's brushes on "You Look Good To Me" are absolutely lovely.
Gonna keep the status quo until I get another 25-50 hours of break-in but this cartridge is a keeper.
I took the plunge on a Bordeaux after multiple sessions listening to Mike's Etsuro Gold. Out of the box, it didn't sound at all what I expected: loved the low noise floor, articulation and bass energy but based on prior sessions at Mike's and prior reviews, the upper frequencies were troubling. I expected and wanted 'pretty' but the first few hours were 'rough'. With hindsight, I realize that I was mentally unprepared for the difference in presentation, especially the energy this cartridge puts into my room. As a result, I struggled to find the audio 'G spot' for set up. It took time to stop thinking and begin trusting what I was hearing. Ultimately, VTA ended up substantially lower than the Fuuga, with the tail of my Durand Tosca just below horizontal. VTF sounds best @ 1.98 gm, just below recommended 2.0 gm. I'm running my phono preamp 'wide open'. As is often the case, dialing in the last bit was frustrating but extremely rewarding.
Having put on 20+ hours since Tuesday, things really have opened up and I am confident that my analog has never sounded better. Articulation is outstanding. Never thought I could get this quantity and quality of deep bass. Great soundstage width and depth, but not over done. And finally, this morning, the sound got pretty. Ed Thigpen's brushes on "You Look Good To Me" are absolutely lovely.
Gonna keep the status quo until I get another 25-50 hours of break-in but this cartridge is a keeper.
@jazdoc thanks for sharing your impressions. Once things settle in and you feel like you have a good grasp of the sound, I'd value a comparison of what you think the Fuuga does well and what you think the Bordeaux does well. I have a good grasp of the Fuuga sound and would like to spend more time with an Etsuro.
@jazdoc hi! I'd love to hear your impressions of the Bordeaux compared to the Fuuga now that you've lived with it.
Hello Simon,
I've had a Bordeaux for about a year now and find that it sounds best when loaded to about 30 to 100 ohms.
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