Koetsu

[RickS]

Jadis, when the inevitable time comes for a rebuild of my old Koetsu Black, will Koetsu rebuild it as it was with it's original magnets or will they suggest trading in on a new Black Goldline since the case style of the old Black is closer to the modern Sigs and Urushi's rather than the modern Black Goldline? Thanks.
Rick

 

[jadis]

Jadis, when the inevitable time comes for a rebuild of my old Koetsu Black, will Koetsu rebuild it as it was with it's original magnets or will they suggest trading in on a new Black Goldline since the case style of the old Black is closer to the modern Sigs and Urushi's rather than the modern Black Goldline? Thanks.
Rick

Hi Rick,
On a rebuild, I believe they will give you a brand new magnet. I was told by my regional dealer that every part gets back to the owner as new, except the body. No trade in from Koetsu Japan. Maybe the local dealer will, am not so sure.

 

[jadis]

I saw this link from a user group. Very informative, about the differences between Koetsu models.

The Koetsu story – Japanese art Part I

There is something special about Japan, tradition and modern high tech are often separated with only a very small distance from each other. The attention to even the smallest detail in some …

medialux.blog

 

[shakti]

I saw this link from a user group. Very informative, about the differences between Koetsu models.

The Koetsu story – Japanese art Part I

There is something special about Japan, tradition and modern high tech are often separated with only a very small distance from each other. The attention to even the smallest detail in some …

medialux.blog

thank you!

I liked specially:

"Sugano San the elder used a Fidelity Research FR64S Tonearm with his creations, this beast has an effective mass of over 35g….!!!!"

Explains the synergy of Koetsu and the FR64s tonearm

 

[RickS]

4 Koetsu compared – Japanese art Part II

In this essay I try my very best to describe the difference of 4 of the most famous Koetsu cartridges, namely the Black Goldline, the Rosewood Signature, as well as the Urushi Wajima and the somewh…

medialux.blog

 

[RickS]

Hi Rick,
On a rebuild, I believe they will give you a brand new magnet. I was told by my regional dealer that every part gets back to the owner as new, except the body. No trade in from Koetsu Japan. Maybe the local dealer will, am not so sure.

Thank you Jadis. The other reason I asked is because I “think” I’ve read the early Koetsu Black had Alnico magnets instead of Cobalt like the Black Goldline uses. Not that there’s anything wrong with Cobalt magnets mind you. But I think I would expect to be charged a bit of a premium to get new Alnico magnets, if that’s the case. And that’s fine too.

I really wouldn’t want to trade off an early and cool specimen either way lol.

Thank you once again.
Rick

 

[jadis]

Thank you Jadis. The other reason I asked is because I “think” I’ve read the early Koetsu Black had Alnico magnets instead of Cobalt like the Black Goldline uses. Not that there’s anything wrong with Cobalt magnets mind you. But I think I would expect to be charged a bit of a premium to get new Alnico magnets, if that’s the case. And that’s fine too.

I really wouldn’t want to trade off an early and cool specimen either way lol.

Thank you once again.
Rick

My pleasure, Rick.
I understand what you mean with the Alnico Magnets and the Cobalt ones. I was told, again by my regional dealer, to 'trust' Sugano-san's decision in his era of Koetsu's production. There were 'legends' about his father's touch, and nothing much is really documented in audio magazines about them such that it became a folklore of sorts. That is, if the present crop of Koetsus, from Black to the Blue Lace, exude the performance worthy of the Koetsu name, then be assured to have the same excellent quality in a rebuilt, old magnets or new magnets. I was told too that old magnets may be deemed inferior (in terms of condition, so this is case to case), and Sugano-san will indeed replace it with the new crop of magnets they use. You can specify that you want your magnet retained if you wish, but the final say will be in Japan, because they do always protect their name vis-a-vis their product's performance. That is why if you own a Koetsu, it is best to have it rebuilt by them.

 

[RickS]

Thank you so much for the reply jadis! As I’ve mentioned, I got this Koetsu used but in still high functioning condition. I’m making CD recordings of select jazz, orchestral, pop and rock music to have a catalog of what this cartridge sounds like so I won’t have to rely on faded memory in the future.

Hopefully before the end of summer I’ll be ready to have the Black restored to however Koetsu deems correct and from that point I won’t have to stress about how long till the cartridge fails. Which is what worries me now seeing as it’s probably 38 years old!! Lol. This cartridge never fails to impress.

 

[Nemal1]

Excellent reading material, one of the most comprehensive koetsu comparisons I’ve come across. Well done and than you for bringing to our attention.

 

[RickS]

Koetsu (directupload.net)

 

[Nemal1]

 

[harleyguy]

Hi I m looking at Koetsu Blue Lace Diamond or Coralstone Diamond . Any idea the difference between these catridges ? Noticed more people are using coralstone

i have a blue lace and love it fantastic

 

[Nemal1]

I had a blue lace and loved it. Not with diamond cantilever though. Bet it will be amazing

 

[Chop]

Hi guys, I've just bought my first Koetsu!
A relatively humble (compared to some of the Koetsu's here) Urushi Black, the one with the little gold speckles on it. It only has about 20 hours on it so a fair way to go. Tracking in my Graham Phantom is at 1.8 with about 1.5 anti skate. The ride starts now...
At what point does this group think it will have settled down?

 

[mountainjoe]

Hi guys, I've just bought my first Koetsu!
A relatively humble (compared to some of the Koetsu's here) Urushi Black, the one with the little gold speckles on it. It only has about 20 hours on it so a fair way to go. Tracking in my Graham Phantom is at 1.8 with about 1.5 anti skate. The ride starts now...
At what point does this group think it will have settled down?

Congratulations on your first Koetsu! The Urushi Black was also my first Koetsu many years back and though I’ve moved on to a Platinum Blue Lace, the Black still holds a special place in my collection - it’s not the most resolving but it has such a great warm, lush tonal balance that I really love.

I couldn’t find any information on the effective mass of your tonearm but you really need a high mass arm to get the most out of Koetsu carts. You should be mostly settled after 30-50 hours of playback if that.

 

[Chop]

Thanks! BTW, Its an Urushi Black which I believe is different to a standard Koetsu Black. Though I'm not sure - Koetsu nomenclature is very confusing! Anyway it looks like this...

Koetsu Urushi Black Moving Coil Cartridge - Hifi Lounge

 

[mulveling]

Agreed. 30-50 hours max before a Koetsu is singing at 100%. Agreed again on the arm! If you blasted your budget on the cartridge, you can look out for a used Fidelity Research FR64fx, as they're not too steep (~ $1300 in decent condition) and really bring out the beauty of a Koetsu. Either copper or silver internal wire versions are fine - I've used both. The FR64S is even better sounding and looks gorgeous (when cleaned), for a bit more when they appear. Throw on a 20g headshell (like Ikeda), some new silver leads, and you'll have plenty of mass to work the stiff suspension, resulting in a sparkling sound quality. The condition of bearings on the arm you receive is the risk and wildcard here.

I also have a Graham Phantom Supreme - they're definitely not high mass but somehow they are actually quite good for a modern arm pairing to Koetsu; there are a LOT worse choices out there (VPI unipivots - bad, Clearaudio Universal - bad, etc). You will hear *most* of what Koetsu can do with that arm. But I do feel that the FR arms take it up another notch - that's what Sugano Sr. used himself, after all!

You might try some "tricks" to see if adding mass to the Graham improves the Koetsu any, I haven't tried any myself yet, e.g. the SoundSmith heavy thumb screws. Running a smaller counterweight as far out into the stub as possible also increases effective mass, though not sure we have much of a counterweight option with Graham.

I do have to say the adjustability and ease of setup of the Graham arm is absolutely fantastic; it's hard to give that up.

 

[DasguteOhr]

I had a Rosewood in a Fr 64s within a lighter stabilized headshell Rs 141 lost 7 gram mass sounds great. the original fr64s headshell sounds like a bell not real good.

 

[DasguteOhr]

Hi guys, I've just bought my first Koetsu!
A relatively humble (compared to some of the Koetsu's here) Urushi Black, the one with the little gold speckles on it. It only has about 20 hours on it so a fair way to go. Tracking in my Graham Phantom is at 1.8 with about 1.5 anti skate. The ride starts now...
At what point does this group think it will have settled down?

Which length have your phantom 9, 10.5 or 12 inch ? titanium arm tube?

 

[mulveling]

The stock FR64S headhsell is ridiculous lol - definitely a dinosaur. But you might try a heavier headshell than the RS141. The modern Ikdea headhsells (same Ikeda that strated FR, this was his next company) are 20g and fantastic. That 7g shell must be the lightest they made (no finger lift!) - I also have FR 10g and 12g headshells for the FR64fx, they're decent but the Ikedas are a lot more massive and less resonant (only downside is havig to import from Japan).