At the end of the day he was the CEO. Anyone with koetsu will get a sound as if seagulls had flown in and done there thing.
Koetsu
- Thread starter jadis
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At the end of the day he was the CEO. Anyone with koetsu will get a sound as if seagulls had flown in and done there thing.
I disagree but everyone is entitled to there opinion.
Hi Ked,
First time for me to hear that Koetsus are lifeless and only an FR 64 can bring it to life. I've sold around 30 different models of Koetsus ranging from Black to Blue Lace and they all have different tonearms and none used an FR64 and I have not heard the term lifeless being used to describe their Koetsus. To say that Koetsus will sound good only with a particular tonearm is new to me.
Very interesting to see the arm internals. Thank you.This used to be 00116:
This is the Koetsu arm after an internal wire snapped:
The voltage is a product of the magnetic circuit and coil so certainly if there is a different output level one of these two are not the same. Once the rebuild is broken in I would be happy to know your opinion. If there are neck and neck now with a nod toward the newer; break in might make the difference.
Interesting to see the MKVI. The one in my possession is a MKIII. It does not have a removable headshell and there are two metal pads on the underside of it for grounding which are connected by a small cable. I would enjoy knowing the differences in the versions...
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Here is the last Koetsu tonearm I sold many years ago. It's a satin finish MK VII. Pardon the watermark as I couldn't find the original photos.
Thank you for sharing pictures of this model. Quite lovely in satin. The sheen on the arm tube looks like stainless which begs the question of if the previous version were same. The MKIII does have a similar / same antiskate adjustment. I am fond of the MKIII and would be eager to find a MKVII. How were these positioned price wise? It looks and feels like it would have been a premium tier in comparison to the Jelco branding.
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At that time, it was sold as a brand new unit. I forgot the exact price now but it should be almost twice the cost of a Jelco but of course it's not just a rebadged Jelco but has design specs from Sugano san.
Thank you. Information about this curiously solid performing arm is much appreciated.
Back in 1995 I purchased a Rosewood from a audio buddy, who had broken the cantilever. It had not even been broken in yet. I did not want to pay for a complete rebuild, as I didn't see it as being cost effective. So I had it repaired by AJ Van denholm. This was my first Koetsu, so I had no idea of how it sounded new. When I received it back, I thought it sounded fantastic. I had been using a Benz lps, which I also liked. Graham 1.8t, Oracle Delphi lll, tube electronics. I went digital for a while, and shelved my analog, for a few years. After a move, I went back to analog, and purchased a RSP on Ebay, and sent it to Koetsu for rebuild. When I compared the two Rosewoods, Ireally preferred the VDH rebuild. Airier highs,much more detail, and better defined bass. I shelved my tubes amp, CJ 125and purchased a Pass 60, solid state amp. I now much prefer the Koetsu rebuild. Gorgeous mids,silky highs,nice bass. When Coltrane plays his horn, Ialmost tear up, at the beauty of it. I still prefer the Benz on rock, but jazz, vocals, I now no why you all swear by Koetsu's
While ago I was paging through some Hi-Fi News reviews. I came across a review of a Koetsu (I forget the model). It was the usual waffle about the beautiful voices, silky midrange etc. However, in the measurement segment Paul Miller, based on his findings, recommended that the Koetsu be used with significantly higher VTA than other cartridges. I decided to set my 64S/Onyx in such a way and pretty much forgot about it, mainly using the other arms. The setting was way out of my comfort zone but at the time I thought I can always reset it later.
Due to the discourse here I revisited the Koetsu yesterday. I have been mainly listening to the Koetsu arm and SPU, revelling in the opulent bass and creamy mids. During that period I found the Ortofon to sound most controlled on the 30 ohms setting on my SUT and not the 3 ohms I usually use with the Koetsu. I forgot to reset it for the Koetsu.
I listened to 2 albums I had listened to the previous day. Weather Report's Night Passage and Peter Gabriel. With the Koetsu in its new setting, I literally felt like the man in the Maxell ad. Pastorius' bass nailed me to the wall, Shorter's Sax rasped in a way that it felt skin was peeling off my face, yet never turning harsh. On the Peter Gabriel more of the same. Percussion was fast, detailed, voices deep in the mix but in their pockets of air. This was so far removed from the usual Koetsu gentility that I actually got up to check that I had not accidentally cued the van den Hul Crimson Stradivarius!
I have owned this Onyx for almost 30 years. It has been rebuilt 4 or 5 times. It used to be top dog but is now way down on the preference list. I have never ever heard it as it sounds now. Thank you, Mr Miller! In an earlier post, I said I always drift away from the Koetsus but tend to always come back. Well, I'm back!
Due to the discourse here I revisited the Koetsu yesterday. I have been mainly listening to the Koetsu arm and SPU, revelling in the opulent bass and creamy mids. During that period I found the Ortofon to sound most controlled on the 30 ohms setting on my SUT and not the 3 ohms I usually use with the Koetsu. I forgot to reset it for the Koetsu.
I listened to 2 albums I had listened to the previous day. Weather Report's Night Passage and Peter Gabriel. With the Koetsu in its new setting, I literally felt like the man in the Maxell ad. Pastorius' bass nailed me to the wall, Shorter's Sax rasped in a way that it felt skin was peeling off my face, yet never turning harsh. On the Peter Gabriel more of the same. Percussion was fast, detailed, voices deep in the mix but in their pockets of air. This was so far removed from the usual Koetsu gentility that I actually got up to check that I had not accidentally cued the van den Hul Crimson Stradivarius!
I have owned this Onyx for almost 30 years. It has been rebuilt 4 or 5 times. It used to be top dog but is now way down on the preference list. I have never ever heard it as it sounds now. Thank you, Mr Miller! In an earlier post, I said I always drift away from the Koetsus but tend to always come back. Well, I'm back!
I’m half tempted to try my Koetsu on my other VPI with its Jelco sourced Audioquest Pt-6 now! I’d really need a heavier counterweight which I have had no luck finding. I have a new plain Jane DL103 riding in that arm now that sounds great with no damping fluid.
Btw, please share your loading experiences with your Koetsus, including your favorite SUTs. From what I know, the usual recommendation is 100 ohms but on my previous phono stage, I liked the sound better with 40 ohms. My present phono stage goes down to only 100 ohms.
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